What is HITMAN World of Assassination?

HITMAN World of Assassination represents the complete stealth assassination trilogy developed by IO Interactive, bringing together HITMAN (2016), HITMAN 2 (2018), and HITMAN 3 (2021) into one comprehensive package. This definitive edition delivers over 20 meticulously crafted sandbox locations across the globe, offering players unprecedented freedom in how they approach their contracts.

The game puts you in control of Agent 47, the world’s deadliest assassin working for the mysterious International Contract Agency (ICA). What sets this trilogy apart is its innovative approach to mission design—each location functions as a living, breathing sandbox where creativity and improvisation reign supreme.

Core Gameplay Mechanics

The Sandbox Philosophy

Unlike linear stealth games, World of Assassination presents each mission as an elaborate puzzle with countless solutions. Every location contains hundreds of NPCs following their own routines, creating organic opportunities for elimination. You might poison a target’s drink, arrange an “accident” with a chandelier, disguise yourself as their personal guard, or simply take the direct approach.

The game rewards exploration and experimentation. Spend hours learning guard patrol patterns, discovering secret passages, and identifying unique kill opportunities. Each playthrough reveals new possibilities, encouraging you to return to completed missions with fresh strategies.

Disguise System

Agent 47’s ability to blend in makes disguises central to gameplay. Steal a waiter’s uniform to access the kitchen, don a security guard outfit to patrol restricted areas, or impersonate a VIP to get close to your target. However, certain NPCs will see through your disguise—a chef will recognize an imposter in the kitchen, while regular guards remain oblivious.

This system creates natural tension as you navigate spaces, constantly weighing risk versus reward. Do you take the safe route through public areas, or risk exposure by infiltrating high-security zones?

Mission Stories

Each location features multiple Mission Stories—guided experiences that showcase unique assassination opportunities. These stories might lead you to poison a target during a massage, sabotage equipment to cause a fatal accident, or manipulate events to isolate your target. While following these stories, you’ll discover the intricate details IO Interactive built into each location.

Mission Stories serve as excellent tutorials for new players while providing experienced assassins with starting points for their own creative variations.

Global Locations

Paris – The Showstopper

Your journey begins at a lavish fashion show in a Parisian palace. Navigate through crowds of socialites, models, and security personnel as you hunt two targets hosting the event. The palace features multiple floors, a catwalk, outdoor gardens, and hidden basement areas.

Sapienza – World of Tomorrow

This sun-drenched Italian coastal town offers one of the trilogy’s most beloved locations. Eliminate a scientist and destroy a bioweapon while exploring a massive mansion, underground laboratories, and charming village streets. The level’s scale and beauty make it a fan favorite.

Marrakesh – A Gilded Cage

Navigate the bustling streets of Morocco, where protests rage outside a Swedish consulate and a secure military compound. This mission presents unique challenges with its two heavily fortified target locations and dense crowds.

Bangkok – Club 27

Infiltrate a luxury hotel where a rock star and his lawyer have taken residence. Vertical gameplay comes into play as you move between floors, from the ground-level restaurant to rooftop suites and recording studios.

Colorado – Freedom Fighters

Break from typical locations with this heavily guarded militia compound. With four targets and minimal civilian presence, Colorado demands a more tactical approach to stealth.

Hokkaido – Situs Inversus

Conclude the first season at a futuristic Japanese medical facility built into a mountain. This high-tech location features advanced security systems and requires careful manipulation of the facility’s AI controls.

Additional Locations

The complete trilogy adds Miami’s speedway, Colombia’s jungle compound, Mumbai’s slums, Vermont’s suburban neighborhood, Dubai’s skyscraper, Dartmoor’s mansion, Berlin’s nightclub, Chongqing’s neon-lit streets, Mendoza’s vineyard, and the Carpathian Mountains for the dramatic finale.

Progression and Replayability

Mastery System

Completing missions and challenges earns Mastery levels for each location. Higher Mastery unlocks new starting locations, smuggled item drop-offs, and agency pickups placed throughout the map. These unlocks fundamentally change how you approach missions, opening previously impossible strategies.

At maximum Mastery, you might start as a mansion guard with your sniper rifle waiting in a convenient location, dramatically streamlining your approach.

Challenge System

Hundreds of challenges encourage experimentation. Discover all disguises, perform specific assassinations, complete missions without being spotted, achieve Silent Assassin rating, or find all Easter eggs. Challenges guide you toward content you might otherwise miss while rewarding creative play.

Elusive Targets

Time-limited Elusive Target missions add permanent consequences to the formula. These special contracts appear for limited periods, offering one attempt to eliminate a unique target. Fail or die, and the opportunity vanishes forever. Success unlocks exclusive rewards, creating genuine tension rarely found in modern games.

Contracts Mode

Create and share custom assassination contracts by marking any NPC as a target and defining success conditions. Play contracts created by other players worldwide, competing for the best scores on global leaderboards. This user-generated content extends the game’s lifespan indefinitely.

Game Modes

Story Campaign

Follow Agent 47 through a globe-spanning conspiracy involving secret societies, corporate espionage, and personal revelations about his past. While the story takes a backseat to gameplay, it provides context for your missions and features memorable characters.

Freelancer Mode

This roguelike mode adds permanent consequences and resource management. Customize your safehouse, plan campaigns against criminal syndicates, and face permadeath. Freelancer transforms World of Assassination into a tense strategic experience where every decision matters.

Sniper Assassin

Take on dedicated sniper missions where you eliminate multiple targets from a distant vantage point. These missions emphasize careful observation and precise timing as you identify targets among crowds.

Technical Excellence

Visual Fidelity

World of Assassination showcases stunning environments brought to life through meticulous attention to detail. From Dubai’s gleaming skyscraper to Dartmoor’s gothic mansion, each location feels authentic and lived-in. Crowds move realistically, weather effects add atmosphere, and lighting creates mood.

AI Systems

The game’s AI impresses with its complexity. NPCs follow schedules, react to environmental changes, and investigate suspicious behavior. They communicate with each other, call for backup when threatened, and remember your actions. This creates emergent gameplay moments impossible to script.

Performance Optimization

IO Interactive optimized the game remarkably well, maintaining smooth performance even with hundreds of NPCs on screen. The Glacier engine handles complex simulations while delivering gorgeous visuals across multiple platforms.

Strategic Approach

Planning Phase

Before each mission, review target information, select your starting location and loadout, and study the map. Experienced players spend considerable time planning their approach, identifying key opportunities and backup plans.

Loadout Customization

Unlock and select from dozens of weapons, tools, and gadgets. Choose silenced pistols for discrete eliminations, fiber wire for silent takedowns, lockpicks for bypassing security, or explosives for dramatic exits. Your loadout significantly impacts available strategies.

Rating System

Missions conclude with a performance rating based on multiple factors: remaining undetected, avoiding non-target casualties, hiding bodies, and completing objectives. Achieving the coveted Silent Assassin rating (eliminating only targets while remaining undetected) represents the ultimate accomplishment.

Community and Competitive Play

Global Leaderboards

Compete against players worldwide for the fastest completion times and highest scores. Speedrunners have turned World of Assassination into a competitive sport, discovering incredible skips and optimizations.

Content Creation

The game’s sandbox nature makes it perfect for content creation. YouTube and Twitch feature countless creators showcasing creative kills, challenge runs, and comedic moments. The community continuously discovers new strategies years after release.

Why Play World of Assassination?

This trilogy excels at delivering player-driven stories. Your best moments come from improvisation—when plans go wrong and you adapt on the fly, or when you discover an unexpected kill opportunity. The game respects your intelligence, providing tools and information while letting you forge your own path.

Whether you prefer meticulous planning, bold improvisation, or absolute chaos, World of Assassination accommodates your playstyle. Each mission offers enough depth for dozens of playthroughs, revealing new details with every attempt.

For stealth game enthusiasts, puzzle lovers, or anyone appreciating games that reward creativity and mastery, HITMAN World of Assassination represents one of the generation’s finest achievements. It’s not just a stealth game—it’s a sandbox for assassins where your imagination sets the only limits.