Hitman 3 is the final game in the Hitman reboot trilogy. As such, it’s a game that many players will be getting into that comes at the end of a story that’s now three games long. Many players are asking, “should I play Hitman 1 and 2 before 3?” so we’re going to answer that question definitively in this guide. We’ll also cover why you should play each of the Hitman games in turn, and why you might want to have all of the content from across all three games unlocked. There’s a lot to go through, but let’s start with the main answer.
Should I play Hitman 1 and 2 before 3?
Ultimately, the story in the Hitman reboot trilogy is unimportant. You don’t need to have played hitman 1 and 2 to understand the events in Hitman 3. The game gives you a brief recap of how the main characters ended up at the point that they begin the game at. It’s enough to show you how the story has unfolded, though it misses the nuance that was present in those games. If you jump straight into Hitman 3, you won’t be missing out on anything.
The Hitman Reboot Trilogy Story Summary
To help you feel like you’re not missing out, we’ve come up with a short summary of the stories from across all three Hitman games. It has as much detail as you’ll find in Hitman 3, so if you’ve started that game you won’t be missing out on much.
Hitman 1
In this game, Agent 47 is a hitman working for the ICA. Over the course of the game, he takes on targets with varying degrees of security. Each one seems to lead into the next, and it’s almost as if someone is watching from behind the scenes. Over the course of each main mission, players uncover a web that links all of the targets together, eventually discovering that someone has been manipulating the targets that Agent 47 has been tasked with. That’s where the game ends.
Hitman 2
In the second game, the story gets a lot more personal. Agent 47 and his handler, Dianna, are out to find the ‘Shadow client’ who has been manipulating the targets that they’ve been killing. Each one is linked to an entity called Providence. This entity is made up of the most powerful people from around the world. Together, they steer the world in a direction that suits them. When Agent 47 finally discovers the ‘Shadow Client,’ he and Dianna switch sides to help them. This character is another former ICA agent. One that the ICA attempted to dispose of, which is why he’s out to shut them and Providence down. By the game’s end, the group has captured the leader of this entity, and is set to take it down from the inside. That’s where this game finishes.
Hitman 3
You start Hitman 3 by heading out to take on some of the most prominent members of Providence. With their leader under your control, you can manipulate him into giving you their locations. (https://www.stocktargetadvisor.com/) This is how it looks like you’ll take the entity apart. Unfortunately, things don’t go to plan. Providence find their leader and break him out. They then kill the ‘Shadow Client’ and capture Dianna. Now Agent 47 must rescue her, but nor before he himself is captured. Over the course of the missions, you’ll see Agent 47 and Dianna’s relationship meet a new level. The pair work together even when it seems like they aren’t. They end the game on good terms, ready to face whatever the world has in store for them.
Why you Should Play Hitman 1 and 2
While you don’t need to play them before Hitman 3, it’s worth playing Hitman 1 and 2 at some point. The reason for this is that each game adds six new locations, bringing the total to eighteen in Hitman 3. This provides you with more locations to master, and much more content to play through. If you already own Hitman 1 and 2, their locations can be unlocked in Hitman 3. This brings them to life like never before. All the new features and mechanics that have been added in Hitman 3 are now available across every location.
On top of the main story content and challenges, you can also access all the Escalations in those two early games. These extend the gameplay time of Hitman 3 far beyond what you’ll find in that release alone. This even extends to the game’s contracts mode, which is where you’ll find new missions from the community and from developers alike. If you love what you find in Hitman 3, you’ll need to play through Hitman 1 and 2 as well.
Returning Content
With Hitman 3, the developers are bringing back a lot of the previous Elusive Targets that were present in the first two games. These are the toughest challenges in the game. Players have one chance to complete them after they start completing objectives. Until then, they can restart as much as they want, but you only get one real shot and properly completing the missions.
It’s worth playing through every mission in Hitman 1 and 2 at least once because of this. It gives you a rough idea of what’s on every map. It’ll also make the Elusive Targets seem much less daunting if you’ve been playing through the locations they’re set in long before they arrive. Those who have only played Hitman 3 are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to these targets. That’s why it’s worth going back to play the other locations at some point. That doesn’t mean that you have to do it before playing Hitman 3 though.
End of the Trilogy
Io Interactive, the developer of all three games in the Hitman reboot trilogy, is now working on the James Bond IP. They’re not making another Hitman game for the foreseeable future. It’s worth playing Hitman 1 and 2 as well as 3 because there won’t be a new Hitman game for a few years at least. This is the main reason why you should play all three games. Each one is a masterpiece in its own right. Playing one without playing the other two is like seeing someone’s head without their eyes or mouth. It exists, but it doesn’t make much sense without the counterparts.