The rebooted Hitman trilogy’s Switch 2 port is meaty but needed more time in the oven to make the most of Nintendo’s new hardware.

Nearly nine years after Hitman was rebooted by IO Interactive with an episodic model, we have it running on Nintendo Switch 2. It’s an impressive third-party launch offering no matter how you spin it, but this port comes with huge caveats.

If you haven’t played the recent Hitman games, you should fix that as soon as possible. Following Absolution’s largely divisive reception, IO Interactive moved away from its more cinematic structure in order to double down on what made Hitman special. After early doubts about the reboot’s episodic model, we embraced this new set of games, and its big post-launch evolution – which hasn’t stopped yet – has only strengthened its status.

Let’s also get the silly titling out of the way: World of Assassination is the name given to Hitman 3 bundled with the two previous games and all the additional paid content. IO Interactive has acted weird when it comes to signaling what to buy and how to upgrade. That’s, by far, my least favorite thing about Hitman in its current form. It’s also why Switch 2’s Signature Edition is a clean entry point for those who have ignored these bangers up to this point. Mind you, it’s not 100% complete (some elusive targets and bonus contracts have to be bought separately), but it’s the closest thing to an “ultimate” version so far.

So, let’s pretend you know next to nothing about Agent 47. In 1999, the International Contract Agency (ICA) recruited an exceptional man who could become the world’s greatest assassin, which is great, as the ICA’s deal is taking on high-profile assassination contracts on a global scale. These games happen 20 years later, giving previous games enough space to exist in the same continuity, but no one cares, and this is an entirely new storyline. After taking on a few seemingly regular contracts, a pattern emerges and something starts smelling funny. To the surprise of no one familiar with the series, it’s time to murder more people in order to uncover a larger conspiracy which threatens the world’s entire political and financial stage. Also: Agent 47’s past is even more mysterious than you could anticipate.

These three Hitman games put the video game-y stuff at the forefront and don’t bend any of their delightful mechanics or systems to feel like a movie or TV show. That doesn’t mean they aren’t chock-full of plot and conversations. Whether you care about the whys and hows behind all the controlled chaos Agent 47 creates around the world is your choice. I’m not here to write about the series’ self-serious but oddly charming tone or to celebrate the joy of knocking security goons out with soda cans. Many have done that already. Why are these games so unique and why should you care?

There are exceptions to the design rules the trilogy abides by, such as the arrival to the massive Sceptre skyscraper in Dubai. Sometimes, the story missions allow themselves to show off the exquisite levels in a more hand-holdy style, but such sections don’t last long. Most of the time, you have a quick intro and then you’re on your own, thrown in the middle of organic maps full of NPCs and all sorts of opportunities. If you enjoyed the bulk of Arkane’s Dishonored games, imagine juiced-up and more open versions of their most sprawling levels. The most interesting thing is that every location (bar maybe a couple of linear missions) is designed to be replayed, to serve as a sandbox capable of housing countless other contracts. This tickled a very specific part of my brain, and I’d say many people felt the same way. Hitman has often been described as one of gaming’s greatest Rube Goldberg machines, and that’s an apt description for the superb controlled simulations IO has been cooking for a decade now.

From the get-go, Hitman featured extra contracts set in altered versions of the levels and also gave players the (simple) tools to create missions of their own. The more time you spend mastering different tactics, weapons, tools, and locations, the more options and variables you get to keep the loop going. Having an easy time? Up the difficulty and chase challenges such as wearing a ninja suit everyone is suspicious of as you clean house in a remote clinic. A huge part of Hitman is impersonating NPCs, so you can imagine how that’s an interesting way to replay levels you think you know. The list goes on and on. This is why IO wanted to create a “platform” to update over time. It pains me to say this, but maybe certain single-player IPs work well as “live” games.

Extra modes like Elusive Targets, Escalation, and Freelancer (an intricate roguelite riff on everything the game has to offer) have been added over the years alongside the new campaigns and content drops, so what you’re getting with Signature Edition is a lot. The million-dollar question is: Should I grab the Switch 2 port or am I better off playing World of Assassination somewhere else? Well, all the hatchet-throwing and body-hiding of past iterations is intact and as fun as ever here, but I’d say Agent 47 has an easier time setting off Final Destination-like chain reactions on other platforms.

First of all, I’d ask those on the fence if they’re veterans or newcomers. Should you have access to other current-gen consoles or a decent-enough PC, go with them instead if this is your first rodeo with 47. If you’re self-limited to Nintendo’s hardware or want a portable version of Hitman that doesn’t require any tinkering (you can’t dodge that with a Steam Deck or ROG Ally), this is a solid way to experience it, both for master assassins and newbies. I need to warn you about the big “buts,” though, so bear with me a while longer…

Performance isn’t where it should be. If Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 is a major third-party win, then Hitman is a bit of a bummer. IO’s first mistake was not implementing a 30 FPS cap option. Instead, we’re stuck with uncapped frame rates which are especially jarring in docked mode due to the lack of system-level variable refresh rate. Handheld fares a bit better because the screen does VRR, but certain areas and conditions tank the frame rate into the low 20s. Solid patches and post-launch DLSS support could smooth things out and make the most of the console, but right now, Hitman on Switch 2 feels rushed on a technical level. On top of this, HDR doesn’t look great, but that appears to be a more widespread issue linked to the console.

The good news is Hitman isn’t a fast-paced game. Unless you choose to ignore everything and go guns-blazing, you won’t spend a lot of time aiming or in the middle of huge firefights. This makes the performance hiccups more bearable. More baffling and detrimental to the experience, however, is the lack of proper offline play almost a decade after the original release. This has been criticized over the years and could be considered World of Assassination’s biggest mistake, but progression and every mode that isn’t the story campaign depends on you being able to log into IO’s servers. As you can imagine, this throws the Signature Edition’s real portability factor out of the window. It’s great for lying on the bed or sofa, but don’t expect to enjoy the full Hitman experience on airplane mode.

I guess you could also complain about the game ignoring almost every unique feature of Nintendo’s fresh new hardware, which suggests this port was rushed through the door to hit the console’s launch date. But let’s be honest: No one wants to play Hitman touching the screen or shaking the Joy-Cons. Going into this one, I wanted another showcase of Switch 2’s graphical capabilities and a port of Hitman that just works on the go without major hiccups. As it stands, the Signature Edition isn’t exactly it. These are remarkable games full of design flexes everyone should enjoy and/or study, and there’s nothing wrong with experiencing them this way. But as a product, this port reminded me of the Wii U era, and that’s bad. I can only hope IO keeps delivering on the updates front.

Score: 7/10

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 code provided by the publisher.