Hitman 3 has 50% negative reviews on Steam

Hitman 1-3 is a fantastic trilogy and, also, a curse upon digital storefronts. Hitman 3 frustrated players when it first launched on Epic, because their progress didn’t carry over; Hitman 1 frustrated players on GOG last year because its internet requirements constitute DRM; and now Hitman 3 is back at it again on Steam. It currently has “Mixed” reviews after arriving on the platform earlier this week, with players cross about its price, its umpteen editions, and – yes, again – progress not carrying over for some.

At the time of writing, Hitman 3 on Steam has a mere 50% positive reviews. Chief among the issues in negative reviews is the price, which is set at £50/$60 for the standard edition. That’s the same price as when it launched a year ago on the Epic Games Store. Some reviews feel it should be lower given a year has passed, while others feel there should be a launch discount. Many users point out that the game has previously been more than half-off on the Epic Games Store.

The issue is that some players waited a year for the game to come to Steam, and feel they ought to be compensated for waiting, while others already own it on Epic or on console and are buying it again for the additional content or to own all three games in one place. In either case, players seemingly feel entitled to a cheaper game.

Making matters worse is that Hitman 3 has a particularly complicated set of editions. There’s the aforementioned standard edition, plus a deluxe edition, the Hitman Trilogy, the Trilogy Premium Add-Ons Bundle, the Hitman 3: Seven Deadly Sins Collection, and the Hitman 3 Access Pass: Hitman 2 Gold. These various bundles are offered in respect of players who already own some parts of the content elsewhere, or already own previous games, but trying to work out which contains what and which you should buy is a mission.

Still more complaints centre on some of the new content added for this Steam release, particularly the addition of the previously PlayStation-exclusive virtual reality mode. Most reviews don’t offer specifics, only suggesting that the implementation is subpar. “Even a VR mod from a hobby developer is far better than this,” writes one reviewer.

Hitman 3 is a great game and a fitting end to a fantastic trilogy. Many of the negative Steam reviews even say so. It seems unreasonable to expect a great game – with another year of content on the way – to be cheap just because it’s a year old. Still, players aren’t wrong to be confused by the various editions, or to be disappointed by lackluster new modes if they’ve been compelled to buy the game for a second time. It’s a shame that Hitman 3’s second launch seems as tainted as its first.