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Hitman 2

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the 2018 game. For the 2002 game, see Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.

Hitman 2
Hitman 2 cover
Developers
IO Interactive
Sumo Digital
Mi'pu'mi Games[1]
Publishers
Former Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Current IO Interactive
Engines
Glacier 2
Release dates
Windows November 13, 2018
Reception
Metacritic 82
OpenCritic 83
IGDB 82
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Immersive sim, Stealth
Series Hitman
Hitman 2 on HowLongToBeat
Hitman 2 on IGDB
Hitman 2 guide on StrategyWiki
Hitman 2 on MobyGames
Hitman 2 on Wikipedia
Hitman
Hitman: Codename 47 2000
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin 2002
Hitman: Contracts 2004
Hitman: Blood Money 2006
Hitman: Sniper Challenge 2012
Hitman: Absolution 2012
Hitman GO 2015
Hitman 2016
Hitman 2 2018
Hitman World of Assassination 2021

Key points

As of January 26th 2023, owners of Hitman will no longer receive an appropriate "Legacy Pack" containing content from the previous game as the "location importing" functionality has been disabled following the World of Assassination update for Hitman 3.[2][3]
Individual DLC/levels of this game and the Legacy Pack can be disabled/uninstalled in the DLC Steam menu of the game to significantly save on disk space
The game requires a constant internet connection for some features to work properly (Elusive targets, Contracts mode and Challenge progression).[4]

General information

PC Report: Hitman 2
Official forum
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
GamersGate (unavailable)
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Gold Edition also available. Was delisted on January 26, 2023.[5]
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Silver Edition, Gold Edition Was delisted on January 26, 2023.[5]
Windows
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Silver Edition, Gold Edition Was delisted on January 26, 2023.[5]
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Gold Edition also available. Was delisted on January 26, 2023.[5]
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Gold Edition also available. Was delisted on January 26, 2023.[5]
Windows
All versions require Steam DRM.
Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM was removed on January 30, 2019.[6]
The prologue and first mission of the game is available for free on Steam. Owners of an applicable version of the previous game will also be able to access Legacy locations through this version of the game.[7]

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
GOTY Legacy Pack This is the complete legacy pack, containing the base legacy pack in addition to the Patient Zero campaign, GOTY suits and three GOTY Escalation Contracts. This pack is available for purchase, but is also automatically redeemed for Hitman owners of the Game of the Year Edition (or have upgraded to the GOTY Edition) or the Definitive Edition.
Windows
GOTY Legacy Pack Upgrade This is an upgrade pack for owners of the base legacy pack that grants them the additional contents of the GOTY Legacy Pack.
Windows
HITMAN 2 Silver to Gold Upgrade Grants players with the silver edition of the game an upgrade path to get access to the Gold Edition.
Windows
Legacy Pack This is the base legacy pack containing all locations and campaign missions of Hitman. This pack is not available for purchase but is automatically redeemed for Hitman owners of The Full Experience, The Complete First Season, or all seven episodes individually, see Hitman Legacy Pack FAQ.
Windows
Expansion Pass Season pass; grants access to Expansion Pack 1 and 2.
Windows
Expansion Pack 1 Adds a new Sniper Assassin map ("Hantu Port" in Singapore[8]) and location ("The Bank" in New York[9]).
Windows
Expansion Pack 2 Adds a new Sniper Assassin map ("The Prison" in Siberia[10]) and location ("The Resort"/"Haven Island" in The Maldives;[11] releases September 24[12]).
Windows
Executive Pack Adds an additional pistol and briefcase.
Windows

Version differences

Hitman: Sniper Assassin

Standalone version of the 'Sniper Assassin' game mode of Hitman 2, using the UI from the updated version of Hitman, made available as an early access pre-order bonus. This separate digital download was removed and made unplayable following the early access release of the game on November 8, 2018 as it was integrated into the full game.[13][14][15]

Silver Edition

Includes the Expansion Pack 1 and Executive Pack DLC.
Granted early access to a standalone version of the 'Sniper Assassin' game mode as a pre-order bonus.

Gold Edition

Includes the Expansion Pass (Expansion Pack 1 and 2) and Executive Pack DLC.
Granted early access to a standalone version of the 'Sniper Assassin' game mode as a pre-order bonus.
Granted early access to the game on November 8, 2018.

Essential improvements

Skip launcher

Use the -skip_launcher command line argument[16]
Use -skip_launcher -d3d12 to skip the launcher and switch in DirectX 12 mode. By default, -skip_launcher switches the game into DirectX 11 mode.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IO Interactive\HITMAN2
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/863550/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\863550\remote\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/863550/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video

External graphics settings.
External graphics settings.

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
FOV in-game and for menus are auto-adjusted (Hor+) when using ultra-widescreen resolutions, however some minor UI elements (splash screen background, intro movies) are filled to the screen (Vert-).
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Can be changed via cheat table: FOV Changer
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Labeled Fullscreen in the options.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Up to 16 samples. Broken in DirectX 12 mode, use driver setting instead.[citation needed]
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Up to 2.0x SSAA, in addition to SMAA T1x, which cannot be disabled.[17][18] SSAA can be tweaked via the Registry to achieve lower SSAA numbers with reg scripts. The hardcoded minimum limit is 0.5, and the lower the number, the blurrier the image.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)
Turn off Windows HD Color and enable exclusive fullscreen[19][20]

Input

General keyboard and mouse settings.
General keyboard and mouse settings.
General controller settings.
General controller settings.

Audio

General audio settings.
General audio settings.
General language settings.
General language settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Master, Effects, Music, Dialogue.
Surround sound
Up to Dolby 7.1.[23]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio
In-game areas and radios play licensed music.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Latin American Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
LAN play
Online play
2 Co-op, Versus
Co-op is available through Sniper Assassin maps.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Can also manually invite a player.
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes State Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
See Helix Mod: Hitman 2 (DX11).

Issues unresolved

The best way to report game issues to the developers is via the game's official bug report thread.

Crash to desktop (0x80000003) / display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding

A number of players have encountered the 0x80000003 error that occurs with Turing GPUs (GeForce 16 series and RTX series) since game release (November 2018).[24]
IO Interactive works on a solution with Nvidia since January 2019 but "they don’t have a specific fix planned" and "continuing to gather data on to pinpoint the cause" as stated in September 2019[25]
This issue can be fixed by intercepting and translating the DirectX API calls to Vulkan using DXVK, a tool now sponsored by Steam. This is the only reliable community workaround recommended IOI for people continuing to encounter this issue with both DX11 and DX12.[26]
Use Hitman Vulkan Enabler Mod
  1. Run hitmanVK.exe
  2. Choose Hitman 2
  3. Click on Install and enable DXVK
  4. Finally, click on Exit and launch game

Issues fixed

Stuttering during in-game cutscenes

Steam permits the user to play the game when ~35 GB have been downloaded, even though it still needs to download an additional 25 GB, and another 45 GB if a user bought the Legacy DLC.[27]
Wait for content to download in-game or disable Allow downloads during gameplay in the Steam settings[28]

Water in Season 1 (Legacy Pack) levels does not render correctly

Users report that bodies of water in Season 1 (Legacy Pack) levels do not render correctly.[29][30][31]
Example of Season 1 water rendering issue
Example of Season 1 water rendering issue
Fixed for Nvidia users in driver version 416.94.[32][33]

Can't connect servers

Anti-virus' web security may block a secure connection to the Hitman 2 servers.
Disable your anti-virus' "Web Security" feature[34]
Otherwise, a real-time health status of HITMAN™2 services is available here : https://hitmanstat.us/

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 11, 12 D3D12 was added in March 2019 update (2.20)[35]
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics PhysX v3.4.1.0
Audio Wwise
Interface Scaleform
Cutscenes CRI Movie
Multiplayer RakNet

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 7
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz
AMD Phenom II X4 940
System memory (RAM) 8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 60 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
AMD Radeon HD 7870
DirectX 11 compatible
A 64-bit operating system is required.


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/863550/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (863550) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. Hitman 2 - Mi'pu'mi Games - last accessed on 2022-10-05
    "We have worked closely with various teams in Copenhagen supporting new and existing technologies for IO Interactive’s proprietary 2nd generation Glacier Engine, as well as developing services, UI- and gameplay systems."
  2. Access Pass Guide / Location Importing – HITMAN 3 Player Support - last accessed on 2023-03-11
  3. Verified by User:Nik on 2023-03-11
  4. Verified by User:Aemony on 2018-11-12
    Verified by opting out of the Privacy Policy and going over to offline mode. Basically the same restrictions as in Hitman (2016).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 HITMAN 3 to become ‘World of Assassination’ - last accessed on 2023-01-03
  6. HITMAN 2 Displaying change #U:9998491 - last accessed on 2019-01-30
  7. Steam Community - Hitman 2 - HITMAN 2 - FREE Prologue - last accessed on 2018-11-14
  8. HITMAN 2 – Hantu Port - last accessed on 2019-08-27
  9. HITMAN 2 – Content Highlights - last accessed on 2019-08-27
  10. HITMAN 2 - Siberia - last accessed on 2019-08-27
  11. HITMAN 2 – The Bank - last accessed on 2019-08-27
  12. HITMAN 2 - September Roadmap - last accessed on 2019-09-07
  13. SteamDB - HITMAN™: Sniper Assassin - Change #5359353 - last accessed on 2018-11-09
  14. IO Interactive - HITMAN 2 – Countdown to Launch - last accessed on 2018-11-09
  15. Steam Discussions - HITMAN™: Sniper Assassin - Not able to play yet? - last accessed on 2018-11-09
  16. Verified by User:Silent on 2018-11-09
  17. Verified by User:Aemony on 2018-11-11
    Verified by setting everything to lowest at 1440p and anti-aliasing was still enabled. There's a reg key "AntiAliasing" but this had no effect when set to 0.
  18. Eurogamer - Hitman 2 is a stunningly detailed game with some cool tech features - last accessed on
    "Gone is the ability to determine your anti-aliasing technique, with SMAA T1x enforced throughout instead."
  19. Steam Community - "No HDR Capability Detected" - last accessed on 2022-01-16
  20. Verified by User:Rct3guy on 2022-01-16
  21. X1nput 2.0 - Xbox One Controller Impulse Triggers on (almost) any PC game - last accessed on May 2023
  22. Verified by User:Rct3guy on 2022-01-13
    Wired with Steam Input disabled. DualShock 4 prompts did not appear.)
  23. Verified by User:d0x360 on 2019-1-30
    Doubled checked after recent patch, LFE channel is being properly used on Denon AVR-S receiver via HDMI connection
  24. Hitman 2 - constant crashing with 0x80000003 - last accessed on 2019-11-15
  25. HITMAN 2 – September Update - last accessed on 2019-09-23
  26. HITMAN 2 – November Update - last accessed on 2019-11-19
  27. Steam Community Discussion - Stuttering in game - last accessed on 2018-11-11
    "you can start playing the game when you have 35gb downloaded, the full game is 60, and another 45 for legacy"
  28. Steam Community Discussion - Stuttering in game - last accessed on 2018-11-11
    "it stuttred for the first 2 hours while it was downloading, its smooth now 90 fps, everthing set to ultra at 2560x1440"
  29. Steam Community Discussion - So what's up with the water? - last accessed on 2018-11-13
  30. Hitman Forum - Official HITMAN 2 Bug Report Thread - last accessed on
    "Colorado has similarly buggy water to Hokkaido."
  31. Hitman Forum - Official HITMAN 2 Bug Report Thread - last accessed on
    "Hokkaido water is bugged."
  32. Verified by User:Silent on 2018-11-13
    Verified using a RenderDoc capture of an affected scene. Without the latest driver's optimizations, the issue persists; with the latest driver's optimizations, the issue is resolved.
  33. Steam Community Discussion - New Nvidia Drivers add HITMAN 2 Support - last accessed on 2018-11-15
  34. Hitman Forum - Can't connect to the Hitman 2 servers - last accessed on 2018-11-14
  35. HITMAN 2 – March Update - IO Interactive - last accessed on 2019-03-26