Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded
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| Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | XR Games |
| Publisher | XR Games |
| Platform | Meta Horizon OS |
| Device | Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S |
| Operating System | Meta Horizon OS |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Stealth, Action |
| Input Device | Motion controllers |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing, Room-scale |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | September 5, 2024 |
| Price | US$29.99 / GBP 24.99 (launch price) |
| App Store | Meta Horizon Store |
| Website | https://www.xrgames.io/games/hitmanvr |
Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded (stylized HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded) is a standalone virtual reality version of IO Interactive's 2021 stealth game Hitman 3, developed by the Leeds-based studio XR Games in collaboration with IO Interactive. It was released on September 5, 2024 for Meta Quest 3 at US$29.99 (GBP 24.99), and it also runs on Meta Quest 3S.[1][2] The game adapts the Hitman 3 campaign with dual-wielding, a new art style, a user interface redesigned for VR and new movement options.[1]
Reloaded was received poorly at launch. Reviewers criticized its visuals, level-of-detail pop-in and the number of interactions still handled by button presses; UploadVR scored it 2.5 out of 5 and Road to VR 3 out of 10.[3][4] XR Games acknowledged that the release "has not met our own high expectations" and issued patches in September and October 2024.[5][6] It is a separate product from the VR modes of Hitman: World of Assassination on PlayStation VR, PC VR and PlayStation VR2.[2]
Gameplay
Players control the contract killer Agent 47 through the missions of Hitman 3. UploadVR described it as an adaptation of the original Hitman 3 VR mode for standalone headsets. According to its review, the game contains only the base Hitman 3 levels, without the levels from the two earlier games in the trilogy, the Freelancer mode, side missions or the Ambrose Island location.[3] XR Games' first patch notes name mission locations including Dubai, Dartmoor, Berlin, Chongqing, Mendoza and the Carpathian Mountains.[5][7]
The main new mechanic is dual-wielding, which lets the player hold a weapon or item in each hand.[1] Agent 47 is represented by floating hands rather than a full body. Because the player cannot look down to see the current disguise, a wristwatch shows the outfit and also works as a map.[8] Ladders, keypads and doors can still be used with a button press, but players can also grab individual ladder rungs, enter keypad codes by hand or push doors open, and the game supports room-scale movement.[8] Two slots on the wrists hold items for quick access.[3] Throwing items, vaulting and reloading are button presses rather than physical gestures.[3]
Movement uses stick-based artificial locomotion, with no teleport option. Comfort settings include smooth and snap turning and a choice of head, fixed or left-hand movement direction.[3] Road to VR's review lists standing and seated modes, real and artificial crouching, and controller- or head-based smooth movement.[4]
Development
According to XR Games CEO Bobby Thandi, development began about three years before release, after IO Interactive's chief technical officer and chief creative officer wanted to bring Hitman to new audiences, a goal that had earlier led to PlayStation VR and PC VR support in the original game. IO Interactive approached several outside studios before choosing XR Games.[8] XR Games is based in Leeds, UK.[1]
Hitman 3 runs on IO Interactive's Glacier Engine, which Thandi said "was only ever intended as a console engine, not for mobile devices such as Quest 3". He told UploadVR that after a year of work the team had only a disco ball rendering in the headset.[8] The studio initially targeted Meta Quest 2, but Thandi said that "with our available time and budget, it had to be Quest 3."[8] Instead of recreating the console assets, XR Games adopted a new art style and built tools to reduce the triangle count of objects automatically. Thandi said the style was chosen as the most "optimized" approach and was not simply carried over from the studio's cel-shaded Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded.[8] Road to VR's reveal coverage described the new look as a cel-shaded art style.[9] The team first tried a full-body model for Agent 47 but switched to floating hands because of movement problems, which also saved rendering performance.[8]
Release
IO Interactive and XR Games revealed the game in June 2024 as a Quest 3 exclusive with a summer 2024 release window.[9] On August 29, 2024, XR Games set the release date as September 5, 2024, with a 10% discount for pre-orders.[10][11] It launched on the Meta Horizon Store on that date.[1][4]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 4, 2024 | Revealed as a Quest 3 exclusive, release window summer 2024[9] |
| August 29, 2024 | Release date announced; pre-orders at 10% off[10] |
| September 5, 2024 | Released on Meta Quest 3 at US$29.99 / GBP 24.99[1] |
| September 9, 2024 | "Day 4" patch[5] |
| October 22, 2024 | Version 1.2 update reported live[6] |
Updates
The "Day 4" patch, released on September 9, 2024, reduced level-of-detail pop-in by adjusting LOD distances, added a stabilizer for sniper rifle aiming, increased crowd sizes and visibility distances, and fixed flickering, Z-fighting, terrain gaps and floating assets across the levels.[5][7] In a hands-on with the patch, UploadVR found that textures and Dubai's lighting had improved, but that the Farewell mission now had "consistent stutters making it practically unplayable."[12] Version 1.2, reported by UploadVR on October 22, 2024, promised stability improvements, higher LOD limits, adjusted lighting and bug fixes.[6]
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| UploadVR | 2.5/5[3] |
| Road to VR | 3/10[4] |
In its review, UploadVR called the game faithful to the original but said that this faithfulness, together with poor visuals, was its main problem. Reviewer Callum Self wrote that the attempt to downgrade the visuals for Quest 3 made it "look like a PS2 title", said that button-press actions broke the feeling of embodying Agent 47, and called the game "quite disappointing", while still finding that pulling off a clever kill "feels spectacular".[3] Road to VR's Scott Hayden described muddy textures, popping geometry and flat lighting, and said that objects constantly popping in and out of view affected even very small levels. He praised the smartwatch with mission map, the two quick inventory slots and the comfort options, but concluded that the game was "still multiple updates away from reaching a minimum acceptable quality."[4] As of September 2026, Metacritic lists no Metascore for the Quest version.[13]
On October 1, 2024, less than a month after the game's release, UploadVR reported that 72 XR Games employees faced redundancy in a large-scale restructuring; founder and CEO Bobby Thandi said in a statement that the game "will continue to receive patch support".[14] Road to VR reported that 72 of about 84 staff were affected.[15] In November 2024, reporting on the motion-controlled PlayStation VR2 version of Hitman: World of Assassination, Road to VR called Reloaded "the widely panned" port for Quest 3 and 3S.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded, Exclusively for Meta Quest 3". IO Interactive. 2024-09-05. https://ioi.dk/hitman/news/2024/xr-games. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scott Hayden (2024-11-18). "Hitman World of Assassination Delayed on PSVR 2 to March 2025". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/hitman-world-of-assassination-psvr-2-release-date-delay/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Callum Self (2024-09-05). "Hitman 3 VR Reloaded Review: Faithful To A Fault". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Scott Hayden (2024-09-05). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded for Quest 3 - A Visual & Mechanical Mess". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-quest-3-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded - Day 4 patch details, and a message from the team". XR Games. 2024-09-09. https://www.xrgames.io/news/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-day-4-patch-details-and-a-message-from-the-team. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Henry Stockdale (2024-10-22). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Patch Claims Stability & Visual Improvements". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-update-v1-2/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Scott Hayden (2024-09-09). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Gets First Big Patch Today Following Critical Misfire". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-day-4-patch/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Henry Stockdale (2024-08-19). "How XR Games Redesigned Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded For Quest 3". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/heres-how-xr-games-rebuilt-hitman-3-vr-reloaded-for-quest-3/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Scott Hayden (2024-06-04). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Revealed, "Rebuilt from the Ground Up" Exclusively for Quest 3". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/hitman-3-vr-quest-3-release-date-trailer/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded Releases Exclusively for Meta Quest 3 on September 5th, 2024". XR Games. 2024-08-29. https://xrgames.io/news/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-releases-exclusively-for-meta-quest-3-on-september-5th-2024. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Henry Stockdale (2024-08-29). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Sneaks Onto Quest 3 Next Week". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Callum Self (2024-09-10). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Major Patch Hands-On Impressions". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/hitman-3-vr-reloaded-patch-1-impressions/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "HITMAN 3 VR: Reloaded". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/hitman-3-vr-reloaded/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Henry Stockdale (2024-10-01). "XR Games Face 72 Layoffs With Large-Scale Restructuring". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/xr-games-face-72-layoffs-with-large-scale-restructuring/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2024-10-02). "Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded Studio XR Games Lays Off Majority of Staff". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/hitman-vr-studio-xr-games-layoffs/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.