Hitman 3 is here, and developer IO Interactive has implemented a way to carry over your progression from the first two games (Hitman and Hitman 2) into the new experience. You’re able to play the entirety of the first two entries within Hitman 3, giving you a convenient way to enjoy the Hitman: World of Assassination series in one package. If you transfer your progress from the previous entries into the new game, all your XP and unlocks will be made available in the new game, but doing so isn’t as straightforward as you might expect.
In fact, it’s fairly complicated. In this guide, we’ll show you how to import your progression and content from Hitman 1 and 2 into Hitman 3.
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How to get Hitman 1 and 2 in Hitman 3
Before dealing with the progression transfer, you’ll want to ensure that you have the first two games ready to play in Hitman 3. You can buy the first two entries from the store in Hitman 3, or if you already own them on the same account, you can add them into the new game. In order to do so, you’ll need to first own Hitman 2 and the Hitman 1 Legacy Pack DLC on the same account as Hitman 3.
In terms of the first Hitman game, the only way to gain access to it within Hitman 3 is by owning the Legacy Pack DLC. This is only available to players who have Hitman GOTY Edition (or have upgraded to it). You’ll then need to launch into Hitman 2 to redeem the Hitman 1 Legacy Pack DLC. After doing this, Hitman 3 will detect that you own the Legacy Pack DLC and will give you access to Hitman 1 content at no additional charge (it’s confusing — we know).
As long as you own all three games on the same account (including the GOTY Edition of Hitman 1), you can play them within Hitman 3. For players who have upgraded from last-gen to current-gen (PS4 to PS5 and Xbox One to Xbox Series X|S), you’ll have to download the Hitman 2 Access Pass DLC within Hitman 3 to gain access to the previous games. As IO Interactive has stated, players will not need to rebuy access to the previous games, so long as they’re playing on the same account within the same ecosystem (for example, if you bought Hitman 2 on PS4 and are playing Hitman 3 on Xbox Series X|S, you’ll be out of luck if you want to transfer progress).
In short, when you boot up Hitman 3, the game will detect if you’ve owned Hitman 2 and the Hitman 1 Legacy Pack DLC and will give you access to those levels. It will prompt you to download the content if you don’t have it installed already. If it’s giving you a hard time with Hitman 1 content, jump into Hitman 2 and ensure you’ve got the Legacy Pack DLC for the first game. If not, you’ll need to buy it (or upgrade to the GOTY Edition).
How to carry over progression from Hitman 1 and 2 to Hitman 3
Now that you have the content installed onto your system, you’ll want to import your progression data from the first two games into Hitman 3. To do so, you’ll need to make an account on the official IO Interactive website. Once you do, log out of the IO account within a browser, and then go back to the sign-in page. Here, you’ll have the option to log in with various platforms including Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Google Stadia, Steam, or Xbox.
Pick whichever one you’d like to link, and it’ll redirect you to sign in through that platform. After you’ve confirmed, it’ll ask you to link, as shown above. Press Link and then it’ll have you sign into your IO account once more. Once you do, it’ll be linked. You can link to multiple platforms.
If you’ve done all that before logging into Hitman 3 for the first time, the game will automatically ask you to sign into your IO account and will walk you through the progression data transfer process via the system’s web browser.
Alternatively, you can visit the progression data transfer website here. It’s the same as what appears on the web browser on your console. If you’re having trouble accessing it through the browser on your console, we recommend just visiting the website on a PC. Many players have reported server issues due to high traffic and other issues that can prevent you from logging on, so it’s best to do it from a PC.
Follow the prompts for the transfer process via the website on PC or your console’s browser and then you’ll see all of the Hitman games you’ve transferred under your Registered Products on your IO account. The steps are as follows:
Select source account
Export progress
Review progress
Select target account
Review and confirm
All of these steps are viewable on the left side of the screen, so follow along to make sure you’re on the right track. Keep in mind, the progression data transfer is a one-time process, and progress cannot be carried over from the source account again.
Here’s what carries over from previous entries into Hitman 3:
- Player profile
- XP rank
- Location Mastery levels
- Location Mastery unlocks
- Challenge progress
- Challenge unlocks
- Elusive Target suits/unlocks
Here is a list of progression that does not carry over:
- Save game files
- Progress on Escalation Contracts or Mission Stories
- Rewards unlocked through the Hitman 1 GOTY Escalations
- ICA Electrocution Phone
The progression transfer process is not applicable on Nintendo Switch, since Hitman 3 is the only game in the series on that platform. Likewise, progression on Google Stadia is separate from progression on PC through Steam and Epic Games Store.
Achievements and trophies
Hitman 3 features achievements/trophies that are related to accomplishments in Hitman 1 and 2. Any achievement/trophy unlocked in Hitman 1 and/or 2 will be unlocked automatically in Hitman 3 if you’ve carried over your progression. As IO explains, “If you have met the requirements for the legacy trophies/achievements after carrying over your progress, they will automatically unlock when you start Hitman 3 for the first time.”