It's been a very eventful week for IO Interactive. Not only did the studio launch Hitman 3's Year Two of DLC content, but it also released a major update for the stealth game and brought the game to multiple additional platforms. PC players can now pick up Hitman 3 on either Steam or the Xbox store, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers have access to the game on both PC and console. With such dramatic changes to Hitman 3 being made, some issues understandably cropped up. To its credit, IO Interactive has been quick to release fixes as it's able.One major issue that's been impacting players since the start of Hitman 3 Year 2 stems from the Elusive Target Arcade game mode. Part of what makes Elusive Target Arcade different from Elusive Target is that failing a mission has significant consequences. Specifically, players are locked out of the mode for 12 hours if they fail. However, a bug saw many players locked out due to disconnects and other random problems with the game. IO Interactive has now issued a server-side hotfix that corrects the problem, claiming that lockout timers will only trigger due to gameplay actions like failing a mission.IO Interactive also provided an update for Xbox console players who have been experiencing a game crash when launching Hitman 3. This issue has not been fixed yet, unfortunately. However, IO Interactive says that it has found the root cause of the problem and is currently working on a fix. That fix should be issued with the next Hitman 3 Year Two patch to go out, but a time frame for the patch hasn't been confirmed for the time being.
An issue that has (mostly) been fixed is tied to Hitman 3's Steam demo. Previously, the Steam demo wasn't allowing PC players to access content from Hitman and Hitman 2 that should be available. A recent fix should have corrected this problem, allowing Hitman 3 demo players to access Hitman and Hitman 2 content. IO Interactive does acknowledge that there are some lingering issues, though.
IO Interactive is investigating and tracking several other ongoing Hitman 3 Issues, as well. These issues include Xbox players being unable to access Hitman 3 DLC from the Premium Add-ons Bundle, PC VR performance in Hitman 3, crashes for PC and Xbox Game Pass users, and an odd bug that has NPC Lucas Grey entirely disappearing from multiple cutscenes. Expect further updates on these problems down the line.
Hitman 3 is a very large game, filled with DLC and seasonal content, so it's no surprise that there are problems when bringing it to new platforms. Add in the start of Year Two and a major content update, and it's easy to see how these errors can add up fast. IO Interactive just needs time, and there should be plenty of Hitman 3 to play otherwise.
Hitman 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.