If you’ve been itching to take Agent 47 on the road, you’re probably eyeing the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Hitman: World of Assassination. The good news? You absolutely can sneak through the game’s stylish missions from anywhere. But the real question is—how well does it actually run on the Switch 2?
Let’s break it down in a way that’s easy to understand. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or just curious about a portable stealth experience, this comprehensive review covers everything you need to know before making your purchase.
Table of Contents
What is Hitman: World of Assassination?
In case you’re new to the franchise, here’s a quick overview:
Hitman: World of Assassination combines all three of the modern Hitman games (Hitman 1, 2, and 3) into one massive package. You play as Agent 47, a silent assassin known for his bald head, barcode tattoo, and creative ways of eliminating targets. This trilogy represents IO Interactive’s triumphant return to form, delivering some of the most acclaimed stealth gameplay in modern gaming.
What Makes These Games Great?
Open-ended levels: Each mission is like a sandbox playground for creative assassination. You can go in guns blazing or sneak through wearing disguises. Want to drop a chandelier on your target? Push them off a balcony? Poison their drink? The choice is entirely yours.
Replayability: Once you beat a mission, you’ll want to replay it just to try new strategies. The game actively encourages multiple playthroughs with its mastery system, unlocking new starting locations, disguises, and equipment as you level up each location.
Gadgets and disguises: Want to take down a target dressed as a security guard? Or use a banana as a trap? Go for it. The game’s extensive disguise system means you can infiltrate nearly any area by wearing the right outfit, while the gadget selection ranges from lethal poison to remote explosives.
Story and atmosphere: The trilogy weaves an engaging narrative about conspiracy, betrayal, and Agent 47’s mysterious past. Each location—from Dubai’s tallest building to a vineyard in Argentina—feels alive with detail and atmosphere.
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s talk specifically about the Switch 2 version and what makes it unique in the Hitman ecosystem.
Playing Hitman on the Switch 2: How Does It Run?
The Hitman series is known for its detailed environments and NPC-rich levels. Crowds of hundreds can populate a single mission, each person with their own routines and reactions. That usually means big demands on a console’s hardware. You may be wondering: Can the Nintendo Switch 2 handle it?
In short: yes, but with a significant catch.
Cloud-Based Streaming: What You Need to Know
Unlike most games you download and run directly from your console, Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2 is played via the cloud. That means the game streams over the internet rather than being stored locally on your device.
Here’s what that means for you:
You’ll need a strong and stable internet connection at all times. This isn’t optional. If your connection drops, you’ll be booted from your mission. There’s no offline mode, no local saves you can access without being online.
Visual quality can dip depending on your bandwidth. The game adapts to your connection speed, which means during peak hours or in areas with weaker Wi-Fi, you might see compression artifacts or reduced resolution.
There might be some input lag compared to playing natively on a more powerful console. Even with the best connection, there’s an inherent delay between pressing a button and seeing the action on screen. For a timing-sensitive stealth game, this matters.
Storage requirements are minimal. The upside? You won’t need to worry about the game taking up precious storage space on your Switch 2. The entire experience streams from IO Interactive’s servers.
So while it’s impressive that such a high-end game is playable on a portable console, just know it’s not a completely smooth ride every time. Your experience will vary significantly based on your internet infrastructure.
Performance and Visuals on the Switch 2
Let’s talk performance in detail. We tested the game extensively on both handheld and docked modes across various missions and locations. Here’s what we found:
Handheld Mode: Portable Assassination
In handheld mode, the game generally looks solid. The environments are rich and the lighting has decent contrast. IO Interactive’s beautiful art direction shines through even when compressed for streaming. However, we did notice several technical issues:
Occasional framerate drops during busy scenes: When you’re in a crowded marketplace in Marrakesh or at a fashion show in Paris, the framerate can become noticeably choppy. These are exactly the moments when you need smooth performance for precise movement.
Texture pop-ins when transitioning between areas: Moving from one section of a level to another sometimes causes textures to load progressively, starting blurry and sharpening after a second or two. This can be distracting when you’re trying to maintain immersion.
Blurry visuals if your internet dips even a little: The adaptive streaming quality means any fluctuation in your connection speed results in immediate visual degradation. We noticed this particularly when playing on public Wi-Fi or during peak evening hours on home internet.
Battery life considerations: Streaming games is notoriously demanding on battery. Expect around three to four hours of playtime in handheld mode before needing to recharge, which is notably less than native Switch 2 games.
Still, for killing time on a plane (with in-flight Wi-Fi) or even lounging on your couch while someone else uses the TV, it’s impressive how well it holds up—given it’s completely cloud-based. The Switch 2’s OLED screen helps mask some of the compression artifacts, and the smaller screen size means resolution drops are less noticeable than they would be on a TV.
Docked Mode: The Big Screen Experience
When docked and playing on a bigger screen, you’ll see some improvements in resolution and stability. The game attempts to stream at a higher bitrate when it detects you’re docked, which helps with overall clarity. But again, this depends entirely on your internet speed.
If you have a fast connection (50 Mbps or higher)? You’re in for a pretty smooth experience. The game looks surprisingly good, with most of the environmental detail intact. Colors are vibrant, and the lighting effects that make Hitman so atmospheric come through nicely.
If not? Be prepared for frame skipping and input delay—both of which can affect timing-sensitive kills. Trying to execute a perfectly timed fiber wire assassination or shoot an exploding propane tank becomes frustratingly difficult when there’s a 150-200ms delay between input and action.
Resolution scaling: In docked mode, the game targets 1080p resolution, but this fluctuates based on connection quality. During demanding scenes with many NPCs, the resolution can drop noticeably to maintain framerate. On a large TV, these drops become quite apparent.
Audio quality: One pleasant surprise is that audio quality remains consistently good. The game’s excellent voice acting, ambient sounds, and soundtrack all come through clearly without compression issues. This helps maintain immersion even when visuals take a hit.
Controls and Gameplay Feel
You might think “streaming a game would make latency unbearable,” but surprisingly, the controls feel responsive enough for casual play. There’s a small delay, sure, but it’s manageable unless you’re deep into challenging contracts that require split-second precision.
Controller Layout and Comfort
The layout on the Switch 2 feels natural for Hitman’s mechanics:
Sneak and interact buttons fall right under your fingers: The stealth mechanics translate well to the Switch 2’s controller layout. Crouching, taking cover, and subduing targets all feel intuitive.
Weapon selection is accessible via a quick radial menu: Cycling through your arsenal is smooth, though the radial menu can occasionally feel cramped when you’ve unlocked many items.
Gyro support is minimal but functional: You can use motion controls for aiming when using firearms, but it’s not as refined as dedicated gyro implementations in other Switch titles. Most players will likely stick to traditional analog aiming.
Button mapping: The default control scheme works well, but unfortunately, there’s no option to customize button mapping. This might frustrate players who prefer different configurations.
The Latency Question
That said, if you’re used to playing Hitman on PS5 or PC, you’ll immediately notice the step down in responsiveness and visual fidelity. Actions that require precise timing—like shooting a stalactite to drop it on a target as they walk underneath—become significantly harder with even 100ms of input lag.
For casual players working through the story missions at their own pace, this latency is barely noticeable. But for completionists trying to achieve Silent Assassin ratings or speedrunners optimizing their routes, the cloud streaming approach introduces too much unpredictability.
Mission Variety and Content Included
One area where the Switch 2 version doesn’t compromise is content. You’re getting the complete Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy, which represents an absolutely massive amount of gameplay.
Campaign Missions
The package includes all main story missions across three games:
Hitman (2016) locations: Paris, Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado, and Hokkaido. Each location offers a sprawling sandbox with multiple assassination opportunities.
Hitman 2 locations: Hawke’s Bay, Miami, Santa Fortuna, Mumbai, Whittleton Creek, Isle of Sgail, New York, and Haven Island. These missions generally feature larger maps and more complex target routes.
Hitman 3 locations: Dubai, Dartmoor, Berlin, Chongqing, Mendoza, and Carpathian Mountains. The trilogy’s finale delivers some of the most ambitious level design in the series.
Additional Content
Beyond the main campaigns, you also get:
Elusive Targets: Time-limited contracts featuring unique targets with no second chances. These high-stakes missions rotate periodically and offer exclusive rewards.
Escalation Contracts: Multi-stage missions that add new complications with each level, testing your mastery of each location.
Featured Contracts: Community-created challenges that let you experience each level in new ways.
Sniper Assassin mode: Standalone sniper missions set in unique locations, perfect for quick sessions.
Freelancer mode: A roguelike campaign mode that adds new strategy layers and permadeath consequences to the Hitman formula. This mode alone can provide dozens of additional hours.
All of this content is accessible from the Switch 2 version, making it one of the most content-rich packages you can find on the platform. The sheer variety means you can play for hundreds of hours without exhausting all possibilities.
Comparing Switch 2 to Other Platforms
Let’s be honest about where the Switch 2 version stands in the platform hierarchy:
Visual Comparison
PC (High-End): Offers the best visuals with ray tracing, 4K resolution, high framerate modes, and maximum crowd density. The difference is night and day.
PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X: Native 4K with consistent 60fps performance. HDR support makes the lighting and colors pop. Load times are nearly instantaneous.
PlayStation 4 / Xbox One: Reduced resolution and framerate but still native gameplay with no streaming latency. These versions feel more responsive than the Switch 2 cloud version despite inferior hardware.
Switch 2 (Cloud): Variable quality depending on connection, but impressively portable. Visual quality sits somewhere between last-gen and current-gen consoles when conditions are optimal.
Performance Comparison
The Switch 2’s cloud streaming means you’re at the mercy of your internet connection. With perfect conditions, performance can match or exceed last-gen consoles. With poor conditions, it can become frustratingly unplayable. This inconsistency is the version’s biggest weakness.
Price Consideration
Interestingly, the Switch 2 version often costs less than its counterparts on other platforms. If you already own a Switch 2 and want to try Hitman without investing in another console, the price point makes it an attractive entry point despite the technical compromises.
Is the Switch 2 the Best Way to Play Hitman?
Here’s where things get tricky. Playing Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2 is like seeing your favorite movie on a phone screen. It’s the same content, but not quite the same experience.
Let’s weigh the pros and cons comprehensively.
Pros:
You can play anywhere with a stable Wi-Fi connection: The portability factor cannot be overstated. Being able to work through a complicated assassination while on vacation or during a commute is genuinely liberating for busy players.
All missions from the trilogy are included: You’re not getting a compromised or cut-down version of the game. Every mission, mode, and piece of content is available.
Quick load times due to streaming: One unexpected benefit of cloud streaming is that loading times between missions are often faster than on physical hardware. The server-side infrastructure is powerful enough to minimize wait times.
No storage concerns: With games increasingly requiring 100+ GB installations, the Switch 2’s cloud approach means you can enjoy this massive trilogy without sacrificing storage for other games.
Cross-progression support: Your progress and unlocks carry over if you switch between platforms, meaning time spent on Switch 2 isn’t wasted if you later play on another console.
Cons:
Heavily reliant on an internet connection: This is the dealbreaker for many players. No internet means no Hitman, period. Even brief disconnections will boot you from your mission.
Some visual and input lag issues: The technical compromises are real and noticeable, especially if you’ve experienced the game on more powerful hardware.
No offline play: Can’t stress this enough. Long flight without Wi-Fi? Road trip through areas with spotty coverage? The game becomes unplayable.
Inconsistent experience: Your enjoyment is directly tied to factors outside your control. Network congestion, server maintenance, or ISP issues can all ruin a gaming session.
Competitive disadvantage: If you’re interested in competing on leaderboards or comparing times with friends, the input latency puts you at a measurable disadvantage.
Data usage: Streaming high-quality video for hours consumes significant bandwidth. Players with data caps should be mindful of their usage.
So, if you’re a hardcore Hitman fan looking for the ultimate experience, the Switch 2 probably isn’t your best option. But if you’re someone who values portability and convenience above all else, and has reliable internet access, it might actually be the perfect fit.
Tips for Optimizing Your Switch 2 Hitman Experience
If you’ve decided to take the plunge, here are some tips to get the best possible experience:
Connection Optimization
Use wired internet when docked: If possible, use a USB ethernet adapter when playing docked. This eliminates Wi-Fi interference and provides the most stable connection.
Position yourself close to your router: In handheld mode, physical proximity to your Wi-Fi router significantly improves stability.
Play during off-peak hours: Internet congestion during evening hours can affect streaming quality. Early morning or late-night sessions often perform better.
Close background applications: Make sure other devices aren’t consuming bandwidth by streaming video or downloading large files.
Gameplay Adjustments
Start with easier difficulty: The input latency makes the higher difficulties more frustrating. Master the mechanics on normal difficulty first.
Focus on exploration missions first: Use your initial playthroughs to explore and learn layouts rather than attempting complex, timing-dependent assassinations.
Save scum strategically: The cloud nature means manual saves are your friend. Save frequently during complicated missions so connection hiccups don’t waste progress.
Embrace different playstyles: If precision sniping feels too laggy, focus on poison-based or accident-based kills that don’t require perfect timing.
Who Should Buy Hitman on Switch 2?
After extensive testing, we can identify specific player types who will get the most value from this version:
Ideal Players:
- Commuters with reliable public transit Wi-Fi: If your daily train or bus has solid internet, this is perfect for your commute.
- Households with TV competition: When someone else is using the main TV, sneaking away for some portable assassination works great.
- Casual players new to the series: If you’ve never played Hitman and want to try it on hardware you already own, this is an accessible entry point.
- Patient, methodical players: If you naturally play slowly and deliberately, the input latency won’t disrupt your playstyle.
Not Recommended For:
- Competitive players: Leaderboard chasers and speedrunners need the responsiveness that only native versions provide.
- Areas with unreliable internet: Rural players or those with inconsistent connections will face constant frustration.
- Perfectionists seeking the definitive experience: Visual and performance enthusiasts should look to PC or current-gen consoles.
- Offline-focused gamers: If you primarily game in situations without internet access, this version is fundamentally incompatible with your lifestyle.
The Future of Cloud Gaming on Switch 2
Hitman: World of Assassination represents an interesting case study for cloud gaming on Nintendo’s platform. While the technology clearly has limitations, it also opens possibilities for bringing graphically demanding games to portable hardware.
The question is whether players are willing to accept the compromises. For some, portability trumps everything. For others, the technical issues are simply too disruptive to enjoy. There’s no universal right answer—it depends entirely on your personal priorities and circumstances.
As internet infrastructure continues improving and cloud gaming technology matures, versions like this will likely become more viable. But in 2025, we’re still in a transitional period where cloud gaming works great in ideal conditions but struggles when those conditions aren’t met.
Should You Buy It?
It comes down to your situation.
Got a PlayStation, Xbox, or decent gaming PC? Stick with those for the full visual experience and responsive controls. The native versions are objectively superior from a technical standpoint.
Always on the go, traveling, or just want to eliminate targets from your couch without hogging the TV? Then the Switch 2 cloud version gets the job done admirably. The portability genuinely adds value for certain lifestyles.
Limited gaming time and want efficient sessions? The pick-up-and-play nature of Switch 2, combined with quick cloud-based loading, actually suits the mission-based structure of Hitman well.
Budget-conscious and already own a Switch 2? This version costs less than buying another console plus the game, making it the economical choice for experiencing the trilogy.
Just know what you’re signing up for. This isn’t a native game. It relies heavily on internet quality. But for fans who just want to sneak around exotic locations while sipping coffee in a café, it’s a surprisingly viable option.
Final Verdict
Hitman: World of Assassination on Nintendo Switch 2 is a clever feat of game streaming—but it’s not perfect.
If you have a strong connection and know what to expect from a cloud-based version, the game offers a solid portable stealth experience. The complete content package means you’re not missing out on missions or modes. The convenience of playing anywhere with Wi-Fi opens up gaming opportunities that simply don’t exist with traditional consoles.
However, if you’re looking for the best visuals, zero input delay, and full immersion, you’ll find a more polished experience elsewhere. The technical compromises are real, and they impact gameplay in measurable ways.
For the right player in the right circumstances, this version is actually quite compelling. For others, it will feel like a frustrating shadow of what the game can be on proper hardware. Your mileage will vary dramatically based on factors largely outside your control.
Final Score: 7.5/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I play Hitman on Switch 2 offline? A: No, the game requires a constant internet connection to stream from the cloud.
Q: What internet speed do I need? A: IO Interactive recommends at least 15 Mbps, but we found 30 Mbps or higher provides a much better experience.
Q: Does progress transfer between platforms? A: Yes, the game supports cross-progression across all platforms through your IO Interactive account.
Q: How much storage space does it require? A: Minimal storage is needed since the game streams from the cloud rather than installing locally.
Q: Is there a free trial? A: Occasionally, IO Interactive offers free trial periods. Check the eShop for current promotions.
Q: Can I play with friends? A: There’s no traditional multiplayer, but you can share and compete on custom contracts.
Q: Are all DLC and expansion passes included? A: The World of Assassination package includes all main content from the trilogy, including previously released DLC locations.
What Do You Think?
Are you planning to pick up Hitman on the Switch 2, or would you rather stick to a more powerful console? The cloud gaming experiment is fascinating, even if imperfect. As technology evolves, experiences like this will only improve.
For now, Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2 occupies a unique niche. It’s not the definitive way to play, but it might be the most convenient way, depending on your lifestyle. And sometimes, convenience matters more than technical perfection.
Drop your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear from you! Have you tried cloud gaming on Switch 2? How has your experience been? And if you enjoyed this breakdown, be sure to bookmark us for more in-depth game reviews just like this one.
Stay sneaky out there. 👀🎯
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