Hitman 3 importing levels and progression explained: How to import Hitman 1 and 2 levels into Hitman 3

How to import Hitman levels into Hitman 3

As with Hitman 2, it's possible to import levels from previous entries into Hitman 3, so you can access every stage from the original Hitman, Hitman 2 and Hitman 3 in a single game, even across console generations.

Developer IO makes this possible by turning these respective sets of levels available as DLC, with each game or expansion having an 'Access Pass'. If you have purchased a previous Hitman game or DLC, then access to the respective Access Pass for that game will be open to you. If you don't - say if you are a newcomer to the Hitman series with this third instillment - then you can purchase them from the store.

That is the basics of how it works - of course, between digital and physical versions as well as various editions over the years, the process can get a bit complicated of how to import everything over. The main things to note are:

• If you are importing levels from the original Hitman either digitally or on disc, make sure you have imported them into Hitman 2, unlocking the 'Legacy Edition' in that game, first. This will then unlock the Legacy Edition in the store for that platform in Hitman 3 also. (The official website has more on this exact process.)
• If you only owned the main Legacy Edition of Hitman 1 (i.e. the original season) and not the GOTY Legacy Edition (which added Patient Zero and some additional suits) you will automatically be upgraded to that latter GOTY edition in Hitman 3.
• If you are importing levels from Hitman 2 digitally, the Access Pass will be available in Hitman 3 straight away.
• If you are importing levels from Hitman 2 on a disc, IO says you need to redeem the Access Pass within Hitman 2 before it will be available in Hitman 3*. Meanwhile, Xbox owners might also need to own a digital version of Hitman 3 or the Hitman 2 Free Starter Pack before this will can be redeemed in Hitman 2's store.
• Hitman 2 Gold Edition and the Hitman 2 expansion will work the same way, again depending on your physical or digital purchase.

* That said, on PlayStation, I didn't have to do this step, as Hitman 3 knew I owned the game already. Meanwhile, our own video team's Ian Higton said he had the disc in the drive and visited Hitman 3's in-game store to get the Hitman 2 Acccess Pass to appear.

• Finally, note importing levels and purchases can only be performed for that console family - PlayStation to PlayStation, Xbox to Xbox, PC to PC - and will work across console generations (so PS4 to PS5, Xbox One to Xbox Series). The exception at launch is PC and the Epic Games Store, though there is the promise that purchases on different PC stores will be honoured in time. Until then, all purchases of Hitman 3 within the first 10 days on the Epic Games Store will have access to the original Hitman 1 Legacy Edition for free.

For example, here's what I did to get everything unlocked in Hitman 3 on PlayStation. I owned the original season of Hitman, and had previously installed Hitman 2 to get that Legacy Edition at that game's launch, unlocking it in Hitman 3. As mentioned above, though I have Hitman 2 on disc, I seemingly didn't have to go into the in-game store within that game to unlock the Access Pass - it just showed up on PSN as available. Finally, my Hitman 2 DLC was purchased digitally, so no steps were required there.

With that all done, I could boot up Hitman 3 and have access to all previous levels.

How to carry over your progression from Hitman 2 to Hitman 3

Though carrying over progression feels less urgent than sorting your levels and purchases of previous games, it's arguably more important, as it means you continue any unlocks and experience earned in Hitman 2, including levels from the original Hitman played in that sequel.

Doing so after you've started playing Hitman 3 will replace any progress you've made, so doing this before starting is recommended. It's also something you can prepare for ahead of playing the game - useful if you're waiting for your download to finish.

Items carried over include:

• Hitman 2 profile rank
• Location mastery XP and unlocks from any levels played in Hitman 2
• Completed challenges and unlocks from levels played in Hitman 2
• Any Elusive Target suits and rewards from Hitman 2

Things which won't be carried over include:

• Save files
• Rewards from Hitman 1's Game of the Year Escalations
• Access to the ICA Electrocution Phone item (which is not available in Hitman 3)

To carry over your progress from Hitman 2 into Hitman 3, you must visit this official website, log into your IO account and follow the instructions. Though the game will request you do this the first time you play Hitman 3, and open the website in-game, feel free to do this on another device - such as a phone or computer - if you prefer.

(Note: In some cases, the carry over site will list some locations with zero mastery. IO says this is just a visual bug; as long as the location is listed, the actual mastery level should carry over into Hitman 3.)

Be aware progression only carries over within that family of platforms (PlayStation to PlayStation, Xbox to Xbox, PC to PC) and because of this, you cannot bring forward any progress into the Switch version (which is technically the first on that platform).

Additionally, know that though progress from the original Hitman will not be carried over, anything played in Hitman 2 - including the Legacy Hitman 1 levels played in the sequel - will be carried over, as it's part of that Hitman 2 profile.

Finally, know you can only do this once. Practically, this means if you continue to play Hitman 2, any new progress made in that game cannot be carried forward. And, to reiterate, it's important to do all of this before playing Hitman 3, as unlocks there will be overwritten by any you've made from Hitman 2.

There's a lot to take in and possibly do before you can play Hitman 3 with everything you have owned and unlocked - so the sooner you do it, the faster you can get going with the new game, which we described as "a satisfying end to a beautiful stealth trilogy" in our Hitman 3 review.