21 Years of Hitman: How Stealth Action Got Perfected Over the Last 2 Decades

Coming off the highly anticipated release of Hitman 3, this latest installment has been very well received and it's actually the tenth title in the Hitman franchise. If you're into stealth action, it's not hard to see why the series has become so popular with gamers, building up a large following spanning 20 years. Each level is a puzzle to solve as the player-controlled Agent 47 seeks to assassinate a target (or targets) with minimal casualties and without drawing attention to the task at hand.

Playing as the genetically engineered and professional hitman Agent 47, players can use disguises to get unlock access within the levels, hide bodies to prevent suspicion, and use a variety of tools to complete the job. The Hitman series helped define the modern stealth action game, and while the early games appear similar to the latest ones, the formula has kept evolving with each entry bringing in new locations, new ways to dispatch targets, and impressive developments in artificial intelligence.

There are eight games in the main series, but the franchise also includes two mobile spin-offs, a pair of novels, and even two movies. Let's see how the series became a household name...