Hitman 3 Release Date Revealed With Free Next-Gen Upgrades

It's safe to say that most upcoming, big-budget games are going to have both a current-generation version and a next-gen version. Thus far, we've had a number of publishers tell us what their plans are for handling next-generation upgrades, with some saying that they'll offer free upgrades within the same console family and others saying that there will be some kind of additional charge.

For instance, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, those who want the game both on current-gen and next-gen consoles will ultimately wind up paying $10 more than those who buy just one version of the game. A $10 upcharge isn't bad, but it isn't as good as the promises of free next-gen upgrades we've heard from several publishers, perhaps most notably CD Projekt Red with Cyberpunk 2077.

Today we're learning what kind of update scheme Hitman 3 will have. IO Interactive will be offering free upgrades to those who buy the digital version of Hitman 3 for either PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Xbox versions will take advantage of Smart Delivery, while the PlayStation 5 version will be free to download from the PlayStation Store for anyone who purchased the PS4 version digitally.

In addition to announcing free next-gen upgrades, IO Interactive also revealed the release date for Hitman 3 today: January 20th, 2021. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, and PC, though keep in mind that on PC, the game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store.

As you'd expect, IO is offering two different versions of Hitman 3. There's the Standard Edition, which just ships with the base game, and then there's the Deluxe Edition, which includes the Deluxe Pack – a collection of skins, items, escalations, and digital media including a soundtrack and artbook. We'll let you know when IO Interactive shares more about Hitman 3, so stay tuned.