Hitman 3 is the newest game in the rebooted hitman franchise. Taking the role of Agent 47, a man with a barcode slapped on the back of his bald head, you head to exotic places to assassinate elusive targets however you can. Feel like shooting them? Go ahead. Poison them? Be my guest. Throw a can of spaghetti? Oh you\u2019ll be making Chef Boyardee proud. Using their new engine, each location is beaming with beautiful vistas and creative gameplay. And if you own Hitman 1 and 2, you can import the missions and campaigns into Hitman 3 for no extra charge! With all 3 games in 1 package, this is an incredibly fun game to screw around in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reviewing Hitman 3 was tough. This game actually runs really well on the deck out of the box, but there are a few caveats like high temps and battery usage. Through my testing, I found two efficient ways to play the game, a focus on temp\/battery and one on quality. The main difference for these ways is the in-game FSR settings. Turning FSR on ultra quality blurs the resolution a little, but saves on battery a LOT while turning it off keeps everything sharp at the cost of battery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The game can run 40 FPS pretty consistently at medium settings, 30 FPS lock actually kept temps and battery life down a chunk. This was most apparent when there are crowds of people. At 40, crowds could bring temps up to 80c and battery to 22W, while 30 would spike it to 70c and 17W generally. Medium in-game settings felt like a good balance of quality while still keeping temps and battery in check. I also found limiting TDP can mitigate some spikes, but it comes in most handy when shooting for higher framerates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t experience any audio issues, but there were a few glitches I encountered. The mildest one would be some random black boxes appear when turning the camera too quickly, but they also disappear near immediately. When the in-game FSR is turned on, there is sometimes a visible halo around Agent 47 and there\u2019s some ghost trails when walking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also have been noticing some framerate lag, but it isn\u2019t picked up in the system so I believe it is the game\u2019s engine and not the frames it brings out. I see this much more when FSR is turned off as well. I also noticed that, even though the game is verified, some steam deck button icons don\u2019t show up in game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a launcher for this game as well. You have to either use the touchscreen or set one of the trackpads to control the mouse. Though all of the settings from the launcher can be changed in-game, so I would just hit play and change settings after the game is launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, the game runs surprisingly well. This is a new-ish release that still takes a lot to run, but the Steam Deck handles it like a champ. Being able to play Hitman 3 in a stable environment on the go, albeit with some compromises, still astounds me. This was a game I never imagined I could play on a portable device, yet here we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Need some help understanding how we got to our score? Check out our Guide to Steam Deck HQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our review is based on the PC version of this game.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ<\/a>! We have a wide variety game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news<\/a>, tips and tutorials<\/a>, game settings and reviews<\/a>, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back<\/em>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now if only you could assassinate targets with a Steam Deck\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","categories":[1],"genre":[43,32,52],"class_list":["post-53","game-reviews","type-game-reviews","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","genre-action","genre-shooter","genre-stealth"],"acf":{"best_on_deck":false,"is_first_look":false,"last_revised_date":null,"optimized_and_recommended_settings":{"steamos_settings":{"fps_cap":"30","fps_refresh_rate":60,"half_rate_shading":false,"tdp_limit":"No","scaling_filter":"Linear","gpu_clock_frequency":"Disabled"},"proton_version":"Proton GE 7-20","game_settings":" Resolution at 1280x800<\/p>\r\n Adaptive Supersampling Tech FSR 1.0 with Ultra Quality<\/p>\r\n Texture, Level of Detail, SSAO, Shadow, and Reflection Quality MEDIUM<\/p>\r\n Texture Filter Anisotropic 2X<\/p>\r\n Mirrors Reflection Quality LOW<\/p>","projected_battery_usage_and_temperature":{"wattage":"11W - 13W. Some spikes to 15W","temperatures":"~65c for CPU and GPU. Some spikes to 70c","gameplay_time":"3 - 3.5"}},"sdhq_rating":4,"sdhq_rating_tags":[{"sdhq_rating_tag":"Stable"},{"sdhq_rating_tag":"Slight Graphical Issues"}],"sdhq_rating_categories":{"performance":4,"visuals":3,"stability":4,"controls":4,"battery":5,"score_breakdown":"A small decrease in visuals and light performance spikes won't hold you back from becoming the world's greatest assassin."},"ratings":{"deck_verified_rating":"Verified","proton_db_rating":"Gold"},"deck_builds":[{"deck_build_category_title":"Recommended Battery Settings","deck_builds_accordion":" SteamOS:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 30 FPS Cap with 60 Refresh Rate<\/p>\r\n Half Rate Shading OFF<\/p>\r\n TDP Limit OFF<\/p>\r\n Linear Upscaling<\/p>\r\n Proton Version:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Proton GE 7-20<\/p>\r\n Game Settings:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Resolution at 1280x800<\/p>\r\n Adaptive Supersampling Tech FSR 1.0 with Ultra Quality<\/p>\r\n Texture, Level of Detail, SSAO, Shadow, and Reflection Quality MEDIUM<\/p>\r\n Texture Filter Anisotropic 2X<\/p>\r\n Mirrors Reflection Quality LOW<\/p>\r\n Projected Battery Life\/Temps:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 11W - 13W varies by level. Some spikes to 15W<\/p>\r\n Around 65c temps for CPU and GPU with some spikes to 70c<\/p>\r\n Around 3-3.5 hours of gameplay<\/p>"},{"deck_build_category_title":"Recommended Quality Settings","deck_builds_accordion":" SteamOS:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 30 FPS Cap with 60 Refresh Rate<\/p>\r\n Half Rate Shading OFF<\/p>\r\n TDP Limit OFF<\/p>\r\n Linear Upscaling<\/p>\r\n Proton Version:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Proton GE 7-20<\/p>\r\n Game Settings:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Resolution at 1280x800<\/p>\r\n Adaptive Supersampling Tech OFF\r\nResolution Scale 1.0<\/p>\r\n Texture, Level of Detail, SSAO, Shadow, and Reflection Quality MEDIUM<\/p>\r\n Texture Filter Anisotropic 2X<\/p>\r\n Mirrors Reflection Quality LOW<\/p>\r\n Projected Battery Life\/Temps:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 12W - 15W varies by level. Some spikes to 17W<\/p>\r\n Around 65c - 70c temps for CPU and GPU with some spikes to 73-74c<\/p>\r\n Around 2.5-3 hours of gameplay<\/p>"},{"deck_build_category_title":"40 FPS Settings","deck_builds_accordion":" SteamOS:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 40 FPS Cap with 40 Refresh Rate<\/p>\r\n Half Rate Shading OFF<\/p>\r\n TDP Limit 9-10 (If framerate fluctuates too much, increase TDP limit)<\/p>\r\n Linear Upscaling<\/p>\r\n Proton Version:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Proton GE 7-20<\/p>\r\n Game Settings:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Resolution at 1280x800<\/p>\r\n Adaptive Supersampling Tech OFFResolution Scale 1.0<\/p>\r\n Texture, Level of Detail, SSAO, Shadow, and Reflection Quality MEDIUM<\/p>\r\n Texture Filter Anisotropic 2X<\/p>\r\n Mirrors Reflection Quality LOW<\/p>\r\n Projected Battery Life\/Temps:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 13W - 15W varies by level. Some spikes to 17W - 22W.<\/p>\r\n Around 70c - 75c temps for CPU and GPU with some spikes to 80c<\/p>\r\n Around 2 hours of gameplay<\/p>"},{"deck_build_category_title":"Optional Mods","deck_builds_accordion":"None used!"}],"links":{"steam_store_url":"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1659040\/HITMAN_3\/","protondb_url":"https:\/\/www.protondb.com\/app\/1659040"},"artwork":{"game_logo":null,"cover_art":null,"square_art":null,"box_art":null},"":{"game_logo":60,"cover_art":59,"square_art":61,"box_art":58},"gallery":"","steam_app_id":"1659040","other_settings":null},"featured_img":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Hitman-3-Box-Art.webp","coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/author\/noah-kupetsky\/","display_name":"Noah Kupetsky"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 years ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 17, 2022","modified":"Updated on January 3, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 17, 2022 7:41 pm","modified":"Updated on January 3, 2025 1:13 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","tax_additional":{"category":{"linked":["Uncategorized<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Uncategorized<\/span>"],"slug":"category","name":"Categories"},"genre":{"linked":["Action<\/a>","Shooter<\/a>","Stealth<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Action<\/span>","Shooter<\/span>","Stealth<\/span>"],"slug":"genre","name":"Genres"}},"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/game-reviews\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/game-reviews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/game-reviews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/game-reviews\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steamdeckhq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/genre?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}