After being announced at the PlayStation 5 Reveal event this past June, Hitman 3 is arguably one of the most anticipated next-generation IP’s that is scheduled to release in 2021. IO Interactive has been keeping busy since then, as they have revealed the game modes that we will be able to play through within the game when it launches. As we expected, most of the longtime stalwarts are returning, albeit with some minor changes. However, two of these will severely impact the title’s predecessor, Hitman 2, as the company announced that both the Ghost and Sniper online mode will be shut down completely, with Ghost mode saying goodbye at the end of this month on August 31.

HITMAN 3 will feature multiple game modes, including the return of Elusive Targets and Contracts Mode: https://t.co/95R1pIKcph pic.twitter.com/0LYWbqwpip

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) August 17, 2020

Ghost Mode, which is basically one-on-one multiplayer, was one of the new featured modes when Hitman 2 was initially coming out. Your objective was to take out the target faster than your online opponent and then move onto the next target with the first to five kills being the winner. Speaking on the blog post, IO Interactive stated that “With our focus currently on other areas of the World of Assassination, Ghost Mode won’t be featured in Hitman 3 and we have made the difficult decision to shut down the Ghost Mode servers for Hitman 2 on Monday 31st August 2020. We have learnt a hell of a lot from Ghost Mode over the last two years and we’ll be taking all of those learnings onboard for what we do in the future with regards to multiplayer.”

The company also mentioned that those who have been trying to unlock the prestigious Phantom Suit in Ghost Mode won’t have to worry. The suit will be available in Hitman 3 as an unlockable, although they did not go into the details of how to obtain it. Similarly, the online portion of Sniper Mode will also be omitted from the next iteration, changing into a single-player experience only. This will also be seeing an end on Hitman 2 as a result, thorough IO Interactive did not give an exact timeframe as to when we should expect it shut down.

As for the confirmed game modes, Hitman 3 will see the return of the Campaign, Elusive Targets, Escalations, Contracts, and the aforementioned Sniper mode in an offline capacity. While the Campaign is more less self-explanatory, Elusive Targets, Escalations, and Contracts are where the majority of the extra content comes into play. Elusive Targets is a special timed challenge to take out a specific target, usually in extremely difficult circumstances. Escalations add new stipulations and skill checks for those looking for a much harder target to eliminate, while Contracts are create-a-targets all the way down to the minute details of the map, disguises, and stipulations. You can then upload the level to challenge other players which will be checked via high scores on leaderboards.

IO Interactive lastly mentions that they will have more information, as well as a livestream, on the last day of the month, August 31. Hitman 3 will launch in January 2021 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Google Stadia.