Hitman: Absolution vs Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Absolution is an action-adventure strategy game from Nixxes Software (2012) while Hitman: Contracts is a horror open-world game from Io-Interactive A/S (2014).
Quick answer: Hitman: Absolution rates higher, 7.9 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and Hitman: Contracts is the cheaper at $8.99.
What each one is
Hitman: Absolution is filed under Action-Adventure and Strategy. In contrast, Hitman: Contracts under Horror and Open-World.
The original assassin is back! Betrayed by the Agency and hunted by the police, Agent 47 finds himself pursuing redemption in a corrupt and twisted world.
Enter the world of a HITMAN - a world of crime, sin and greed. Delve into the mind of Agent 47 and encounter his greatest adversaries, completing the work that made him so brutally efficient and shaped him as an assassin. Eliminate your targets by any means necessary. There are no rules... only the contract, signed in blood.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Genetically engineered assassin Agent 47 ( David Bateson ) is ordered by the International Contract Agency (ICA), to kill his former handler Diana Burnwood ( Marsha Thomason ), who, for unknown reasons, has betrayed the organisation: Diana had sabotaged funding streams and publicized their database, bringing undesired attention to the Agency. 47 infiltrates Diana's Chicago estate and reluctantly shoots her in the bathroom. Whilst bleeding out, Diana… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical response Reception Hitman: Absolution received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Positive reviews came from GamesRadar+ , calling it "one of the strongest entries in the series to date", and Game Informer , who wrote that "devising a strategy, using the environment and disguises to your advantage, and leaving before anyone knows you're there are the hallmarks of a perfect hit, and Absolution proves Agent… (Wikipedia)
Plot
On 17 March 2004, around two years after the events of Silent Assassin , Agent 47 is shot and critically wounded while carrying out a mission in Paris , France, for his employers, the International Contracts Agency (ICA). Returning to his hotel room, he reflects on his past , beginning with his escape from Romanian special forces after killing his creator, Dr. Otto Ort-Meyer, at his own facility. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Hitman: Contracts received mostly positive reviews. Critics praised the improved gameplay elements, graphics, soundtrack, darker tone and atmosphere, while criticism was directed towards the familiarity and the lack of significant changes and additions from the previous game. Although GameSpot s Greg Kasavin liked that some of the missions from Hitman: Codename 47 are featured here with graphical enhancements, he did feel it was a "cheap move. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Hitman: Absolution | Hitman: Contracts | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.9/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (93%, 63,506) | Very Positive (87%, 3,658) |
| Critic aggregate | 79/100 | 74/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $8.99 |
| Install size | — | 2 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Developer | Nixxes Software | Io-Interactive A/S |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Hitman: Absolution vs Hitman: Contracts, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Hitman: AbsolutionAction-adventure strategy gameHitman: ContractsHorror open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Hitman: AbsolutionStealth, Action, Third PersonHitman: ContractsStealth, Action, AssassinThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Hitman: Absolution ✓Score 7.9 · 93% on Steam · 79 criticHitman: ContractsScore 7.1 · 87% on Steam · 74 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Hitman: Absolution63,506 reviewsHitman: Contracts3,658 reviews · 2 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Hitman: Absolution$19.99Hitman: Contracts ✓$8.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Hitman: Absolution ✓PlayableHitman: ContractsUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Hitman: Absolution takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueHitman: Absolution and Hitman: Contracts on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Hitman: Absolution (GamingPickz Score 7.9)
- The cheaper right now: Hitman: Contracts ($8.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Hitman: Absolution (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Hitman: Absolution (63,506 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StealthActionThird PersonAssassinSingleplayerThird-Person ShooterShooterCrime
Where they differ
TacticalReplay ValueMultiplayerStory RichCinematicAdventure
ClassicGreat SoundtrackDarkPuzzleFirst-PersonSandbox
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Hitman: Absolution is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Hitman: Contracts is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Hitman: Absolution and 0 for Hitman: Contracts. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Hitman: Absolution and Hitman: Contracts in scope?
Hitman: Absolution has drawn 63,506 Steam reviews. Hitman: Contracts has drawn 3,658 Steam reviews and installs in 2 GB.
Is Hitman: Absolution or Hitman: Contracts better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Hitman: Absolution rates higher (7.9 to 7.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Hitman: Absolution or Hitman: Contracts?
Hitman: Contracts is cheaper right now at $8.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Hitman: Absolution or Hitman: Contracts?
Hitman: Absolution rates higher, 7.9 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and Hitman: Contracts is the cheaper at $8.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.