Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

This page is for the 2002 game. For the 2018 game, see Hitman 2.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Developers
	IO Interactive
Publishers
Former	Eidos Interactive
Former	Square Enix
Current	IO Interactive
Russia	Noviy Disk
Retail re-release	Sold Out Software
Engines
	Glacier
Release dates
Windows	October 1, 2002
Reception
Metacritic	87
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Stealth
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Asia, Contemporary, Eastern Europe, Europe, Japan
Series	Hitman

Hitman
Hitman: Codename 47	2000
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin	2002
Hitman: Contracts	2004
Hitman: Blood Money	2006
Hitman: Sniper Challenge	2012
Hitman: Absolution	2012
Hitman GO	2015
Hitman	2016
Hitman 2	2018
Hitman World of Assassination	2021

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a singleplayer first-person and third-person stealth game in the Hitman series.

General information

Neoseeker Forums

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 4 DRM.
Retail		The version included in the retail 'Hitman Collection' (Eidos, 2009) is entirely DRM-free.
Amazon.com
GamersGate
GOG.com		Version 1.01
Humble Store
Steam		Version 1.02
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)

The v1.02 version (some Retail re-releases and Steam) has some changes to the Gurdwara levels; removed certain lines of dialogue related to Sikh and Gurdwara mentions, alcohol references, graphics and model changes as well as minor changes to certain disguises.

The European release of the Hitman Collection is DRM-free, already patched to the latest version and have the cheats enabled by default.

Version differences

The GOG.com release is patched to work better on modern operating systems, and does not contain the changes made in version 1.02.

Demos

• Demo
• St. Petersburg Demo

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch v1.01 is the latest patch available. English, French, and German versions of the patch are available.

Skip intro videos

Skip intro
Go to <path-to-game> and open Hitman2.ini. Set DefaultScene=AllLevels/Logos.gms to DefaultScene=mainmenu.gms

1.01 Version Steam Downgrade

Restores the original dialogue, models, graphics and behavior in the following Gurdwara missions: Temple City Ambush, The Death of Hannelore and Terminal Hospitality in the Steam version.

Downgrades the Steam 1.02 release to 1.01 version.

Required for some language versions to work.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Hitman2.ini
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6850/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Save
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/6850/pfx/

Maximum of 99 save files.

Save states contain system information. Loading a mid-mission save file from a different computer or operating system may result in severe broken game timing.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud		Added on September 11, 2020.

Video

Game's configuration tool.

Graphics settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Only 4:3 aspect ratio with maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 supported by default. See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor			See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen			See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD			See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)		See Widescreen resolution.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Up to 8x MSAA.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Double Buffering. Vsync does not work when running the game on Windows 10. See the Vsync fix.
60 FPS
120+ FPS		High frame rate affects game logic and can also prevent certain levels from launching. See High frame rate issues.

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen fix (Hor+)

Download Widescreen fix for Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, unzip it and copy the contents to <path-to-game>. (Optional) To change the resolution, go to <path-to-game>\scripts\, open h2.ini and change the Width and Height values. (Optional) If you set the resolution to lower than your display's resolution, open the video driver control panel and set the scaling to fullscreen or maintain aspect ratio. Notes Correct widescreen aspect ratio while maintaining the original vertical field of view (FOV). It is recommended not to change the in-game resolution setting to avoid conflicts.

Combining the Widescreen fix with dgVoodoo 2

Specify the path to the dgVoodoo 2 dll
Apply the Widescreen fix. Open d3d8.ini, find RealDllPath, and change AUTO to scripts\d3d8.dll. Copy over dgVoodoo 2's d3d8.dll to scripts. Note: dgVoodoo.conf and dgVoodooCpl.exe can be in either folder.

Too small UI elements at higher resolutions

Set a lower game resolution and force a higher one with dgVoodoo 2

A. If using the widescreen fix, go to <path-to-game>\scripts, open h2.ini and change the resolution to 1280x720. B. If not, pick a resolution in the game's configurator that offers a UI size you like, e.g. 1024x768. A. If using the widescreen fix, use this method to apply dgVoodoo 2. B. If not, simply apply dgVoodoo 2. Run dgVoodooCpl.exe, go to the DirectX tab, and in the Resolution box select your desired high resolution.

Input

Control settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Use Hitman 2 SA Controller Support.
Full controller support		See above. This fix gives the game near 100% parity with the Ps2/Xbox versions.
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity		When the above fix is applied the "mouse speed" option in control setup will control the analog stick's sensitivity.
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		Use Hitman 2 SA Controller Support
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers

Tracked motion controllers		Essential Reality P5
Button/gesture prompts

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Sound settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Up to 7.0 output.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Always enabled.
EAX support		EAX 3
Royalty free audio		Various in-game areas use licensed music.

May require DirectSound3D restoration software to restore proper sound functionality on Windows Vista and later. An AM3D "DieselPower" audio engine for the game is available here.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese				Retail only.
German				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Hungarian				Fan translation, download.
Italian				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Japanese				Retail only.
Polish				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download.
Russian				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		See Helix Mod: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.
vorpX		G3D, Z3D User created profile, requires dgVoodoo 2, see profile introdution. Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum.

Issues unresolved

Error and/or crash after accessing the in-game graphics settings

After accessing the in-game graphics settings, attempting to play a mission will throw an error message and/or crash the game.

Exit the game and launch it again.

Manually change the settings through Hitman2.ini.

Issues fixed

Vsync doesn't work on Windows 10

The built-in Vsync requires a wrapper to function on Windows 10 and later.

Apply the built-in wrapper of the Widescreen fix
Open dxwrapper.ini, find D3d8to9 and change 0 to 1. Find EnableD3d9Wrapper and change 0 to 1.

Use the standalone d3d8to9
Redundant when using the Widescreen fix. Download d3d8to9. Copy d3d8.dll to <path-to-game>.

Use dgVoodoo 2 by itself, or combine it with the Widescreen Fix.

High frame rate issues

Frame rates above 60 will cause NPCs to be more sensitive than intended and may affect path finding. Game is still playable at 144 fps, but issues may arise if attempting to play through a level with perfect stealth.

Apply the Vsync fix
Set the display's refresh rate to 60 Hz.

Cap the frame rate to 60 FPS or lower
Both Nvidia and AMD control panels cannot cap the frame rate, unless a wrapper is applied.

Game is displayed in-between screens

The window is displayed in the middle of Windows workspace, which may end up being in-between screens.

Set window position
Go to <path-to-game> and open Hitman2.ini. Add StartUpperPos 0,0 to the file.

Game is not saving properly

Create <path-to-game>\Save if it doesn't exist yet[citation needed]

Crash To Desktop (Steam)

Fixing the Crash to Desktop
Run the Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Configuration on Steam version or <path-to-game>\config.exe. Click "Reset all settings" and "Save and launch".

Failed to find Steam (Steam)

Launch the game through the Steam library

Copy Steam.dll from the Steam folder and place it in <path-to-game>

Black screen during the cutscenes

Apply the High frame rate fix

Trucks stuck in Hidden Valley mission

When frame rates are high, the trucks in the Hidden Valley mission randomly stop moving.

Apply the High frame rate fix

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	8

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

The OpenGL renderer

There is no environment bump-mapping compared to Direct3D.

Not compatible with the Widescreen fix.

Manually edit the game settings file
Open Hitman2.ini. Locate DrawDll and change its value to RenderOpenGL.dll.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Interface	FreeType

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98, 2000, ME	XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 450 MHz	Intel Pentium III 800 MHz
System memory (RAM)	128 MB	192 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	800 MB
Video card (GPU)	16 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.1 compatible	32 MB of VRAM