Let’s be honest. Stepping into the shoes of Agent 47 is a power trip, but doing it in virtual reality is a whole different beast. You aren't just clicking a mouse or pulling a trigger on a controller anymore. You’re physically ducking behind a bar in Paris, manually wrapping a fiber wire around a target's neck, and literally looking over your shoulder to see if a guard noticed that "accident" you just staged. Learning how to play Hitman World of Assassination in VR isn't just about toggling a menu setting; it’s about recalibrating how you think about stealth.
The Hitman VR experience has had a bumpy road. Originally, it was a PlayStation VR exclusive, and frankly, the tracking was a nightmare. Then it came to PC, and people complained about the controls. But here’s the thing—IO Interactive has patched this thing into a state where, if you have the right hardware and a bit of patience, it is easily one of the most immersive sims ever made. It’s janky, sure. It’s also brilliant.
Getting Started: The Gear and The Setup
Before you even think about putting on the headset, you need to make sure your rig can actually handle Agent 47’s bald head in high definition. If you’re playing on PC, you’re looking at a serious hardware tax. You’ll want at least an NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super or an AMD Radeon RX 5700 just to get a stable framerate. If your frames drop in VR, you’re going to lose your lunch. Trust me.
If you are a PlayStation user, you have two choices. You can play the legacy version on PSVR (which requires the DualShock 4, not the Move controllers, strangely enough) or the significantly better version on PSVR2. The PSVR2 update changed the game. It added room-scale support and improved the "feel" of the world significantly. For PC players, it doesn't matter if you're on a Valve Index, an Oculus Quest 3 (via Link or AirLink), or a HP Reverb G2—SteamVR or the Oculus app will handle the heavy lifting.
Open the game. Go to the "Options" menu. Select "VR." It’s basically that simple to launch, but the real work happens once you’re standing in the ICA Facility. You’ll want to calibrate your height immediately. If you don't, you’ll find yourself either three feet tall or floating above the floor like some kind of spectral assassin. Not ideal for blending in.
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Mastering the Motion: Why You Feel Dizzy
Let's talk about the "VR Legs" problem. Hitman is a third-person game forced into a first-person perspective. That shift is jarring. Most players jump in and try to run everywhere. Don't do that.
To figure out how to play Hitman World of Assassination in VR without vomiting, you need to mess with the comfort settings. The game offers "Vignetting," which narrows your field of view when you move. It looks like you're looking through a telescope, but it stops your brain from thinking the room is spinning. If you’re a veteran, turn it off. If you’re new? Keep it on for the first five hours.
Movement is handled via the left thumbstick, while the right thumbstick handles "Snap Turning" or "Smooth Turning." I highly recommend Snap Turning. Smooth turning in Hitman feels... greasy. It’s the fastest way to get motion sickness. Also, pay attention to the "Virtual Crouch" setting. You can physically crouch in your living room to hide behind cover, which is incredible for immersion, but if you're lazy or have bad knees, you can map it to a button.
The Art of the Physical Kill
This is where the game actually gets fun. In the standard version of Hitman, you press 'E' to pacify someone. In VR, you actually have to make the motion. You raise your hands, grab the NPC, and mimic the struggle.
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- The Fiber Wire: You have to physically spread your hands apart and then bring them together behind the target's neck. It’s morbidly satisfying.
- Firearms: Aiming is manual. No more crosshairs on the screen. You have to bring the Silverballer up to your eye level and align the iron sights. If you have shaky hands, you’re going to miss that long-distance headshot.
- Throwing Items: This is the most controversial part of the VR port. Throwing a muffin or a brick in VR feels a bit like throwing a paper airplane in a wind tunnel. The game uses a "lock-on" system. You hold the trigger, an arc appears, and you release. It’s not a natural "baseball" throw, which is a bit of a letdown, but it prevents you from accidentally smashing your TV.
The interaction with the environment is much more tactile now. You can open doors by literally pushing them or just cracking them open to peek through. You can tap a guard on the shoulder to make him turn around. These are things you just can't do with a keyboard and mouse.
A Note on the "VR Jizz"
Wait, that sounds wrong. What I mean is the "physics-based chaos." Because your hands are tracked independently, you can do things the developers didn't necessarily plan for. You can hold a frying pan in your left hand to block incoming bullets while you shoot with your right. Is it realistic? Not really. Is it the most fun you'll have in Hitman? Absolutely.
Tactical Survival: The VR HUD and Inventory
One of the biggest hurdles in learning how to play Hitman World of Assassination in VR is managing your stuff. In the 2D version, you have a nice, clean inventory grid. In VR, it's a radial menu that pops up in your face. It can be claustrophobic.
Your "Instinct" mode—the X-ray vision that lets you see targets through walls—is still there. You usually trigger it by holding a button on your controller or touching the side of your headset (depending on your control scheme). Use it constantly. Spatial awareness is much harder in VR because you can't see behind you. In the standard game, the camera is pulled back, giving you a wide view of the room. In VR, you have tunnel vision. You will get caught by guards standing just outside your peripheral vision more often than you'd like to admit.
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Check your mini-map often. It’s attached to your wrist or floating in a static position. It feels a bit like a Pip-Boy from Fallout. It’s your only lifeline when you’re trying to navigate the sprawling, confusing corridors of a place like Chongqing or the Isle of Sgàil.
Essential Tips for the Aspiring VR Assassin
- Play the Tutorials Again: I know you’ve played the Guided Training a hundred times. Play it in VR anyway. The muscle memory for disguises and dragging bodies is totally different.
- Room-Scale is King: If you have the space, play standing up. Being able to actually lean around a corner is a massive tactical advantage that controller players don't have.
- Mind the Cables: If you’re using a wired headset, you will get tangled when you’re spinning around to find an exit. Get a ceiling mount or just stay mindful of your orientation.
- Save Often: The VR mode can be buggy. Sometimes your hand will get stuck in a wall, or an item will clip through the floor. "Save Early, Save Often" is the mantra here.
- Start with Easy Maps: Don't go straight to Colorado. It’s too open and there are too many guns. Start with the Burj Al-Ghazali in Dubai. It’s vertical, the hallways are clear, and it’s a great place to practice your VR movement.
Why Some People Hate It (and Why They’re Wrong)
If you look at Steam reviews or Reddit threads, you'll see people trashing the VR implementation. They say the "hands" feel floaty or that the sniper rifles are impossible to use. They aren't lying. The sniper rifles are notoriously difficult because trying to hold a virtual scope to your real eye while your "virtual" body is shifting around is a recipe for a headache.
However, these critics are often looking for a "perfect" VR game built from the ground up. Hitman wasn't. It’s a massive, 100-hour sandbox that was retrofitted for VR. When you accept that it’s a bit messy, you start to see the magic. There is nothing else like walking through the crowded markets of Marrakesh and feeling the scale of the world. The NPCs feel like people, not just bits of code, when they are standing right in front of your face.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re ready to dive in, don’t just wing it. Start by updating your graphics drivers and clearing out a 5x5 foot space in your room. Open the game in non-VR mode first to set your graphics to "Medium" or "Low"—VR requires double the rendering power, and you can always scale up later.
Once you’re in the headset, head to the "Freeform Training" mission. Spend thirty minutes just picking up objects and throwing them at walls. Practice the "Fiber Wire" motion on a target until it feels like second nature. Most importantly, set your "Turn" settings to "Snap" immediately to save your stomach. Once you can navigate the ICA facility without feeling a "thump" in your head, you’re ready for the main missions. Go to Paris, find a tuxedo, and remember: look with your head, not just your eyes.