Comparison

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT vs Hitman

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

Embark on a genre-defying journey as a delivery man in a post-apocalyptic America. Connect isolated survivors and reunite a shattered world by delivering hope, facing supernatural threats and a desolate society. Experience enhanced gameplay with new features and cross-over content.

Highlights
  • Genre-defying experience
  • Deliver hope to humanity
  • Connect last survivors
  • High frame rate
  • Photo mode
  • Cross-over content
Features
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From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT. In the future, a mysterious event known as the Death Stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society. As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America. Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time? DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT on iOS includes a HIGH FRAME RATE, PHOTO MODE, and cross-over content from Valve Corporation's HALF-LIFE series and CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077. Stay connected with players around the globe with the Social Strand System™. Mac and iOS • Sign-in to iCloud and activation of iCloudDrive are required to play this product. • This product can be played offline, but a network connection is required to fully experience the Social Strand System™. Communication fees will be incurred during online play. Only for iOS version • When playing this product for the first time, you will be required to download additional data. You can start the game once you have downloaded approximately 13 GB, but additional downloads will occur as the game progresses, requiring a total of approximately 50 GB of downloads. Additional downloads will occur when additional language voice data is used. FAQs https://505.games/DSDCAppStoreFAQ

About

Hitman

Step into the shoes of Agent 47, a betrayed assassin on the run. Plan your approach, adapt to your surroundings, and eliminate targets in a world that rewards stealth and strategy. Experience a deep narrative and challenging gameplay with customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Stealth and strategic assassination
  • Elaborate mission environments
  • Customizable touchscreen controls
  • Gamepad and keyboard/mouse support
  • Instinct Mode for target identification
  • Point Shooting for rapid elimination
  • Challenging game modes
Currently charting
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Branded a traitor and hunted by the Agency he once served, Agent 47 returns to iOS in Hitman: Absolution. Stalk your targets through elaborate environments that reward both quick thinking and patient planning. Strike silently from the shadows, or let your silverballers do the talking — whatever your approach, each of Absolution’s 20 missions is a contract killer’s happy hunting ground. Expertly adapted for mobile play, Absolution’s sleek touchscreen controls offer 47’s hallmark precision, with gamepad and keyboard & mouse support included for the full AAA experience on the go. SIGNATURE STYLE Blend into the background, kill silently, and disappear without trace, or go in all guns blazing! Absolution’s missions invite you to experiment, improvise and perfect your technique. COMPLETE CONTROL Customise touch controls until they fit you like a glove, or connect a gamepad or any keyboard & mouse that is compatible with iPadOS. MORE THAN A NUMBER The story of Absolution puts Agent 47’s character under the spotlight, where both his loyalties and his conscience are put to the test. KILLER INSTINCT Use Instinct Mode to identify targets, predict enemy movement, and highlight points of interest. CLEAR YOUR PATH Use Point Shooting to stop time, mark multiple enemies, and eliminate them in a heartbeat. MASTER THE CRAFT Find new ways to take out your marks, complete Challenges, or take the ultimate test in Purist mode, with deadlier enemies and no help to guide you. CONTRACTS MODE Hitman’s unlimited sandbox mode — take on player-designed contracts from other agents around the world, or create and share your own. === We recommend playing Hitman: Absolution on iOS 18 or later. You need 12GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone XR and later • iPhone SE - 2nd Generation (2020) and later Supported iPads: • iPad - 8th Generation (2020) and later • iPad mini - 5th Generation (2019) and later • iPad Air - 3rd Generation (2019) and later • iPad Pro - 3rd Generation (2018) and later • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com Hitman: Absolution™ © 2000-2026 IO Interactive A/S. IO Interactive, IOI, HITMAN are registered trademarks of IO Interactive A/S. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive. iOS and the iOS logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT4 screens
Hitman4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hitman at $14.99 against DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT's $39.99. Hitman also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (87% vs 61%). DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT costs $39.99 and Hitman $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hitman holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 648 and 835 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT's written reviews are positive against 87% of Hitman's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT ships an update every 3 days, Hitman every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT versus Hitman: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUTHitman
Price$39.99$14.99 — better
Rating3.9 (648 ratings)4.9 (835 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.4% of reviews86.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings648835 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#90#67 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB2.0 GB
Age rating17+17+
Developer505 Games (US), Inc.Feral Interactive Ltd

Customer experience

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

All ratings626 ratings
Positive70.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews617 reviews
Positive61.4%
Neutral9.9%
Negative28.7%

Hitman

All ratings742 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews156 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative9.6%

User reviews

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

From 648 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent performance on Apple Silicon devices
  • 🎮 Great with controller support
  • 🎨 Impressive graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Smooth gameplay experience
  • 🎬 Cinematic and immersive story

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 🔋 Overheating and battery drain on mobile devices
  • 📺 Blurry or low-resolution visuals on some devices
  • 🎮 Uncomfortable virtual controls on touchscreen
  • 💾 Large download size and storage requirements

Hitman

From 835 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Amazing game
  • 👍 Nice port
  • 👍 Smooth mechanics
  • 👍 Great atmosphere and level design
  • 👍 Balanced between action and stealth

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Laggy performance
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes

Bugs and requests

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes during certain cutscenes
  • Inability to download or launch the game
  • Inconsistent save data and progress loss
  • Compatibility issues on some Mac and iOS models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add graphics settings and resolution options
  • Improve save/load functionality and auto-save
  • Optimize performance and stability across all devices
  • Enhance mouse and keyboard support for desktop
  • Provide iCloud/cross-save functionality

Hitman

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Laggy when trying to crouch, use instinct, or switch weapons
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add more quests to diversify the game
  • Add Chinese language support

In-app purchases

None

DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

No in-app purchases

None

Hitman

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT free?
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT costs $39.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hitman free?
Hitman costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT or Hitman?
Hitman is rated higher. DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT averages 3.9 out of 5 from 648 ratings, while Hitman averages 4.9 from 835 ratings.
Do DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT or Hitman have ads?
Neither DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT nor Hitman shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT or Hitman?
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT ships an update every 3 days, and Hitman every 3 weeks. Most recently, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT was updated on November 7, 2026 and Hitman on November 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT or Hitman?
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT currently peaks at #90 in the App Store charts, and Hitman at #67. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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