Hitman Season of the Host is live in Hitman World of Assassination, and its headline act is a celebrity target with a twist. IO Interactive released update 3.290 on October 29, opening a season built around The Host, a new Elusive Target mission starring content creator Jacksepticeye, real name Sean McLoughlin, as Finn Colton. The mission is free to all owners of the game, and it runs until November 25, so there is a generous window to take the shot, but Elusive Targets still follow the classic rule: one chance, no restarts, so plan the approach before you pull the trigger.
Colton is not McLoughlin playing himself. IO Interactive describes Finn Colton, known online as Finnvictus, as a wealthy and controversial content creator accused of exploiting employees, and the story turns darker from there: a creator who signed with his team disappeared and was presumed murdered, making Colton the prime suspect. Protected by wealth and influence, he hides in a heavily monitored complex in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, which is where Agent 47 comes in. McLoughlin has said he asked for an exaggerated take on content creators rather than a version of himself, and that framing fits the mission well. Hitman has always been at its best when the target is a caricature you love to hate.
The Host Mission: Dates, Access, and the Host Pack
The Host mission itself is free, including through the free demo, but there are two catches worth knowing before you boot the game. First, you need access to the Hawke's Bay location to play it, since the mission is set there. Second, the free version is temporary: it disappears after November 25. Players who want permanent access can buy The Host Pack for $7.99, which adds the mission to the Elusive Target Arcade as The Collab contract, plus a Special Assignment version with five challenges. The pack also bundles the Thought Leader Suit with gloves, the Persona suit, the Demon Dakota 12G shotgun, a DXTR PlayFactory controller, a creator soundboard, and a Kwineeny collectible, plus cosmetics for the Freelancer safehouse. On Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, the pack arrives later, on November 10.
The season roadmap around The Host is busy in a good way. IO Interactive confirmed in its official Season of the Host post that the returning Like Mist challenge is back, tasking players with losing pursuers while wearing a magnificent magical outfit to earn the Vampire Magician Suit, a fan requested throwback to a retired Paris challenge. An IOI Account reward, the Hijacker Duck, is unlocked by playing The Host during its active period, and a new Twitch Drop, fresh Featured Contracts, and a new Special Assignment round out the slate. Three older Elusive Targets also return during the season: The Pharmacist, The Warlord, and The Entertainer, giving newer players a shot at targets they may have missed the first time around.
Update 3.290: Switch 2 Support and a Long Fix List
Update 3.290 is more than a content drop. According to the official 3.290 patch notes, the update adds official support for Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the game to parity across PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. That matters for a game that lives or dies on its sandbox systems, because Hitman on a handheld has always been a compromise, and official Switch 2 support should mean fewer rough edges for portable assassins.
The patch notes themselves are the usual Hitman mix of serious fixes and delightful oddities. IO Interactive fixed a crash when loading a save made while a target was in lockdown, fixed NPCs sharing knowledge of events in ways that could crash the game, and cleaned up visibility problems in The Herbalist location, including water popping in during the villa terrace fly-in and crowd actors strolling across the surface of water. Smaller fixes touch Chongqing, the safehouse, Steam Deck and Legion Go controls, and even placed bananas reverting appearance after a load while still working as slip hazards. It is a long list, and it reads like a team that still cares about the details in a game that is now several years into its life.
Why Season of the Host Works for Hitman
Celebrity Elusive Targets are a gamble, and Hitman has learned how to play them well. The Sean Bean Undying mission worked because it leaned into the joke, and The Host does the same by making Colton a satire of creator culture rather than a straight cameo. The mission reuses an existing location, which McLoughlin has acknowledged, but that is not a weakness here: Hawke's Bay is a compact, readable map, and a target who lives behind layers of security and staff is exactly the kind of puzzle Hitman excels at. The free window until November 25 also lowers the barrier to entry, and the $7.99 pack is a fair price for players who want to keep the mission permanently.
If you are jumping in this week, start with the free mission before anything else, since it is the only part of the season that expires. Grab the Hijacker Duck reward by playing during the active period, then chase the Like Mist challenge for the Vampire Magician Suit, which is the kind of reward that actually changes how you play the game rather than just how you look. Returning targets and Featured Contracts will keep the season ticking over after that, but The Host is the reason to play now. For a game that refuses to age quietly, Season of the Host is a confident reminder that Hitman World of Assassination still knows how to make a single target feel like an event. Fans of stealth sandboxes should also check our Phantom Blade Zero review for another October release with a very different take on action, and our Mouthwashing console guide if this week's console launches caught your eye.
