Whether you’re a veteran or a first-time player, this page contains all essential information about Roulette Rivals. Be sure to also check the What’s New page for the most important changes since the previous tournament.
¶ Definitions
Hitman Roulette (or simply Roulette) is a community game mode in the Hitman series, where unique challenges (known as roulette spins) are generated using randomizers such as https://roulette.hitmaps.com/. Each target in a mission is assigned a specific kill method (ranging from firearms to accidents) and a disguise available on the map (or Agent 47’s suit). While Roulette can be played in many ways, the usual goal is to complete a spin with a 5-Star Silent Assassin rating as quickly as possible. You can read more about the basics of Roulette on the Hitman Roulette Substack, or visit the Roulette Guides page for learning materials.
Roulette Rivals turns Hitman Roulette into a competitive format. Each tournament consists of live, head-to-head matches featuring a series of spins across different maps. Players receive spin information from a designated admin and begin playing at the same time. The player who completes the mission with a 5-Star Silent Assassin rating first, in real time, wins the map. Roulette Rivals tournaments are played on the latest installment of the series, Hitman World of Assassination.
The Roulette Rivals World Championship (RRWC) is a special annual edition of Roulette Rivals, held every October and November. While the core format remains the same, RRWC is a larger event with two stages, longer matches, and larger prizes, including a physical trophy for the world champion.
¶ Prerequisites
- Participants must own a legal copy of Hitman World of Assassination with access to all nineteen Destinations (and their Main Missions) included in the tournament map pool. This is most easily achieved by purchasing the Deluxe Edition, or by purchasing the Standard Edition followed by the Deluxe Upgrade or the Hitman 2 Expansion to unlock the remaining two maps (New York and Haven Island).
- Participants must livestream all of their matches on either Twitch or YouTube, with past broadcasts saved for at least 24 hours for admin review.
- Streaming on Twitch is preferred. A guide to getting started can be found here.
- Past broadcasts can be enabled on the Stream Settings page; more details can be found here.
- Participants are responsible for ensuring that ads do not play on their stream during a spin.
- Players should avoid blocking their gameplay with additional sources or overlays.
- Players are encouraged to also record their gameplay locally in case of stream outages.
¶ Before a Match
Scheduling: Roulette Rivals tournaments consist of matches against different opponents across various time zones. As such, players are expected to be proactive when scheduling matches with future opponents via Discord direct messages (DMs).
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Regardless of format, the following scheduling procedure applies to all Roulette Rivals events:
- At the start of a new round, or once the next opponent is confirmed, both players are expected to contact each other via DMs. They must agree on a time that suits both parties while remaining within the given deadlines. Players are encouraged to use https://hammertime.cyou/ to generate timezone-accurate timestamps.
- Players then draft maps for the match using the ABBA structure. Player A (the first player listed on the bracket or website) selects one map, Player B selects two maps, then Player A selects one map; this pattern repeats as needed. Draft selections typically begin with bans, followed by picks. A ban prevents a map from appearing in the match, while a pick guarantees that the map will be played. Player A’s first picked map is played first. For more details and examples, see the Tournament Format page in the sidebar.
- Once all maps are selected, one player must send the scheduling information to a Roulette Admin, who inputs it into the scheduler. The scheduler fills the remaining slots with RNG maps, which can be maps that were neither picked nor banned. Players are responsible for verifying that all scheduling information is correct.
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Tournament deadlines may vary, but once the next opponent is confirmed in a Swiss Stage or bracket, players must submit their scheduling information to a Roulette Admin within 48 hours to keep the tournament moving.
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Depending on the tournament format, failure to communicate with an opponent, unresponsiveness during scheduling, or delaying the tournament may result in warnings, forfeit losses, or, in severe cases, a tournament ban.
Preparation: Roulette Rivals matches typically last between 30 and 90 minutes and are always overseen by a Roulette Admin (the referee) and at least one Shoutcaster (commentator). Players are therefore expected to be ready at match start and to clearly communicate any issues to the admin.
- Fifteen minutes before the scheduled start, the system notifies the players and the admin sends them a player page containing the upcoming spin and a “Done” button. Players should begin their livestream at least five minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure everything is working properly.
- If a player is unresponsive, the match start may be delayed by up to 15 minutes. After this period, the match may be considered a no-show and postponed or cancelled. Consequences depend on the tournament format, but typically players are not punished for a first offense or if there was a valid reason for missing the match. If no forfeit is issued, players will be asked to reschedule at their earliest mutual availability.
- Players should inform the admin as soon as possible if they cannot attend a scheduled match or if issues arise, and provide an explanation if they miss one.
¶ During a Match
Settings: Once both players are ready, the countdown on the player page ends and the match starts with the first spin. After the spin is revealed, players attempt to complete it with a Silent Assassin rating. Players must ensure the following in-game settings are enabled (a YouTube guide by GKPunk is available).
- Spins must be played on Professional difficulty.
- Saving or loading during spins is not allowed.
- Players may enter a map early to preload or practice, but any attempt that starts before the spin goes live does not count.
- The following HUD elements must be visible at all times:
Objectives: Always On
Picture in Picture: On
Performance / Scoring HUD: On
Challenges HUD: On
Weapon HUD: On
Silent Assassin HUD: On
Difficulty HUD: On - Players may use documents and guides such as HITMAPS.com or the Roulette Guides page at any time. However, receiving help from other people or watching the shoutcast or an opponent during spins is strictly forbidden.
- After completing the “Exit Mission” prompt on a map, participants must click or tap the “Done” button on their player page. Players should remain on the rating screen until the admin verifies the run and updates the score.
Scoring: Each match consists of multiple roulette spins. Each map has a time limit of 30 minutes, except for deciders in First-to-X matches (for example, Map 6 of a First-to-6), which are untimed. The first player to finish a map earns two points. If neither player finishes within the time limit, both players receive one point. If players finish close to each other, a photo finish may be triggered, which can also result in a draw.
- Mods of any kind, including custom servers, are prohibited.
- Cheating of any kind is strictly prohibited. This includes the use of third-party software, such as macro execution tools.
- Participants must behave respectfully toward other players and admins.
- A participant is required to try their best to complete a spin, even if it appears very difficult. Individual maps cannot be forfeited, only entire matches. Unsportsmanlike behavior, such as deliberately not attempting a spin, may result in penalties up to and including a ban from future competitions.
¶ Crashes
In Hitman Roulette, a crash occurs when a participant cannot reasonably be expected to continue playing. This most commonly happens when the game closes unexpectedly, but can also include infinite loading screens, internet outages, or similar issues. If a participant crashes, the match admin takes one of the following actions to ensure fairness:
- If the crash occurred within the first 60 seconds of the spin, or if the crashing player was not significantly behind, the admin clears the spin and issues a respin.
- In all other cases, the photo finish window is extended to three minutes. In photo finishes involving a crash, longer loading times are expected and are measured from the moment of the crash until the player finishes loading back into the map.
All such decisions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Because crashes can make photo finishes more complex, players are asked to remain patient while the admin reviews the situation, potentially in consultation with other admins, as resolving these cases may take additional time.