Manhunt is a 2003 stealth game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2003, followed by Microsoft Windows and Xbox releases in April 2004. Set within the fictional Carcer City, players control a death row inmate named James Earl Cash, who is forced to participate in a series of snuff films by killing criminal gang members sent to hunt him on camera.

The game received positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its dark tone and violent gameplay, although the combat and level design were criticized. Due to its graphic violence, Manhunt was subject to a significant video game controversy and banned in several countries. It was also implicated in a murder by the UK media, although this accusation was later rejected by the police and courts. While not a commercial hit, Manhunt developed a substantial cult following and was followed by a stand-alone sequel, Manhunt 2, in 2007. The game was re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and PlayStation 4 in 2016.

Manhunt is a stealth game played from a third-person perspective. The game consists of twenty levels, called "scenes", as well as four unlockable bonus scenes. Players survive the scenes by dispatching enemy gang members, occasionally with firearms, but primarily by stealthily executing them. At the end of each scene, players are graded based on their performance, and awarded one to five stars. Unlockable content becomes available when the player achieves three or more stars on a certain number of levels. On normal difficulty (called "Fetish"), players can earn only four stars; one is awarded for completing the scene under a certain amount of time, and one to three stars are awarded based on the brutality of the executions carried out during the scene. On hard difficulty (called "Hardcore"), players are graded out of five stars; one for speed, one to three for brutality and one for completing the scene. To gain the maximum number of stars, a set number of brutal executions must be carried out over the course of each scene; face-to-face fighting does not award stars.

To carry out executions, players must approach a hunter from behind, undetected. To facilitate this, each scene is full of "dark spots", shadows where the player can hide. Enemies cannot see into the shadows, unless they see the player actually entering the area. A standard technique in the game is to hide in the shadows and tap a wall to attract the attention of a nearby hunter. When the hunter has examined the area and is moving away, players can easily ambush and execute them. The game has three levels of execution, with each level progressively more violent and graphic than the last: "hasty" executions are quick and not very bloody, "violent" are considerably more gory, and "gruesome" are over-the-top blood-soaked murders. Players are in control of which level they use; once players have locked onto an enemy, the lock-on reticule changes color over time to indicate the three levels: white, yellow and red.

Over the course of the game, players can use a wide variety of weapons, including plastic bags, baseball bats, crowbars and a variety of bladed items. Later in the game firearms are available for use when executions become impractical. Should players take damage, their health depletes; health can be restored through the use of painkillers, which are available throughout each scene. Players have a stamina meter which depletes as they sprint, but automatically replenishes when remaining stationary. Manhunt makes use of the PlayStation 2's optional USB Microphone and the Xbox Live microphone feature on the Xbox in their respective versions of the game. When such a device is connected, players can use the sound of their own voice to distract in-game enemies and hear director's command through the Headset directly. This adds an extra element to the stealth aspect and immersion of the game, as players must refrain from making noises such as coughing as these sounds too can attract the attention of any nearby hunters.

Manhunt is set in the fictional Carcer City, a dilapidated rust belt city rife with corruption and crime. On the prowl around the city are numerous violent gangs, who seek to find and kill the player. The game is set in a shared universe with the Grand Theft Auto series.

In 2003 in Carcer City, a journalist (Kate Miller) reports about James Earl Cash (Stephen Wilfong), a death row inmate who has been recently executed by lethal injection. However, Cash was only sedated, and awakens to an unknown voice referring to himself as "The Director" (Brian Cox), who gives him instructions through an earpiece. The Director promises Cash his freedom, but only if he kills "Hunters" – gang members sent to hunt him – in special areas around Carcer City filmed by CCTV. Cash is first pitted against the Hoods, a gang of dangerous criminals and corrupt police officers patrolling an abandoned area of the city. After eliminating them, he is abducted by the Cerberus, the Director's personal security unit, who take him to another part of Carcer City.

While the Director monitors his actions, Cash is forced to kill more criminals across various abandoned locations, encountering a skinhead gang called the Skinz, a sadistic paramilitary group called the Wardogs, an outlaw gang called the Innocentz (consisting of the mostly Hispanic occultist Skullyz and the Babyfaces consisting of pedophiles and mentally challenged murderers), and a group of former asylum inmates called the Smileys. Eventually, the Director betrays Cash and, after ordering his family's deaths, tries to murder him as well, as part of his film's climax. Cash survives the trap, and escapes after vowing revenge on the Director.