Stealth gaming never became as popular as it deserved. These days, pure stealth games are relegated to the shadows, but the mechanics of stealth still appear in every other genre. You can creep up on cowboys in Red Dead Redemption 2, and even Link likes to bonk bokoblins while they’re sleeping in Breath of the Wild. Rather than becoming a popular genre, sneaky play has become a popular mechanic.
Still, there are plenty of great stealth games out there. As a genre, it’s one of the most consistent. Sure, there are a few stinkers, but the best of the best are all-timers. That makes it hard to whittle it down to just 10, but we’re going to do it anyway. So let’s stuff the corpses of the ones that didn’t make it into the nearest bin and crawl through the ventilation shaft of gaming’s greats.
10
Alien: Isolation
An Alien game where the xenomorph isn’t just fodder for a pulse rifle, Alien: Isolation captures the terror of the original movie. You’re being stalked by an advanced lifeform, a perfect organism. Unkillable and deadly, it can come at almost any time, through any vent and any door. Hide under tables, throw lures, and cower in cupboards in one of the best horror games ever made.
9
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
If you like a little more power fantasy in your stealth games, here’s one for you. Take on the role of Adam Jensen, a cybernetically enhanced security specialist and secret agent, as he untangles a global conspiracy as well as people’s necks. From retractable arm blades to sunglasses that allow you to see through walls, Jensen is a Swiss army knife of a stealth game protagonist.
8
Invisible, Inc
Unlike the first two games on this list, Invisible, Inc doesn’t take place from the first-person perspective. With a bird’s-eye view, you control a team of agents as they attempt to steal enough equipment to pull off the perfect heist. The action is turn-based, and you’re forced to move and react to guard patterns while always thinking ahead. Turn-based strategy never felt this tense.
7
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
The only Splinter Cell game to get the balance right, Chaos Theory is close to being the perfect stealth game. Enemies are deadly and you’re forced to take it slow and plan ahead. Voyeurism is thrilling, level design is varied and exciting, and stealth takedowns feel good. There’s real weight to every impact, which makes those palm strikes sing.
6
The Last of Us Part II
Stealth in The Last of Us was pretty barebones, asking you to use waist-high cover to get the drop on enemies and choke them out. The sequel ramps it up in some significant ways, the most obvious of which is the ability to go prone. There’s more midstate between being hidden and being spotted here, which makes the cat and mouse game feel tenser. Hiding under cars, crawling through long grass, distracting sniffer dogs – The Last of Us Part II is a far better stealth game than people give it credit for.
5
Hitman 3
Let’s face it, I could have picked any of the new Hitman games for this list and they all would have been correct. Hitman 3 is just the most current. What makes these games special is the method of stealth, which opts for disguises over light and shadow or occlusion. The sheer amount of creativity on display in these games is staggering, from the methods of murder to the levels and the costumes you can wear.
4
Metal Gear Solid
An oldie, but still one of the best. Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation is a timeless classic for a reason. It’s many people’s first introduction to stealth as a video game mechanic, and what an introduction it is. Whether you’re leading guards around in circles with your footprints in the snow, highlighting a laser grid with cigarette smoke, or hiding in a cardboard box, it’s endlessly inventive.
3
Thief: The Dark Project
While Metal Gear Solid would probably get the public vote, Thief was a lot more influential on the genre as a whole. Where MGS went for third-person, Thief wanted you to forget you were playing a game at all. Looking through the eyes of the protagonist, you creep around a steampunk world, pocketing valuables as you go. You move between the shadows and listen, keeping an ear out for patrolling guards, doors creaking open, and voice lines that might hint at a secret way to your next piece of loot.
2
Metal Gear Solid V
It might have lost out to Thief when it comes to influencing the industry, but Metal Gear Solid gets two shouts on this list. I’ve avoided putting two games from the same series here on purpose – it doesn’t seem fair – but Metal Gear Solid V is a completely different beast to the PS1 game. Set in an open environment, you’re free to approach objectives however you like. It also controls like a dream, allowing you to dive into prone from almost any position and twist on your back once on the ground. Then there’s that genius ‘last-chance’ mechanic, where time slows as you’re spotted, giving you a couple of seconds to take the guard down or shoot out their radio so they can’t call for backup.
1
Dishonored 2
Choose between one of two supernatural assassins and parkour your way across the rooftops of a decaying, sickly fantasy world, stabbing aristocrats in the neck. Or, you know, don’t. Even taking powers is a choice in Dishonored 2, a game you can complete without anyone ever knowing you were there. Every single corner of this masterpiece is filled with secrets to discover, alternate routes to find, and new ways to complete your objectives.
Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF.
