The best stealth games are the ones that let you live out your sneaky dreams, and probably save scum your way to victory. Carefully plotting and planning the perfect route is something that Assassin’s Creed games sometimes let you do, but the indie stealth scene is a lot more varied. We’ve got all sorts of different viewpoints and styles on this list of the best stealth games.
Stealth can be found in a lot of different ways in games. Sometimes it’s all about picking the perfect moment to steal something, sometimes it’s all about evading detection so you never have to fight, and sometimes it’s about sneaking around so you have an advantage when you do fight. Because the world of stealth is so varied, so is our list of the best stealth games, so let’s get stuck in.
Invisible, Inc
Despite being eight years old, Invisible, Inc remains one of the best stealth games around thanks to an excellent cast of characters, an incredible level of customization, and endlessly replayable campaigns thanks to randomly generated missions. Plus, the animation style holds up incredibly well, which is always nice.
You have to guide agents through a highly-strung world as you try and complete missions and become more powerful as you go. It’s an incredibly fun system, and the turn-based nature of things allows for more surgical control of everything, and the results are more satisfying as a result.
Mark of the Ninja
Mark of the Ninja was made by the same people as Invisible, Inc, so you know it’s gotta be good. It’s a little odd that one company is so good at stealth games that they’ve made two completely different ones that both sit among the best stealth games, but hey, we’re not complaining.
Mark of the Ninja (we’ve linked to the remastered one because it’s shinier) is an incredible action stealth game where you use cursed tattoos to give you superhuman abilities, and you then get to decide how you want to approach each mission. You can choose to kill everyone as you go or only hurt people when it’s necessary. Plus, you get cooler tools and techniques as you go to keep things interesting.
Gloomwood
Despite being in Early Access, Gloomwood is an exquisite stealth game, and one that you should absolutely be spending your time in. You play as someone trapped in a Victorian city that’s being rapidly consumed by a horrifying curse, and the only way you’re going to get out alive is being really sneaky.
Aside from some incredibly unusual weapons, you can use pretty much anything you find to help you out, because it’s got that immersive sim blood in it. Gloomwood has major horror themes too, so you’ll really want to stay hidden most of the time, which adds to the immersion the game offers.
Aragami 2
We’ve got more ninjas for you, because of course we do; this is a list of the best stealth games. Aragami 2 casts you as a mystical and powerful ninja who can fight off invaders and take on contracts to power yourself up and help the shadow clan survive. Unlike many stealth games, this one is filled to the brim with magical powers, which is great fun.
Also, it’s co-op, and being able to sneak around as a group and time takedowns perfectly or all gang up on troublesome enemies that can’t be surprised. It’s a huge amount of fun either way, but playing through with some friends is definitely the best way to do it, especially if you all have different playstyles.
Intravenous
Intravenous is a top-down tactical shooter where stealth plays a huge role. While you can theoretically blast your way through things, it’s generally not a wise way to approach things, because while you’re definitely a powerhouse, you’re also outgunned almost constantly, so going in loud is a pretty quick way to end yourself.
You can enter vent shafts to stay save, shoot out lights to make yourself harder to detect, and even imitate the guard’s loved ones to distract them. It’s somehow incredibly silly and also very violent, which makes for a great way to spend a few hours if you’re looking for some sometimes sneaky, sometimes shooty action.
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
While heist games aren’t strictly the same thing as stealth games, you do have to be sneaky in them, and that means we can put Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine on our list of the best stealth games. You can’t stop us; we’ve already sneaked into your home and added it to the list, or something.
Anyway, Monaco is a heist game where you get to play as different thieves who need to use their unique skills to find out where whatever you’re trying to steal is, shut down any security or guards that are in the way, and then sneak out again without getting caught. It’s great in single-player, but we recommend you play with friends so one of you can be annoying and loud and mess it all up every time.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
Finally, we have Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, which is a very new game that lets you not only be cursed pirates, but also be very sneaky about it. It sounds like the dream of every 11-year-old there’s ever been, and the game just so happens to be absolutely incredible to boot, which is always nice, and also fairly important for this list.
Shadow Gambit lets you plan and pull off incredible heists to steal mysterious treasures from the army of the Inquisition, and use the various magical skills of your crew to do so. You get to choose your crew as you wish and learn how they operate and who they are as you go, and even hang out on a ghost ship too. It’s all very cool, and it’s just a blast to play.
