Heists are all about expertly planning an elaborate series of events and executing them on time. It's often the case that planning the heist takes significantly more time than carrying it out unless things go drastically wrong. While things can go wrong and descend into chaos, the hallmark of a good heist is a quick exit with as little interference as possible.

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Games that are primarily about pulling off heists tend to feature a series of missions that lead up to pulling off one final score, these missions might be smaller robberies or simply a way to gather the equipment and information necessary to complete the final heist.

Updated on January 5, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Seeing a heist in action is like poetry, with a well-enacted plan flowing like butter as participants take out threats, break into the area that houses something important, and accomplish their mission without kicking up too much of a fuss. The medium of gaming lets players immerse themselves in whatever they're doing, making it clear why good games that let players carry out heists end up becoming such major phenomenons.

15 Thief 2: The Metal Age

Metascore: 87

The first Thief game was one of gaming's first immersive sims that felt great to tinker with. The atmosphere of this title coupled with Garrett's smooth tones made things quite engaging. No one expected the sequel to be such a massive step up, but Looking Glass proved everyone wrong.

Thief 2: The Metal Age ushered in the early adoption of technology in a steampunk setting that improved on everything from the previous game. The stealth gameplay was as tight and engaging as ever, with the levels being a blast to explore and figure out.

14 Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider

Metascore: 82

Dishonored is a popular stealth series that marked Arkane's rise to success. The studio is enduring a rather rocky time right now, so fans are more than happy to go back to a time when the studio was reputed for the quality that poured out of these games.

Death of the Outsider was a standalone expansion with one level that captured how engaging a heist could be. It may just be one segment of a rather brief experience, but Death of the Outsider captures the ecstasy of watching a plan fall into place as the player's heist ends up being a massive success.

13 One-Armed Robber

Metascore: N/A

Indie gaming has allowed developers to release titles with unique concepts that will let players have a hilarious time with their friends. One-Armed Robber is a game where players control a group of thieves who can only use one arm to perform a myriad of functions.

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The concept is simple and well-executed, making it clear why One-Armed Robber is a simple recommendation for players who want a less serious heist game to mess about it. Many hours of ridiculous shenanigans can be enjoyed with a friend in this game.

12 Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus

Metascore: 86

Sly Cooper is one of the most iconic video game raccoons, and the legendary thief headed up a team of criminal animals. He burst onto the scene in 2002 in Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, the game that kickstarted one of the most highly-rated PlayStation franchises.

Players took control of the eponymous master thief and were assisted by his gang throughout the game. Using cel-shading to create a film noir vibe, it perfectly captured the feeling of a classic heist caper with a family-friendly setting.

11 The Greatest Penguin Heist Of All Time

Steam Rating: 9/10

The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time keeps things fun and light throughout, allowing players to conduct a variety of heists with a band of cute little penguins. The titular penguins undertake several different open-ended missions, all the way from stealing fish to kidnapping chefs.

It's down to the player to choose how they complete each heist, with different items and weapons available for use. The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time is the ideal game for someone looking for in-depth heist gameplay with a fun skin on top.

10 Grand Theft Auto 5

Metascore: 97

Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest video game franchises, but Grand Theft Auto 5 reached new heights when it was released in 2013. It followed the same format as the previous entries in the series, having players travel through an open world completing missions for different NPCs.

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Where Grand Theft Auto 5 differed from previous installments was that it gave players the ability to switch between three different characters at any time, and the main story featured a much heavier focus on completing heists with the trio.

9 Payday 2

Metascore: 79

Payday 2 is a multiplayer first-person shooter that is literally all about heists, it's the primary plot device and the whole focus of the game. The skills that players can unlock as their character levels up are an incredibly useful aspect of Payday 2, and some of them are key to making heists easier.

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Up to four players can work together to complete the game's heists and each one is different from the last. The heists are often chaotic rather than slick and players will often find themselves having to shoot their way out of a bad position. Whilst Payday 3 introduces new mechanics, Payday 2 still beats it due to the amount of heists available, modding community, and because players are not restricted by online-only servers.

8 Thief Simulator

Steam Rating: 9/10

Thief Simulator is an open-world game with a focus on stealth, where players engage in smaller burglaries as a solo effort. Rather than stealing priceless works of art from a museum or drilling through a bank vault, Thief Simulator sees players breaking into houses to steal whatever valuables they come across.

It's a pretty straightforward game at its heart, but Thief Simulator does what it sets out to do very well. As the game progresses, the skill tree opens up and new tools are available for the player to change the way they approach each house.

7 Late Shift

Metascore: 72

Late Shift is an interesting game that blends movies with games in the most immersive way possible. The stakes are high as the player is forced into robbing an auction house. The main character is Matt, a math genius who must prove his innocence concerning the heist.

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It's a game all about choices and consequences are felt from the very first decision the player makes, and there are seven different conclusions. Never has a game felt so much like a movie, with the difference being that the players influence the decisions. It's well worth a watch and a play, especially if heists are of interest to the player.

6 Crookz: The Big Heist

Metascore: 74

Crookz: The Big Heist is set in the 1970s, giving it a fun and stylish feel as a result of the era. It has all the classic elements of a heist game, although it does allow players to come up with more detailed plans for their robberies than most other heist games do.

Crookz: The Big Heist gives players a full single-player campaign with six different crew members to choose from and a decent amount of content, alongside a challenge mode that drastically ramps up the difficulty level.

5 Real Gangster Bank Robber

Google Play Rating: 3.5

The Real Gangster Bank Robbery game is an absolute treat for fans of the heist genre. The 3D graphics are stunning for gamers looking to play on their mobile devices, and the hours of entertainment it provides will keep players busy for hours on end.

As the robbery takes place, the aim is to keep away from the police and escape with the stolen money. It sounds perfectly straightforward, but this game is hard to play making it a challenging and engrossing experience.

4 Perfect Heist 2

Steam Rating: 9/10

Perfect Heist 2 presented a whole new twist on the heist genre, pitting two teams of players against one another instead of having players battle against NPCs. Players will find themselves on either side of the law, with cops aiming to shut down the heist before it happens and robbers aiming to make away with as much money as possible.

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The gameplay is simple, but there's depth in the number of classes available on either team. The game is played in rounds and offers a lot of joy on each replay of it, thanks to that aspect.

3 Sly 2: Band Of Thieves

Metascore: 88

Sly 2: Band Of Thieves marked the high point for the Sly Cooper series, improving on everything that made the original so much fun for players. One of the best changes to the game was made to the gang that surrounds the hero, as they made the move from helpful AI allies to playable characters with unique skills.

Although Sly's friend Murray is a master of brute force, the game still encourages a primarily stealth-based approach to each level and even adds the ability to pickpocket enemies as well.

2 Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine

Metascore: 83

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a fun indie heist game that is set entirely in the titular country and focuses primarily on the stealth aspects of heists. The game has four campaigns that contain several missions, with all of them unfolding from a top-down view. Players have the choice of eight characters with unique abilities to help them navigate the story.

Not only does Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine have a story, but it also has PvP maps and a surprisingly fun zombie mode.

1 Teardown

Metascore: 80

Teardown offers something pretty unique in the heist genre, as it gives players an environment they can tear apart or burn to the ground if they choose. The indie game makes use of voxels with different strengths, forcing players to use different tools to destroy them and generating

Teardown is a sandbox puzzle game where the player takes control of the owner of a demolition company that falls on hard times and ends up embroiled in a police investigation. The story isn't particularly long, but the gameplay more than makes up for that.

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