One of the most popular and immersive sub-genres in gaming is the survival game. Encompassing a range of styles and varying mechanics, survival games commonly revolve around a character who must go up against a force that can overwhelm them. This can be a monster, dangerous human enemies, or nature itself.

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The dark atmospheres of these games make them downright oppressive for players to experience.

One mechanic that often goes hand in hand with survival games is stealth. When going up against obstacles that can kill them quickly, stealth is often the best path players can take. Many survival games have integrated stealth as a core part of the gameplay. This has created moments that can be tense, terrifying, and a whole lot of fun to play.

10 Sir, You Are Being Hunted

Metascore: 63

This 2014 open-world stealth survival game revolves around players being hunted by Victorian-looking robots who are trying to kill them. The goal of the game is to escape and to do this, players can scavenge the various buildings around the island for parts and food.

The island is procedurally generated, allowing for unique playthroughs every time. The game was released to mixed reviews and has become a largely forgotten title, with the majority of reviews on Steam being mostly positive. Sir, You Are Being Hunted will appeal to fans of stealth and survival games looking for a new title to play.

9 Monstrum

Steam Reviews: Very Positive.

This 2015 survival horror game drops players into the tight hallways and tiny cabins of an abandoned cargo ship, while they are hunted by a demonic monster. The game is a traditional survival horror, where the player has limited items and must rely on stealth in order to escape from the creature.

Monstrum changes things up with mechanics that are more commonly found in roguelite games. The levels are procedurally generated, allowing for greater replayability. The game also has a permadeath system, which means any death will require starting the game from scratch.

8 Gloomwood

Early Access Steam Reviews: Very Positive

This FPS stealth survival horror game brings players into a Victorian-style setting, playing as an unnamed doctor. Heavily influenced by the Thief series, Gloomwood is a fun and immersive stealth game that fits in nicely with a lot of other retro-inspired games.

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Players will mainly rely on stealth while playing Gloomwood, using a mix of melee and firearm weapons to take out the many enemies they will encounter. On top of this, resources will need to be managed, as there is a limited amount of storage space for the character.

7 Alien: Isolation

Metascore: 79

There have been many games based on the famous horror franchise over the years, but none have recreated the claustrophobic terror of the original film quite like Alien: Isolation. A classic in the survival horror genre, the game requires the player to use stealth for the vast majority of the game, as the Alien cannot be killed.

Alien: Isolation recreated the world of Alien perfectly, from the retro-futuristic backdrop, down to the sound effects and music. For fans of the 1979 classic, this game plunges players directly into the setting and gives them a taste of what it is to be hunted by a Xenomorph.

6 Outlast

Metascore: 80

Another classic in the survival horror genre, Outlast is often cited as one of the most terrifying games out there. In Outlast, players take control of Miles, an investigative journalist who’s made the terrible decision to look into a mysterious insane asylum. He soon discovers the building is inhabited by psychotic killers.

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The player has no weapons in the game and can only survive by hiding and stealthily moving through the game world. To help, the player is equipped with a night-vision camera to navigate around the darker places. Outlast is a tense horror game best played alone with the lights off and headphones on.

5 Amnesia: Rebirth

Metascore: 80

The long-awaited sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Rebirth follows the story of Tasi, as she tries to survive with her unborn baby in a terrifying world of darkness and monsters.

Amnesia: Rebirth brought back many of the mechanics from the first game, ramped up the atmosphere, and expanded the story and lore as well. When the player stays too long in darkness, they lose their mind, and it's game over. The character of Tasi is scared and alone and must rely on stealth to get past any monstrous obstacles in her way.

4 A Plague Tale: Innocence

Metascore: 82

This bleak stealth adventure game brings players into the plague-infested backdrop of 14th-century France. The game follows 15-year-old Amicia, as she attempts to protect her younger brother Hugo from violent knights and rabid swarms of rats.

A Plague Tale: Innocence mixes complex puzzles, stealth mechanics, and strong storytelling into a compelling game experience. The game doesn’t hold back and fully immerses players in the harsh backdrop of religious zealotry, war, and pestilence. Players will mainly use stealth to move through the world, which incorporates elements of survival horror and real historical events.

3 Tomb Raider

Metascore: 86

The Tomb Raider series has never really been considered a survival game. Lara Croft is the iconic, gun-toting heroine who takes out entire regiments of enemies. With the release of Tomb Raider (2013), the game introduced Lara as a young, inexperienced adventurer who finds she must survive on her own for the first time.

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Tomb Raider brought a survival element to the series, from crafting items and stealth mechanics. In the latter stages of the game, the Lara we know starts to emerge, but for the most part, stealth is the best way of playing this excellent reimagining.

2 The Last Of Us 2

Metascore: 93

Following on from the first installment, The Last Of Us Part 2 continues the story of Ellie and Joel as they deal with the fallout from the first game. Bringing back the excellent stealth and crafting mechanics, the game is a tense and immersive experience that fans of the first game will enjoy the most.

The Last Of Us Part 2 was released to mixed opinions, mainly revolving around the narrative, which was simultaneously heartbreaking and engaging and took players to uncomfortable places. The game is the perfect sequel to the first, blending tragedy, action, and horror with fluid gameplay mechanics, creating another classic of the genre.

1 The Last Of Us

Metascore: 95

One of the most critically acclaimed titles in gaming history, The Last Of Us took players on a nightmarish yet often beautiful post-apocalyptic road trip across a ravaged America. Following characters Joel and Ellie as they struggle to survive against infected monsters and dangerous gangs of humans.

The Last Of Us is a perfect blend of horror, action, and stealth, and gives players the choice of how they tackle any obstacles. While most situations can be won with action, stealth is invariably the most effective method. Using Joel's senses, distractions, and silent takedowns to move through the areas.

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