The stealth genre is all about, as the name suggests: hiding, sneaking using disguises and avoiding conflict. Stealth games often center themselves around underlying themes of espionage, counterterrorism or some sort of rogue military operation. The stealth genre has always remained popular, but it often focuses more on platforming, shooting and simply having inventive ways of killing enemies.
Stealth games have a tendency of blending genres and players are often left with games featuring stealth elements rather than games with fully fleshed out stealth mechanics. This genre, while featuring some amazing games, often draws a lot of criticism due to, ironically weak stealth mechanics. There are, however, some amazing games, especially recently, which essentially deconstruct the genre and strip it down to its sneaky roots.
6 Dishonored 2
This game is fantastic, there’s so much variety that players can have multiple playthroughs with completely different play styles and outcomes. Dishonored 2 leaves everything up to the player’s choice. It can have a lot of combat and blood, but this has an adverse effect on the in-game world.
The stealth mechanics here are very solid. There’s nothing overtly complicated, but there are definitely a few creative ways of sneaky murder, from simply choking out players to unleashing a plague on them. The game’s environment can vary player strategy as well, ranging from the dust storms in the aptly named dust district to enemies that can teleport.
5 Mark Of The Ninja
Mark Of The Ninja is a side scrolling stealth game where players have to sneak through a series of different landscapes trying to avoid the guards’ sightlines and performing silent assassinations. The game also features a light mechanic, and players can extinguish torches to make it harder for enemies to see.
Along with this is avoiding patrols, hiding behind objects and altogether being a nuisance. While the game does feature some hand-to-hand combat as well, the focus is largely on stealth, and it’s executed very well.
4 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
The third game in the series, Chaos Theory follows Sam Fisher’s work for the NSA. This game is much darker than the others in the series, its gritty and serious and Fisher engages in some extremely violent and unsettling actions to get the job done.
Chaos Theory is Splinter Cell at its best. Everything runs smoother, the stealth mechanics are much slicker, the new audio cues make it vital to not be as loud. And the enemy AI has been polished. The game also features the famed rag-doll physics. Chaos Theory is Splinter Cell at its best, and at its best Splinter Cell remains the peak of core stealth gameplay.
3 Thief 2: Metal Age
Thief 2 is a genre defining game, its first-person stealth at its best, and while the game has aged a lot, the core stealth mechanics still hold up. This game is challenging and unique, players actually need to put in quite an effort to get through it.
The game’s audio and visual work were amazing for its time, and still carry some novelty. This game is all about stealth, more-so than perhaps any game on this list, players need to scout ahead and plan. Enemy bodies can be moved around, hidden and sued as bait. Players must also be conscious about the light and how much noise they’re making, and the unique weapons and perks players have access to are a breath of fresh air compared to the run-of-the-mill silenced handgun.
2 Alien Isolation
Horror and stealth work really well together, the tension and fear coupled with the need to be precise makes for engaging gameplay. Most horror games, however, devolve to run around and hide in a corner till the big bad goes away.
The alien does not go away, this game fleshed out stealth mechanics, players can hide in vents, behind objects, inside lockers and take cover to try and break the Alien’s line of sight. All while trying their best to do the actual tasks at hand. The game does feature some weapons, but ammo is limited, and crafting is encouraged. A lot of the gameplay revolves around outsmarting the enemy AI, or at least trying to.
1 A Plague Tale: Innocence
Plague Tale mixes elements of survival horror with stealth and does it exceptionally well. While this game is definitely famed for its story, voice acting, character interactions and whatnot. It's stealth mechanics are also very good.
There is no combat with the Spanish soldiers. It's all about sneaking your way around, relying on baiting them to different directions and scurrying away. Players can also use various spells to solve puzzles, manipulate the vermin AI and make traversal easier. Amicia can direct her brother to do particular tasks while she deals with something else. And let’s not forget her trusty slingshot. Plague Tale’s gameplay essentially deconstructs the genre and uses the basic mechanics that make it recognizable to create an amazing game.