Whether it’s stalking prey from the shadows or getting in and out without being seen entirely, there’s a delightful power fantasy associated with the best stealth games out there. It’s a genre that complements so many others, too, combining elegantly with action, puzzle, role-playing, and even turn-based gameplay systems to give them a slightly different spin.
Of course some of the most recognizable in the genre are ones that give you the tools you need to execute your objective in a variety of ways. Nowhere else is this more evident than with IO Interactive’s Hitman series, which has traditionally given you a playground to let Agent 47 run rampant through, with a variety of different ways to take out your targets. Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell series, by comparison, lets you adopt the role of an apex predator in Sam Fisher, who is as comfortable shimmying in the dark as he is with a knife and a pistol. Arkane’s Dishonored series provides its own fantastical spin, too, with immersive sim elements letting you craft your own versions of its protagonists before guiding them quietly through increasingly complex stealth scenarios.
Stealth games aren’t all about combat, however, and are sometimes at their best when providing you with creative ways to circumvent it entirely. It’s a genre that can lean more heavily into its puzzle-solving elements with games like Stealth Inc 2, transform turn-based strategy in Invisible Inc, or provide an entirely unique co-operative experience in the heist-action game Monaco 2.
Stealth is a diverse concept that has lent itself to some of the best games out there, so we’ve selected many of the best the genre offers for you to play in 2025. If sticking to the shadows isn’t entirely your speed, you can check out our other lists for the best shooters, the best RPGs, the best racing games, and the best horror games.
Hitman: World of Assassination
- Developer: IO Interactive
- Release Date: March 11, 2016
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, PC, Mac, Android, iOS
IO Interactive has been behind Hitman for decades, but it’s the studios’ latest entry that has both endured and excited more than anything that came before it. Compiling three game’s worth of content under one banner, the World of Assassination offers a wealth of inventive and distinct levels for you to navigate through as Agent 47. Each level has so many layers to it, letting you peel them away as you pursue more crazy and complex objectives with a variety of modifiers (from weapon selection, entry points, and more) keeping you on your toes. Hitman: World of Assassination is like a chest of toys that lets you create your own stories with whatever you pull out and decide to run with, taking the series’ action beyond its strictly stealthy origins and redefining the genre in the process.
Alien Isolation
- Developer: Creative Assembly
- Release Date: October 7, 2014
- Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC, Nintendo Switch
Alien has had many video game adaptations since it arrived in cinemas decades ago, but none have truly captured the terror of the series like Alien: Isolation. Stripping back most aspects of action and making you feel relatively powerless against a Xenomorph that is stalking you coalesces into a gripping stealth-horror experience that recaptures the high points of the series it’s adapting. You’ll be staring at your motion sensor for a lot of this game, jumping at any beeps that emit from it and scrambling for the closet locker to hide in as your hunter slinks into view from a vent above. It’s a monster that learns from your actions and constantly demands adaptation in order to survive, creating a stealth experience like few others offer.
Mark of the Ninja Remastered
- Developer: Klei Entertainment
- Release Date: October 9, 2018
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac
Stealth-action games have generally used 3D spaces to create puzzle boxes for you to quietly navigate, but Mark of the Ninja Remastered flips this on its head by limiting things to 2D. It, however, retains many of the genre’s hallmarks, using light and shadow to encourage your movement through spaces, sound as a mechanic you need to manage to stay hidden, and satisfying stealth kills as rewards for getting the jump on foes. Unique to Mark of the Ninja, which makes its limited perspective work even better, is a line-of-sight mechanic that occludes your view of enemies unless you’re looking in their direction, with only sound cues giving you an estimation of enemy placement despite having a view of an entire scene. It’s a distinct approach to stealth-action that is propped up by an eye-catching visual design and a great soundtrack, making it a classic you shouldn’t miss.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Milan
- Release Date: March 29, 2005
- Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PC
It’s difficult to reconcile that the best entry in the long-running (albeit recently dormant) Splinter Cell series is over two decades old, but it also goes to show just how timeless great design can be. Chaos Theory is the third game in the stealth franchise but easily its best, offering the most compelling mission protagonist Sam Fisher has endured while also introducing so many of the series’ staples. Each of Chaos Theory’s levels were larger and more open than before, giving you different ways to achieve your goal in a manner similar to modern Hitman games. Its use of shadows and dynamic lighting felt generations ahead of other contemporaries in the genre at the time, and still remain a standout feature so many years later. It’s stealth action in its purest form that the series strayed from in entries afterwards, and a high bar so many fans would love to return to.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
- Developer: Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Shanghai
- Release Date: August 20, 2013
- Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Released after a long hiatus, Splinter Cell Blacklist feels like a combination of Chaos Theory’s perfected classic stealth and the more aggressive stealth-action of Conviction. With three distinct playstyles called Ghost, Panther, and Assault, there is a way to tackle every objective regardless of how much stealth experience you have, and the enhanced Mark & Execute ability lets Sam Fisher operate as a ruthlessly efficient agent of death. It’s streamlined and faster than the past games, which doesn’t appeal to everyone, but Blacklist is an excellent example of how stealth games don’t need to move at a snail’s pace to still be stealth games.
Dishonored 2
- Developer: Arkane Lyon
- Release Date: November 11, 2016
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
While the first Dishonored established its captivating setting of Dunwall and introduced players to its blend of stealth and immersive sim gameplay, it was its sequel that allowed its ideas to run wild. It elevates and iterates on the super-powered stealth focus of the original, beefing up options by introducing Emily Kaldwin as a second playable protagonist, but truly finds its footing in the elaborate levels you’re unleashed in. From the twisting rooms of The Clockwork Mansion to the time-hopping antics of A Crack In The Slab, Dishonored 2 consistently presents you with intriguing spaces for you to have your stealth prowess challenged, and there’s been nothing truly like it since.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- Developer: Konami
- Release Date: August 28, 2025
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC
You could make a strong argument for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as the best entry in director Hideo Kojima’s stealth espionage franchise, which only serves to strengthen the argument that Metal Gear Solid Delta offers the best way to play it. This remake of the stealth action epic takes players right back to the beginning for the Virtuous mission and the origins of Big Boss, with David Hayter’s raspy rendition of Naked Snake making a welcome return after his omission in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The choice of Unreal Engine 5 breathes new life into this PlayStation 2 classic but doesn’t compromise on its vision. This is still a tightly paced linear adventure, just with an updated control scheme and a stitched together structure that make Metal Gear Solid Delta feel like a modern release in the franchise.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Developer: Konami
- Release Date: September 1, 2015
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
The Metal Gear Solid games were pioneers in the modern stealth genre, but… they didn’t always play all that well, especially the first few. With Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, that changed drastically. One of the best stealth-action games of all time, The Phantom Pain borders on immersive sim with its in-world storytelling, and its emergent gameplay structure lets you feel like you’re Big Boss on a mission, gathering intel rather than having it spoonfed to you at key points. Capturing enemies to add to your army and making use of key companions further enhances your abilities, and the only real limit to what you can do in a mission is your imagination.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Developer: Asobo Studio
- Release Date: October 17, 2022
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch (Cloud)
As a sequel to the surprisingly captivating first entry, A Plague Tale: Requiem does what all good sequels do: it builds on its foundations without straying from them. Playing as Amecia, you’re still forced into depending on stealth to avoid and subvert enemies, but now with a greatly expanded move set to go along with it. Amecia is tougher, letting her take more than a single hit before death, which allows you to break and re-engage stealth within a single skirmish. Coupled with more offensive options, like a dagger for stealth kills and a crossbow to take down heavier brutes, Requiem offers more ways to solve each combat puzzle. It also builds on the game’s headline feature: killer rats. These light-averse rodents are both friend and foe, and there are few things as satisfying as turning a dangerous environmental enemy into a weapon that can be unleashed on unsuspecting foes.
The Last of Us Part II
- Developer: Naughty Dog
- Release Date: June 19, 2020
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC
You might not immediately think of Naughty Dog’s revenge epic as a traditional stealth action game, but it’s probably one of the purest examples of it in recent memory. Playing as Ellie, taking on enemies directly isn’t always the wisest choice. Being resourceful is far more practical, using bottles and bricks as distractions, a bow and arrow to take out enemies quietly, and relying on up close and personal stealth attacks with your trusty knife. These are tentpoles established by other contemporaries of the genre over decades before, with The Last of Us Part II refining them to a sharp edge. It’s a sublime story with a stronger gameplay loop than often given credit for, making it one of the best recent entries into this genre.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Release Date: October 5, 2023
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X| S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, iOS
As Assassin’s Creed moved more towards action role-playing games set in larger and larger open worlds, a desire for smaller, tighter adventures akin to the series’ roots emerged. Assassin’s Creed Mirage was an answer to those requests, removing many of the role-playing elements and focusing instead on the best aspects of the series; highpoints from Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed 4, and more. Playing as BasimIbn Ishaq, you’re given the freedom to explore the beautiful city of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age. The stealth action brings back the series’ “black box” approach to stealth, encouraging you to study your environment to reveal new ways to reach and eventually execute your targets. It’s a return to form for the series if you’ve not enjoyed its diversion, and one that should hopefully return with Assassin’s Creed Hexe in the future.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Release Date: November 16, 2010
- Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
The Assassin’s Creed series has taken a few different forms over the years, ranging from the simple social-stealth gameplay of the original to the full-on RPG of Odyssey and Valhalla. In Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Ubisoft really hit its stride by offering smooth, polished stealth–often intertwined with direct combat–and the titular Brotherhood system. Rather than conquer a mission alone, the game lets Ezio use his recruits to assassinate targets–taking out your primary foe while your buddies leap from the rooftop and eliminate the guards is a joy, and one that very few stealth games have copied since then.
Monaco 2
- Developer: Pocketwatch Games
- Release Date: April 10, 2025
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC
What’s the point in pulling off the heist of the century if you can’t share it with friends? Monaco 2 slips the script on stealth and makes it chaotic fun with friends, as you plan and execute a series of heists across a variety of maps without (hopefully) getting caught and leaving your ill-gotten gains behind. The move to a 3D, isometric view compared to its predecessors flat 2D presentation doesn’t lose any of the colourful charm the series was initially known for, while the additional perspective is used thoroughly to expand upon the repertoire you have on offer to distract, misdirect, and evade a series of laser-focused guards and security systems. Monaco 2 is at its best when things don’t always go according to plan, forcing you to think on your feet while still keeping things quiet, which makes it a joy with some friends in tow.
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones
- Developer: Curve Studios
- Release Date: October 30, 2014
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Wii U, PC
As a sequel to classic stealth platformer Stealth Bastard, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones pushes further into puzzle platforming territory but still features many of the sneaky hallmarks of its predecessor to make this list. This time around you’re given access to multiple clones of the goggle-wearing protagonist (influenced by Sam Fisher or not, you tell me), using them to acquire equipment to help you escape the cloning facility you’re trapped in. There’s an air of metroidvania to the progression, as you use new abilities you’ve acquired to explore previously visited areas of the facility. All the while, however, you’re encouraged to stay clear of various security systems that will end your escape prematurely, circumventing them with useful pieces of gear or some inventive platforming. It’s not the purest stealth option on this list but given its lineage and enduring design, this shouldn’t be hastily skipped.
Invisible Inc.
- Developer: Klei Entertainment
- Release Date: May 12, 2015
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
What if XCOM was more about sneaking? That’s the question Invisible Inc. asks and answers emphatically, blending the turn-based tactics of the best out there with the stealth and subterfuge that this genre lives on. Playing as a variety of spies, you’re tasked with getting into randomly generated safehouses and picking them clean for what they’re worth, whether that’s money, equipment, tech, and more. Without many offensive options on offer you’re forced to keep things quiet, with lines of sight and noise attracting unwanted attention from armed guards and automated cameras. The turn-based nature makes you methodically move through these random spaces, thinking deeply about not only your movement but the potential movement of those you’re trying to sneak past. It’s an intoxicating loop that can be as punishing or forgiving as you want, but it’s one of few examples of a combination like this working.
Sniper Elite 5
- Developer: Rebellion
- Release Date: May 26, 2022
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, iOS
As the age old adage goes: shooting Nazis never gets old. If it did, it’s unlikely that we’d be five games into Sniper Elite, with the third-person shooter building its identity around infiltrating enemy camps during World War II and taking Nazis out with gruesome, slow-motion long-distance kills. Given the premise, it’s a wonder that the series only started introducing stealth elements in its fourth outing, with the latest Sniper Elite 5 refining them further. It’s the series at its best, with massive maps giving you the agency to approach your objectives in whichever way you see fit. Pick out your sniper nest, sneak past enemies to get there, and then line up the perfect shot before quietly exfiltrating to pull off the perfect hit. With a robust weapon customization system and an asynchronous multiplayer mode (which pits an enemy player sniper against you during missions), Sniper Elite 5 is a sniper power fantasy done right.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
- Developer: Sucker Punch
- Release Date: September 24, 2002
- Platforms: PlayStation 2
Though we chose the first game in the series for this list, we truly could have picked any of the Sly Cooper games and they would have deserved it. Appropriate for younger players–as long as you don’t mind stealing–and combining stealth elements with simple platforming, Sly Cooper is a unique series that exemplifies the mascot-heavy days of the PS2. Joined by his partners in (literal) crime, Sly Cooper is a master of stealth and traversal, and the game’s de-emphasis of direct combat stands in stark contrast to many other games of the era. It was followed by two sequels on the PS2 and a third on the PS3 and PS Vita, and we’re eager to go on another adventure with the cute little guy.
Gunpoint
- Developer: Suspicious Developments
- Release Date: June 3, 2013
- Platforms: PC
Some of the best stealth games blend other genres together to create something that would simply be impossible in the traditional action-adventure framework. That’s the case with Gunpoint, a retro-style puzzle-platformer that is more about finding the solution to a problem than it is avoiding enemies and traps on the fly. The primary way you’ll do this is with the Crosslink tool, which lets you change security systems for your own benefit. But just because it’s a puzzle game doesn’t mean there is only one solution, giving you incentive to replay levels and figure out the cleverest ways to make it through each challenge.
