25 Games Like Thief
Our list of stealth games like Thief offers a wide array of games where you’ll use your skills to sneak, kill and explore. Thief is one of the classic games within the stealth gaming genre, starting in 1998 it was one of the early games to offer a solely stealth experience and mixed in a unique fantasy, steampunk setting well ahead of its time in gaming. This setting combined with the wealth of ways to approach each scenario in helped it quickly secure a fan following.
The main tactic in the Thief franchise involves avoiding fights and sneaking around enemies by using the environment. The game also lets players steal almost anything that isn’t nailed down to make you feel like a real thief walking the streets.
As the original games were quite dark players had to rely on various sound cues for information about enemy positions. This focus on sound worked both ways though requiring players to be quiet in order to avoid raising suspicion.
The selection of games like Thief here features other games with stealth elements. Some of these games are similar to Thief in that they are solely stealth based while others simply incorporate stealth as part of their gameplay.
System Shock 2
System Shock 2 is a role playing horror game available for Windows and Mac that launched in 1999. The game uses hacking and psionic abilities as core elements alongside first person shooting. The game is often cited as influencing future games that combined FPS and RPG elements such as BioShock. System Shock 2 is set in the...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed II
Assassin’s Creed II continues the historical based action adventure series and sends players into 15th century Italy. The game features the same large open worlds and focus on stealth as the original game. Players will again take control of Desmond Miles as he enters the new and improved Animus 2.0 that lets him relive gene...[Read More]
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an older game with a cyberpunk theme which blends action, role playing, stealth and first person shooting. The game is often considered one of the best PC games available and has picked up countless awards and top spots in curated lists since its release. Deus Ex is set in a futuristic world during 2052 where con...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is the fourth game in the popular stealth series of Assassin’s Creed games. It is the final game that follows Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his battle against the Templars. Just like the previous games players will be stepping into the Animus machine as Desmond Miles and exiting it as a historic...[Read More]
Dishonored
Dishonored is an adventure game with an emphasis on stealth based gameplay. The game has fantasy type elements that give the player some very enjoyable abilities to use during their their assassination attempts. The game takes place in a fictional setting that is similar to London in the early 1900s and blends the industria...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed is the first game in the very popular series of stealth focused open world adventures. The game gave birth to the popular Assassin’s Creed series and launched in 2007. The original Assassin’s Creed takes place in the Holy Land during the time of the Crusades (approximately 1190s) and follows the battle betw...[Read More]
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines is an action orientated role playing game that lets you play as a vampire from a number of different clans. Since its release in 2004 and re-release on Steam in 2009 the game has gained an almost cult like following. It is important to note that the game version for this review was using t...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood belongs to the stealth adventure series, Assassin’s Creed. The game was released in 2010 and continues the adventure from the second game. In Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood players will again be living out the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze in Italy thanks to the power of the Anumus machin...[Read More]
Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Blood Money is the fourth game in the popular series of Hitman stealth video games and lets you jump into the shoes of Agent 47 once again. Just like in previous iterations of the series players will accept a number of hits as Agent 47 that come from a number of different clients. These range from simple hits like y...[Read More]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the third and long awaited game in the series. The game is a prequel and is set 25 years before the first Deus Ex game, this allows newcomers to the series to easily pick up the story even if they haven’t played the other games. In Human Revolution you’ll play as Adam Jensen, a leading member of...[Read More]
Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolution is a stealth based game that belongs to the popular Hitman series. The game will have you slowly calculating your next move in a variety of assassination style missions. The game world is set in the aftermath of the previous game (Hitman: Blood Money). Players will play as Agent 47 as they hunt down their...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
The sixth release in the Assassin’s Creed franchise takes the series to the high seas. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is also a launch title for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In this Assassin’s Creed game players will be reliving the memories of Edward Kenway, a pirate in the Caribbean during the 18th century that eventu...[Read More]
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War serves as a sequel to the original Deus Ex and follows the story of Alex D in a new world that is constantly at war. Opting for a Windows and Xbox release this time around Invisible War stays true to the series of offering diverse player choice in how they approach the game in general and individual m...[Read More]
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth is a very difficult stealth based third person game that promises a challenge to any fan of stealth gameplay. Set in a World War II setting you’ll have plenty of mechanics to use and master in this experience. The game launched in 2009 off the success of the first game released in 2007, it ha...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin’s Creed continues its historical based adventure series with Unity, a game that will demand lots from your computer but deliver absolutely stunning graphics in return. In the game you’ll get the joy of experiencing Paris during the French revolution as Arno Dorian slowly unravels the true story behind the revolt. A...[Read More]
Styx: Master of Shadows
Styx: Master of Shadows serves as the prequel and second game in the series occupying the same world as that Of Orcs and Men (2012). Unlike the first game though Styx: Master of Shadows pulls out Styx the goblin as the main character and focuses more on stealth than the fantasy action of the original. This new refined focus...[Read More]
Styx: Shards of Darkness
Styx: Shards of Darkness builds tremendously on the previous title in the series, addressing key player concerns while also improving your arsenal of stealth tools. Most notably players will no longer be locked into combat when located and can instead attempt to parry enemy attacks or attempt to flee and re-engage stealth g...[Read More]
Assassin’s Creed III
Despite its name Assassin’s Creed III is actually the fifth core game in the popular history based series. The game was released in 2012 and offers the same action and adventure mix as the previous games. Players familiar with the series will recognise the Animus machine that allows players to relive memories from their anc...[Read More]
Velvet Assassin
In Velvet Assassin you play Violette Summer, a World War II British Assassin sent alone into German territory with no official backing. Velvet Assassin is inspired by the true story of British secret agent Violette Szabo. Szabo was, in the end, captured and deported to Germany. The game begins with you in a hospital bed, wi...[Read More]
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
The third game in the Splinter Cell franchise with Tom Clancy’s name is Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and is just as stealthy as the other games in the series. Following Sam Fisher who works as an agent in the covert-ops branch of the NSA known as the Third Echelon. Opting for a much darker atmosphere...[Read More]
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
For the fourth time players can venture into the world of Sly Cooper with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. The game continues on the stealth and platform roots developed by previous games in the franchise. For those unfamiliar with the game setting players will be assuming the role of Sly Cooper as they explore a world inhabite...[Read More]
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction is the 2010 addition to the long term franchise and completely reinvents the franchise with all new mechanics and a great level of polish. Continuing on from the previous game in the franchise players will quickly find themselves in familiar territory. If this is your first time playin...[Read More]
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes continues the franchises mixture of stealth, action and adventure on a large selection of platforms. In this adventure players will take on the role of Snake as he infiltrates Camp Omega as he rescues the Cipher agent known as Paz Ortega Andrade and picking up the former child soldier Chico...[Read More]
Aragami
Master lurking in the shadows with Aragami an action adventure title with stealth as the core gameplay. Available across Mac, PC, Linux and PlayStation 4 the game allows players to fight as the Aragami, an assassin of great power that also wields unnatural abilities. Summoned into existence by Yamiko, a girl who has been ca...[Read More]
No One Lives Forever 2
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way (NOLF2) is a first person shooter that encourages players to use stealth to achieve their goals. Launching in 2002 off the success of the original this game promises a good experience for players both new and old. The game follows your adventures as Cate Archer, one of the top...[Read More]