24 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 future (2114) with players jumping into the boots of a soldier as they attempt to fight off a genetic outbreak that is taking control of a starship. Players will be able to e...[Read Review]
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 genetic memories. This time around players will be experiencing the memories of nobleman living in Italy during the Renaissance period. This nobleman (Ezio) decides to turn into a...[Read Review]
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 conspiracies and a number of different government agencies are threatening to tear the world apart as they fight for control. As the player investigates these conspiracies they w...[Read Review]
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 historical protagonist. Your goal is to fight against the Templar order to find a way to prevent the modern day apocalypse that the world faces. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations takes yo...[Read Review]
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 industrial age with magical elements. Much of the game is set in the industrialised city known as Dunwall. Currently the rule of Dunwall is in the hands of an oppressive government who...[Read Review]
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 between the Knights Templar and a secret group of assassins. Both of these factions are fighting for control of an important ancient artefact known only as the Piece of Eden. Play...[Read Review]
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 the Unofficial Patch as recommended by fans. Before playing I strongly recommend installing the current Unofficial Patch version to remove a lot of the bugs and issues of the o...[Read Review]
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 machine. The game is the second part in a three game trilogy involving Ezio and his struggle to fight the Templar order and revive the Assassin order. Rome is the main setting for A...[Read Review]
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 your first assignment against an amusement park owner to more high profile hits as you advance through the game. Each hit intertwines with your own story and eventually has you...[Read Review]
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 the security team at Sarif Industries (one of the many growing firms dealing with biotechnology). This biotechnology has the power to reinvent the human body by replacing par...[Read Review]
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 old handler Diana Burnwood and then fulfil her dying wish by protecting Victoria from The Agency. From here the player goes rogue themselves and continues their role as a hit...[Read Review]
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 eventually becomes part of the Assassin Order. During their adventure the player will get to encounter many real life pirates of the day including Blackbeard. Gameplay in Black Flag...[Read Review]
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 has similar gameplay mechanics but many improvements that make it a much better experience. This includes new mission locations, more vehicles and weapons along with a better in...[Read Review]
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. Arno’s story in this addition to the Assassin’s Creed franchise spans 5 years beginning at the eve of the French Revolution in 1789 and ending in 1794. As you would expect the ...[Read Review]
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 on stealth is pushed even further through a combat system that disincentives engagement by making it exceedingly difficult and even tedious to fight enemies making it suitabl...[Read Review]
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 gameplay. The story this time around sees Styx attempting to infiltrate a Dark Elven city of Korangar in order to determine why the dark elves have aligned themselves with dwar...[Read Review]
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 ancestors. This time around Desmond Miles will hop into the Animus machine to find a method to stop the upcoming apocalypse. The journey takes him to the 18th century and the Ame...[Read Review]
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, with morphine syringes scattered around you. All this morphine induces a series of dreams, recounting 12 previous missions for you to experience first hand. You begin your first...[Read Review]
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 than other games in the franchise this mature approach was a definite hit amongst fans and newcomers. Set in 2007 Chaos Theory explores rising tensions between the Asian nati...[Read Review]
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 inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. Sly himself is a racoon who belongs to a very long and prestigious line of thieves, after a villain tampers with the family history book players ...[Read Review]
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 playing a Splinter Cell game you won’t feel out of place either with a quick introduction to the game that brings everyone up to speed on the current situation. The campaign follows...[Read Review]
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. Marking lucky number 8 in the franchise you’ll find similar gameplay fundamentals to the past releases while exploring a story designed to be the prologue Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. In this stealth adventure players will take on the role of Snake as he infiltrates Camp Omega on a mission to rescue the Cipher agent known as Paz Ortega Andrade and ...[Read Review]
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 captured by Kaiho who are masters of the light. These masters of the light are also the conquerors of the land who previously aligned themselves with the shadows and thus call u...[Read Review]
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 spies in UNITIY who is chasing the criminal organisation of H.A.R.M. to try and find out what they are up to. The game takes you across a good range of locations from Syberia...[Read Review]