Best Stealth Games

Why it's here: The genre's high-water mark and my pick for the top. As Snake you're dropped into open-world Afghanistan and Africa to infiltrate enemy outposts however you like — crawl past patrols, tranq-dart guards one by one, or Fulton-balloon them clean off the map. That freedom to plan and improvise every infiltration is what makes it the best stealth sandbox on console. The honest caveat: the story unravels in its second half and the base-management can feel like busywork. Rated Mature, on PS4 (plays on PS5), 4.65 from nearly 94,000 players. If you play one game off this list, make it this.

Why it's here: The best pure stealth sandbox, full stop. You're Agent 47 dropped into dense, living levels — a Dubai skyscraper, an English manor murder-mystery — and left to find your own way to the target: a disguise, a poisoned drink, an "accidental" fall. It also bundles the World of Assassination trilogy, so it's three games of these playgrounds in one. The catch is it's about experimentation and repetition, not story — you replay levels to master them. Rated Mature 17+, on PS5 and PS4, 4.39 from over 57,000 players. Nothing else rewards careful, creative stealth like this.

Why it's here: The best immersive-sim stealth game here. You're a betrayed bodyguard with supernatural powers — blink across rooftops, possess a rat, freeze time — picking through a plague-ridden city where you can ghost every level without killing a soul, or not. The freedom, and the way the world darkens in response to how violent you are, is the draw. It's a 2015 remaster, so the visuals show their age. Rated Mature, and on PS Plus Premium so many of you already own it, 4.65 from 16,500 players. Essential if you like stealth with real player expression.

Why it's here: The best open-world stealth — if you play it the dishonourable way. You're a samurai who slowly trades the honourable duel for the "Ghost", picking off Mongol camps from the long grass with silent chain-assassinations, kunai and smoke bombs. It's the most beautiful game on this list and by far the most-rated, at over 313,000 players. Fair warning for purists: stealth is one pillar, not the whole game — you can also just fight head-on. Rated Mature 17+, on PS5 and PS4, 4.6. The pick if you want gorgeous open-world stealth with the option to drop the mask.

Why it's here: The heritage pick and the best value here — the games that invented modern stealth, in one box. It collects Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3 (plus the MSX originals), where you crawl through cardboard boxes, dodge cameras and tail guards. MGS3's jungle infiltration in particular is still one of the finest stealth games ever made. The catch is it's a faithful, no-frills re-release, so the older entries play their age. Rated Mature 17+, on PS5 and PS4, 4.78 from nearly 9,000 players — the highest-rated serious stealth pick on the list. A must if you want to see where it all began.

Why it's here: The best 2D stealth game ever made, and a quiet masterpiece. It takes stealth side-on and makes it perfectly readable — you can see exactly what each guard hears and sees, so every shadow, distraction and silent takedown is a deliberate puzzle you solve rather than a gamble. That clarity is why it works where other stealth frustrates. The only knock is it's smaller in scope than the big 3D games here. Rated Mature, on PS4 (plays on PS5), 4.79 from a smaller crowd of ~1,400 — the highest score of any dedicated stealth game on this list. If you think you dislike stealth because it's fiddly, start here.

Why it's here: The best stealth-tactics game on PlayStation. You command a squad of five specialists through Edo-period Japan from a top-down view, pausing to plan synchronised takedowns so a whole camp falls in one coordinated moment. That puzzle of orchestrating the perfect silent plan is hugely satisfying. It's hard and demands patience — you'll quicksave constantly. Rated Mature, on PS Plus Extra, 4.54 from 4,800 players. The pick if you'd rather plan stealth like a chess problem than sneak in first person.

Why it's here: The same brilliant stealth-tactics formula as Shadow Tactics, reskinned to a Wild West revenge story — and just as good. You coordinate a posse of gunslingers to clear forts and towns silently, chaining each character's abilities into one clean plan. It sits just below Shadow Tactics only because that one came first; mechanically they're neck and neck. Same caveat: deliberate, save-heavy and tough. Rated Mature, on PS Plus Extra, 4.29 from 4,300 players. Play it right after Shadow Tactics — or instead, if you prefer cowboys to ninjas.

Why it's here: The best stealth game for people who want a story to carry them. You guide two siblings through a plague-ravaged 14th-century France, sneaking past soldiers and herding swarms of rats with light and fire to survive. The stealth is more linear than the sandbox picks, but the production and emotional weight are extraordinary. Be warned it's grim and can get intense. Rated Mature 17+, PS5 only, 4.57 from over 27,000 players. The pick if you want stealth wrapped in one of the best-told stories on the console.

Why it's here: The most uncompromising pure-stealth game here. You're Styx, a foul-mouthed goblin assassin with almost no combat to fall back on — get spotted and you're usually dead, so it's all patience, vertical level design and cloning yourself to slip past guards. That punishing, no-shortcuts purity is exactly its appeal to stealth diehards. It's rough around the edges and budget-priced for a reason. Rated Mature, on PS4 (plays on PS5), 4.42 from ~2,100 players. For the purist who wants stealth with zero hand-holding.

Why it's here: The pick if you want supernatural ninja stealth you can play with a friend. You're a shadow assassin who teleports between patches of darkness and summons shadow-creatures to clear the path — and the whole campaign is co-op, which almost no other stealth game offers. Sneaking through a level in sync with a partner is its standout. It's stylish but smaller and a touch stiff. Rated Mature, on PS Plus Extra, 4.33 from 4,000 players. The best two-player stealth on the list.

Why it's here: The family pick, and don't sleep on it — at 4.93 it's the highest-rated game on this entire list. You play Sly, a raccoon master thief casing levels, pickpocketing guards and pulling off heists across a cartoon world. The sneaking, gadgets and planning are genuine stealth, just wrapped in something kids can play too. The only caveat is it's a PS2-era classic, so expect dated edges. Rated Everyone 10+, on PS Plus Premium, from over 9,000 players. The one to pick if you want stealth the whole family can enjoy.

Why it's here: Included for the name as much as anything — Thief is the series that defined first-person stealth, and this 2014 reboot lets you live it: douse torches, pick locks and steal from the shadows of a grim Victorian city. When it clicks, that lantern-lit creeping is pure genre comfort food. I've ranked it last honestly: the story and level design are uneven, hence the 4.11. Rated Mature, on PS Plus Extra, from nearly 21,000 players. Worth it for stealth fans who want the franchise that started first-person sneaking.