Revisiting Stealth Games in Early 2020s – Where Are They?

As some of you may well recall, depending on how you've stuck around, the worrisome lack of actual, proper stealth games on PC has been on the mind of this editorial team for... well, for years now. The simple fact of the matter is that today, as the early 2020s come to a wrap, we're still dealing with that same issue. Some things, however, have changed.

No, we don't yet have a new Splinter Cell. There's no genuinely new Metal Gear Solid on the docket, either. And yes, we do still recommend almost all the games we recommended years ago. Context, however, is shifting, and we genuinely believe that the industry is almost open to the grand return of the niche/genre. If not right now, then in a few years' time. But why? And how? And what does that mean for you - the gamer? Only one way to find out.

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Where Are The New Stealth Games?

It's both funny and sad in equal measure that we just aren't getting true, dedicated stealth games virtually at all in the early 2020s. The fact that our must-play shortlist is almost identical to the one we featured back in 2020 should speak volumes, alone, but the issues go well beyond that. Our long-time conclusion about stealth video games has been that they were - much like true strategy games - too hardcore and too unforgiving for the average, casual player. This resulted in the whole genre being consolidated into a feature that sits neatly in just about every modern open-world game.

True enough, you can play a rudimentary stealth mini-game in your Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Horizon, Red Dead, or - heck - even Elden Ring. These optional, tacked-on stealth implementations pale compared to Splinter Cell's movement granularity, for one. Or Hitman's impeccable social stealth systems. Yet, you could feasibly count solid examples of stealth gameplay in the early 2020s on the fingers of one hand!

Why is the Stealth Genre so Problematic?

But why is this the case, though? Why aren't there more stealth games romping around? The simple and cynical truth is likely that they're too big and complex projects for the sort of audience that they pull in. Modern stealth games are, therefore, often smaller-scale productions that come in few and far between. Take the rather awesome Sniper Elite 5 as a prime example. Or the smaller, yet more hardcore Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2.

For every Hitman 3-tier success, there are stories of stealth-focused games falling flat on their faces, to the point where many developers and - more importantly - publishers appear to have become exceedingly risk-averse about them.

Strategy Games Are Back - Does That Mean Anything for Stealth?

It was back in mid-2022 that we had a bit of revelation about the strategy game genre: it was making a return! Indeed, over the past couple of years (and with a good number of them slated for future release), we've seen a proper proliferation of the contemporary strategy title. Not only were old, classic franchises like Company of Heroes and Men of War coming back, but we also got Age of Wonders 4, Crusader Kings 3, and heaps of others. Basically, the strategy shindig is now back in vogue.

Even though the stealth game as such isn't too popular nowadays, the fact remains that something similar may yet happen with them too, sometime down the line. Long have there been rumours that Ubisoft has got a new Splinter Cell game in production, for example. More notably, Konami confirmed earlier this year that it's remaking Metal Gear Solid 3 for PC and current-gen consoles. This isn't enough - yet - for us to call the genre revitalized, but something's going on for sure.

So, stealth game fans, do stay tuned. If strategies are back, dedicated stealth titles are bound to make a return to the mainstream in due time, too.

2Game's Top-Tier Stealth Game Recommendation Shortlist

Now, it goes without saying that we won't leave you out to dry. As ever, we've got a handy shortlist of must-play stealth games in the early 2020s. We do hope that we'll be able to revisit the topic in a few years' time with some new recommendations, but for the time being, these are the best stealth titles you can play on PC via 2Game!

Assassin's Creed Unity

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes + Phantom Pain

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Dishonored

Dishonored 2

PREY

Batman: The Arkham Trilogy

Alien: Isolation

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Sniper: Ghost Warrior - Contracts 2

A Plague Tale: Requiem

Aragami

Closing Thoughts

It's not all dark and grim, considering everything we pointed out above. Stealth games do still succeed every so often, as recently shown by the remarkable A Plague Tale: Requiem. They do need to make concessions to other genres, though, and it's not always a good fit for every game it's been getting shoved into, but still - at least the mere notion of stealth perseveres.

Circling back to our comparison to the contemporary revival of the strategy game genre, we do believe that stealth games will see a major resurgence before 2030. Possibly one that gets kickstarted by the upcoming remake of MGS3, perhaps! Or something else entirely. Whatever the case may be, the good news is that stealth titles are here to stay, even of they do need to slink back into the shadows every so often.

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