There are numerous video game genres, and one of the most prevalent is stealth, which dates back to the 1970s. Like every gaming genre, stealth games started much differently than they exist today, as they’ve evolved to include a wide variety of subgenres. Modern stealth games are highly advanced, including mechanics that developers could only dream of decades ago. We’ve highlighted the best stealth games from each console generation, selecting the winners based on contemporary critics’ reviews at release, their influence on the genre, and how much fun they were to play.
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1st) Manbiki Shounen
1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey
The first and second console generations didn’t feature any games that could be considered stealth by any real standard. That said, there were early attempts at stealth games being developed at the same time, but they appeared either on computers or in arcades. Around the same time that Pong was killing it in homes around the world, a little computer game called Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy) was making the rounds in Japan. It was coded for the Commodore PET/CBM and is considered the first true stealth game. It involves moving through a store and stealing items without being caught.
2nd) 005
2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | Channel F | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2
Stealth games were still something of a pipe dream in the second console generation, but over in arcades, 005 was proving a popular option. The 1981 Sega game is an early stealth title that uses a “vision cone” to show players an enemy’s field of view, helping them avoid detection. This would become a staple of the genre, whether it was to avoid a guard’s gaze or a security camera. As its name implies, James Bond inspired 005, and it was successful. It was also highly influential as stealth games continued to develop, because by the 3rd console generation, one of the most important stealth games ever would arrive.
3rd) Metal Gear
3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System
The third console generation finally features a proper stealth game, and the one that really started it all was Konami’s Metal Gear. The game, released in 1987 on the NES, was developed by Hideo Kojima. It is the game that popularized the stealth genre, and it launched its biggest and best franchise. The game also introduced several mechanics to stealth games that would continue to appear in the genre for decades, making it highly influential. Metal Gear was first released on the MSX2 before it made its way to the Nintendo Famicom and NES, and it has since spawned a franchise that has seen releases on every major console.
4th) Crack Down
4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | Neo Geo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The 4th console generation featured games with stealth elements, but there was a strange dearth of proper stealth titles. The Metal Gear franchise took a break during the generation, leaving a huge gap across the era’s systems. One of the few games that employs stealth throughout much of its gameplay is Crack Down for the Sega Genesis. The game was initially released in arcades before landing on the Genesis in 1990. In the game, the player controls one of two characters, guiding them through timed levels in a facility, planting bombs to destroy cyborgs before they detonate. You can hide them from enemies via the top-down perspective, utilizing cover as you go.
5th) Metal Gear Solid
5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64
While the first Metal Gear game helped to popularize the stealth genre, Metal Gear Solid became its archetype. The game was released to universal critical and player acclaim, selling incredibly well while expanding the franchise into new directions. It’s widely considered to be among the greatest and most influential games ever made, and it’s certainly the most important stealth game of the 5th console generation. It also helped keep attention focused on the PlayStation, which didn’t hurt Sony’s sales in the least. Everything about Metal Gear Solid improved on the stealth template, and subsequent games would continue to do the same.
6th) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is a blend of action-adventure and stealth mechanics that coalesces into one of the best games of the 6th console generation. It was released on the GameCube and PlayStation 2, though the PS2 port fared slightly better, and it has since been remastered and re-released. The game is the third in the Splinter Cell franchise and a direct sequel to Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. It’s also one of the best games ever released, as it boasts universal critical acclaim and was a huge hit with gamers, easily taking the top spot in stealth games during the 6th generation, though the competition was fierce.
7th) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360
Try as I might, I will continue to return to the Metal Gear franchise because it’s pretty much the master of the stealth genre. Case in point: the 7th generation culminates with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3. It will soon be re-released on 9th-generation consoles, as it’s one of the most important games of its generation. Unsurprisingly, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its gameplay, story, and cutscenes. It’s one of many excellent continuations of a fantastic franchise, and an easy pick for the 7th generation.
8th) Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Wii U | Xbox One
The 8th console generation is the last one that goes to a Metal Gear game, and that’s largely because Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is the last title Hideo Kojima created before leaving Konami. Without him, the franchise is dead, and I’ll die on that hill. Regardless, like the previous games, The Phantom Pain was an award-winning, critically acclaimed title that featured a large open world. It received widespread praise, though some critics didn’t like the ending. Regardless, it sold incredibly well and was the best stealth game of the 8th console generation, despite some decent competition from other IPs.
9th) Amnesia: The Bunker
9th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S
The 9th console generation continued to see excellent stealth games, including the survival horror game Amnesia: The Bunker. I almost included a similar game (Alien Isolation) in the 7th generation, but the winner eked it out. For the 9th, Amnesia: The Bunker takes the lead, as it relies heavily on stealth mechanics to survive and escape. As the name implies, gameplay involves being trapped in a bunker with a need to escape, and of course, you’re being chased by a frightening monster. It’s an excellent entry in the Amnesia franchise that plays incredibly well on every console from the 9th generation.
10th) Assassin’s Creed Shadows
10th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 6 | Xbox Project Helix
As of writing, there isn’t a clear consensus in the industry as to when the 10th generation began, nor is there one on whether it has begun. That said, some have indicated that the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 as the start of the 10th generation, so using that, the best stealth game is Assassin’s Creed Shadows. I wanted to highlight one of the Assassin’s Creed games, which aren’t exactly stealth games, but Shadows is a bit different. When you play as Fujibayashi Naoe, you engage in more stealth than when you play as Yasuke. The franchise features plenty of stealth when you’re moving about, avoiding enemies, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks and plays great on the Switch 2, so until something better comes along, it takes the top spot.
What’s your all-time favorite stealth game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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