7 Stealth Games to Play Because Metal Gear Solid 6 Isn’t Happening

Metal Gear has always been the pioneer of stealth. The last mainline entry we had in the series was Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. It introduced open-world elements, incorporated base-building mechanics, and offered multiple ways to complete each mission. You could say Metal Gear Solid 5 was, and still is, the pinnacle of stealth games. However, it came out a decade ago, and Metal Gear Solid 6 still looks out of the question.

Since Hideo Kojima and Konami parted ways, Metal Gear has only received spin-offs, remasters, or remakes. Ten years later, there’s still no clear direction at Konami for a new mainline entry. Perhaps it’s best to forget about that for the time being. Instead, fans of the genre can look towards plenty of other masterpieces. So, from avoiding supernatural creatures to planning hits without alerting anyone, here are the best stealth games to fill the void left without Metal Gear Solid 6.

1) Death Stranding 2 Is Kojima’s Love Letter to Metal Gear Fans

Hideo Kojima might have parted ways with Konami, but he didn’t stop making games. The gaming visionary’s next endeavor was Death Stranding, an open-world strand-type video game. In Death Stranding 1, it was all going from point A to point B, delivering cargo and taking down, and sometimes avoiding, bad guys in the process. Journeys were long and arduous, and you’d often witness breathtaking sights along them.

Now, in Death Stranding 2, Kojima has taken things up a notch. Death Stranding 2 is bigger and has more depth to it. There is more equipment and better combat. However, the best way Death Stranding 2 improves over its predecessor is via its intensity. Boss fights and enemy encounters in Death Stranding 2 are more challenging. 

The countless new weapons and mechanics allow for better navigation in the stealth segments, and there are also a lot more of them this time around. The lack of action was one of the major complaints in the first game. But with Death Stranding 2, that isn’t an issue anymore. Instead, now you could argue, Death Stranding 2 is kind of a love letter to Metal Gear fans.

2) The Escapists 2 Would Make Hideo Kojima Proud

One of the most fun stealth games ever made is The Escapists 2, but it usually flies under so many radars. The Escapists 2 has a top-down perspective and takes place inside a massive prison. You play as one of the several dozen inmates, and your goal is simple: to escape — hence the series title, The Escapists.

How to escape, though, is the fun part. Guards patrol all areas, there’s a daily roll call, and prisoners get into fights. As the player, you interact with fellow inmates. You can form alliances, bribe inmates to supply you with resources, and do so much more. For a top-down indie game, The Escapists 2 is filled with highly detailed mechanics. 

The world has a level of realism and stealth that feels genuine, similar to the Metal Gear games. But also know that there isn’t any hand-holding in The Escapists 2. Everything from finding a shovel to digging the underground passage is up to you to arrange. There are a hundred things that could go wrong when you are devising the escape plan. And if you get caught by the guards during any of your illegal activities, you’ll be sent back to the drawing board.

3) Hitman 3 Is A Sandbox Stealth Game

Only a handful of studios develop AAA stealth games anymore. But from that short list, IO Interactive and their Hitman series are the most popular. Metal Gear Solid 5 introduced us to the concept of massive open-world stealth games. While the presence of Metal Gear has dwindled away, you could argue Hitman 3 spiritually succeeds the series in some aspects.

Hitman 3 isn’t open-world. Instead, it features giant sandbox levels with about a hundred ways to complete each hit. You play as the legendary assassin Agent 47. In each level, you infiltrate a unique location: a family estate, a private fashion show, or a resort. The objective is always to eliminate key people. But what’s so satisfying about doing this is the number of ways you can accomplish the objective. 

You can simply sneak in, get close, and shoot the target. Or, optionally, you can follow several substories within the level involving various NPCs and eventually find a moment where it’s easy to eliminate your target. For example, wearing the disguise of a potential hire, faking the interview, and landing a one-on-one with the boss, A.K.A. your target. Hitman 3 is the epitome of stealth and flexibility. All levels are so unique and allow for so much experimenting that you’ll never feel exhausted during the stealth.

4) Deathloop Features Arkane’s Classic Multiple Ways to Play Style

Like Hitman and Metal Gear, Arkane’s Deathloop also has a play your way system. There are specific levels with specific objectives that need to be completed. Going in guns blazing is always an option, but of course, that’s suicide since Deathloop is built with stealth in mind. The main character, Colt, has various powers, of which short-range teleporting and invisibility are noteworthy. But there are also plenty of innovative abilities. Say, for example, the Nexus ability that lets you link up enemies and eliminate multiple for the price of one.

In Metal Gear Solid 5, there were outposts and bases you’d infiltrate in the open world. You’d plan your routes and proceed accordingly. Deathloop isn’t open-world, but it’s got the same features as MGS5. The only difference is that the outposts are replaced with districts ruled over by the local tyrants. 

However, the biggest way Deathloop resembles Metal Gear is in how both its stealth and combat work. In Metal Gear Solid 5, stealth was the majority of the game. But there were missions where you’d also fight a man on fire and mechs a hundred times your size. That was because the combat was just as well-made as the stealth. In Deathloop, it’s no different. After every few stealth segments, there are encounters where you take on bosses like a teleporting maniac. It’s not Metal Gear Solid 6, but it’s definitely the next best thing.

5) Splinter Cell: Blacklist Is Still One of the Best in The Genre

It might be quite old, but Splinter Cell: Blacklist is still a top-tier stealth game. Like Metal Gear, the Splinter Cell series focuses on engaging stealth gameplay. It tries to innovate in the stealth mechanics in each title, and Blacklist is its best offering yet. 

Blacklist is level-based, and it shares many similarities with the Metal Gear games, especially MGSV. Its enemies have a dynamic AI. They investigate noises, change patrol tactics, and their detection range is high. Sam possesses a diverse arsenal of gadgets: sticky cameras, sleeping gas, night vision, and more. That’s similar to Snake’s toolbox in Metal Gear. The story is also a bit Metal Gear with themes like military, taking down terrorists, and future tech. If you miss the old Metal Gear games, then you will cherish Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s approach to stealth.

6) Thief Is Good At Only One Thing: Stealth

There aren’t a lot of good things you can say about Thief (2014). It’s definitely not comparable to Metal Gear in any way. The story is bad, the level design is hard to memorize, and there’s a lack of content. However, if there’s a commendable thing about Thief, it’s that it has addictive stealth.

Thief is linear, so enemies are meticulously placed. It’s hard to get past them unnoticed, but very fun as well. You can use darkness to hide, discover alternate paths, or use silent weapons to take out enemies one by one. But the most addictive feature about Thief’s stealth has to be Swoop. Swoop is a mechanic that allows you to crawl past short spaces in quick bursts. Its best use is to get out of lighted areas fast. And when you do use it, the animation is so satisfying that you’ll constantly be spamming the skill. Thief doesn’t hit all the high notes like Metal Gear, but it has enough substance to entertain stealth fans.

7) The Last of Us Part 2 Is a Surprising Stealth Classic

You can go prone, hide beneath cars, systematically eliminate enemies, and place traps along their path. The Last of Us 2 is a story-driven narrative-adventure game, but stealth is one of its core gameplay elements. As the narrative unfolds, you visit several unique linear sections, one after the other. 

Now these encounters are either combat sequences or predator rooms where you hunt your enemies from the shadows. There’s one area where you’re crossing a bridge as Abby, and a sniper is shooting at you from very far away. You have to cleverly navigate through the bridge and confront the threat. This scene is exactly like how the Quiet boss fight in Metal Gear Solid 5 played out. 

In contrast, there are also plenty of stealth segments. These have you lurk in the shadows and then take apart large groups one at a time using knives, guns, or your bare hands. Again, that’s the Metal Gear way as well. The Last of Us 2 differs in the post-apocalyptic setting and zombies, but as far as stealth goes, it’s a respectable substitute for Metal Gear Solid 6.