15 Indie Stealth Games You Should Probably Own

[@vman339]

Thank you for the shout out! Don't worry, Acid Spy was not as hard as solving Death to Spies. That said, yes, I am in fact a sadist.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Wouldn't it be masochist? Sadism is deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others. Masochism is deriving pleasure from receiving pain.

[@vman339]

@@RainMakeR_Workshop this is true as well.

[@StealthDocs]

@@RainMakeR_Workshop Can't argue with that, though I'm sure he gets a kick out of breaking developer's minds with what's possible in their games that they never knew could be done!

[@Stormhatt]

Love runs like that where people push a game's mechanics to the limit and balance on the edge of what is possible.

[@hanzkidz]

I actually found out about Death to Spies when looking for games that plays like Hitman, yeah that game can get pretty brutal in its challenges.

[@tonk82]

I really like both Styx games, they have problems but i really like how "old school stealth" they feel.

[@СлоГорький]

The thing I *really* like about Styx - is how clone usage is basically save scumming. And it feels smart rather than stupid. It's not you trying to exploit the game, it is Styx exploiting his clones like the mastermind he is. It is completely in-character and it feels good.

[@tonk82]

@@СлоГорький I agree

[@sinenomine8739]

Great top, but I'd also want to recommend the following games: Filcher | Clandestine (2015) | Intravenous | ECHO (2017) | The Filthy Lucre | Tokyo 42 | Monaco | Crookz - The Big Heist | Serial Cleaner | Party Hard 1-2 | Dex | Neon Struct | The Slater | Patchman vs. Red Circles | Republique | Cruelty Squad | Black One Blood Brothers | Volume (2015) | Wonhon: A Vengeful Spirit | The Equinox Hunt | Thief Simulator | RONIN (2017) | ROOT (2015) | Worlds (2016) | DARK (2013) Not all of these games are necessarily stealth-focused or that great, but i've found some very enjoyable aspects in each one of them.

[@StealthDocs]

It wasn't a "top 15" just a list in no particular order! Some great shouts above, a few have come out since this video was published (if I were to do another recommended list, I'd put Filcher, Wonhon, Equinox Hunt and Intravenous in there without hesitation). I've included Ronin in other recommended line-ups on social, only reason I didn't here is because imo the other games outshone it and 15 seemed like a better number to use in the title :D Wouldn't recommend Dex. Its stealth system (at least when I played it shortly after launch) wasn't great and some bugs kind of broke the game for me after several hours. ECHO is a weird one and I wasn't sure how to talk about a game that uses a good stealth system, but then uses your sneakiness to kill you to provoke you into switching your approach from stealth to something more brazen. Another time, for sure! I couldn't get into Monaco, Thief Sim or Neon Struct. Purely a personal taste thing, so even though they have strong cult followings I just didn't feel like they made the grade for "probably should own". I'll go back to them at some point and see if I don't bounce off There's a fair few in your list I haven't heard of or tried, so thanks for pointing them out! Glad to know there are plenty of stealthy games out there waiting to be played :)

[@aliquidgaming1068]

I like many genres, but stealth is my favorite, the one im best at and the one i just can't get enough of I own almost every stealth game. Currently learning unreal cause i want to make my own indie games and levels This genre needs more love tho.

[@josephkeen7224]

Another good stealth indie game is Intravenous. It’s probably the best stealth game I’ve ever played.

[@wat_a_stupid_username]

EXACTLY! Number 1!!!

[@liftguardpullhandle]

Aragami is an underrated masterpiece

[@SWIFTzTrigger]

Styx shards of darkness and the Master of Shadows games are absolutely brilliant. They should be on this list.

[@TheGeneReyva]

Just dropping by to second Wildfire. I grabbed it on a whim and had a great time with it.

[@zydian_]

What a joy to watch and learn about these games their existence.

[@calarom]

i just love Ghost of a Tale, time to time i search for a game like Ghost of a Tale, that give me the same feeling.

[@StealthDocs]

That's a real gem, hopefully we'll see a sequel in the future.

[@ВикторДзеба]

thank you for the first time someone appreciates stealth games good enough

[@robertharris4129]

Thanks for the recommendations! One of my favourites that isn't mentioned in the video is Rain World. It's not a pure stealth game, but stealth happens with most enemy encounters that it's basically a stealth-platformer hybrid. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of difficult platformers as well as stealth games in my opinion.

[@StealthDocs]

Great shout! Will have to look that one up for the next recommendations vid.

[@Silmeria09]

i don't know if u can define rain wolrd such as a stealth games even if trying to play sneaky is a valuable option this game is too "special" to define even as a metroidvania but robert is right. Rain World is a must have!!!

[@KenTWOu]

Rain World is godawful as a stealth game. It doesn't allow you to carefully observe enemies, learn their behaviors and plan your next move, instead it forces you to run like hell through all enemies encounters because of extremely punishing rainfall mechanic (basically a timer). Buy it only if you have tons of gaming time and want to suffer a lot, because it's an insanely hard survival game.

[@TaleHammer]

The world needs more good stealth games.

[@dotmavriq]

SO glad to have you back! I've had a life long love for stealth mechanics and the likes for as long as I can remember. And after every Splinter Cell, Hitman, Thief and MGS title was digested it struck me as odd that no one had made more commited content the best genre of games there is. Love all of your videos, they're very well executed.

[@StealthDocs]

Thanks very much!

[@FenrirMint]

I love this genre, but it's a bit difficult to find this kind of games on my own. Thank you!

[@mr_indie_fan]

Covert critter is a good one to play if you like metal gear solid! (The older metal gear games anyway)

[@sorarivers8667]

Saw ghost of a tale and deadbolt in the thumbnail. Proud of you.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

I LOOOOOOOOVE Mark of the Ninja. It is by FAR the BEST 2d side scrolling stealth game made so far in my opinion. I want a sequel soooooo badly. Or someone else take the mechanics and make a Metroidvania with it. A Roguelite for more replayability would also be cool, Better still, a level maker would be amazing.

[@StealthDocs]

I definitely recommend Wildfire to you, it's taken all the lessons from Mark of the Ninja, plus a few other stealth games, and pushed the 2D Stealth Game into new territory!

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@StealthDocs I do keep eyeing it up. I was never that into overt magic in my stealth, but it does look really good.

[@ChubbyTibo]

Wildfire, a joy to play, an even bigger one to 100%

[@geekpatriot6832]

Lots of great games in there and some of them I never heard of before. Thanks for the video!

[@Z4KK]

Gunpoint is amazing, also has an extremely underrated OST.

[@Der_Arathok]

Im already mega hyped for aragami 2!

[@StealthDocs]

That right there is a must-play for this year.

[@MrRodrigues520]

Bought Shadwen, it's on sale and is one of the few i don't already have

[@StealthDocs]

Nice!

[@casualgamer7583]

Venturing into indie games and this is a great help. Tried Mark of the Ninja first and am hooked. Superb game!

[@XanderGrishchenko]

Have you tried playing Echo? If so, what do you think about it?

[@StealthDocs]

Yes! It's a fantastic game, atmosphere cranked all the way to 11, top-notch voice acting and so creepy I put it down an hour or two in, and didn't finish it. Echo is quite unique in that it has viable stealth, but you have to switch up your tactics to keep the AI from overpowering you with your own approach. It could be described as a stealth game, but the power dynamics involved are very different from any I've seen elsewhere. The player is quite literally their own worst enemy! First time I turned around to find a clone crouch-walking towards me, I'm not above admitting that I nearly jumped out of my skin.

[@Hakensnejbel]

Acid Spy was such a great experience. It feels like the predecessor to Ghostrunnner in some ways.

[@StealthDocs]

That's an interesting comparison! I think Ghostrunner was a kinder experience. Acid Spy is stealth gaming at it's most unforgiving, but still done very well. Makes me want to keep slamming my face into concrete until I break through, every time.

[@Hakensnejbel]

@@StealthDocs Ghostrunner had definitely more room for mistakes. But the gameplay structure and the objectives are pretty similar. Acid Spy is stealthier, but they both feed into that fast, flawless ninja fantasy. Most stealth games feel more methodical, less reflex-based. I like that Acid Spy is different that way.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

​@@Hakensnejbel yeah.

[@thePadlockesTech]

I am a major supporter of stealth games. I miss having the time to move through the shadows and fool my enemies and marks. I just subscribed to your channel!

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Holy crap, HOW have I never heard of "Seven: The Days Long Gone"??? Its a Cyberpunk Open-world Isometric Stealth RPG. You can steal basically everything, eavesdrop on conversations, pickpocket everyone, climb almost anywhere, decent hacking, social and private spaces, disguises. It's got a lot of flaws, its kinda clunky, easily cheesed, dumb AI, the combat is weak and backstabbing doesn't guarantee a kill. But it has an interesting blend of ideas. Thought I'd share with fellow stealth lovers. I don't get why this game isn't more well known.

[@StealthDocs]

I bounced off it twice! Nice ideas, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@StealthDocs Yeah, its pretty poorly done in several key areas. But conceptually, its really interesting. I've never seen another open-world isometric stealth game. The foundations for a really good game are there, it just needs some of the mechanics tightening up.

[@abimntp]

finally a new video! glad to see you back! already played half of the list, and going to put other half to my wishlist. really eager to play ghost of tale and miss takes! not many people talk about it, but SERIAL CLEANER is really fun game to play, any thoughts on that one?

[@StealthDocs]

Nice, that one slipped past me! Interesting concept, keen to try it out. Might have to make a sequel video to this one with all the stealth games people are flagging in the comments! Ghost of a Tale and Miss Take are both great games, you're in for a treat.

[@darkly77]

@@StealthDocs There's a sequel to Serial Cleaner in the works too

[@EGRJ]

It's funny how you talk about Deadbolt, and then Gunpoint, and don't mention the similarities. Also, there's Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's "Trilby: The Art of Theft". Good stuff.

[@StealthDocs]

Deadbolt is murderous compared to Gunpoint! Gunpoint's a lot more thoughtful, but a Gunpoint-like murder sim can be found in Ronin (also reviewed on my channel). Trilby: The Art of Theft is excellent! I covered it in a video on 2D Stealth Games. Only left it off this list as it's free, but might have to review that for the next list of indie stealth games I put out.

[@funnylookingfoetus]

Excellent video, I've added the games I don't have yet to my wishlist :)

[@StealthDocs]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy them :)

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Just found an interesting 2d side scrolling Stealth Platformer. Kind of a "Mark of the Ninja" meets "Super Mario". Its called "Sneaky Ninja", by Starfall Studios. Its supposedly coming out this year... Though, they have trailers saying its coming out as far back as 2016.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

lmao

[@bucketsGG]

Well, that's 12 more games added to my list. lol nice list, lots of these I've never heard of. I swear, mid 2010s has some of the best games that no one has ever heard of.

[@teratoma.]

u can already tell this a banger

[@008doomguy]

So gonna try these games, nice reccomendations.

[@cesarmartorano6903]

One awesome game i didn't saw on the video was Intravenous from Russian devs. Awesome game

[@CMDArid]

Slight correction, Intravenous was made by a single Lithuanian dev named Roman.

[@stealthgamer474]

Not really much stealth but do some research on a side scroller procedural generated stealth game known as “within the blade” i purchased it and honestly the stealth is more fast paced but it’s a pretty good game

[@smolqnbg]

Has anyone here tried that game "El Hijo - A Wild West Tale" ? It look gorgeous and is a stealth game so i'm very interested, but i'm hearing some complaints about the controls and such? Anyways, great video man, I've been subbed to this channel since day one(or so :) and see you next year.

[@StealthDocs]

Thanks so much for the ongoing support and the recommendation! Another one for me to look up, for sure. :)

[@smolqnbg]

@@StealthDocs idk where to post this, but here is another one that I just discovered, sorry if you know it already store.steampowered.com/app/420330/HEIST/

[@mr_indie_fan]

I have never played it but I've seen gameplay of ghost of a tale and its amazing!

[@jplee101]

I know it's not really indie, but I'm surprised you haven't talked much about Commandos and its clones in the past. I think Desperados 3 and Shadow Tactics are two of the best stealth games in a long time.

[@StealthDocs]

Oh I've talked about Commandos in a video I did a while back! Not so much Desperados, sadly, but they're on my radar for coverage at some point. There's a whole topic on tactical stealth games to dive into there...

[@MrDrury27]

@@StealthDocs Better look into Satellite Reign if you haven't already

[@limin60]

I'm happy to see you again

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Hey welcome back. Will this be a one off vid with a few months before the next one like the last few? Or is this a return to more regular content?

[@StealthDocs]

Eh... I'll see where the mood takes me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@StealthDocs Tease

[@eventsmorewithchrisg]

For Phone app stealth, if the devs could re do the surrounding "in the room" graphics & maybe let your character have a weapon like a boomerang or silenced weapon, I'd say "Agent 7". Republique is another one that could run slight but your character looks a bit like the 1 from Thief. Anything else has non stop ads even if you pay to get rid of them. Some don't even have a pay to get rid of ads but are horrible.

[@StealthDocs]

Discovered a great card stealth game on mobile called Card Thief. No ads once purchased and I've poured hours into it, would definitely recommend in a follow-up video if I did one

[@nahruz.w3044]

I wonder if duskers could fit into the stealth genres, tho there a lot more about management and planning rather than stealth + unique "coding movement" for optimization

[@StealthDocs]

Not sure, but will check it out!

[@Aced91]

Back in 2012 i discovered by accident,mark of the ninja,i played the hell out of this game , eventually i got bored of it after my 6th playthrough

[@actuallyAdonis]

i really appreciate this video thanks man

[@DrugsForRobots]

Also, @StealthDocs, I've got some sketches id like to show you of a protagonist for a stealth game.

[@StealthDocs]

Neat! Throw me a DM on Twitter :)

[@kestrelzer]

There's also a new indie stealth game coming soon and it looks really good!

[@ShivaM-dc4xe]

Which one ?

[@kestrelzer]

@@ShivaM-dc4xe Intravenous

[@StealthDocs]

Just bought it!

[@DrugsForRobots]

I've kinda got this dream of making an isometric stealth game that looks like Baldur's Gate. I've always wished BG had a more developed stealth system.

[@StealthDocs]

Hmm... Seven: The Days Long Gone might be something you'd like to look into, if you haven't already. I bounced off it after ten hours, but maybe you'll like it. The stealth is OK, though I think it could be done better.

[@KenTWOu]

You should try Shadow Tactics or Desperados 3. If you have a gamepad you'll get direct control over your characters. It plays almost like Mark of the Ninja, but isometric, and you have a party. IIRC the games have demos on all platforms.

[@DrugsForRobots]

@@KenTWOu I tried Shadow Tactics, but it seemed more puzzle-like than freeform or improvisational stealth, as in, it seemed like there was a particular order of operations necessary to proceed through the levels, and that deviation from the "correct solution" resulted in a total failure state. Might give it another go.

[@KenTWOu]

@@DrugsForRobots Have you played ST further than tutorial mission? Because the tutorial mission was very linear puzzle like, but later ones although aren't fully improvisational, but certainly have several solutions, the game makes it clear showing challenges for each level after you complete it once.

[@ilyao6909]

Amazing list, didn't know Wildfire existed. I would recommend Hidden in Plain Sight to the list. It's a stealth party game.

[@mr_indie_fan]

To any metal gear solid fans out there: pick up covert critter, you wont regret it.

[@mr_indie_fan]

Konami refused to make a metal gear game, so an indie dev team did it instead (and added new mechanics like a timed invisibility mechanic).

[@danimari6554]

i suggest a stealth game called Volume, very nice

[@MrBalinSuperTV]

is Basingstoke not on steam anymore?

[@StealthDocs]

It's on there.

[@HumanOverPopulation-bl5oj]

Got them ALL and then some long ago. I'm a Stealth freak

[@stevencooper3202]

Surprised Neon Struct wasn't mentioned. cyberpunk thief immsim

[@StealthDocs]

A fair shout. I bounced off it, might have to give it another shot.

[@ongngaothien2527]

Where is "the phantom pain"? that game can pull your hair out!

[@DarkOrion7]

omg a new video! hi

[@StealthDocs]

Hi! Thanks for sticking around :)

[@DSled]

Have you ever played/covered Intravenous?

[@StealthDocs]

I have played it since making this video and it's going to be covered in my next one ;)

[@DSled]

@@StealthDocs awesome! I think it's a really fun stealth game that I don't think a lot of people know about

[@ConnivingGooses]

Monoco didnt make it on?

[@StealthDocs]

Monaco's great! Will definitely add it to a future video, but I had to cut myself off somewhere and there were other games I wanted to talk about ahead of Monaco

[@mohsinabdulshukur]

You could add styx into this There is 2nd for styx but i havent been able to play styx 2

[@DanielHindes]

👀

[@StealthDocs]

Don't be modest, you knew Wildfire would be on here! :)

[@kevinbaconwasntinfootloose1742]

It sucks gunpoint and acid spy and Basingstoke aren't on console. They would be easy to port to console too 😭

[@codename-fisher7486]

Hay dos más que tal vez te gusten: Intravenous y Heat Signature. Heat Signature es un juego creado por Tom Francis, el desarrollador de Gunpoint y me atrevería a decir que es mejor. Intravenous es una combinación hardcore de Heat Signature y Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. No te quiero decir mucho de éstos titulos porque merece la pena que descubras sus mecánicas por ti mismo

[@StealthDocs]

I'm aware of both and they're on my to-play list! V339, the guy I mentioned in my Acid Spy chapter, has actually done a ghost pacifist run for Intravenous. From a mechanical standpoint it looks very impressive.

[@codename-fisher7486]

@@StealthDocs debería ver el video y aprender de el porque no e pasado de la tercera misión con 15 horas de juego 😅. Y es la dificultad normal

[@Moistomen]

Can anyone suggest games like mark of the ninja I can't find any

[@StealthDocs]

Hi! If you're looking for games *exactly* like MOTN, you're not going to have much luck. Like many indie stealth games its approach, aesthetic and feel are fairly unique. It's a shame it didn't get a sequel, but if you liked Klei's take on stealth and art style you could do worse than check out Invisible Inc, which like MOTN is very, very good. Different, but good. :)

[@Moistomen]

@@StealthDocs Thanks

[@mr_indie_fan]

Kind of makes me wish there was a snake eyes videogame (the gi joe character)

[@MrGreen-nl3yv]

I'd like you to remember the following text: "Honorable mentions have to go to a game called Little Nightmare 1&2. I also played an underrated early 2000s hip-hop-based game titled Mark Echos Getting Up, where you play as a graffiti artist tagging parts of a corrupt city while avoiding the police." plus there's the game called Watch Dogs which is like a hacker version of Grand Thief Auto.