While many games throw players into combat scenarios where they have to take down their opponent in intense action sequences or turn-based battles, some decide to put a special emphasis on stealth. This encourages patience and hiding from enemies to gain an advantage over them.

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A lot of modern-day stealth classics are usuallypresented in 3D, meaning players can move around and use skills that take advantage of a 3D space. But there are also plenty of 2D stealth games that have great mechanics despite the seemingly limited nature of being stuck in one less dimension.

7Serial Cleaner

Most of the time, players will be taking on the role of the person that is fighting other people. However,Serial Cleanerturns that on its head and has players in the shoes ofa cleanertasked with cleaning up the mess left behind by other criminals.

A top-down 2D stealth action game, players must run into a scene and clean up as much evidence as they can. That includes getting rid of blood stains and hiding bodies. The goal is to make sure that the cleaner is not caught nor do the cops find any of the evidence that was originally lying around.

The cleaner standing at a picnic table as cops wander around a blood-splattered scene in Serial Cleaner

6Deadbolt

Being as stealthy as possible may not always be completely necessary in stealth games as there may be some risks that the player can take. However, there are games likeDeadboltthat make it nearly impossible to play fast and loose. That’s because the key to this game is that players will die in one hit.

The game features over 25 missions where players take on therole of a reaperlooking to combat the rise of the undead. There is a large arsenal for the reaper to carry on them, from simple melee weapons to extreme explosives. There are also plenty of additional objectives for each mission, including taking down additional targets.

A reaper standing inside a building with rooms that have multiple blood-splattered walls in Deadbolt

5Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine

Stealth games typically are played in single-player since it is hard enough to get one person to focus on staying quiet and achieving their goal quietly. However,Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mineis a delightful co-op game that is all about working together topull off heists.

Up to four players can work together to set up and execute the perfect crime. The key to the game is that there are a variety of different classes that can be chosen when jumping into a mission. This includes being a Pickpocket to a Hacker, with plenty of roles that will determine how a unit will take on a heist.

A dance floor in the middle of a floor plan of a building that is the setting of a heist in Monaco

4Gunpoint

Having full control of the surrounding area and understanding everything that is happening is key to being successfully stealthy.Gunpointmoves away from the action element of many stealth games to give players control over everything that happens on a level.

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A 2D puzzler, players will be presented with a variety of different rooms and all the wiring that makes the various objects in the room function. The goal is to rewire each level to have it work perfectly in the favor of the main character, a spy who is hired to steal data from these facilities.

3Planet Of Lana

Sometimes,stealth is a character’s only option. Take Lana inPlanet of Lana, who is a child looking to find her sister after she had been kidnapped along with other humans by mysterious robots that seemingly came from nowhere. The game centers around Lana navigating scenarios where robots could catch her walking around.

Lana isn’t alone in her journey as she is joined by Mui, a cat-like creature who has powers that can help Lana overcome obstacles. However, this creature must also be protected at all costs, leading to scenarios where players will need to use both characters while also looking to prevent either from being caught.

The spy in Gunpoint attempting to throw something from the roof of one building into another

2Inside

Widely considered one of the best2D puzzle platformersever made,Insideis known for its excellent level design and eerie aesthetic. However, it is also a game that leans heavily into stealth mechanics, with the main character looking to avoid being caught by authority.

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As a young boy, players must navigate a world where any false move will get them caught. During the journey, the boy will stumble into a facility that is being guarded by both humans and machines. There are numerous puzzles throughoutInsidethat involve avoiding being caught.

1Mark Of The Ninja

The ultimate 2D stealth game is none other thanMark of the Ninja, a game that was initially released on Xbox Live Arcade and Windows before being brought to many other platforms years later when it was remastered. Developed by Klei Entertainment, the game focuses on a ninja who is confronted with a fate of falling into madness.

The central gameplay of the gamefocuses on the ninjagoing on missions to get revenge on a private military company known as the Hessian. Players can take on many approaches to each mission they go on, including being able to take on optional challenges to earn more rewards.

Lana and her sister hiding from a chef that is holding a knife in a hut in Planet of Lana

A boy sneaking by a group of humans in a room in Inside

A ninja hanging above two guards that are shining light on each other in Mark of the Ninja