The 10 WORST Stealth Games
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Kline
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Kline
Stealth is a tricky thing to get right, and these games definitely failed in their attempts. For this list, we'll be looking at games that should have stayed in the shadows. Our list of the worst Stealth games includes “Rogue Warrior” (2009), “Hello Neighbor 2” (2022), “Metal Gear Survive” (2018), “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” (2008), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the 10 worst stealth games. For this list, we’ll be looking at games that should have stayed in the shadows. Some of these games attempt to implement stealth mechanics in unique ways, while for others it feels like an afterthought. Snake your way into the comments and let us know if we missed any bad stealth games.
When you think of Arkane Studios you probably think of open levels that allow you to tackle any mission in any way possible. The Dishonored series practically made them the new kings of stealth. Sadly “Deathloop” doesn’t really have any of that. While “Deathloop” may seem like an open level sandbox for players to sneak around in, it actually leaves much to be desired. For starters the actual story of taking out all of the Visionaries can only be done in a certain manner. Not only does the story below par, but the stealth is too. You could try to sneak around the levels, but the game has so many areas full of poorly placed enemies that stealth isn’t an option. Not only is the amount of enemies a problem, but losing your gear and abilities after dying become very tedious very quickly.
A spin-off to the classic tactical stealth action game “Metal Gear Solid”, Survive takes everything we love from the series and throws most of it out the window. Sure, it does have the stealth element taken from MGS5, but it’s pointless here. The game is more of a base builder. We’ll be tasked to go out and gather supplies and bring them back to our base to take on waves of weird zombie-like creatures. Survive was also the first game after the ugly break up of Konami and Kojima so no matter what, fans weren’t going to like this one unless it was amazing, and amazing it was not.
Before you let me know in the comments that “Modern Warfare II” has amazing stealth missions, for this entry I’ll only be talking about the DMZ mode. With the whole map of Al Mazrah full of AI and players, stealth should play a key role, but stealth doesn’t work all that great with AI. Crouching and killing AI with suppressed weapons seems to work half the time, but then there’ll be moments where the AI will spot you and know your every move. There is nothing more frustrating than going into a building that’s locked down, making it half way through only for the AI to randomly notice you and have a full squad bum rush you.
Another iconic stealth series with an entry that doesn’t tackle stealth well, at all. Sam Fisher is known for being one heck of a slippery agent, but Conviction tries to focus more on action. Classic “Splinter Cell” tropes are missing like lock picking, hiding in lockers and under beds, non-lethal weapons, and hiding bodies. With some of the tent pole features missing we also got new elements like enemy weapons being able to be used, brutal interrogations, and the execute ability. All these changes turned Sam Fisher into a killing machine that threw stealth to the wayside and allowed him to go guns blazing and in turn lost what made “Splinter Cell” great.
You would think that a game called “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” would focus on sniping while undetected, but “Ghost Warrior” is the tale of two games and can’t decide which it wants to be. You have your actual sniping missions that don’t feel all that great thanks to bad AI and not so great sniping mechanics, and then you’ve got more action focused missions that again just don’t feel well throughout and seem like filler to get you to the next sniping section. Luckily this was the first attempt at the series and later entries did get better, but it’s far from an icon in the stealth genre.
The “Ghost Recon” games are known for having excellent tactical team combat, but Predator just isn't that. Most “Ghost Recon” games have you strategically placing your squad in position to hide from enemies or take them out in a stealthy manner. “Predator” still has the team, but lacks stealth. You’ll find yourself shooting enemies wildly more than setting up synchronized shots. It also doesn’t help that the game's maps are smaller and have you running into enemies more often than the classic titles.
Not only a bad stealth game, but a bad game in general. “Rogue Warrior” has us going in solo to disrupt ballistic missiles launchers. The key to stealth is being quiet and our protagonist doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. After every take down he has some vulgar one liner that he borderline yells. When not sneaking around yelling he lays down fire and makes you wonder why you were sneaking around in the first place…though by that logic, you should probably question while you were playing this game to begin with!
Being a sequel to a cult classic stealth franchise can be tricky and “Thief” found that out the hard way. The first two games in the series did a great job of making us feel like a master thief. Nothing felt quite as good as sneaking from one shadowed hallway to another leading you to your loot. The earlier games were praised for their level design, but the 2014 reboot just couldn’t live up to the standards set by its predecessors. “Thief” lost the immersive sim elements, gave us smaller levels that were linear, and was overall a disappointing venture for everyone involved.
When you think of stealth, “Hello Neighbor” probably doesn’t come to mind, but it is technically a stealth game, and its sequel is an absolute mess. Each level has you sneaking around lousy AI while doing puzzles to progress. You can easily trick the AI to get stuck in the environment, even in doorways. The AI isn’t the only thing busted here, you can actually glitch your way through the whole game in under 15 minutes. Not even the goodwill of the first could make up for a second outing this lousy.
Is this the worst game of 2023? Is this the worst stealth game ever? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. “The Lord of the Rings: Gollum” is a broken game with little to no redeeming qualities. The game has a weak story and repetitive gameplay, it's mostly made up of stealth sections. Given Gollum’s build and fondness for crawling around in the dark, you’d think stealth would be fleshed out, but enemies never seem to notice you even when crawling in front of them, and given their patrol patterns are basically one circle, avoiding the AI becomes super easy. There are so many things to hate about this game, but the stealth element is one of its biggest failings
“Deathloop” (2021)
When you think of Arkane Studios you probably think of open levels that allow you to tackle any mission in any way possible. The Dishonored series practically made them the new kings of stealth. Sadly “Deathloop” doesn’t really have any of that. While “Deathloop” may seem like an open level sandbox for players to sneak around in, it actually leaves much to be desired. For starters the actual story of taking out all of the Visionaries can only be done in a certain manner. Not only does the story below par, but the stealth is too. You could try to sneak around the levels, but the game has so many areas full of poorly placed enemies that stealth isn’t an option. Not only is the amount of enemies a problem, but losing your gear and abilities after dying become very tedious very quickly.
“Metal Gear Survive” (2018)
A spin-off to the classic tactical stealth action game “Metal Gear Solid”, Survive takes everything we love from the series and throws most of it out the window. Sure, it does have the stealth element taken from MGS5, but it’s pointless here. The game is more of a base builder. We’ll be tasked to go out and gather supplies and bring them back to our base to take on waves of weird zombie-like creatures. Survive was also the first game after the ugly break up of Konami and Kojima so no matter what, fans weren’t going to like this one unless it was amazing, and amazing it was not.
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II” (2022)
Before you let me know in the comments that “Modern Warfare II” has amazing stealth missions, for this entry I’ll only be talking about the DMZ mode. With the whole map of Al Mazrah full of AI and players, stealth should play a key role, but stealth doesn’t work all that great with AI. Crouching and killing AI with suppressed weapons seems to work half the time, but then there’ll be moments where the AI will spot you and know your every move. There is nothing more frustrating than going into a building that’s locked down, making it half way through only for the AI to randomly notice you and have a full squad bum rush you.
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction” (2010)
Another iconic stealth series with an entry that doesn’t tackle stealth well, at all. Sam Fisher is known for being one heck of a slippery agent, but Conviction tries to focus more on action. Classic “Splinter Cell” tropes are missing like lock picking, hiding in lockers and under beds, non-lethal weapons, and hiding bodies. With some of the tent pole features missing we also got new elements like enemy weapons being able to be used, brutal interrogations, and the execute ability. All these changes turned Sam Fisher into a killing machine that threw stealth to the wayside and allowed him to go guns blazing and in turn lost what made “Splinter Cell” great.
“Sniper: Ghost Warrior” (2008)
You would think that a game called “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” would focus on sniping while undetected, but “Ghost Warrior” is the tale of two games and can’t decide which it wants to be. You have your actual sniping missions that don’t feel all that great thanks to bad AI and not so great sniping mechanics, and then you’ve got more action focused missions that again just don’t feel well throughout and seem like filler to get you to the next sniping section. Luckily this was the first attempt at the series and later entries did get better, but it’s far from an icon in the stealth genre.
“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Predator” (2010)
The “Ghost Recon” games are known for having excellent tactical team combat, but Predator just isn't that. Most “Ghost Recon” games have you strategically placing your squad in position to hide from enemies or take them out in a stealthy manner. “Predator” still has the team, but lacks stealth. You’ll find yourself shooting enemies wildly more than setting up synchronized shots. It also doesn’t help that the game's maps are smaller and have you running into enemies more often than the classic titles.
“Rogue Warrior” (2009)
Not only a bad stealth game, but a bad game in general. “Rogue Warrior” has us going in solo to disrupt ballistic missiles launchers. The key to stealth is being quiet and our protagonist doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. After every take down he has some vulgar one liner that he borderline yells. When not sneaking around yelling he lays down fire and makes you wonder why you were sneaking around in the first place…though by that logic, you should probably question while you were playing this game to begin with!
“Thief” (2014)
Being a sequel to a cult classic stealth franchise can be tricky and “Thief” found that out the hard way. The first two games in the series did a great job of making us feel like a master thief. Nothing felt quite as good as sneaking from one shadowed hallway to another leading you to your loot. The earlier games were praised for their level design, but the 2014 reboot just couldn’t live up to the standards set by its predecessors. “Thief” lost the immersive sim elements, gave us smaller levels that were linear, and was overall a disappointing venture for everyone involved.
“Hello Neighbor 2” (2022)
When you think of stealth, “Hello Neighbor” probably doesn’t come to mind, but it is technically a stealth game, and its sequel is an absolute mess. Each level has you sneaking around lousy AI while doing puzzles to progress. You can easily trick the AI to get stuck in the environment, even in doorways. The AI isn’t the only thing busted here, you can actually glitch your way through the whole game in under 15 minutes. Not even the goodwill of the first could make up for a second outing this lousy.
“The Lord of the Rings: Gollum” (2023)
Is this the worst game of 2023? Is this the worst stealth game ever? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. “The Lord of the Rings: Gollum” is a broken game with little to no redeeming qualities. The game has a weak story and repetitive gameplay, it's mostly made up of stealth sections. Given Gollum’s build and fondness for crawling around in the dark, you’d think stealth would be fleshed out, but enemies never seem to notice you even when crawling in front of them, and given their patrol patterns are basically one circle, avoiding the AI becomes super easy. There are so many things to hate about this game, but the stealth element is one of its biggest failings
