5 best stealth games like Assassin's Creed's older games
Overview & Key Takeaways
There are two types of Assassin's Creed games: the old stealthy games, and the new open-world RPGs. Here are 5 games like the old era of AC games.
There's a new Assassin's Creed game, which means one thing: people are about to argue over which era of Assassin's Creed games are the best. On one side, you'll have the stalwarts, the players who believed that a series about assassinating historical figures should be true stealth-action games. On the other, you'll have the newer adoptees, who say that 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins kicked off a grander era for the series, with games featuring dizzyingly large open worlds and complex menus of stat fiddling.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, out now for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, straddles the line between each era of the series. It's a remake of 2013's Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, adding a few modernizations and a seriously gorgeous graphical overhaul. But it still retains the immaculately realized systems that made the original one of the best games of all time. It looks like a new Assassin's Creed. It feels like an old one. Best of both worlds.
But even if you're not checking out Black Flag Resynced, you can still get a taste of the series' Golden Age from modern games. You just have to look beyond the franchise. Here are five games to play if you miss older Assassin's Creed.
1 007 First Light
Where to play: PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Recency bias? Maybe! But 007 First Light, the first James Bond game in more than a decade, really is one of the best stealth-action games on the market right now. (Makes sense. Developer IO Interactive was behind the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy, arguably the high-water mark for modern AAA stealth games.) Though it does have high-octane shootouts, the focus is primarily on a stealthy approach. In fact, 007 First Light won't even let you attack enemies unless they threaten you first. As a result, you spend many segments in open-ended areas, shifting from cover to cover, knocking out guards as you go. There's even tall grass you can sneak in! And plenty of other Assassin-approved stealth tools, like a poison dart. And best of all, for the real old-school Assassin's Creed fans, yes, you can whistle to attract guards.
2 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Where to play: PS4, PS5, Windows PC
Uncharted games are well known for their brash action and cacophonous set pieces. But stealth? Really? You'd be surprised! Yes, with Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, developer Naughty Dog made a noble attempt at including various segments built around sneaking through tall grass and catching guards unawares. But it's Uncharted: The Lost Legacy that holds the series' crown for stealth, thanks to the inclusion of a silenced pistol in the game's armory. (Uncharted 3 also has a stealth pistol, but, look, The Lost Legacy is just a better game.) Equipping the silenced pistol straight-up turns Uncharted: The Lost Legacy into what one would imagine an Assassin's Creed game set in the modern day would play like. You can find silenced pistols at various points throughout the game. Once you beat it, though, you can access a menu that allows you to equip whatever weapon you want whenever you want. Commit to a playthrough with the silenced pistol. You'll see the Assassin's Creed vibes everywhere.
3 Star Wars Outlaws
Where to play: PS5, Switch 2, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
Forget the early furor around its instant-fail stealth missions (which have since been "fixed"); Star Wars Outlaws plays more like an old Assassin's Creed game than new Assassin's Creed games do. Like the best early Assassin's Creed games, Star Wars Outlaws forces you to take stock of situations, figure out where enemies are located, and chart a path through hostile areas. Yes, many fights allow you to just blaster your way to safety. But it's way more satisfying to sneak through an environment. And in a mechanic reminiscent of the Brotherhood Assist feature from 2010's Assassin's Creed Brotherhood's, you can direct protagonist Kay's (adorable) sidekick, the merqaal Nix, to assist in combat.
4 Dishonored 2
Where to play: PS4, Windows PC, Xbox One
Okay, so Dishonored isn't technically a third-person game like Assassin's Creed, but it is one of the best stealth-action games ever made. It's only eclipsed by its sequel, Dishonored 2, released in 2016. Its sandbox missions were perfect playgrounds for plotting out stealthy routes — effectively puzzle boxes that you needed to sneak and stab your way through. These levels were enhanced by its biggest trick, the Blink skill, which allowed you to point your cursor and instantly teleport to where you were pointing. The stealth possibilities were limitless. Dishonored 2 built on everything that made the first one such a standout, including a second protagonist with her own riff on Blink (though it was slightly more limited in range). And it features one of the best levels in modern gaming: a sprawling mansion in which you snap back and forth between two timelines.
5 Assassin's Creed Mirage
Where to play: PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X
The best old Assassin's Creed game is... a new Assassin's Creed game! Assassin's Creed Mirage, released in 2023, hits all the high points of the series' original run. It's set in a single city. It prioritizes gameplay over fiddly stat optimization. (Despite its release date, you won't find the sprawling gear and skills menus of Valhalla and Shadows here.) And you really do need to rely on tricks, like tracking enemies with Eagle Vision or sneaking through tall grass, to get through many segments. Though Mirage is narratively tied to the biggest game in the series (you play as Valhalla antagonist Basim ibn Ishaq before he decided to go off the rails), it's tightly paced like the more reasonably scoped games in the series. A must-play if you've been hankering for a return to form.
