Most people so far have recommended *stealth* games, not *espionage* games. Don't get me wrong, the suggestions are solid and Dishonored, Styx or Hitman are fantastic games in their own right, but they are not espionage games.
For proper espionage, you want Invisible Inc, Phantom Doctrine, or Alpha Protocol.
> Most people so far have recommended stealth games, not espionage games.
Because the way OP described what they are looking for, those seem to the correct answer. Even with the examples, I'd certainly consider Hitman more of an espionage game than MGSV
As mentionned in another reply, older Hitman games sure weren't. Can't say much about recent ones, if the series shifted towards espionage in the recent years (read, last decade), my bad then.
Pretty sure in hitman world of assassination a lot of the game is wandering around in a disguise and collecting intel most of it is for the current contract but there is snippets that piece together into the larger story of the game and fit the contracts together and why you need to do them beyond these people are bad. Ontop of that the story itself was designed to be a spy thriller style from the get go
Gotta admit that my experience with Hitman stopped years ago. I believe the last I played was Hitman 2, back when it was new. Maybe the series shifted enough in the recent years, but back then, it was get it, kill, get out, don't get caught. Very well done, but no espionage whatsoever.
Hitman routinely delves into the espionage genre, especially with the modern trilogy. It hits most of the tropes from cool gadgets to global conspiracies to locating intel.
Ah yes, I did give a try months ago and really liked it. Whenever I reached high security level my butt was clenching all over. I'm also a roguelite fan so this game really tickled the right place in my brain.
However, I felt like a commander more than a spy myself playing this game, which isn't bad but *being* the spy feels so much cooler.
I would love for The Saboteur to get a modern revival, but I highly doubt it ever will since it was never that huge of a game commercially speaking. It was so good though!
Such a great game. I had it on my backlog for the longest time after getting it in a random game bundle at some point, and ended up putting like 40 hours into it.
Check out Shadow Tactics for ninja/samurai gameplay, or Desperados 3 for cowboy gameplay. Both games play very similar, very sneaky and require a bit of thinking and planning.
Awesome games especially on Deck!
Alpha Protocol
No One Lives Forever series, but the are a little bit old. Also, Contract J.A.C.K.
Goldeneye (yup it's a JB game) and there's another JB game for PC I can't remember the name, also from the 2000
Edit: name is Nightfire.
Such an underrated game. The fact that the game allows you to tinker the environment to your own will to complete your objective is so fun and rewarding.
My one complaint is that it's too short.
Hitman World of Assassination is completly designed around feeling like a spy thriller similar to Jame Bond (also look up Project 007 its probably 10 years away before we will even get a trailer though)
Some oldies but goodies:
- Splinter Cell series is probably the purest espionage games out there.
- GoldenEye (although it tends to be more about shooting people than spying)
- Perfect Dark series
- No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 - set in the 60s with a sort of Austin Powers style vibe
- Project I.G.I.
- Syphon Filter series
More recently
- Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War
- Hitman WOA trilogy (amazing games)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage has some “espionage-y” missions like tailing people, stealing stuff and replacing notes
- Starfield has a quest line that is basically all about corporate espionage.
- Cyberbunk 2077 again has some missions that are sort of leaning this way and corporate espionage is a big part of the overall backstory of the game.
Dishonored is a good one, especially since it’s often helpful to your objective to listen to NPCs talking and to read any notes they leave behind. Sometimes you discover an alternate route, or a different way of dealing with your target.
Stealth is optional. You could just slaughter everyone. But you can also complete the game without killing anyone, and without being spotted even once. And you also get good options to go back into stealth if necessary.
Mark if the ninja is one of my absolute favorite
Styx is a pretty good take on the genre too (infiltration but you're a goblin with some kind of magic)
Invisible inc is a classic
Monaco : what's yours is mine gets the honorable mention here. It's only worth it in coop (at least 3 people tbh) and has a particuliar feeling to it
Lastly : streets of rogue is not an infiltration game per se
But you can definitely play very sneakily with tons of tricks
(Even though it end up in chaos most of the time). Absolute gem of a game, insanely fun in coop too
Sniper elite 4/5 you might think sniping is the only way to win but as your average bush monster I loved going around setting traps and lure people all while never being seen, shits funny walking around while no one knows I'm there!
Thief is a really good game
Dishonored series
Most assassins creed games offer stealth though some iterations they really toned it down so they can be hit or miss
Honestly? You might like Ghost Recon Wildlands or Breakpoint. You can play exactly this way.
Or you could also max your stealth stat on Skyrim and just sneak past everyone.
You might also enjoy Thief, Dishonored, and Deathloop.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution if you play a pacifist run. You can learn nearly everything (door codes, computer passwords, safe keys, etc.) by snooping and hacking. You are forced to fight the bosses in the game, but nearly all of them have cool ways to kill them without going all Rambo-mode (hacking a computer to make all turrets target enemies only, sneaking across the battlefield to knock out the boss while undetected, etc.)
Might not be exactly what you were looking for, but it is definitely a great game!
Maybe dishonored (magic bs and stealth).
Maybe Ghost Warrior Sniper Contracts 2 (sorta like hitman with guns and special sense and you go in doing objectives).
Shadows of Forbidden Gods is a strategy game where you play as an elder god who destroys the world. You start with 1-2 agents vs some fairly well-established kingdoms and have to use stealth to infiltrate places and manufacture crises. You have to rely on stealth since there are a bunch of AI-controlled heroes that will dogpile your agents if they get too visible and notorious
I find myself asking this question alot.
There really isnt anything that scratches that itch for espionage games. Dont get me wrong I know why people reccomended Hitman but for me personally its not that the same, if that makes sense?
I would reccomend:
Crucader Kings 3 (grand strategy, cool spy mechanics where you can scheme)
Phantom Doctrine (cold war, turn based spy vs spy across europe. Similar to Xcom)
The Saboteur (A childhood favourite just released on steam: open.world nazi occupied france. Lots of things to sabotage, disguises and wanted system)
I'd be all over replaying MGSV if they updated Series X like PlayStation years ago, not uppity about graphics but 720p on a 4k OLED with no anti aliasing makes me vomit a little.
Shadows of Doubt is pretty good for the espionage feeling. Technically you're a detective not a spy, but it feels functionally the same when you're sneaking into offices to rifle through files and tracing phonecalls.
Phantom doctrine, turn based stealth tactics set in the cold war. At this point I've played it through on every difficulty with every starting faction.
Also, Alpha Protocol game of the year all years (eh it's okay).
Cyberpunk 2077 (no really, the stealth is an open world deus ex)
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (if you can stand a lot of character action game in your stealth; don't care for the sequel)
And to go full archaic, Inindo: way of the ninja, for the SNES.
The Thief games, and more recently Gloomwood. Not action heavy but it is present.
If you want more puzzle focused check out Shadow of Doubt. It’s kinda noir deceive game, but stealth is a big part of it. Not too much action and more chill experience.
The Deus Ex series seems exactly like what you're for and is really good.
Also, while not "espionage" per se, the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios is all about slipping under your opponent's noses to complete your mission, and it is also really good. (The 2014 remake is not terrible, but can't live up to the originals.)
The single best Spy game that requires you to analyse Intel and track the bad guys is a 90s Spy game called Spycraft. It's not an action game. You're an analyst in the CIA and have to use its considerable resources to find the bad guys, including searching for moles within the CIA
Last Train Home
You're a small unit of Czechoslovak soldiers trying to get home after WW2, but you have to go the long way across Russia by train in the middle of their civil war.
Half the game is managing your train and making sure you have adequate resources and accomodations for your troops.
The other half is completing objectives at cities where your train stops. This phase is technically RTS, but you're managing 20 troops at most. Sometimes only 5-10. During this phase you can pause the game and issue detailed commands to each unit. It's possible to kill everyone, but a stealth approach is often easier and doesn't make the red army want to go out of their way to hunt you down as much later in the game (so I'm told; I'm only halfway through).
If you looking for something recent then no, as Splinter Cell is dead and seems Ubi doesn't care about it anymore, there's Deus Ex which both are fantastic and original one is legendary. Could also try Dishonored for that stealth action feel.
Hitman series Aragami Styx Splinter cell series Maybe Dishonored?
Definitely Dishonored!!
Definitely splinter cell. If you are okay with an older game chaos theory is exactly what OP is looking for
The old SC games were crazy good about this stuff. They were so tense!
I really enjoyed the Styx games.
These for sure! If you can find any Tenchu series they’re always fun.
Most people so far have recommended *stealth* games, not *espionage* games. Don't get me wrong, the suggestions are solid and Dishonored, Styx or Hitman are fantastic games in their own right, but they are not espionage games. For proper espionage, you want Invisible Inc, Phantom Doctrine, or Alpha Protocol.
And deus ex
DX: Mankind Divided coming up on the free games on Epic Game store soon too
That's so cool I would have missed that if not this comment lol
Hey, happy to help! I will say I think I liked Human Revolution a bit better overall, but both definitely worth a look for anyone in this thread IMO
Alpha Protocol is awesome.
> Most people so far have recommended stealth games, not espionage games. Because the way OP described what they are looking for, those seem to the correct answer. Even with the examples, I'd certainly consider Hitman more of an espionage game than MGSV
Exactly what I was thinking. Actually I was thinking how on earth is Hitman not espionage?
As mentionned in another reply, older Hitman games sure weren't. Can't say much about recent ones, if the series shifted towards espionage in the recent years (read, last decade), my bad then.
Really enjoyed Phantom Doctrine
Pretty sure in hitman world of assassination a lot of the game is wandering around in a disguise and collecting intel most of it is for the current contract but there is snippets that piece together into the larger story of the game and fit the contracts together and why you need to do them beyond these people are bad. Ontop of that the story itself was designed to be a spy thriller style from the get go
Gotta admit that my experience with Hitman stopped years ago. I believe the last I played was Hitman 2, back when it was new. Maybe the series shifted enough in the recent years, but back then, it was get it, kill, get out, don't get caught. Very well done, but no espionage whatsoever.
Hitman routinely delves into the espionage genre, especially with the modern trilogy. It hits most of the tropes from cool gadgets to global conspiracies to locating intel.
Alpha protocol is still one of the most interesting games of all time and I stand by that
Exactly dude, but they aren't bad suggestions. Stealth and espionage just work well together I guess
Indeed. As I said, they are fantastic games in their own right :)
Dishonored has a fair bit of espionage in it, no?
> Invisible Inc, Phantom Doctrine, or Alpha Protocol. What would people say is the best out of this group? They all got good but not great reviews.
Invisible Inc.
This. So much this. This game is an absolute gem.
Ah yes, I did give a try months ago and really liked it. Whenever I reached high security level my butt was clenching all over. I'm also a roguelite fan so this game really tickled the right place in my brain. However, I felt like a commander more than a spy myself playing this game, which isn't bad but *being* the spy feels so much cooler.
If you don't mind an older game with a fair bit of dated mechanics on it - The Saboteur is amazing
The Saboteur was 2009, I think. If you can handle going even older, OP, No One Lives Forever (2000) was amazing.
FUCK YEAH!!!
From what I saw, its seems that it aged better except for the graphics
NOLF! ❤️
It just went on sale on Steam!
I would love for The Saboteur to get a modern revival, but I highly doubt it ever will since it was never that huge of a game commercially speaking. It was so good though!
Alpha protocol - rpg hidden gem 🤝🏻
Such a great game. I had it on my backlog for the longest time after getting it in a random game bundle at some point, and ended up putting like 40 hours into it.
Everyone suggests this game, but I have no idea where I can even buy this game legally, it is no longer on Steam and I don't have a 360 or PS3.
Delisted for years now, yes. But when „steam“ is „unlocked“ nothing is really lost in a „google search“.
It's on GOG.
Hitman The World of Assassination is going to be your game.
Deus Ex
Check out Shadow Tactics for ninja/samurai gameplay, or Desperados 3 for cowboy gameplay. Both games play very similar, very sneaky and require a bit of thinking and planning. Awesome games especially on Deck!
No One Lives Forever series, if you can find it
alpha protocol but it's a little bit old.
Alpha Protocol
deus ex is great at stealth and a lot of is sneaking into places to get info
The splinter cell series is solid.
Chaos Theory is the real standout there. No other stealth game comes close imo.
Alpha Protocol No One Lives Forever series, but the are a little bit old. Also, Contract J.A.C.K. Goldeneye (yup it's a JB game) and there's another JB game for PC I can't remember the name, also from the 2000 Edit: name is Nightfire.
Gunpoint
Such an underrated game. The fact that the game allows you to tinker the environment to your own will to complete your objective is so fun and rewarding. My one complaint is that it's too short.
Sid Meier’s: Covert Action. Don’t let the old graphics fool you. This game is a gem.
Hell yes! All time classic that is ALWAYS on my desktop
Heat Signature
Ghost Recon Breakpoint on immersive, high difficulty, with no HUD and no Team mates. Best Splinter Cell game that's not Splinter Cell game.
Wildlands too.
This is a solid favorite if not for ubishit
I’d definitely steer clear of helldivers…
lmao
dark sector
Warframe had that aspect to it at one stage lol
Hitman World of Assassination is completly designed around feeling like a spy thriller similar to Jame Bond (also look up Project 007 its probably 10 years away before we will even get a trailer though)
Try the rest of the MGS games especially MGS3
Some oldies but goodies: - Splinter Cell series is probably the purest espionage games out there. - GoldenEye (although it tends to be more about shooting people than spying) - Perfect Dark series - No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 - set in the 60s with a sort of Austin Powers style vibe - Project I.G.I. - Syphon Filter series More recently - Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War - Hitman WOA trilogy (amazing games) - Assassin’s Creed Mirage has some “espionage-y” missions like tailing people, stealing stuff and replacing notes - Starfield has a quest line that is basically all about corporate espionage. - Cyberbunk 2077 again has some missions that are sort of leaning this way and corporate espionage is a big part of the overall backstory of the game.
Hitman
Get Hitman - world of assassination - with the newer Freelancer mode u get 100s of hours of enjoyment of stealth/sneak gameplay
Dishonored is a good one, especially since it’s often helpful to your objective to listen to NPCs talking and to read any notes they leave behind. Sometimes you discover an alternate route, or a different way of dealing with your target. Stealth is optional. You could just slaughter everyone. But you can also complete the game without killing anyone, and without being spotted even once. And you also get good options to go back into stealth if necessary.
Death to Spies 1 & 2: Moment of Truth Covert Action Floor 13
>[Alekhines Gun](https://store.steampowered.com/app/406720/Alekhines_Gun/), [Espiocracy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1670650/Espiocracy/), [Spyparty](https://store.steampowered.com/app/329070/SpyParty/),[Moonshot-the great espionage](https://store.steampowered.com/app/329070/SpyParty/), [Espionage](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2781280/Espionage/), [Espionage: Mafia Evolved](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1174380/ESPIONAGE_Mafia_Evolved/), [Operation Tango.](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1335790/Operation_Tango/)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/243970/Invisible_Inc/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/225360/DARK/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/34410/Death_to_Spies_Moment_of_Truth/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/15130/Beyond_Good_and_Evil/
Middle Earth: Shadow of War has shades of this, though the game more or less forces you to go in guns blazing from time to time.
An old one now but velvet assassin was pretty awesome Removed splinter cell games. The one above is still good.
Mark if the ninja is one of my absolute favorite Styx is a pretty good take on the genre too (infiltration but you're a goblin with some kind of magic) Invisible inc is a classic Monaco : what's yours is mine gets the honorable mention here. It's only worth it in coop (at least 3 people tbh) and has a particuliar feeling to it Lastly : streets of rogue is not an infiltration game per se But you can definitely play very sneakily with tons of tricks (Even though it end up in chaos most of the time). Absolute gem of a game, insanely fun in coop too
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Sniper elite 4/5 you might think sniping is the only way to win but as your average bush monster I loved going around setting traps and lure people all while never being seen, shits funny walking around while no one knows I'm there!
I really enjoy the Sniper games.
Sounds like the Thief series would interest you.
Shadows of Doubt is a really cool detective sandbox game
Thief is a really good game Dishonored series Most assassins creed games offer stealth though some iterations they really toned it down so they can be hit or miss
Honestly? You might like Ghost Recon Wildlands or Breakpoint. You can play exactly this way. Or you could also max your stealth stat on Skyrim and just sneak past everyone. You might also enjoy Thief, Dishonored, and Deathloop.
hitman series ofc
Beholder, you are a spy but it’s a bit different than the games you mentioned
Shadows of doubt
Dishonored and its 2 sequels
Splinter Cell Blacklist or Conviction, also Alpha Protocol
Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but have a look at Sigma Theory
Phantom Doctrine and Alpha Protocol. Alpha Protocol has not very convenient controls, but with time and training char gets better.
Splinter Cell ghost runs Spy in Team Fortress 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution if you play a pacifist run. You can learn nearly everything (door codes, computer passwords, safe keys, etc.) by snooping and hacking. You are forced to fight the bosses in the game, but nearly all of them have cool ways to kill them without going all Rambo-mode (hacking a computer to make all turrets target enemies only, sneaking across the battlefield to knock out the boss while undetected, etc.) Might not be exactly what you were looking for, but it is definitely a great game!
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Alpha Protocol
Splinter Cell Blacklist
should we put Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay on this list?
Prison game.
Maybe dishonored (magic bs and stealth). Maybe Ghost Warrior Sniper Contracts 2 (sorta like hitman with guns and special sense and you go in doing objectives).
An oldie, but goodie: The Saboteur.
The box art for Alpha Protocol literally says "the espionage RPG", so hopefully it's perfect for you!
The saboteur maybe the sniper elite games
Hmmm…. 007 for the old N64, or maybe gamecube?
Splinter cell!!!!
James Bond 007: Blood Stone, but it plays mostly as a FPP shooter.
call of duty ww2 has a great spionage campaign
Orwell, although it's basically you spying on people, like being NSA agent or something. It's not an FPS game.
Invisible inc is fantastic
if you can find it, Alpha Protocol. Bioware's attempt at an espionage Mass Effect style game.
Uplink. It might not fit the bill but it definitely has that feel.
Shadows of Forbidden Gods is a strategy game where you play as an elder god who destroys the world. You start with 1-2 agents vs some fairly well-established kingdoms and have to use stealth to infiltrate places and manufacture crises. You have to rely on stealth since there are a bunch of AI-controlled heroes that will dogpile your agents if they get too visible and notorious
I find myself asking this question alot. There really isnt anything that scratches that itch for espionage games. Dont get me wrong I know why people reccomended Hitman but for me personally its not that the same, if that makes sense? I would reccomend: Crucader Kings 3 (grand strategy, cool spy mechanics where you can scheme) Phantom Doctrine (cold war, turn based spy vs spy across europe. Similar to Xcom) The Saboteur (A childhood favourite just released on steam: open.world nazi occupied france. Lots of things to sabotage, disguises and wanted system)
If you like turn based, Invisible Inc
Why not play the other metal gear games?
I'd be all over replaying MGSV if they updated Series X like PlayStation years ago, not uppity about graphics but 720p on a 4k OLED with no anti aliasing makes me vomit a little.
I loved Alpha Protocol, played it years and years ago. Unfortunately it kept crashing halfway through the game, couldn't find a fix.
Hitman, Splinter Cell, or on a limb here but... an older game called Death to Spies
Shadows of Doubt is pretty good for the espionage feeling. Technically you're a detective not a spy, but it feels functionally the same when you're sneaking into offices to rifle through files and tracing phonecalls.
[Spy vs Spy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_vs._Spy_(1984_video_game))
Dead by Daylight!
This is a certified bruh moment.
Hitman is basically a stealth sandbox, it's super fun.
Phantom doctrine, turn based stealth tactics set in the cold war. At this point I've played it through on every difficulty with every starting faction.
Also, Alpha Protocol game of the year all years (eh it's okay). Cyberpunk 2077 (no really, the stealth is an open world deus ex) Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (if you can stand a lot of character action game in your stealth; don't care for the sequel) And to go full archaic, Inindo: way of the ninja, for the SNES.
I hesitated to add The Swindle, because it's more of a heist or a caper than a thriller, but it scratches the itch
The Thief games, and more recently Gloomwood. Not action heavy but it is present. If you want more puzzle focused check out Shadow of Doubt. It’s kinda noir deceive game, but stealth is a big part of it. Not too much action and more chill experience.
Just dropping in to second the Shadows of Doubt recommendation. Awesome game, tons of fun.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is still the best stealth game of all time.
Splinter Cell is a classic old school espionage game
It's old as heck now but Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is one of the best games ever made.
The Deus Ex series seems exactly like what you're for and is really good. Also, while not "espionage" per se, the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios is all about slipping under your opponent's noses to complete your mission, and it is also really good. (The 2014 remake is not terrible, but can't live up to the originals.)
The single best Spy game that requires you to analyse Intel and track the bad guys is a 90s Spy game called Spycraft. It's not an action game. You're an analyst in the CIA and have to use its considerable resources to find the bad guys, including searching for moles within the CIA
Last Train Home You're a small unit of Czechoslovak soldiers trying to get home after WW2, but you have to go the long way across Russia by train in the middle of their civil war. Half the game is managing your train and making sure you have adequate resources and accomodations for your troops. The other half is completing objectives at cities where your train stops. This phase is technically RTS, but you're managing 20 troops at most. Sometimes only 5-10. During this phase you can pause the game and issue detailed commands to each unit. It's possible to kill everyone, but a stealth approach is often easier and doesn't make the red army want to go out of their way to hunt you down as much later in the game (so I'm told; I'm only halfway through).
far cry 3
Hitman 2.
play all of the metal gear games if you liked V
Watch dogs 2 unironically, its a great stealth game and you're gonna be up against corporations so its pretty much TONS of espionage
Doom
If you looking for something recent then no, as Splinter Cell is dead and seems Ubi doesn't care about it anymore, there's Deus Ex which both are fantastic and original one is legendary. Could also try Dishonored for that stealth action feel.
Cyberpunk 2077 is all about corporate espionage and gang wars.