Best 2D Stealth Games: An Ultimate Guide

When we think of stealth games, it’s mostly the first- and third-person action games that come to mind.

Thief, Hitman, Metal Gear Solid, all classics. What doesn’t get quite the same spark of recognition, however, are the 2D stealth games, of which there are more than you’d think.

While they might not be quite as immersive as their FPP/TPP cousins are, they do have a unique appeal of their own, so let’s take a quick look at them, shall we?

Flat, but not shallow

While all stealth games are puzzles to some extent, this aspect is particularly visible in the 2D ones. Often, we seen the entire location the moment we enter, and the challenge isn’t in adjusting on the spot to shifting conditions, but to plan ahead and figure out how to proceed.

Sometimes you might even see the guards and traps ahead of time, and you need to figure out how to use whatever abilities the game provides you with to succeed. There might even be elements of platform games sprinkled in, expanding the tactics with a bit of precise athleticism.

Let’s take a look at a few 2D stealth games, then, and see what makes them so cool.

Game	Release	Genre	Developer
Serial Cleaner	2017-07-14	Action & Shooter	iFun4All
Deadbolt	2016-03-14	Action & Shooter	Hopoo Games
Monaco Whats Yours Is Mine	2013-04-24	Adventure	Pocketwatch Games
Gunpoint	2013-06-03	Indie	Suspicious Developments
Planet Of Lana	2023-05-23	Indie	Wishfully
Inside	2016-07-07	Adventure	Playdead
Mark Of The Ninja	2012-10-16	Adventure	Klei Entertainment

Mark of the Ninja

Release date:	2012-10-16
Genre:	Adventure
Developer:	Klei Entertainment

Mark of the Ninja is a masterpiece. As a well-trained ninja you’ll explore exceptionally well-designed side-scrolling levels to complete a series or increasingly complicated missions.

Image credit: Klei Entertainment

Your toolset includes several useful gadgets, which will help you distract, avoid, and eliminate guards. Sneak through vents, hang from the ceiling, terrorize your enemies… be a shadow. It’s not just one of the best 2D stealth games, it’s one of the best titles in the entire genre.

Key features
The Focus ability allows you to slow time and pick your targets carefully You subject to the Line of Sight like your enemies – track them by the sounds they make

Mark of the Ninja

Release date:	2016-07-07
Genre:	Adventure
Developer:	Playdead

Inside takes a very different approach to stealth. While in MofN you’re the predator, in Inside you’re pretty much prey.

Image credit: Playdead

You’re a child who has to travel a very hostile world where more or less everything wants to kill you and can do it without breaking a sweat. So your best defense is staying out of sight and using diversions. As a result, Inside’s branch of stealth is similar to one from many of the first-person horror games following in Amnesia’s footsteps.

Key features
Admittedly, more 2.5D than pure 3D, but the side-scrolling nature makes it viable for this list Stealth (and mild platforming) is your only hope of surviving

Inside

Release date:	2013-06-03
Genre:	Indie
Developer:	Suspicious Developments

Despite its title, Gunpoint is very much a stealth game. It is somewhat similar to Mark of the Inja, but this time you’re a spy who infiltrates various facilities to steal data.

Image credit: Suspicious Developments

Gunpoint’s main gimmick is that your guy can rewire electronic devices in the buildings, which can make or break your infiltration thanks to cascading effects. For some reason you can also throw yourself and others with great force, giving you an excessive, but welcome mobility. Your tools are simple, but their application is impressive.

Key features
Rewiring the levels makes Gunpoint feel a bit like 2D Watch Dogs Trickery and shenanigans are encouraged

Gunpoint

Release date:	2013-04-24
Genre:	Adventure
Developer:	Pocketwatch Games

Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine is a game about doing heists.

Image credit: Pocketwatch Games

Unlike the side-scrollers of this minilist, it uses a top-down perspective, which shows the general layout of the venue, but unless you’re playing as the Lookout, you need Line of Sight to see guards and other NPCs. Indeed, not only is Monaco class-based, it also multiplayer-friendly, letting up to four people team up to do crime. Complex levels, different class abilities, and sandboxy nature makes Monaco a fantastic stealth game.

Key features
2D, top-down, class-based stealth game with co-op potential There’s even a story you can playthrough

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine

Release date:	2017-07-14
Genre:	Action & Shooter
Developer:	iFun4All

Serial Cleaner puts you in an unenviable role of the dude called to clean the mess after a grisly murder.

Image credit: iFun4All

Of course, the scene of the crime is crawling with investigators, so you need to stay unseen while also mopping up the floor and taking the body into your car. It’s a great premise, and the top-down perspective coupled with a great aesthetic gives this game a ton of charm you wouldn’t expect from a game about hiding evidence of murder.

Key features
The story is set in the 1970s Clean up a murder scene and get away before the investigators spot you

Serial Cleaner

A different perspective

This concludes are quick look at some of the best 2D stealth games which prove the genre doesn’t require immersive camera views to be engaging and challenging. And you need to neither sleuth nor sneak to play them: you can find great digital offers on our Marketplace!