The Best Stealth Levels In Action Games

Key Takeaways

• Stealth sections in action games provide intense and engaging gameplay experiences if done correctly.
• Dishonored, Watch Dogs,
  and
  Spider-Man
  titles feature standout stealth missions that are well-executed within action-oriented gameplay.
• Stealth missions, like in
  Batman: Arkham City,
  offer a challenging and strategic alternative to traditional combat in action games.

Titles with an emphasis on action and combat are no stranger to the gaming scene, appearing as linear and on-rails shooters or sprawling, choice-based games with fighting to break up the narrative. One thing that seems to have fallen out of the zeitgeist in many new games, however, is stealth to break up the action. Many people see mandatory stealth sections in games where stealth is usually an optional component to be grating, but when done right, these can be great, intense sections for any title.

So, while various titles still blend stealth and action today, there appears to be a downturn in action-focused titles that break up the combat for a stealth section. These games in particular, however, are all action-oriented titles that include some fantastic stealth levels.

8 Dishonored – The Loyalists

A High-Stakes Infiltration Mission

Dishonored was a watershed moment for the gaming scene, creating a stealth action title that has few equals. Players can witness how their actions impact the world around them in various ways, namely how the amount of bloodshed they cause slowly creates a worse world for all.

This mission in particular requires stealthy infiltration, while that’s usually just an optional approach for players to consider in Dishonored. Tracking down Corvo’s old accomplices (a feat that differs based on how much chaos is in the world) leads to a mission filled with intrigue and suspense.

7 Watch Dogs – The Future Is In Blume

A Difficult Infiltration Mission

This is an excellent stealth mission in the often underrated first Watch Dogs title. “The Future is in Blume” makes use of all the player’s technological abilities for a mission that requires subterfuge and tact over causing chaos and disarray.

While the player does have weapons at their disposal, the main goal in this mission is to infiltrate the Blume building and upload a virus. While doing so, the longtime antagonist of the game is found talking to Blume executives and trying to cut a deal for the protagonist’s location.

6 The Outer Worlds – Brave New World

Infiltrating Tartarus Is No Small Feat

Infiltrating Tartarus is one of the most difficult feats in The Outer Worlds, and this is with a special holographic suit that lets players disguise themselves as guards. “Brave New World” is the culmination of The Outer Worlds’ story and provides a satisfying end to the title as a whole.

There are variations on this quest, however, based on which route the player has undertaken to this point. No matter what, it’s still a secretive trek through an imposing prison for its first half, forcing players to rely on stealth until the prison breaks occur and combat breaks out in full.

5 Modern Warfare – All Ghillied Up

An Interesting Subversion Of Modern Warfare Missions

“All Ghillied Up” is an excellent flashback mission in the first Modern Warfare title, with Soviet-era brutalist esthetics that make for a fascinating departure from the normal style of this defining Call of Duty game.

While Call of Duty is a franchise known for its combat and gun touting, this level puts a far greater emphasis on stealth and subterfuge, forcing players to adopt a different mindset if they want to get through the mission.

4 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions – Spider-Noir Episodes

A Great Peek Into An Arkham-Styled Spider-Man Game

Praised on release for its diverse approaches to Spider-Man both thematically and mechanically, this title is a fantastic look at the Spider-Man multiverse years before such a concept would become popular at the cinemas.

The Spider-Noir sections of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions are heavily reliant on stealth in the same vein as the Batman: Arkham games, relying on cunning and raw power both in order to get the upper hand on the ever-watchful enemies populating the area.

3 Spider-Man 2 – MJ Episodes

A Unique Spin On Spider-Man Titles

Most of the time with superhero titles, the player is the strongest person in the room. What’s refreshing about the MJ sections in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is how this has been flipped on its head. MJ has a single stun pistol between her and a violent end, with plenty of goons standing in her way.

She cannot rely on any incredible powers, so she needs to rely on her wits and — importantly — stealth to get through these missions. They’re an incredibly tense and engaging change of pace from typical Spider-Man gameplay.

2 Grand Theft Auto 5 – Friends Reunited

An Iconic Trevor Mission

Whenever players have to take control of Trevor for a mission in Grand Theft Auto 5, they know that something ridiculous is about to happen. Hating to disappoint, the incredibly memorable and hilarious “Friends Reunited” mission has Trevor going on a stealthy explosives spree.

Trevor needs to plant a handful of sticky bombs around a trailer park currently being patrolled by the Lost, a gang that has it out for him. This mission has some very tense stealth sections as well as some classic Trevor dialogue, and it culminates in the expected explosiveness that Trevor typically brings to the story.

1 Batman: Arkham City – Mr. Freeze

One Of The Most Iconic Boss Fights In The Series

The Mr. Freeze boss fight is easily one of the best in the Arkamverse series, a stealth mission that forces players to change their tactics against an ever-adaptable enemy. Mr. Freeze can often be fooled by a tactic once, but he then becomes impervious to it on subsequent tries, forcing players to make use of every tool in Batman’s extensive toolbelt.

This is what all stealth missions should aspire to be; an excellent, engaging, and incredibly tense battle not of direct might, but of wits and subterfuge. Only players who can master the stealth systems of Arkham City will defeat Mr. Freeze.