Prepare to skulk into enemy territory and take out your foes one by one as we check out the best assassin games of all time!
Stealth games might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you love sneaking and striking from the shadows, then we’ve got 10 of the best games for you to sink your teeth into.
Assassins are cool and collected, never straying from their path or letting tension get to them, unlike the Retro Dodo team when we play any of the games in this list!
Let’s just say that it gets pretty hot in the office and we have to watch out for ‘low flying controllers’!
So, suit up, take a deep breath, and prepare to change the course of history as we take a look at 10 of the best assassin games ever made!
Table of Contents
1. Ghost Of Tsushima (2020)
Jin Sakai is the best assassin of all time in arguably the best looking game ever made, and I’m including Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in there too; G.o.T just looks phenomenal!
We recently declared Ghost of Tsushima as the winner of the greatest stealth-inducing Ninja games on the planet and the must-have PS4 open world title everyone needs in their collection. main protagonist in arguably the best looking game we’ve ever seen.
I know that assassination isn’t the main premise of the game, but Jin is battling with being dishonourable all the way through this title, and by the end he’s a master assassin wielding smoke bombs and chain kills like a pro.
The storyline captivates you from the start, with players really getting lost in Jin’s troubled journey. Using wind chimes to lure unsuspecting mongols into places where you can assassinate them and thrusting your sword through doors to take out sentries never gets old!
Chain kills can be unlocked as you move through the game unlocking Ghost moves, allowing you to kill up to three people in a row, something that’s usually accompanied by a smoke bomb to confuse your enemies.
You can tell I love this game, and if you’ve not played it then I urge you to give it a go ASAP. You’ll find it so hard to put down that your family will probably think that you’ve disowned them!
2. Assassin’s Creed: Origins (2017)
Compared to those first games, Origins is a breath of fresh air. Despite it being an origins story that would technically come before those games, the whole title has so much more about it.
We’re talking exploring Ancient Egypt, creeping through Pyramids, delving into tombs, and kicking utilising a brand new way of fighting that will leave you wanting to head out into the desert on your very own rampage!
So, we find ourselves in Ancient Egypt exploring Pyramids, delving into tombs, and kicking ass with a brand new way of fighting.
It’s so much more fast paced than the old days, and the side quests actually captivate you and leave you thinking about what’s coming next long after you’ve turned off the game, usually at about 2am when you really should be sleeping.
And the graphics… the first time I played this game I was honestly blown away. For me, Origins isn’t just the best assassin game of all time, it’s also the best Assassin’s Creed game too!
3. Dishonored 2 (2016)
Dishonored 2 takes today’s silver medal, taking us back into Corvo’s world once more.
I know that Dishonored had different endings, but this game follows on from the premise that Corvo was cleared of all charges and had his honour restored.
Dishonored 2 gives you so many different choices and ways to play. For starters, you have to quickly decide whether to play as Corvo or Emily, the kidapped daughter of the Empress from the first game. Your choice will be who you play as for the entire game too!
Then you can choose to play using supernatural powers and stealth or to abandon your teachings from the Outsider altogether and just go wild with as many guns as you can get your hands on.
As I said above while talking about the original Dishonored game, the title lends itself to stealth and is so much more enjoyable when you go about things using your noggin rather than blasting enemies and hoping for the best.
While sandbox in nature, Dishonored 2 is a whole lot more open world than its predecessor. There are side-quests galore to tackle as well as the main storyline. It’s fast paced from the off and definitely one for all of the stealthy-kill fans out there!
4. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (2017)
We’re already at Number 4 in our list which means its high time Assassin’s Creed made another appearance. Get ready for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey!
Now, I know I spent all that time above saying how I thought the early Assassin’s Creed games were boring, and I stand by that. But Odyssey really changed my opinion and brought me back into the Creed series.
It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest PS4 titles and gave the canon more purpose.
Gone are the days of ‘listen, kill, hide, jump, repeat’ that I disliked from the early titles. Now the game changes and evolves with every choice you make, following your Spartan Warrior on a mission to become a great hero!
Customise your Spartan ship, explore vast open areas, and delve into ruins while assassinating a lot of pesky Athenians.
Fight both on the land and at sea as you write your own story while travelling through Ancient Greece. In terms of storyline, graphics, game mechanics, and replayability, it’s a million miles from those early games.
Instead of finding things are getting monotonous, I actually look forward to playing again and picking up subtle nuances that I missed the first time around
5. Aragami (2016)
Aragami is a vengeful spirit Ninja that can control shadows.
That’s a lot to unpack in one go, so let me just help you with that. You’re playing as a mystical spirit creeping up and attacking enemies as silently as the wind.
Expect blood, fighting, and fantasy elements as you discover just how you arrived in the world and what your purpose is.
This is one of the games that I would recommend anyone who enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima to check out. The shadowy forest gameplay is reminiscent of Jin’s nighttime shenanigans, and Arigami is definitely just as competent at dispatching his enemies.
Who is the girl that you seem to be bound to, however, and what are the Army of Light up to?
Answer all of these questions and more as you take arguably the coolest looking Ninja of any game on a mission to save his maker and kill as many enemies as possible on the way!
6. Dishonored (2012)
Dishonored takes the 6th spot in this list of the best assassin games of all time!
While players can actually just go in fast and pepper the whole scene with bullets in a bid to kill one person, the true brilliance of Dishonored lies in taking your time and being stealthy.
I mean, the whole game sees players controller a supernatural assassin called Corvo striving for revenge after the Empress is assassinated and her daughter kidnapped.
And yes; when I say supernatural, it’s because he can use magic too!
You can actually complete the game without mass violence at all if you choose, but where would the fun in that be?
Hide bodies to prevent alarms being sounded and you being discovered by the enemy, put people in sleeper holds, slit throats to silence foes before they can shout out, and even knock people out with tranquilliser darts.
The art of the assassin is calculated and subtle, so make use of Corvo’s skills and don’t just run in like a bull in a china shop; he’s worked hard to be as good as he is, you know!
7. Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
Assassin’s Creed II was one of the top Xbox 360 titles for sneaking and slashing back in the day.
The main reason why Assassins Creed II is this far up in this list, however, is that I think that the early AC games were pretty much all the same. They didn’t have enough about them to seperate them out, and while that’s going to be an unpopular opinion with some people, that’s just my thoughts!
Assassin’s Creed II took a little longer to get monotonous for me than the first title did, which is why it’s taking the 7th spot in our list.
I do, however, love the assassinations on this game and that thrill of the chase when you go to try and hide. Plus, I’m very aware that without this game, we wouldn’t have some of the other epic titles further up this list, so it wins extra points there too!
As you might have guessed from my points above, the main premise is basically the same as the other early AC games. Get info, assassinate, hide in hay, jump off something big, and then repeat.
You’ll be controlling Ezio as he travels into the past and searches for much-needed vengeance throughout Renaissance Italy.
Anyone who knows my last name might also know why Assassin’s Creed II is also my favourite game after they’ve read this fact!
I’ve been a little tough on AC II so far, so let me end by saying that graphically, this game is a tour-de-force. Even now when I put this into the Retro Dodo Xbox 360, it looks fantastic over two and a half decades later!
8. Tenchu: Steath Assassins (1998)
Players need to be stealthy in Tenchu: Stealth Assasins, and if you’re not, then you will die incredibly quickly.
Assassin games kind of lend themselves to being stealthy, so if you can’t keep to your toes and not alert people, then I guess you might need to find a different list!
If you’ve played Ghost of Tsushima before (which should be all of you, let’s face it), then you’ll love the lore and the movement from Samurais to Ninjas in Japanese culture.
Plus, you’ll be stealth killing everything from soldiers to demons. Talk about needing a plethora of skills!
If you’re a fan of stealth titles like Thief, Syphon Filter, or any of the other games in this list, then the Tenchu titles will be right up your street.
Like any game where you need to strike without making a sound, holding back and patience can be all of the difference between failure and success. Strike at the right time and you can breathe a sigh of relief for another couple of seconds… maybe.
9. Hitman 2 (2018)
Hitman 2 is next up this list, and although it didn’t sit incredibly well with the critics, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think the fact that the first game was released in episodes like a playable TV series didn’t do very well at all, and the fact that this game dropped as one whole title sat much better with players.
The gameplay is incredible too, and obviously the inventive ways of assassinating your foes is where this game really shines.
Players take up the reigns as the world’s most brutal assassin, the genetically engineered killer Agent 47.
Play through tension-inducing levels as you skulk through jungles and stalk your prey through cities as you hunt down the Shadow Client and defeat their maniacal militia.
The storyline is incredibly deep for a game that is basically about brutally killing people too. Expect a lot of twists and turns as Agent 47 finds out more about his life along the way!
10. Deathloop (2021)
While Deathloop is undoubtedly a great game, the thought of having to relive the same day over and over again is one of the worst existences I can think of.
Add into that the fact that you have to assassinate targets on top of that, and the stress increases tenfold!
Like Returnal, Deathloop is a game where dying is an integral part of the gameplay. You’ll learn more about your target with every loop, improving your skills and trying new attack plans to get one step ahead of them.
The weaponry is fantastic too – taking down your target can either be done in a stealthy way or by going in all guns blazing, the latter which always ends up tending to be my plan. Machine guns, sniper rifles, explosives… this game has it all!
This game really evolves when you and a friend play as both Juliana and Colt.
Having your mate play as your rival adds an extra element of excitement to the gameplay… and anger when they pick you off instead of the other way around.
