Steam's latest sale-fest is all about being sneaky

Steam Stealth Fest banner art
(Image credit: Valve)

If you're a fan of stealth games then you're probably going to want to turn your attention to Steam, where for the next week the Steam Stealth Fest will be offering discounts of all sizes on sneaky games, and a free Steam sticker every day of the week.

As a fan of the stealth genre myself, I can say with authority that there's a lot to like in this sale. You can get all three of the good Thief games for $1 each, for instance, and if you want to give the reboot a go, that's just $3. The Splinter Cell games, individually or in a bundle, are also dirt cheap and well worth your time. 

If you're in the mood for something a little newer, Outlast is $3, Heat Signature is $3, Aragami is $3, and in an attempt to break pattern here, Mark of the Ninja Remastered is on for $8. And I would be remiss if I did not note that Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole—one of my favorite videogame titles ever—is also marked down to just $1.

But the Stealth Fest is playing a little fast and loose with the whole idea of "stealth" in the videogame context, I think. Far Cry 6? Wolfenstein: The New Order? Rainbow Six Siege, whose marquee character is a Scottish giant with a sledgehammer? The Arkham games, which are literally about a guy dressed like a bat beating the absolute shit out of everything he sees? Sure, there are opportunities to be sneaky in the Metro and Deus Ex games, but are they really stealth games? Personally, I would have to vote no.

Still, regardless of how you feel about the sanctity of stealth, there are some great games on sale here, and it's worth having a dig around even if keeping things quiet isn't really your bag. And don't forget the free stickers, that's cool too. Here's day one:

(Image credit: Valve)

The Steam Stealth Fest is live now and runs until July 31.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.