Stealth-based game

A stealth-based game, unlike an action game, revolves around avoiding combat and using stealth and cunning to complete your objectives. It is not a genre on to itself (though it is usually found in shooter games), but instead a focus the game can have.

Players of stealth-based games can die very quickly if they approach it in the same way as a traditional action game. Stealth games generally emphasise accuracy, planning, keen observation, and puzzle-solving skills, where other action games revolve more around quick reflexes.

During the development of Wolfenstein 3D, id Software implemented many stealth features, such as sneaking behind the guards or dressing in enemy uniform, but none of these made it into the released version.

The first successful game in this genre was Metal Gear. Others followed onto this approach, and the stealth-based game eventually became 3D in the popular Thief series.

Many survival horror games implement aspects of this genre.