Thick As Thieves earned its Eurogamer “janky and conspicuously incomplete, also a surprisingly good time” review honestly. The Warren Spector and Paul Neurath credits are doing a lot of work in the marketing — and the heist loop genuinely captures the loose-and-loud Dishonored 2 / Hitman lineage when it works — but the introductory release ships with two thieves, two maps, sixteen contracts, and a roadmap that is more promise than product. If you cleared the available content over a long weekend you are now in the awkward “I want more like this” position.
We tested seven Thick As Thieves alternatives that share the stealth-and-heist DNA. The list covers solo immersive sims, co-op heist-flavoured shooters, and the older Thief games the new game is openly inspired by. Mac and Linux availability is per-game.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Cost | Standout | Co-op |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Co-op heist tension in PvPvE | $39.99 | Sound design and loot extraction | Yes |
| Dishonored 2 | Solo immersive-sim heists | $29.99 | Powers system and level design | No |
| Hitman World of Assassination | Sandbox assassination heists | $69.99 (full trilogy) | Replay variety per mission | No (Freelancer is solo) |
| Aragami 2 | Co-op shadow-stealth action | $39.99 | Shadow-jump combat and three-player co-op | Yes (up to 3) |
| Styx: Shards of Darkness | Solo goblin stealth-puzzle | $29.99 | Vertical level design | No |
| Thief Gold | The original 1998 immersive sim | $9.99 | Pure stealth design heritage | No |
| Sniper Elite 5 | Co-op infiltration with ballistics | $49.99 | Killcams and shared infiltration | Yes (2-player co-op) |
Why people are already shopping around
Thick As Thieves’ Steam community board and r/ImmersiveSim have settled on the same checklist:
- Content drought after the first weekend; sixteen contracts run dry quickly with a partner
- Co-op design rewards two players who already trust each other; matchmaking with strangers is rough
- AI guards have routes that feel rigid; the heist economy of “knock out, hide body, move on” works but loses tension after the third loop
- The pricing pitch (introductory access at $4.99) is generous, but the roadmap to a feature-complete state is long
- Performance varies; the 1910s alt-history Scottish city is gorgeous but the engine cost shows on mid-range GPUs
Each pick below covers one or more of those gaps. Several can be played solo if your heist partner is offline.
The 7 best Thick As Thieves alternatives
Hunt: Showdown 1896 — best co-op heist tension in PvPvE
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is the closest thing to Thick As Thieves’ co-op heist loop currently in a polished state. You and a partner (or two partners) move through a hostile map, hunt a target, extract before the other crews get you. The bayou monsters fill the PvE role; the other teams fill the antagonist role; the loot economy gives every match real stakes.
For Thick As Thieves players who liked the “two thieves working a room together” tension, Hunt is the same loop with guns and bosses instead of vault keys.
Where it falls short: Sound is the entire game. If you play without a headset you are at a serious disadvantage. The PvP layer is harder than Thieves’ AI-only model.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $39.99 (regular discounts)
- vs Thieves: More expensive, more content, harder PvP layer
Switching from Thieves: Plan to die to other teams in the early hours. The audio-cue mental model is the carry-over skill from Thieves.
Download: Hunt: Showdown 1896 on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Hunt when you want co-op heist tension with PvP stakes layered in.
Dishonored 2 — best solo immersive-sim heists
Dishonored 2 is the gold standard for solo immersive-sim heists, and Thick As Thieves wears the influence on its sleeve. Every level is a puzzle with multiple solutions: lethal versus non-lethal, ghost versus seen, top-down versus bottom-up. The powers system (Blink, Domino, Shadow Walk) gives you tools that change the math of each room.
For Thieves players who want polish and density on a solo heist, this is the unambiguous pick.
Where it falls short: No multiplayer or co-op. The engine ages slightly compared to 2026 releases.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $29.99 (regular discounts to $7.99)
- vs Thieves: Comparable cost, dramatically more content, no co-op
Switching from Thieves: Plan a solo run. Most of the stealth instincts (route planning, body management, knockout chains) carry over directly.
Download: Dishonored 2 on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Dishonored 2 when you want the immersive-sim category at its solo peak.
Hitman World of Assassination — best sandbox assassination heists
Hitman World of Assassination bundles Hitman 1, 2, and 3 into one box. Each level is a sandbox with dozens of routes to the contract, each contract is replayable for masteries and Elusive Targets, and the Freelancer mode adds a roguelike heist layer where you plan kits before missions and lose them on failure.
For Thieves players who want pure heist sandbox with infinite replay, Hitman is the deepest pick.
Where it falls short: No true co-op. The “Sniper Assassin” mode supports two players but is not the main loop. Frequent server outages have affected the always-online portions historically.
Pricing:
- Free: Hitman 1’s first level as the “Free Starter Pack”
- Base: $69.99 for World of Assassination (regular discounts to $19.99)
- vs Thieves: Pricier, much more content, no co-op core
Switching from Thieves: Plan a solo investment. The sandbox approach rewards experimentation rather than execution-first stealth.
Download: Hitman World of Assassination on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Hitman when you want the deepest assassination-sandbox loop currently available.
Aragami 2 — best co-op shadow-stealth action
Aragami 2 by Lince Works is the co-op shadow-stealth game most directly aimed at the Thick As Thieves audience. Up to three players move through environments using shadow-jump abilities, take out guards together, complete contracts. The combat is more action than Dishonored or Thief; it is closer to a stealth-action than pure stealth.
Where it falls short: AI is forgiving by design — patrol routes are predictable and detection cones feel narrow. Mission length is shorter than Hitman or Dishonored.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $39.99 (regular discounts to $9.99)
- vs Thieves: Comparable cost, dedicated three-player co-op
Switching from Thieves: The shadow-jump mechanic is the closest thing to Thieves’ Spider class’s vertical movement. Plan to coordinate jumps with your co-op partner.
Download: Aragami 2 on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Aragami 2 when co-op stealth with action-RPG combat is the headline.
Styx: Shards of Darkness — best solo goblin stealth-puzzle
Styx: Shards of Darkness is Cyanide Studio’s goblin-protagonist stealth game with the most vertical level design in the category. Styx climbs, hides, brews clones, and threads through environments that reward patient route planning. The tone is more humorous than the other picks; the gameplay is hardcore stealth.
Where it falls short: Combat is intentionally weak; you cannot fight your way out of detection. Voice acting is divisive. Animation quality has aged.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $29.99 (regular discounts to $4.49)
- vs Thieves: Comparable, no co-op, much harder when detected
Switching from Thieves: Plan to be invisible. Detection means death — there is no “fight back” option for most encounters.
Download: Styx: Shards of Darkness on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Styx when you want hardcore solo stealth with vertical level design.
Thief Gold — best for the original 1998 immersive sim
Thief Gold is the Warren Spector / Paul Neurath canon Thieves draws from. The 1998 original (plus the Gold expansion) is where third-person stealth, sound propagation, and route planning were codified into a genre. Garrett’s tools (water arrow, moss arrow, blackjack) defined an entire vocabulary of stealth design. The Newdark patch and the Tafferpatcher community fixes make the game run cleanly on modern systems.
For Thieves players curious about the heritage, this is the source.
Where it falls short: UI is from 1998. Controls feel stiff to anyone whose stealth-game muscle memory was built on Dishonored. Visuals are dated even with mods.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $9.99 (frequent sales to $2.49)
- vs Thieves: Much cheaper, dramatically older, foundational
Switching from Thieves: Treat it as research. The control scheme requires unlearning modern stealth conventions.
Download: Thief Gold on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Thief Gold when you want to understand where the stealth genre comes from and you accept a 1998 control scheme.
Sniper Elite 5 — best co-op infiltration with ballistics
Sniper Elite 5 by Rebellion is the most co-op-friendly entry on this list. Two players infiltrate large wartime maps together, plan approaches, and take down targets with the series’ famous slow-motion killcams. The infiltration design (multiple entry points, shareable intel, optional silent runs) hits the same instincts as Thieves’ heist setup.
For Thieves players who want a co-op stealth-action game with a complete content library, Sniper Elite 5 is the most polished pick.
Where it falls short: The tone is World War II rather than urban heist. Killcams are an acquired taste. Some players find the maps too large for tight co-op coordination.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: $49.99 (regular discounts to $14.99)
- vs Thieves: Pricier base, much more content, different tone
Switching from Thieves: WW2 sniper-stealth is a different aesthetic but the route-planning and “stay silent” instinct carries over.
Download: Sniper Elite 5 on Steam
Bottom line: Pick Sniper Elite 5 when co-op infiltration with a full content library matters more than the heist setting.
How to pick the right one
If you want co-op heist tension with PvP stakes, Hunt: Showdown 1896. If you want the immersive-sim category at its solo peak, Dishonored 2 is the unambiguous answer. If you want infinite replay sandbox heists alone, Hitman World of Assassination.
If co-op stealth with action-RPG combat fits the friend group, Aragami 2. If you want hardcore solo stealth with vertical levels, Styx: Shards of Darkness. If you want to understand the heritage, Thief Gold is cheap and educational.
If WW2 infiltration is acceptable as a setting change, Sniper Elite 5 is the most polished co-op pick on the list.
Stay on Thick As Thieves when the roadmap content lands or when the heist partner you play with prefers the alt-history Scottish setting. The introductory price tag means the buy-in is low and the game is genuinely fun in short sessions.
FAQ
What is the best free Thick As Thieves alternative?
There is no free direct alternative. The cheapest pick is Thief Gold at $9.99. The free demo of Hitman World of Assassination covers Hitman 1’s first level and is a useful taste of the sandbox-heist loop.
Is Dishonored 2 better than Thick As Thieves?
For solo play, yes — Dishonored 2 has more content, deeper levels, and the powers system gives you genuinely creative tools. Thieves’ edge is co-op; Dishonored has none.
Can I play Thick As Thieves alternatives co-op with strangers?
Hunt: Showdown 1896, Sniper Elite 5, and Aragami 2 support co-op with public matchmaking. Hitman and Dishonored are solo. Thief Gold and Styx are solo.
Are any of these games available on Mac or Linux?
Hunt, Hitman, Dishonored 2, Aragami 2, Sniper Elite 5, and Thief Gold all have Steam Deck compatibility. Native macOS support is patchy; Linux usually runs via Proton.
What is the cheapest way to try the genre?
Thief Gold at $9.99 or its frequent sale price. Dishonored 2 frequently drops to $7.99 in Steam sales. Both give you 20+ hours of solid solo stealth on a small budget.
