History Main / OptionalStealth

* ''VideoGame/MissionImpossibleKonami'':

* The third chapter of ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'' has several rooms where you can either directly engage the enemy, or wait in hiding until they leave.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': To reach the Arbiter's Grounds, Link must pass through the Bokoblin Compound, a mini-fortress/guard station.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', it appears to be necessary to infiltrate the Pirate Fortress via stealth, as the pirates will throw him out of spotted. However, if he has the Stone Mask, the pirates will not notice his presence at all.
** The same goes for the Gerudo Fortress in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', where you can either spend a good amount of time memorizing the guards' patrol routes and sneaking by them to avoid capture, or --since [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy they don't have the sense to confiscate your gear when they capture you]]-- you can use arrows to KO their asses and simply explore the compound at your leisure.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' adds a stealth mechanic where you can sneak up on enemies to do more damage, or even to rob their camps blind with them none the wiser. The game lets you know if you're too loud with a waveform indicator showing all the sounds Link is making.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series, you can play the game like a typical ThirdPersonShooter; however, you get a better rating (and thus unlock better weapons) by using stealth and deception to off your targets. The protagonist 47 is quite vulnerable to gunfire however, and for the first few instalments, 47 was unable to heal in the course of a mission, so even you wish to kill everyone in sight you will have to do it somewhat carefully. ''[[VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney Blood Money]]'' added the ability to purchase bulletproof vests and medication to stave off injury, and all games after this have RegeneratingHealth that kicks in after a few seconds in cover, mitigating this somewhat.

[[folder:SurvivalHorror]]

[[folder:Third Person Shooters]]

*** Freeing Divine Beast Vah Ruta requires you to collect Shock Arrows from a nearby [[BossInMookClothing Lynel]]'s camp -- while this Lynel is always the weakest variety, it's likely you'll get to this part of the game early enough that it'll still vastly outmatch you, so you'll probably want to avoid its wrath and just collect the arrows stuck in the environment because even if you have the skill to defeat it, you're likely to [[DurabilitySystem run out of weapons]] mid battle.

*** The game intends for you to be stealthy when infiltrating the Yiga Clan's hideout. You won't get a GameOver if you're caught, but the patrolling sentries have a OneHitKill attack that even ignores AutoRevive. The official player's guide mentions that with luck, skill, or [[SequenceBreaking cheesing your way into areas with better equipment]], fighting them is ''technically'' an option, but stealth is the better way to go.
*** Freeing Divine Beast Vah Ruta requires you to collect Shock Arrows from a nearby [[BossInMookClothing Lynel]]'s camp -- while this Lynel is always the weakest variety, it's likely you'll get to this part of the game early enough that it'll still vastly outmatch you, so you'll probably want to avoid its wrath and just collect the arrows stuck in the environment.
*** Vah Rudaniah uses drones to try to detect Link and his GuestStarPartyMember Yunobo's presence, but alternatively, Link can instead use Magnesis on a metal crate then just smash the drones with it.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', both the ThievesGuild and the local [[MurderInc assassin's guild]] (the Morag Tong and Dark Brotherhood, respectively) generally ''encourage'' stealth, but don't really enforce it. In fact, the Morag Tong, being an honorable and legal (within Morrowind) entity, encourages their agents to turn themselves in and present their "Writs of Execution" to ensure that the "[[DoubleSpeak honorable execution]]" remains above board. ''Oblivion''[='s=] Dark Brotherhood includes a [[MightyGlacier heavily-armored]] and [[AnAxeToGrind axe-wielding]] [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orc]] assassin, who [[LeeroyJenkins disposes with stealth entirely]] and encourages you to do the same if you ask for mission advice. Save for occasionally giving better rewards for using stealth, you can typically advance in all of the above factions by completing the missions without using stealth.

* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' has Plan B approaches for almost every heist: if you want to go in dressed in heavy armor and carrying a huge gun, feel free: you'll be assured of having to fight it out with the cops, but at least now you have the equipment to handle them. The only exceptions are "Loud-Only" heists, where you start under siege already or there's functionally no way to avoid setting off an alarm, and Shadow Raid, Car Shop, and Murky Station, which are Stealth Required: trigger the alarm and you have 1 minute, 4 minutes, or 13 seconds respectively to flee.

* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'': ''Future Soldier'' offers higher scores for sync-shots, neck-snaps, and stealth kills, but they're not necessary except for a few short no-alarm segments. And even then, unsuppressed weapons can be used stealthily by ensuring no one is left alive to sound the alarm.

** ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengeriX'' has a couple of stages that feature grounded Patrol Bots with a line of sight represented by an infared sight. If hit or when spotted, the head will lock in place (doubling their HP) and fire a continuous stream of lasers until they are destroyed or when the target is of their sight. Bullit Dashing onto them while unaware will disable them permanently.

* ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIx'' has a couple of stages that feature grounded Patrol Bots with a line of sight represented by an infared sight. If hit or when spotted, the head will lock in place (doubling their HP) and fire a continuous stream of lasers until they are destroyed or when the target is of their sight. Bullit Dashing onto them while unaware will disable them permanently.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' has the Submarine Sequence in Ada's scenario. There's plenty of ammo and cover to go MoreDakka with her machine pistol and [[StuffBlowingUp exploding crossbow bolts]] and mow the J'avo down, but it is possible (and a ''lot'' more satisfying) to sneak through without ever firing a shot and never being seen.

* ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin''
** Stealth is very important in the early stages of the first installment. As you upgrade stats and get hold of better weapons it no longer becomes an absolute necessity (in fact it becomes a hindrance since there are no upgrades to stealth), but you'll still want to use sneak kills because they save ammo and are quite satisfying to perform. This is not the case in the DLC chapters, though, as your character can't receive any upgrades and is unarmed for a very long stretch of the two missions, so her only choice most of the time is to stay out of sight.
** ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin2'' works in much the same way, except stealth is way more encouraged given the addition of a whole tree of upgrades that enhance it.

* The video game adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' allows the player to have plenty of opportunities to stealth-KO any opponents who don't see them, and is the easiest way to dispose of enemies as opposed to a normal battle.

* ''[[VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIX]] has a couple of stages that feature grounded Patrol Bots with a line of sight represented by an infared sight. If hit or when spotted, the head will lock in place (doubling their HP) and fire a continuous stream of lasers until they are destroyed or when the target is of their sight. Bullit Dashing onto them while unaware will disable them permanently.

* In ''VideoGame/HardCorpsUprising'', mission 5 has you sneaking into a laboratory. You can sneak past the {{Mooks}}, or just shoot them as normal (though doing this will put them on permanent alert and a whole strew of tougher enemies to contend with).

* In ''VideoGame/HardCorpsUprising'', mission 5 has you sneaking into a laboratory. You can sneak past the {{Mooks}}, or just shoot them as normal.

* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'': Some enemies have fixed patrol routes, so striking, retreating and hiding in a nearby room is possible. Silenced guns exist as a mechanic and can be chosen for a level with the Charlie mask. Despite this, playing exposed and taking risks is the encouraged route, as performing actions in a quick succession chains into a combo and allows you to score more points. Playing primarily stealthily or cautiously in a level awards the player the "Coward" playstyle.

* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' allows you to pull this off thanks to the [[PoweredArmor Nanosuit's]] cloak function. The official strategy guide for the third game even has two separate campaign walkthroughs-one for stealth-focused players, and one for those take a more head-on approach.

[[folder: Platformer]]

[[folder: Real-Time Strategy]]

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series, you can also ditch stealth and kill everyone in sight, but is a lot more dangerous. Alternately, if the environment is big enough, you can just run past the guard and keep running. While they might follow you, their attention span will lapse before they find you. However, there are some missions where killing or even simply getting spotted results in a GameOver. The hardest difficulty setting pretty much forces the player to play as stealthy as possible.

* UsefulNotes/{{Geocaching}} is one of these activities. Some members use stealth, others think it only attracts more attention.

* In ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters'', stealth is crucial in earlier missions, and mission descriptions typically warn you to stay out of Soviet floodlights, but with a large enough squad and some good weaponry, you can easily just charge straight through enemy defenses.