Best Open-World Games About Being An Assassin, Ranked

Summary

Assassin’s games like Cyberpunk 2077 offer open-world environments for executing wetwork missions silently and strategically.
Ghost of Tsushima and Metal Gear Solid 5 provide freedom for players to choose between traditional combat and stealth assassin gameplay.
The Assassin’s Creed series offers tools like hidden blades and smoke bombs for players to silently take down targets in open-world scenarios.

Being an assassin involves much more than simply having a gun or a sharp weapon. It’s about understanding your target, executing the task discreetly, and navigating the surroundings to carry out the assignment without being detected. Afterward, it’s crucial to escape undetected as well.

In many stealth games, you assume the role of an assassin, but only a few offer the player the opportunity to develop both attack and escape strategies within an expansive open-world setting. The following games not only provide players with an open-sky sandbox in which to carry out their assignments, but they also equip them with the necessary tools and targets to feel like a seasoned, calculating assassin.

6. Cyberpunk 2077

High-Tech Hitmen Hunt The Neon Jungle

Cyberpunk 2077 provides an intense, chaotic gaming experience, but its extensive character customization options (especially with the “Phantom Liberty” expansion) make it perfect for those who prefer to assume the roles of silent or ruthless assassins. The sprawling Night City environment is filled with numerous missions and tasks requiring you to take out important targets. Here, stealth, strategy, and precision are key elements that can lead to a satisfying gameplay experience.

Optical camouflage and silent firearms are ideal for stealthy, tech-savvy assassins who never get spotted, while katanas, mantis blades, and Sandevistan cyberware enable fast, instinctive takedowns for a more aggressive approach. Quickhacks like Ping or Mind Control can help skilled contract killers finish jobs without getting their hands dirty.

This way, the passage describes different tools and techniques that assassins can use, some for stealth and invisibility (optical camouflage, silent firearms), others for quick, powerful attacks (katanas, mantis blades, Sandevistan cyberware), and additional tools to manipulate or control targets (quickhacks like Ping or Mind Control).

5. Ghost Of Tsushima

Crossing Honor For Shadow-Won Victory

As Jin Sakai embarks on his adventure initially clad in armor and adhering to a code of honor, Ghost of Tsushima progressively reveals the assassin’s path as an inevitable transformation. Players have the option to prioritize stealth over the traditional combat style of the samurai, employing devices such as smoke bombs, poison darts, and kunai to thin enemy forces covertly before blending back into the fog.

In Ghost of Tsushima, the gameplay emphasizes the freedom offered by open-world games, allowing players to decide when to engage in honorable combat or carry out stealthy assassinations. Players have the option to adopt the role of a stealthy assassin, using the Ghost stance, silent takedowns, and rooftop movement to transform Tsushima Island into a hunting ground.

4. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Dancing Along To The Music Of Life

In Skyrim, although it has moved away from the classic class system of its predecessors, there are still three main character archetypes to select for building your playstyle. However, experienced players might find that they often end up playing as the Last Dragonborn using a stealth archer style, and this isn’t just coincidence. This way of playing Skyrim is not only optimal but also incredibly rewarding because nothing beats taking down enemies from afar.

In addition to subtly encouraging players towards this particular game structure, Skyrim houses a renowned guild of assassins called the Dark Brotherhood. This secretive organization offers contracts for those who enjoy earning gold and delight in the art of killing, providing an engaging narrative about eliminating high-profile targets, stylish assassin equipment, and an endless array of missions. It’s worth noting that the precursor to The Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, boasts a potentially superior Dark Brotherhood storyline but falls short in terms of the intriguing mechanics associated with Skyrim’s assassination-focused gameplay.

3. The Saboteur

Target Elimination For Liberation

In this game, you assume the role of Sean Devlin, a former racecar driver turned resistance member who also serves as an assassin due to his sabotage work. The setting is Nazi-occupied Paris, and the game offers open-world exploration, disguises, sabotage, and stealth takedowns. From the beginning, you have all of Paris at your disposal, but to liberate the city against overwhelming force, you must carry out covert kills.

As a devoted admirer, I’d say that in The Saboteur, I can carry out silent assassinations, lay traps with explosives, and sneak into forbidden areas by donning stolen uniforms. Compared to contemporary stealth games, it might not offer the same level of mechanical complexity, but what sets it apart is its emphasis on target elimination and the distinct atmosphere it creates. The game boasts a captivating black-and-white aesthetic that brightens as liberation spreads, and it grants me the freedom to execute missions with pinpoint precision.

2. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Tactical Wetwork in Its Purest Sandbox Form

Metal Gear Solid 5 is generally considered the epitome of open-world assassination games set in modern times. In the role of Venom Snake, players are presented with a vast, enemy-infested map, allowing them to accomplish objectives in their preferred manner. Many missions require eliminating a member of an occupying force for a substantial reward. This can be achieved through non-lethal methods like kidnapping, using brute force, or employing a wide range of stealth tools and instinctive combat tactics.

In the expansive world created by Kojima, you can carry out missions using various unconventional tactics such as employing decoys, silent tranquilizers, sniper rifles, explosives, or even requesting aerial support. The thrill lies in the creativity and stealth employed, making each assassination unique. Successfully eliminating a target and escaping undetected is an exhilarating experience, a testament to your skills as a top-tier assassin, earning you the title “Big Boss.” Few games offer the level of freedom in executing tasks as this one does.

1. The Assassin’s Creed Series

The Original Open-World Assassination Simulator

It’s hardly unexpected that Assassin’s Creed would find a place among open-world games centered around assassination. Originally designed as open-zone games, the series has consistently focused on providing gameplay that lives up to its name. Players are equipped with tools such as social stealth, the hidden blade, smoke bombs, and more, enabling them to silently eliminate targets while upholding the light from the shadows.

Instead of just admiring magnificent architectural pieces, the parkour mechanics in an open world setting (which are well-known for this game series) offer extraordinary opportunities for strategic planning and escape routes. Players scan their environment for a perfect moment to act swiftly before disappearing behind a rooftop. Subsequent games such as Odyssey and Valhalla have shifted more towards action RPG style, but the ability to develop stealth skills and take down high-profile targets is still an option.

2025-07-27 09:34