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== [[Action Game]] ==
* The WWII-based tactical squad game ''Hidden & Dangerous'' had a stealth mechanic that was absolutely worthless, which was probably due to the fact that the game in question was so damn buggy.
* Played with in ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]''. While most of the trope applies, the game was designed around stealth-as-a-predator rather than stealth-as-hiding. Thus being sneaky is a very pro-active task in the game and is ''always'' useful, barring a handful of encounters to break up the gameplay.
* Cloe Walsh's stage in [[No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle]]. Right from the start, you are encouraged to hide from the stage's spotlights and guards, but getting caught only means that you have to fight all the guards instead and they each go down in 2-3 hits. Plus, the poorly implemented stealth mechanics make it far more difficult ''not'' to get caught.
 
== [[Adventure Game]] ==
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== [[First-Person Shooter]] ==
* ''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'' progressively conforms to the trope. In the beginning, the player has few weapons or enhancements; at least some stealth is essential, if only for sneaking up on enemies for a nonlethal takedown in one hit. Minimising bloodshed is also rewarded by positive interactions with some [[NPC|NPCs]]. Later in the game, enemies become more difficult to stealth by (but you can become entirely invisible to either humans or robots), and while they also become more dangerous, the player has been gaining enhancements such as regeneration and ballistic protection that let them survive combat, better equipment (or improving equipment they've had since the start), and improved skills. Plus, by this point in the game, you're fighting definitive bad guys. In fact, later attempts to stealth can often backfire: when a player gets into trouble and has to retreat, they can easily run into lethal crossfire if they haven't been killing as they go. Averted, naturally, for no-kill runs.
** Stealth was useful to take out unaware guards with single headshots, without alerting his mates. But stealthing by without killing them was a dangerous game.
** The sequel, Invisible War, kind of plays this straight as close combat weapons become virtually useless at the end as the two classes of tough enemy introduced late in the game explode and release poison gas on death respectively, making that unique new sword you just found virtually worthless against most major threats. Stealth is also of little use against armoured enemies as they have too much HP to be killed in a single sneak attack, even if you hit their ridiculously small weak(er) point, and are often placed so as to be harder to avoid than enemies in the prequel. However, using cloaking, radar invisibility, and running past them at full speed is an acceptable speedrun tactic, but doesn't work in cutscenes.
*** Stealth is actually very useful later in the game, as long as you're trying to sneak past them and not trying to use sneak attacks. Unlike the first one, you can have both invisibility and thermal cloaking, making you invisible to humans and robots. You can also use the silent stepping biomod, so they can't hear you running either. Stealth makes it entirely possible to run past an entire squad of armored enemies and mechs without them even realizing you were there.
** The prequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Video Game)|Human Revolution]]'', brings back stealth as a viable alternative to brute force. In fact, the game emphasizes three types of gameplay: combat, hacking, and stealth. Unlike the first game, all vents are unlocked and can be used at will, although some are protected by laser grids. The game also allows the player to hug walls and hide behind covers in a ''[[Splinter Cell]]''-like manner, which is invaluable to both stealth and combat. In fact, stealth is encouraged, as [[Player Character|Jensen]] is not particularly tough in a firefight. You also get extra XP for using vents and performing non-violent takedowns, which knock out any non-boss human target instantly. Some levels pretty much require stealth, as sneaking into a police station is generally more preferrable than trying to shoot your way through.
** This, however, helped turning its boss fights into the [[Scrappy Mechanic]]: If you've been stealthing through levels using only your trusty stun gun, punches, and that stealth enhancer augment, the boss fights are going to chew you up and spit you out.
* In the ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series past the second game, the player may opt to use smoke grenades to cover movement. While not really a stealth item, this Trope is subverted in the fact that if you throw one to obscure your movements, it actually works. This is one way to approach machine gun posts. Of course, smokescreens are a double edged sword, as the enemy also uses them against you during [[Hold the Line]] segments.
* In ''[[Command and Conquer]] Renegade'', Nod players can use the Stealth Black Hand, which is fairly cheap and comes with a decent all-purpose laser rifle. If weapon drops are enabled, they can use sniper rifles... And of course, the Stealth Tank, which has overrun many an unaware GDI player. The base defenses detect stealth, though.
* Semi-averted in ''[[Unreal (Video Game)|Unreal]]'' - the invisibility pickup can let you sneak by Titans without being detected (that said, half the times you encounter them are unavoidable [[Boss Battle|Boss Battles]] - natch) but the Skaarj will almost always know you're there. Then again, this might be [[Justified Trope|justified]] as Skaarj are far more intelligent and alert than Titans in terms of programming and backstory both.
* Hiding used to be an effective strategy in ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'', until tanks gained the [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|ability to detect players]] who should be ''invisible''.
* In the Mac port and many other ports of ''[[Wolfenstein 3D (Video Game)|Wolfenstein 3D]]'', the enemies only have a forward-facing sprite, making it impossible to sneak up on them, unlike in the PC version.
* ''[[Strife]]'' gives you a punch dagger and a poisoned crossbow to make stealth kills on living targets. However, most areas have alarms that you can't avoid triggering and/or robots that can't be killed with stealth.
* In the Command Post level of ''[[Medal of Honor]]: Allied Assault'', it is nearly impossible to avoid setting off alarms in the houses, as the guards [[Clairvoyant Security Force|always know you're coming]], no matter how stealthy you try to be.
* Averted in ''[[Dark Messiah (Videoof Game)Might and Magic|Dark Messiah]]: [[Heroes of Might and Magic]]'' where stealth is a viable approach throughout most of the game, at least when in dark poorly-lit areas.
* The ''[[Alien vs. Predator]]'' games are built around averting this trope for the Alien and Predator when fighting humans. Marines have enough ranged firepower to drop you very quickly in open battle but suffer heavily from [[The Guards Must Be Crazy]]: Staying hidden and taking them down one-by-one is pretty much mandatory. Played straight when the two fight each other, as both Alien and Predator can see through each others' stealth (and the Marine never gets to be stealthy. Ever.).
* ''[[Bio ShockBioshock]]'' actually has a viable stealth mechanic, but 95% of players won't even notice, since your character is tough enough and ammo/health is plentiful enough for you to simply Rambo your way through the game. Combine this with the fact that you can't die in this game. This is in sharp contrast to ''[[System Shock]] 2'' (which was on turn built on the ''[[Thief]]'' engine), where your character was much weaker and ammo/health was much less plentiful, pretty much forcing you to stealth through much of the game simply to survive.
* In the small but loyal fan community of the original ''[[Doom (Video Gameseries)|Doom]]'', most players see the "partial invisibility" powerup as more of a burden than anything else. This is because monsters fire much less accurately at invisible players, which sounds like a good thing, except that's it's usually harder to dodge projectiles when they're scattering all around you than when they're flying predictably towards you in a straight line (to the point that the sphere seems to make enemies ''[[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|more adept at leading their shots]]'' rather than making you harder to hit). Also, partial invisibility doesn't really make it harder for the enemies to actually SEE you and thus start attacking (and even if it did, your gunfire alerts them anyway). This is abused in some user-made levels where the player is required to pick up an invisibility sphere, just to make a fight ''harder''.
* The Spy of [[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]] manages to subvert this, but Spy is still inarguably one of the three hardest classes in the game to play well, up with Scout and Sniper. The Spy can do truly horrifying amounts of damage to Sentry nests with Sappers and to enemies (especially the feared Heavy-Medic combo), so the difficulty is worth it. The Spy combines various kinds of invisibility with disguising as the enemy team's players for maximum effectiveness. All forms of disguise hide the spy from sentry guns. The Spy's disguise options are as follows:
** '''Invisi-watch''' allows the player to go invisible at will. Features: invisible, strategic latitude, ammo recharges invisibility. Drawbacks: Doesn't last a long time. The barest outline can be seen at close range. Can be decloaked by: fire, any projectile, [[Urine Trouble|jar-based karate]], Milk, bumping into an enemy, or just running out of invisibility.
** '''Dead Ringer''' allows the player to appear to have died, while really simultaneously going invisible. Features: invisible, most players don't double-check 'kills', user will not be [[Visible Invisibility|visibly invisible]] if touched by an enemy. Drawbacks: can't cloak at will. Can be revealed by: fire, Jarate, Milk.
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* ''[[City of Villains]]'' has an entire archetype, the Stalker, who gets the best stealth in the game at level one and relies on it as they are designed to be a sneak attack class. Unfortunately, anti-stealth powers become ridiculously commonplace in the late game amongst both players and [[NPC|NPCs]]. The Rikti War Zone is the worst example, as nearly every group of Rikti has Drones that can see through stealth, making Stalkers aggravatingly difficult to play. Recently, however, a patch increased the power of Stalkers, with increased damage, increased criticals, and status effects on their best attack while also increasing their base HP considerably.
** There is also the aggravation in that ambushes tend to be [[The All-Seeing AI]] variety and will home right in on you while you're stealthed.
* In ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Online (Video Game)|Dungeons and Dragons Online]]'', the Invisibility spell is mostly useless because, unless the player is actively Sneaking, enemies will hear them pretty much automatically. Sneaking slows the character's movement and only works for for characters who invest considerable resources in it. Some enemies, like spiders and oozes, automatically detect sneaking characters. Finally, once an enemy has noticed a character under any circumstances, that enemy will always notice the character once it's within range, even if he breaks line of sight and then successfully Sneaks.
* ''[[Perfect World]]'' puts a spin on this; all non-Assassin characters and mobs have an Awareness Level equal to their level if they're not using pots. Assassins have, as an added stat, a Stealth Level, which, discounting other skills/pots, is equal to Character Level+Stealth Skill Level. Any character that has an Awareness Level higher than or equal to an Assassin's Stealth Level can see and target the Assassin, but if it's lower, you're dead. However, making Stealth slightly more (and less, at the same time) useful are the Catlike Tread and Sharp Observer skills: the former increases Stealth Level by 2*Skill Level, and the latter increases Awareness Level by 3*Skill Level.
** Don't forget the mana cost of stealth that decreases when you level your skill, going from 24 to 15 mana/second.
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== [[Real Time Strategy]] ==
* Averted hard in [[Achron]]. The units need energy to cloak, but being cloaked drains the energy so slowly that it doesn't matter most of the time. Each of the three races has one unit that can cloak and while those units are not the most powerful, they still pack quite a punch, especially the Grekim Tier 2 bomber unit. They all can attack without giving up their cloak and the enemy units can't see or attack them. They are still balanced because there's three units on each race that can detect cloak (one Tier 1 infantry unit, one Tier 2 aircraft and the turret equivalent).
* In ''[[War CraftWarcraft]]'' and ''WarCraft 2'', Invisibility spells are useless against computer opponents due to [[The All-Seeing AI]].
* The ''[[Command and Conquer]]'' series has some stealth units of questionable advantage. Stealth tanks are decent at scouting (as long as the gunner isn't stupid enough to shoot random enemies nearby), even against the AI. However, later games feature map obscurers. They might hide what's there, but there is the minor detail of a large (and often mobile) unknown region, which not even the computer falls for.
** Slightly more useful is the spy, which can disguise himself as an enemy unit and infiltrate buildings for a variety of effects. Though more useful against computer opponents, who can't detect spies unless they wander into a dog, the spy's abilities range from cutting the power in the enemy base for a while-- effectively halting production and disabling automated defenses-- to stealing tech and money.
{{quote| However the enemy AI has disturbing luck sending a tank to "scout" (read: flatten) the exact location your invisible unit is, even if they are across the map. Play CnC Generals for the most blatant examples.}}
** In [[Command and Conquer Red Alert 3]], the Spy exchanges the skill to steal technology and unlock new units for a truely useful ability of bribing enemy units to fight for you - a reasonable area of effect and costs $1000. No delay either, making his disguise ability incredibly worthwhile in combination.
** Stealth tanks can actually be useful in ''Tiberium Wars'', as vehicles take increased damage when attacked from the rear. However, combat in that game is so quick and chaotic that by the time you've maneuvered the tanks around to the back of an enemy column, the fight is likely already over. Also, stealth tanks are ''very'' useful for ambushing unsuspecting aircraft. And harvesters.
** Somewhat averted in ''Tiberian Sun'': Stealth was a mechanism with a pretty strong influence on tactics, at least in multi-player. One rather basic-yet-cheeky technique for a one-on-one quick win was to build an engineer-laden Subterranean APC and shoot straight for the opponents' Construction Yard/War Factory; this in turn would be quickly countered by concrete/walls/MSAs, but these themselves would take resources/concentration away from army building to do thoroughly. Late-game, similar cheep-ish flame tanks could be used to wipe out power (and thus radar/base defence), whilst the battle rages elsewhere, or used as a distraction for an opponent who you know will be looking out for them. And not to mention the expansions' stealth generator/arty combo...
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** ''TA: Core Contingency'' had an [[Game Breaker|Eraser]], which was a submersible sonar jammer. Because of how sonar works in that game, it was undetectable and prevented detection of nearby submarines, allowing free naval attacks. The only way you could kill it was using nuke spam in a general area and hope it hits.
** One thing to note is that you can safely expand a base while under enemy bombardment with a cloak train on your farthest-back kbot/vehicle facility, if there is one. Since the opponent typically glances at the front of your base to see how well he is penetrating, or the middle to see what you're preparing as assault units, and presumes your away-structures are making the same thing, you can sometimes build cloak/jammer combos to cover construction vehicle movement to another area. It's a good tactic since TA is far more about macro than micro, meaning it's a decent last-ditch tactic for a 'total annihilation' game as it's heavily micro. (ie commander death does not end scenario) [[Batman Gambit|It also has a greater chance to succeed if your moves during the stalemate are blatantly predictable]] so that you keep his main force locked in one area. While the computer cheats, it seems to only cheat with your main base. Until the last building falls it won't 'know' you have a second unless, again, it runs into it by accident.
* [[Spiritual Successor]] ''[[Supreme Commander (Video Game)|Supreme Commander]]'' also features cloakable units, but they suffer from the same weakness. Some units can give radar stealthiness to nearby forces, but nothing becomes actually invisible. So all it takes is a lonely enemy scout passing over your base or advancing units, and you can expect a Rain Of Death real soon.
** Plus the highest level of radar tower overcomes both cloaking ''and'' stealthing. This all makes life hard for the Cybran Nation, the faction that prefers unconventional tactics like stealth.
** The cloak and stealth defeating radius of that tower are much smaller than it's normal radar range though, and those radar towers are rather expensive to maintain. And thanks to the huge maps and the large number of weapons that can fire beyond visual range, there is an advantage to only being noticed once you're right on top of the enemy. Cybran fighters and bombers especially benefit from their stealth capabilities, since their high speed means they are unlikely to be spotted en route, and can be attacked by AA enemies for only a short time while they are within visual range.
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* Cloaking devices are much more useful in the ''[[Star Trek Starfleet Command]]'' games, but other ships can still be set to scan for cloaked targets which will sometimes result in a temporary reveal. Additionally, while it's easy for a cloaked ship to sneak up, decloak, and open fire, it also leaves the first ship vulnerable, as it takes a second or two for the shields to come back up. Even the ''Scimitar'' (from ''[[Star Trek Nemesis]]'') in a special mission of the third game acts like a regular Romulan ship when cloaked (i.e. lowered shields, can't fire), even though the fact that it could do both was kind of the point of the movie.
* Outside of [[Stealth Based Mission|Stealth Based Missions]], cloaking is pretty much useless in ''[[Nexus the Jupiter Incident]]'', as the goal in other missions usually involves fighting and destroying the enemy.
* ''[[Homeworld (Video Game)|Homeworld]]'' and its sequels have several ships capable of cloaking. However, this cloaking is temporary and is mostly useless, especially since it's very easy to research cloak detection. The Kushan in the first game have the ''Spectre''-class cloaked fighter, which wasn't particularly powerful and was really only useful in taking out lone resources collectors (for which regular, cheaper fighters would work as well). The ''Cataclysm'' stand-alone expansion features the ''Assassin''-class ion array frigate, which can also cloak. However, it's also incredibly slow, meaning that the cloak will run out before the ship can get within range and align its [[Wave Motion Gun]] for the shot. The Somtaaw have three stealthy ship classes that are actually a little more useful. The ''Leech''-class breaching pod is unmanned and is small enough to avoid being picked up by standard sensors. It can then attach to a larger ship and slowly drain its HP, until the ship suffered a [[Critical Existence Failure]], or just bring back the drained HP as resources. It can still be detected by scouts, but it's nimble enough to find holes in sensor networks. The ''Mimic''-class infiltration craft can use holographic projectors to impersonate an enemy ship or an asteroid, get close to the enemy and suicide-bomb them. Two ''Mimic''s can combine into a corvette-sized ''Martyr'', which can impersonate even larger ships or asteroids and has a bigger bang.
** Stealth could be really useful in the campaign, during one specific mission in which you had to destroy an entire fleet of enemy beam ships guarding a hyperspace jump suppressor. If you had three stealth generator ships, you could keep only one powered on and switch out their cloaking when they began to run out of energy, meaning you were permanently cloaked. Your permanent (but very micromanagey) cloaking field would conceal a fleet of salvage ships, with which you could steal the entire enemy fleet essentially undetected. Fifty free beam ships for your next mission.
* Averted in ''[[Dark Reign]]''. An Infiltrator inside an enemy base can do all sorts of [[Game Breaker|useful things]], like steal plans for units and buildings, spot for artillery fire or superweapons, or see the location of ''every enemy unit and building''.
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** Stealth is also useful for clearing minefields because of the way party AI is handled: normally, if there are enemies behind the mines, your companions will [[Leeroy Jenkins|charge straight ahead]] and blow themselves up on the way.
* ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' falls squarely into this trope. Most of the enemies are simply cannon fodder that your party should have little trouble dealing with, and in the event you're up against a challenging one (i.e., a red dragon), stealth isn't an option anyways. It's [[Egregious]] if you take the Shadow Thief line of quests; for one mission, for which you're encouraged to remain stealthy to break into a house, it makes zero difference if you just barge in waving your sword, and you might even get complimented more for doing so.
** Unless you use Hide in Plain Sight, an ability that [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|hide in front of enemies]], and by hide in front of enemies, we mean "step back to disengage form combat, hide under the enemies nose". While hiding you can't be targeted, leaving you vulnerable only to area of effect attacks and letting you attack for sneak attack.
** Stealth is doubly useless in ''Neverwinter Nights 2'' due to the fact that the game pits you against a disproportionate number of undead opponents - which are immune to critical damage inflicted by sneak attacks made while in stealth mode.
** It does, however, have one very useful application: If you play an evil assassin and {{spoiler|join the King of Shadows}} at the end, you have to {{spoiler|fight your entire party singlehanded}}. Hide in plain sight, Death Attack, lather, rinse, repeat.
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* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' both uses and averts this with the Stealth skill, as well as spells for Invisibility and Chameleon. A basic Invisibility spell has always made you invisible to everything but the undead (and sometimes, Daedra), until you try to manipulate or attack something. Chameleon operates by giving your character a percentage of transparency and it sticks for as long as the spell lasts, even if you do stuff; less than 100% Chameleon, however, and enemies are liable to see you if you move around a lot or hit them. 100% Chameleon can double as invincibility and almost [[Game Breaker|break the game]].
** Immensely averted because none of the games feature an experience-based system (except the first, which has no stealth option), very few enemies must actually be killed to complete quests, and almost all great items are available very early through the five-finger discount. It makes money near-useless for anything but buying spells, which cannot be stolen.
** In ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] II: [[The Elder Scrolls II Daggerfall (Video Game)|Daggerfall]]'' you had a Stealth skill that somehow governed whether enemies would react to your presence. Sometimes an enemy would wander around despite you; sometimes an enemy would not turn if you approached from behind; despite it, enemies were still more than likely to rush towards you. There were spells like Invisibility True (constant invisibility until the time ran out) and Shadow (conceal yourself in shadows better?), but any lesser concealment spell was useless in practice unless you stood still. The combat ability that made Stealth worthwhile, Backstabbing, required a Stealth check, but, despite doing more damage on the first stab, stronger enemies would then notice you and pommel you like normal. Other thief skills were based on separate skills, and the really powerful, bothersome enemies - the undead and the Daedra - could see an Invisible opponent.
** In ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] III: [[Morrowind]]'', the Sneak skill, now set to a button, was tremendously useful. If proficient enough with the Skill, one could pickpocket (no longer a skill), and open and loot locked containers right in front of characters, though striking someone still brought their attention to you. Pickpocketing was now dependent on the Sneak skill, however, and backstabs were no longer given bonus damage. As for spells, Invisibility (True) was removed from the roster but could still be substituted by a costly 100% Chameleon spell. The Shadow spell was also removed.
** ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] IV: [[Oblivion]]'' turned a proficient stealth-based character into a [[Game Breaker]], averting this trope until it was suddenly demonstrating the trope again. While Invisibility (normal) and Chameleon work the same as in the predecessor game, stealth-based characters using the Sneak skill now had the chance of remaining undetected regardless of what they did in the game world! The only enemies this didn't work on were animals (which makes sense, as they can most likely smell you no matter how well hidden you are).
*** This becomes incredibly apparent in the Arena, the entire questline of which can be won legitimately without even moving from the battle starting area.
*** This trope is usually applied when you're trying to stealthily kill enemies. If they're in a group, every other enemy will immediately know that you're there and where you're hiding no matter what you used to kill them. It's understandable if you stabbed them or used a spell, but not when you shot them with an arrow while hiding in a bush half a mile away.
* In ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]'', guards snuck up on grant mid-tonics when looted, which come in handy for the next few bosses. This is the only reason to even bother.
** Later, the party is captured and stripped of their possessions, meaning they need to sneak around the air ducts of their prison until at least one party member gets a weapon back. Unless, of course, you had Ayla in your party, whose fists can't be disarmed.
* One of ''[[Live a Live]]'''s seven character quests falls into this, at least at first -- Oboromaru can sneak past any enemy in the stage except its final boss, but doing so means you have to face the final boss with no or very little experience (since there are few enemies you can fight without breaking stealth), and your only reward for doing so is an [[Infinity+1 Sword]] that's not as helpful in the boss fight as having levels would be. However, if you get Oboromaru back in the game's final quest, you can level him up ''and'' have the sword... except that when you're that early in the game, you don't even know the final quest ''exists''.
** And besides, he can get a better [[Infinity+1 Sword]] in said final quest. And another in his chapter by beating a [[Bonus Boss]]. Talk about [[Bragging Rights Reward]].
* The original ''[[Paper Mario (Video Gamefranchise)|Paper Mario]]'' had sleeping enemies in one dungeon that would wake up if you walked past them at full speed. However, they are easy to avoid even awake, and depending on your timing, weren't even that much of a threat in combat anyway.
* In ''[[BaldursBaldur's Gate]] 2'' invisibility does work pretty well until you encounter a creature that can cast True Sight. Which it will immediately cast to dispel your invisibility, showing that the computer does know you're there anyway, it just isn't allowed to attack you.
** An exception is the overpowered Staff of the Magi, which basically grants an infinite uses of the spell Invisibility. The staff's version of the spell is also the only kind of stealth (besides the hide in shadows skill the thief classes get) which work successfully with the somewhat buggy "Cloak of Non-Detection". Combining the two items on a single character subverts the trope so entirely it's better classified as [[Game Breaker|Game breaker]]. Enemies will cast True Sight (in some cases [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|infinite times]]) and stand there twitching, trying to attack you because they can see you but are at the same time forced not to attack you.
** Perhaps the best example of this trope, however, is the Cloak Of The Sewers. Despite the fact that it allows you to turn into a rat, and the game is (surprisingly) full of plot-irrelevant rats running around (they can be killed for 1xp and never have any drops), all NPCs instinctively know that ''this'' rat is different, to the point that trying to sneak past a band of high-level thugs ''in the sewers'' as a rat results in them trying to shake that rat down for 500 GP, and unleashing spells fit for fighting an army if it refuses.
* Interplay's ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'' allowed you to use the `sneak' skill to get into a lot of inaccessible places. You could walk around the wall of a haunted mansion, and a sneaking NPC could slide in from some unknown place offscreen and you were in. You could also get into the town of Bree at night, when they locked you out, just by walking along the wall away from the guards. Unfortunately, it was not so good for avoiding fights. Sneak into the mill without the One Ring, and the Orcs quickly slaughter your wimpy characters. Also, the sneak command didn't work against certain obstacles or guardians, since there wasn't any way to move offscreen and get a guy inside, or if the force of a character's personality was so great that the whole party had to stand directly in front of them and not go anywhere until they said "none shall pass!"
* The first person RPG ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' averts this by the grace of several factors - one, XP is only awarded for fulfilling quests, not killing random enemies. Two, if a stealth route is available, it usually comes with bonus XP. And if all else fails, the game allows for one-hit stealth kills in the form of a brutal [[Neck Snap]] (or [[Back Stab]], or having the enemy [[Impaled Withwith Extreme Prejudice]]).
** If the stealth in Bloodlines hadn't been as smooth as it was, the Nosferatu would have instantly become the game's [[The Scrappy|Scrappy]] due to the fact nobody but other vamps and certain NPCs can see them without running away in fear and disgust. They're actually quite fun to play.
** On the other hand, Obfuscate IS pretty much useless in the [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]] level - the Tzimisce creations will instantly see through it if they look at you.
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* ''[[Fable]]'' features an early story mission where stealth is required. From then on out it has practically no use whatsoever. Sure, once you get a high enough level in Guile you'll be able to steal items from stores and pick locks, but the former is negated when you learn you have to remain unseen as you hold down a button to steal said item (hard to do when you have countless yokels following around remarking on how famous you are,) and the latter becomes a problem when you learn that most citizens of Albion [[Dronejam|stand in front of their doors all night.]]
* In ''[[Persona 3]]'' and ''[[Persona 4]]'', Shadows roaming the [[Eldritch Location]] du jour manifest as blobs that claw their way across the floor. Players are encouraged to approach them from behind and sneak-attack them in order to get a free round at the start of the battle (though Shadows can gain their own advantage by striking from behind as well.) Since the line of sight of map-roaming Shadows isn't that great, sneaking past them is relatively easy in order to avoid wasting resources on minor foes.
* ''[[Radiant Historia (Video Game)|Radiant Historia]]'' eventually gives you the ability to vanish and completely avoid enemies. Not only are you missing out on money and experience this way, you're going through MP faster than you would by fighting. Generally not worth using during the main story, but can speed things up greatly when backtracking through locations during sidequests, especially since how annoyingly persistent enemies tend to be in following you when they spot you.
* In the ''Pokémon'' games that let you catch and raise Pokémon, there are trainers that will force you into a battle if they see you. You have the option of fighting them right away for money and experience or avoiding eye-contact and battling them at a later time.
 
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== [[Stealth Based Game]] ==
* In some sidequest missions in ''[[Assassin's Creed (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed]]'' it is necessary to assassinate people without being seen. If you have the stamina for it, you can often just slaughter your way through hordes and hordes of guards to get to your target without any stealth at all. However, this is also subverted with some missions that fail you for detection. Also, quite a few of the plotline assassination targets cannot be assassinated without a confrontation that results in them making a break for it and Altaïr or Ezio having to chase them. Starting with ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Video Game)|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood]]'', the devs try to avert this by making a [[Stealth Run]] of several missions necessary for [[One Hundred Percent Completion]].
** Interestingly, in Brotherhood and Revelations you will only fail a [[Stealth Run]] if a guard actually catches sight of the player character. As long as that doesn't happen you can be as unsteathly as you like, for instance by shooting everyone or throwing grenades. In fact, one of the easiest ways to complete many of these is to have mercenaries or your fellow assassins enter open combat and slaughter any enemies that get in your way.
* ''[[Rise of the Kasai]]'' averts this for the most part; generally speaking you can just run into combat head first with decent odds of coming out alive, but stealth is the suggested method of advancement, both for an added challenge and the satisfyingly brutal stealth kills. The only time the game truly falls victim to this is when your AI partner decides its time to run headlong into danger, disrupting your attempts at stealth. Its predecessor, ''Mark of Kri'', makes stealth a completely viable method in that your character always goes it solo.
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* In the first [[Mercenaries]] game, Jennifer Mui's special characteristic is enhanced stealth compared to the other two playable characters. Considering that the gameplay in the series is mostly based around [[Stuff Blowing Up]], it's not clear why anyone would value this, and indeed it has no discernable effect on the game. The sequel scraps this in favor of making her the fastest sprinter of the three.
 
== [[Turn -Based Strategy]] ==
* ''[[Fire Emblem Tellius (Video Game)|Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'' has Chapter 10: Prisoner Release, which one could ostensibly stealth through, given the advice "stay near the walls and don't get too close to anyone", without mentioning more useful advice like [[Guide Dang It|"only a specific type of enemy (soldier) can spot you"]]. The reward for stealth is extra experience (more than you get for fighting and can be assigned to any character, even the [[Magikarp Power]] ones) and a rare (but almost useless) Master Seal item.
* ''[[Nintendo Wars]]'': The submarine cannot be targeted once submerged, except by a unit whose only purpose is to kill subs. You cannot see a sub unless you are right next to it, and it blocks your path, wasting time. On the flip side, submersion costs a lot of fuel and the sub must return to base frequently to fuel up. ''Dual Strike'' added stealth jets, which can hit land, sea and air units while cloaked but have even worse fuel consumption.
* In the ''[[Total War]]'' series, units ''do'' get tactical advantages from ambushes, as being charged in the side or back (especially when already engaged) incurs a massive morale penalty. A good ambush can break armies, but it takes a very good commander to do so and it's usually pointless against the AI, who will either rush at you with all his units in a big mob or break into a defensive formation and stand still (depending on its numbers compared to yours); ambushes are very seldom applicable in either scenario.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' has had sneaky rogue classes and invisibility spells since the beginning. Whether or not these powers will come in handy depends purely on the [[Dungeon Master]] and the kinds of situations he throws the party into. A high-level rogue with good stealth can get a massive sneak attack damage bonus if they aren't noticed, often doing more damage in that shot than the designated heavy-hitters.
* ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'' allows for impressive levels of stealth, including a "hide in plain sight" feat that can be taken even at the lowest levels and allows one to hide without cover and while being observed. On the other hand, the system is supposed to model [[Comic Book]] superheroes who commonly have such abilities. Becoming invisible (or unable to be perceived by other senses) is similarly easy to do. On the flip side of things, there's often [[Internet Backdraft|heated discussions]] on the Atomic Think Tank message board about whether the vanilla stealth skill applies to super-senses with or without some degree of preparation for said skills, and it's similarly cheap to buy powers that will counter any and all invisibility effects.
 
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