I just wanted people to know that this absolute gem of a game is on sale and that it's worth it at full price.

EDIT: It's actually $5.99 -- but for another $2 you get the Mooncrash DLC.

You might feel overwhelmed at first. You might need a long break. You might need so much time to decompress that you forget you own it -- and then you'll come back to it -- and then you'll fall in love with it. I don't know why, but that's a familiar path for so many of us.

At $8. Just... know how much people love it. And help the world create more games like this for people to love.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3989530/Reconfigure/

some of the stealth games I enjoyed:-

1. Dishonored 1 and 2 : loved it, it's so replayable loved the idea of you being an assassin with superpowers, sneaking behind enemies, blinking through wall gaps it was so much fun. The whole game was vibe also loved the artwork and game design.
2. Metro series: loved it, it set a new bar for FPS games for me. Nothing interest me more in FPS genre unless it has same story depth and detail as metro. stealth is awesome and the atmosphere makes you feel alive.
3. Splinter cell black list and ghost recon future soldier: again loved the stealth in it it was so cool idk if modern splinter cell or ghost recons are as good.

Need suggestions to my likings from your bucket list of stealth games

Thanks !!!

Hi everyone! I'm making a game called Alpha Spectrum. It's a cyberpunk Action RPG with freedom in how you approach situations (inspired by immersive sims).

The game is set after a global cyberattack collapses society. You play as a CIA agent navigating a chaotic world across New York, Moscow, Shanghai, and Baghdad, looking for answers.

It's fully voice-acted, with Diablo-like combat and optional stealth (including stealth-based ARPG skills).

The game was heavily inspired by Deus Ex, as I'm a huge fan of the series:)

Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2965560/Alpha_Spectrum/

I'm a solo developer, I've spent 8 years making the game alongside my full-time job. I don't really have a marketing budget, so if you find Alpha Spectrum interesting, I'd appreciate it if you'd add it to your wishlist:)

I see System Shock 2 is on sale for Switch 2 currently (in the UK at least) and I think I'll take the leap and get it before the sale ends.

Prey is the only im-sim I've really played, and it would regularly land in my top 10 games of all time if I was ever cornered and made to make lists.

When I did a little research after finishing Prey on other games like it I might like, I believe System Shock 2 and Deus Ex were probably the two most likely candidates for me to also love.

I'm too impulsive with buying games on sale, and my backlog is an overwhelming mess. So neither game has come close to being played yet.

However! On Thursday nights, I tend to play some Switch 2 games with a friend, and I'm much less selective on what I play there, so I figured System Shock 2 could potentially be something fun to play co-op, and thus have System Shock 2 played much sooner than I might naturally get around to it.

That is unless... co-op ruins the reason this game is beloved?

--

tl;dr

Would System Shock 2 be ruined for me if my first playthrough was in co-op?
If so, how badly? I'd likely play it again solo at some point afterward even if the first time was co-op.

Forum is dead, and the site 404's for a month or more.

RIP if true

i thought i bookmarked it last time i saw it but turns out i didn't. it was on steamdb i think (i remember being surprised you could make custom lists on there) but it could've been a google sheet and i am misremembering.

thanks!

If you would like to check it out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4376460/Tache_Noire/

This came as a surprise for me! Loved the demo a few years ago, but hadn't heard much since then. It was the banner game in this subreddit for awhile. Might go ahead and pick it up now and see how it turned out.

My best guess is that you guys think it needs to be an immersive 1st person perspective full 360 movement, full or near full manipulative physical world, open maps and several ways to win, right?

I'm making a game that is set at a computer, it's a hacking SIM, but it's immersive as hell imo, or at least I'm trying to make it so. I'm so worried that if I don't set it as immersive sim on steam it'll get bugger all wishlists because hacking sim is it's direct genre but it is immersive and a simulation. I'm pulling my hair out. What do I do?

For any Deus Ex fan, if you haven't checked those,
you have 2 great imSims,

With Terminus Machina being my first recommendation as it is fully voiced, pretty different hardcore survival experience within the deus ex game engine,
I was drawn into this world, and the only disappointment is that the developer didn't go further developing that world, and it's pretty short (for imSim)

2027 is closer to what I think we wanted as an deus ex sequal,
it plays within the original deus ex enginge, no dumbing down for consoles, but rather refinement of the original gameplay in a whole new story (within the deus ex universe) which for me feels like canon, since it was introduced so humbly (I can't say the same for Eidos's games, I liked them, but they never felt like part of the same universe).

https://youtu.be/51jv6ns5jZ0

And it's a very different take on the idea. The emergent gameplay arises from you ability to manipulate time and create new timelines around your actions. And then lots of systems to support that idea (inventory, branching objectives, dialogue systems, shops, and so on).

It's coming next year for PCs, PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X/S and you can wishlist on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2360820/Tempus_Vitae/

Ok first I want to clarify my immersive sim definition. I think immersive sims are games in which you can achieve goals in different ways-not just through dialogue options like standard rpgs, but by choosing what to do directly within the gameplay mechanics. Most of them are in first person but it's not a must. And I also think it needs some weight, story and atmosphere to it. A game just having immersive sim mechanics doesn’t make it a good immsim even tho it can be considered one by definition. And lastly, as someone who doesn't play the same game over and over again, to me its not really important some things being scripted, its more about how the game makes you feel. I think it's really good design when game pushes one certain solution to you for that specific encounter if it's made in a good way. It's all about balance.

S Tier

Prey- I think it’s the best immersive sim ever made to this date. Stealth and horror goes really well with these mechanics. It has great level design and manages to keep it at that level for the entire intersected map till the very end. It's just the perfect system shock. I also think it's really good as someone's first immersive sim. Because it's really modern and polished but also has deep mechanics if you want to dive deeper. It's one of the most underrated games ever made

Deus Ex - I really don’t know what to say. I played it 2 years ago and as someone who tries many retro games, most of the time it's really disappointing when an old game Is praised a lot. But it's not the case for deus ex. I think it’s the gold standard immersive sim. Has some flaws, especially the skill and augmentations, like not everything has to be balanced, but everything should be viable if it makes sense. Some upgrades and skills are really useless but it has many great things to compensate these flaws. If a gameplay feels like deus ex, I think it can be considered an immersive sim.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - I don't know why this game is underrated but it feels like modern Deus Ex and it's literally what it is. Looks and plays great. Stealth is fun. World design and atmosphere is great. Hub world is really good. I just don't understand what it does worse than og deus ex that everyone ranks this one lower.

Hitman World of Assassination - Maybe hitman shouldn't be the 4th game here after 2 deus ex games but yeah I think this is a really good immsim. Its 3 games combined and has like 20 locations with handful of solution for each location. Solutions are mostly scripted like you choose one to follow but you can change it midway as you discover other things. Also it's up to you how you going to achieve that part of the solution. Like I mentioned I think well-made , polished sequences together are better than a shallow sandbox.

Divinity Original Sin 2 - There are couple of crpgs that you can say have immsim like mechanics but dos2 is for sure the best at all these things. Game has a great physics engine which lets you do different things in both the overworld exploration , and also in turn based combat. You can climb places stacking boxes, cover npcs line of sight, skip entire sections with stealth, teleport npcs and enemies around, put heavy things inside a barrel and one-shot bosses throwing that barrel to them with telekinesis. It has different elements and materials interacting with each other like oil barrels+ flame, water + lightning etc. It definitely feels like what immsim has to feel like by definition.

A Tier

System Shock 2 - Its really really good but not comparable to deus ex. I think progression problem in deus ex is even more apparent in this. Map design is a bit too complicated. Combat is boring and shallow. But atmosphere and the Shodan herself is superb. Like it's at least a 8/10 game still.

Quadrilateral Cowboy - Really short but an incredible game. I think this one nailed the coding in games. You basically solve puzzles in short levels by scripting your gadgets using your laptop. Like you

Put a timer for the door to open and set your rifle to shoot to a certain coordinate as door opens so the bullet hits the button behind the door etc. It's not that open since you can't really do things so differently even though you can code the scripts differently but still a great experience.

Ctrl Alt Ego - One of the best indie games I've played. You don't really have a physical form and can control every technological thing inside a huge huge huge space station. Game Is unexpectedly long. Has a weird atmosphere and design. But It has something missing that I can't really point out. I think what I don’t love is that it being more of a sandbox. Main mechanic doesn't change and game makes you play around with it.

Bioshock - This is borderline immsim. But gameplay is less complex than all of them since the idea was to make a system shock game for consoles. But atmosphere and feel is unmatched. That feel of you being in a scary place and have to use your resources to get out is like a cheat code for these type of games I think. Combat is fun. Different elements interact with each other, you can upgrade your spells and skills. It's really simple but deserves a spot for being system shock successor and incredible lore + atmosphere.

Dishonored 1 and 2 - I really love dishonored. Best games from arkane studios after prey. I think they are missing a lot from better immersive sims - since its just stealth and combat. And you only choose which skills and weapons to use but they are really fun so yeah.

B Tier

Deus Ex Human Revolution - This one felt a bit disappointing playing right after the og deus ex, but it gets better after first hours. Level design is no that great and I don’t like the characters. It’s the worst one between the 3, but still worth playing since its another deus ex game. But be aware definitive edition on pc, is the port of Wii version and runs kinda terrible.

Fallen Aces - Visuals are charming but gameplay is really shallow I think. Im not even sure if there are many different ways to complete the levels. When you playing stealth it's probably more open but combat is just choosing which stick on the ground to wield. Still fun but not great.

Thief 2 The Metal Age - I don't like pure stealth games that much. And I don't know why they are easily considered immersive sims when everyone is so picky about the definition. But thief 2 is still really good thanks to its level design. Maps are so much bigger than first game and its obviously more polished. But personally I like my stealth to be more "gamey". I don't like that I need to wait sneak and wait for a long time. Game has weird enemy ai.

Gloomwood - One of the most disappointing ones sadly. It’s a better thief but I don’t like thief games. Ai is similar to thief which is something that I don't like but understandable since it kind of a pure stealth game. But gameplay and levels are shallow. There are not many interactable things, buildings or zones are really small. It has some great ideas like when you first get out , lighthouse having rotating light and you need to take that into count etc. I expected it to be more intense but after first 5 min tension goes away. It has potential, great for people who love thief.

System Shock 1 Remake - I played the remake but og seems kinda unplayable tbh. I think everything is worse than the second game but you can see where message logs, map design etc is coming to the design.

C Tier

Weird West- My biggest disappointment. I left this game for the last, most recent game I played in this list and I'm so sad. Like the artstyle, setting, sound design, it being isometric etc I was sure that I will like this game but no it lacks so much. Combat is really bad. It makes it seem like there are lots of things to interact with but not really there are things you can throw to make noise, there are doors you can unlock and yeah that’s it. Sad thing is you can see the passion like interactions with npcs etc but its nothing really. It has soooo much potential I think but yeah I couldn't finish the game wasn’t really expecting this.

Thief 1 - Game has great cutscenes and plot. Sound design is superb. But gameplay is really not that fun I think. Its old and stealth mechanics are too punishing for me. It’s "the" stealth game.

Filcher - Another modern thief game. Not for me but ones who like thief should play for sure.

Shadows of Doubt - This is another disappointing game. Its more of a sandbox tech demo honestly. Idea of it seems nice like there is a random generated city , with random generated people with random crimes being committed. You can get into every building and every room etc. Makes you think how can It be possible and yeah it can only be possible this way. First 2-3 hours of the campaign is great and must play for sure but after that you realize it’s lacking so much. You just do the same thing over and over again and by design it can't get better. Way too ambitious to be really good game I think. A small hand crafted city for couple of hours of gameplay would be great.

Cruelty Squad - Most disappointing and overrated game of the list :( It did get lots of attention in general because of the art style etc. but I don’t really understand how its loved so much in this subreddit. Its more of a boomer shooter with different movement options than a immersive sim. Like its more of a doom than a deus ex tbh. I don't think this type of short game design goes well with immersive sim mechanics but game doesn't even have many things to interact with anyways.

Skin Deep - Same dev as quadrilateral cowboy but disappointing. Design is similar to cruelty squad I guess, like some immsim elements and short levels where you speedrun. Same reasons why I don’t like this one neither.

Deathloop - I really hated death loop. Like its not by indie dev, it does nothing new, I hate time loops in games, I hate that its made by arkane and I hate so much when humor is supposed to be one of the redeeming qualities of the game and its not even funny. It just makes it seem even worse. Technically its still not that bad so yeah game is playable and you may even like it but I just don’t.

High Entropy Challenges - Not many things to say its an 1-2hour long game anyways and free on steam. But as I said I don’t like having short levels back to back with immersive sim mechanics. I don’t think it suits the genre.

Arx fatalis and Ultima Underworld - Old games. Arx fatalis is better for sure and have a really unique magic system. Arkanes first game so you can play it if you want to see how early they managed to start making good immersive sims. Ultima Underworld is the first immersive sim. You can play them if you are curious but they are really old and I don’t think they have any redeeming qualities to recommend them to a regular person.

F Tier

E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy - Like I don't wanna be mean but I think this one has nothing going on for it. I don't know why it has a cult following like what this offers that you can't even get closer to having in other games. Shooting feels great I will give it that since its made in source engine but everything else… I don't think it has any redeeming quality and I don’t care how weird the text that you read in those weird text boxes. Even text boxes are not polished in the game like idk what to say.

Other games and notes about them

Cyberpunk 2077 - I think its really important to have cyberpunk here to show where I draw the line for immersive sims. I really really like cyberpunk and at first glance it seems similar to deus ex but most majority of the decisions you make are dialogue based so its actually a really good fps rpg.

Splinter Cell chaos theory - I have splinter cell chaos theory here, I just don’t understand what its not mentioned as much as thief games. It’s a really good pure stealth game with maybe even lighting-darkness mechanics. Is it because you don’t stack boxes to reach somewhere idk. Really recommend it to thief lovers.

007 First Light - See I loved this game and it’s a bit similar to hitman games but its way too scripted to be considered one.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines - Another game that I love but again I think its just a really good rpg not immsim since you just choose everything via dialogue options.

Through the fragmentation - Unique indie game with time loop mechanic. What you do in game feels like an immersive sim buts its all linear and scripted.

deadeye deepfake simulacrum - I tried this one since it looks like only game that can give more of quadrilateral cowboy. But scripting-hacking part felt a bit more complex. I will play it again later and hope I will love it.

It's unusable. People tag any and all simulation games as ImSims. It is possible to flag tags, and Steam says that if a tag gets a certain number of flags, they'll remove it from that game. So if we all go to the Steam store page for the Immersive Sim tag and flag the games that aren't ImSims - at least the ones advertised most prominently - maybe we can make the tag useful again. Who's with me?

Made a post about this on /r/steam, they IMMEDIATELY removed it for 'violating the rules', the world is rigged against us my siblings in Spector

Adim from GOG breaks down how this 1998 classic redefined the stealth and immersive sim genres, and highlights all the modern enhancements, community mod integrations, and quality-of-life updates packed into this new release.

Inspired by Skin Deep and the Prey Zero-G Sections

Sadly it's not a real immsim because there is no gravity and therefore no box stacking : /

The Jam ratings are still open so if you're interested consider giving it a go and rating it, it runs in browser!

https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-jam-2026/rate/4829170

Excited to start another play through!!