10 Best Spy Video Games of All Time

Image via Konami/ Kojima Productions Published Jul 17, 2026, 5:35 PM EDT Sign in to your Collider account The spy genre has given us some of the most iconic characters in pop culture. You’ve got James Bond saving the world with his high-tech gadgets, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) pulling off death-defying missions, and Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) uncovering national conspiracies. But video games are where the genre actually gets to shine. Movies can show you a spy sneaking through a vent or hacking a mainframe, but games let you actually do it. You get to decide how the mission goes down, whether that means going loud with guns blazing or staying so quiet nobody even knows you were there. These are the 10 games that defined spy gaming and remain the genre's finest examples. 10 ‘Phantom Doctrine’ (2018) Image via CreativeForge Games/ Good Shepherd Entertainment Phantom Doctrine throws out the usual spy game playbook entirely. This is a turn-based strategy game set in an alternate 1983 Cold War, and you get to choose whether you're playing as a former CIA or a former KGB agent. The whole game is built around actual spycraft instead of action. This means you’ll spend a lot of your time intercepting enemy communications and hunting down sleeper cells. There’s a cool corkboard-and-string mechanic that lets you connect redacted clues and slowly piece together conspiracies from your secret hideout. The game also masterfully captures the paranoia of that era. Your own agents can get captured, brainwashed, or turned into double agents, so you genuinely never know if the people in your inner circle can be trusted. 9 ‘Sleeping Dogs’ (2012) Image via United Front Games/ Square Enix Sleeping Dogs is essentially a GTA-style open-world game paired with a story that feels heavily inspired by Infernal Affairs and The Departed. You play as Wei Shen, an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating Hong Kong's Sun On Yee Triad and bringing them down from the inside. The catch is that you constantly have to balance gang missions with actual police work, all while your loyalties get pulled in different directions the deeper you go. The game's combat feels like a love letter to classic martial arts films, with flying kicks and tons of cool environmental takedowns. The driving mechanics and vehicular action are some of the best in the genre. And, for reasons known only to the developers, Wei Shen can even stop by the restroom and take a pee break, because apparently maintaining bladder realism was an important part of the undercover cop experience. 8 ‘Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror’ (2006) Image via Bend Studio Publisher/ Sony Computer Entertainment Released in 1999 as Sony’s answer to Metal Gear Solid, the Syphon Filter series quickly became one of PlayStation’s biggest flagship franchises back in the day. And Dark Mirror is widely considered one of its strongest entries. The game fine-tuned everything that made the franchise popular and turned it into a tight, high-tech spy thriller that still holds up surprisingly well. You play as Gabe Logan, a highly classified operative working for the International Presidential Consulting Agency, and your job is to take down a rogue paramilitary group called Red Section before they can build and weaponize a next-gen weapon of mass destruction. The gadgets are where the game really earns its spy credentials. The EDS-Goggles let you see through walls and track infrared cables. You also get a multi-purpose sniper rifle equipped with dart attachments. And the coolest of the bunch is the long-range taser, which lets you set enemies on fire from a distance. 7 ‘Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands’ (2017) Image via Ubisoft Ghost Recon Wildlands drops an elite four-person U.S. Spec Ops team into a fictionalized, cartel-controlled Bolivia. And their task is to systematically dismantle the Santa Blanca cartel boss by boss until they reach the man at the top, El Sueño, before the entire country turns into a global narco-state. Every single boss gets an absurd level of attention to detail, with cinematic mission briefings and assassination set pieces that genuinely feel like their own mini video games. The map is massive, roughly twice the size of GTA V, and the shooting itself is some of the best the genre has to offer. The game plays in third person, but the moment you aim down sights, it switches to first person for much smoother gunplay. The coolest feature of the game is the Sync Shot. Since you're running with a four-man team, you can line up to three targets for your squad and trigger a synchronized shot, so everyone fires at once. It's one of the best ways to clear an area without anyone ever knowing you were there. 6 ‘Alpha Protocol’ (2010) Image via Sega/ Obsidian Entertainment If you’re into RPGs, Alpha Protocol might be the best spy game ever made for you. It literally has "Espionage RPG" printed on the cover as its tagline. You play as Michael Thorton, a rookie agent cast out by his own government, who has to go rogue to untangle an international conspiracy. This game gives you the ultimate freedom to play however you want, and every choice, from your dialogue style to which targets you decide to prioritize, has permanent consequences that ripple through the entire story and reshape who your allies and enemies become. Some NPCs will openly mock you or flat-out refuse to work with you if your personality clashes with theirs. And in maybe the best example of how far the game lets you go, you can even interrupt a villain mid-monologue by just shooting them. 5 ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ (2020) Image via Activision The Black Ops side of the Call of Duty franchise has always leaned closer to spy fiction, and Cold War pushes that identity further than any entry before it. Set in 1981, Black Ops Cold War follows a specialized black ops CIA team led by Russell Adler. Their mission is to stop a rogue Soviet operative known as Perseus, who has planted a network of sleeper agents across Europe and is plotting to detonate hidden nuclear devices to flip the global balance of power. Of course, it delivers the signature Call of Duty gunplay and explosive set-pieces, but it often slows things down and leans into actual spycraft. One standout sequence drops players straight into KGB Headquarters, where they must operate stealthily as a double agent. Between missions, players must also piece together fragmented clues on an evidence wall, which helps identify new targets and unlock side missions. Image via Konami Snake is one of gaming's most beloved spies, and The Phantom Pain is widely considered the best entry in the entire Metal Gear franchise. The story picks up after Snake wakes from a nine-year coma and sets out to rebuild his private army, Diamond Dogs, in pursuit of revenge against the shadow organization that destroyed his forces. From there, the game drops you into a massive open-world sandbox full of enemy outposts to infiltrate and intel to gather. The toolkit you get access to is genuinely incredible, ranging from dogs and decoys to the series' iconic cardboard box. And as you keep playing, the enemies keep adapting to your playstyle. Snipe from afar too often, and guards start wearing riot helmets. Run too many night missions, and they'll start deploying searchlights and night-vision goggles. Every infiltration ends up feeling completely different because of it. 3 ‘Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist’ (2013) Image via Ubisoft Splinter Cell: Blacklist puts you back in the shoes of Sam Fisher as he leads the newly formed Fourth Echelon against The Engineers. They are a terrorist group running an escalating countdown of attacks designed to force the U.S. military to pull out of every country it's operating in. What makes Blacklist so fun to actually play is how smooth the action feels. Sam can sprint, dive between cover, and vault into vents in one fluid motion. The game's signature feature, Mark and Execute, lets you tag up to three enemies and take them all out in a single cinematic strike that never gets old, no matter how many times you use it. And then there are all the high-tech gadgets you have at your disposal. The Tri-Rotor Drone lets you scout areas, mark targets, and even shock enemies from a distance. Sonar Goggles let you see through walls. And if you’re going for a clean, non-lethal “ghost” run, the Sleeping Gas Crossbow and Sticky EMP become your best friends. Collider Exclusive · James Bond Personality Quiz Which James Bond Actor Are You Most Like? Connery · Moore · Dalton · Brosnan · Lazenby · Craig Six actors. Six completely different visions of the same man — dangerous, charming, complicated, and almost certainly wearing a very good suit. Only one of them shares your particular way of moving through the world. Eight questions will figure out which Bond you really are. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Connery 😄Moore 🎭Dalton ✨Brosnan 🤵Lazenby 💠Craig FIND YOUR BOND → 01 How do you carry yourself when you walk into a room? Bond is always the most interesting person in the room. The question is how he makes you feel it. AWith absolute authority — I don't announce myself. I simply make everyone aware that I've arrived. BWith a raised eyebrow and a ready quip — I'd rather disarm a room than dominate it. CWith focused intensity — I'm taking everything in, and people can tell. DWith polish and ease — I look like I belong everywhere, because I've decided I do. EWith quiet confidence — I'm still figuring out my place, but I carry myself as if I already know it. FWith guarded stillness — I notice everything and give nothing away until I choose to. NEXT QUESTION → 02 How do you handle a dangerous situation? Every Bond faces it differently. What does your version look like? AWith dangerous calm — I've been here before, and the threat already knows it's made a mistake. BWith improvisation and a degree of theatrical flair — tension should never be wasted. CHead-on and without hesitation — I don't need gadgets. I have training, and I use it. DWith the right tool for the job — I came prepared, and preparation is its own form of confidence. EInstinctively — I react faster than I think, and it usually works out. FWith controlled brutality — I don't enjoy it, but I don't flinch from what the moment requires. NEXT QUESTION → 03 How do you charm someone you need on your side? Bond always gets what he needs. The method varies considerably. AI make them feel like the most interesting person in the room — for exactly as long as I need them to be. BI make them laugh — a shared laugh is the fastest way to make someone trust you. CI'm direct and honest — I tell them what I need and why. Manipulation wastes time. DWith surface perfection — the right words, the right smile, deployed with enough precision to look effortless. EBy being present and genuine — I'm still developing my technique, but sincerity covers a lot of ground. FReluctantly and sparingly — I'd rather earn trust through actions than manufacture it through charm. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you handle your emotions on the job? Every Bond deals with this differently. Most of them not particularly well. AI suppress them completely — detachment is a professional requirement, not a personal failing. BI deflect with humour — a well-timed joke is the best defence against genuine feeling. CI let them show — I'm not ashamed of feeling things, and I think pretending not to is its own kind of weakness. DI compartmentalise with precision — everything in its place, nothing bleeding into the mission. EWith difficulty — I haven't quite worked out the system yet, and sometimes it shows. FBy burying them — deeply, imperfectly, in ways that eventually cost me something important. NEXT QUESTION → 05 How would your colleagues describe your working style? MI6 has opinions about all of its 00s. What are theirs about you? AEffective and uncompromising — results-focused to the point where the methods occasionally become a concern. BReliably brilliant in the field, occasionally exasperating in the briefing room. CPrincipled to a fault — they'd rather do it right than do it fast, and they'll tell you so. DPolished, capable, and slightly too good at making it look easy. ERaw potential — still developing, but there's something there that's hard to teach. FA weapon. Pointed at problems, usually effective, occasionally unpredictable. NEXT QUESTION → 06 How do you feel about operating within the rules? The licence to kill comes with terms and conditions. Not everyone reads them. ARules are for people who haven't earned the judgement to know when to break them. BI follow them in spirit and bend them in practice — the important thing is the outcome. CI take them seriously — there are things I won't do regardless of what the mission requires. DI work within them effectively and creatively — the system has its uses if you know how to navigate it. EI'm still working out where my lines are — the job has a way of moving them on you. FI follow orders until I decide the order is wrong. Then I act on my own judgement and accept the consequences. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What is your relationship with love? Every Bond has a different answer. None of them have found it easy. AA liability I've learned to manage — I don't let it interfere with the work, and I try not to examine why. BA pleasure I take seriously in the moment, lightly in the long term, and honestly in between. CSomething I want genuinely — and struggle to reconcile with the life I've chosen. DPart of the performance — I'm charming, and I enjoy it, but I keep the door to anything deeper firmly closed. ESomething that surprised me — I found it when I wasn't looking and it changed everything, briefly. FA wound I carry — something happened, and I haven't fully processed what it means for everything since. NEXT QUESTION → 08 When the mission is over, how do you want to be remembered? The name is Bond. The rest is entirely up to the man behind it. AAs the original — the one who defined what this could be before anyone else knew what it was. BAs someone who made it enjoyable — who understood that entertainment is its own kind of excellence. CAs someone who took it seriously — who refused to coast and pushed harder than the role required. DAs the complete package — who had the looks, the timing, and the ability to make it all seem inevitable. EAs an underrated chapter — one that deserved more time and more credit than it received. FAs the one who made it human — who found the cost beneath the cool and didn't look away from it. REVEAL MY BOND → The Name Has Been Determined Your Bond Is…Six actors. One role. Your answers point to the Bond who shares your presence, your method, and your particular way of carrying the weight of being the most dangerous person in the room. Sean ConneryYou are the original — and you carry that fact without needing to announce it. There is an authority in the way you occupy a room that others spend careers trying to replicate. You don't explain yourself, justify yourself, or soften yourself for anyone's comfort. The confidence is structural, not performed. Connery's Bond established everything — the tone, the danger, the cool — because Connery himself had the innate presence to make something that had never existed feel inevitable. You share that quality: the sense that you were always going to end up exactly here, doing exactly this. The name is Bond. In your case, it always was. Roger MooreYou understand something that more serious people miss: that wit is its own form of intelligence, and that making people laugh is not a retreat from danger but a way of mastering it. Moore's Bond is underrated precisely because the effortlessness looks easy — and effortlessness is the hardest thing to manufacture. You have the same quality: a lightness that disarms people before they realise how sharp you actually are. The raised eyebrow, the perfectly timed quip, the refusal to be rattled — these are not affectations. They are a philosophy about how to move through a world that would like to take itself too seriously. You have never let it. Timothy DaltonYou took the role seriously when everyone wanted you to coast — and that refusal to take the easy version of anything is the most defining thing about you. Dalton's Bond has genuine moral weight: he feels the cost of what he does, he has lines he won't cross, and he is not interested in the version of himself that pretends otherwise. You share that intensity. You push harder than the situation technically requires, because you have a standard and you hold yourself to it. He was ahead of his time — the Bond the franchise wasn't quite ready for yet, arriving exactly when he was meant to. You know what that feels like. Pierce BrosnanYou are the complete package — and you know it, which is part of what makes you so effective and occasionally so infuriating to the people around you. Brosnan arrived at the role looking exactly like Bond was supposed to look, and he delivered on that expectation with a professionalism that made it seem effortless. You have the same quality: a smooth competence, a charm that operates like a precision instrument, and the ability to make even difficult things look like they weren't. His era was the most commercially successful in the franchise's history. There is a reason for that. The reason is that some people simply fit their moment perfectly. You are one of those people. George LazenbyYou stepped into something enormous with less preparation than anyone around you thought was sufficient — and you delivered something genuine anyway, which is the more impressive achievement. Lazenby's single outing is, by many measures, one of the finest Bond films ever made — and he is not a small part of why. You share his quality of raw authenticity: less polished than the alternatives, more honest for it, capable of something real that technique alone can't produce. He was underestimated, and then he wasn't, and then history caught up with him. You are the kind of person history catches up with. Give it time. Daniel CraigYou stripped everything back and found what was underneath — and what was underneath was harder, more honest, and more human than anyone expected. Craig's Bond is the franchise's most psychologically complete: a man doing a brutal job, carrying its costs imperfectly, capable of love and loss in ways that can't be dismissed. You share that depth. You don't hide behind the role or the charm or the suit — you let the work show what it actually costs. He was controversial from the moment he was announced and definitive by the time he was finished. The sceptics became the believers. That arc — of being underestimated and then undeniable — is one you know intimately. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 2 ‘007 First Light’ (2026) Image via IOI James Bond is arguably the most popular spy of all time, and First Light finally gives him the definitive current-gen video game he deserves. The game follows a reckless 26-year-old Bond as he gets recruited into MI6's newly revived “00” program and earns his license to kill for the first time. Considering this is made by IO Interactive, the same studio behind HITMAN, it makes total sense that the stealth mechanics and sandbox-style levels feel as polished as they do. First Light perfectly blends those HITMAN-style levels with Bond's signature spycraft. The Q-Lens highlights interactable hazards like gas pipes and electrical boxes, and the Q-Watch lets you remotely manipulate them to distract or take down enemies. There’s also a Bluff mechanic, where Bond can talk his way through tense situations by maintaining his cover under pressure. It constantly leads to tense moments where you're just one wrong move away from blowing your cover. Combine all of that with a story that's genuinely cinema-worthy, and First Light essentially lets you be the director of your very own Bond movie. 1 ‘HITMAN World of Assassination’ (2022) Image via IO Interactive At the top of the list is HITMAN World of Assassination, which puts you in the shoes of Agent 47 and drops you into some of the most elaborate set-pieces in gaming. Agent 47 is sent to exotic locations around the world, ranging from high-profile fashion shows in Paris to luxurious skyscrapers in Dubai, and he’s tasked with eliminating targets without drawing attention to himself. You can listen in on NPC conversations to pick up valuable intel, hack security systems to erase your tracks, and infiltrate restricted areas by stealing disguises to get closer to your target. What makes this game the best spy game of all time is the sheer number of ways you can actually complete a hit. You can pose as your target's tour guide and stage an accident that ends with her in an industrial crusher, sabotage someone's mechanical heart mid-surgery, or rig the environment so someone else does your job for you entirely. The possibilities are endless. And with World of Assassination, you get all three most recent HITMAN games and every campaign mission bundled together.