Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 5 playedThe games in release order, which is the recommended play order. Original trilogy first, reboot after.
- 1 Thief: The Dark Project Start here. Includes Gold missions in modern releases.
- 2 Thief II: The Metal Age Direct sequel. Peak of the Looking Glass era.
- 3 Thief: Deadly Shadows Ion Storm sequel. Adds explorable City hubs between missions.
- 4 Thief Reboot in a separate continuity. Play after the originals.
- 5 Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow VR-only spinoff starring Magpie. Optional for non-VR players.
About Thief
Thief is a first-person stealth series starring the master thief Garrett, set in a gaslit fantasy City of nobles, pagans and machines. It runs from Looking Glass Studios' The Dark Project (1998) and The Metal Age (2000) through Ion Storm's Deadly Shadows (2004) to Eidos-Montreal's 2014 reboot. Newcomers should start with The Dark Project, ideally with the Gold version content included.
This play order follows release order. The first three games share one continuity. The 2014 game is a separate continuity reboot with a new Garrett, so play it after the originals. Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (2025) is a VR-only side story starring Magpie.
Good to know
Thief Gold (1999) adds three missions and fixes to The Dark Project; its content is in modern digital releases and in the announced remaster. The 2014 reboot keeps Garrett and the City but resets continuity, which is why reviews treat it separately. Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow launched December 4, 2025 for Steam VR, PS VR2 and Quest. Nightdive Studios announced Thief: The Dark Project Remastered in June 2026 with a Steam page live and no release date. No new mainline Thief has been announced.
