Thick As Thieves was released for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on 20 May 2026. Developed by OtherSide Entertainment and published by Megabit Publishing, the game is a stealth-action heist experience built around careful movement, observation, gadgets and improvisation. It also arrives with notable genre heritage behind it, with Warren Spector and Paul Neurath associated with the project, two names strongly linked to immersive sim and stealth design through games such as Deus Ex and the Thief series. That background gives Thick As Thieves a clear identity from the outset, particularly for players drawn to games where planning, patience and player choice matter more than brute force.

The game is set in Kilcairn, an alternate-history 1910s Scottish city where magic and early technology have begun to collide. It is a fitting setting for a stealth game, placing players in shadowed streets, across rooftops and inside tightly guarded landmarks as a newly accepted member of the Thieves’ Guild. The premise is built around daring heists, valuable heirlooms and arcane secrets, with the city itself designed to feel like both an opportunity and a threat. Rather than treating stealth as a simple matter of staying out of sight, Thick As Thieves frames each job as a chance to study the environment, exploit openings and escape with the prize before the plan falls apart.

Players can take on the game alone or through online co-op, which is central to how its heists are presented. The experience is built around two playable thieves, The Spider and The Chameleon, each with their own talents and abilities. That gives players a choice in how they approach contracts, whether they prefer careful observation, route planning, misdirection or a more reactive style when things go wrong. In co-op, the same systems can create opportunities for teamwork, with one player distracting guards or manipulating the environment while the other moves in for the objective.

The structure is compact but replayable. Thick As Thieves features three mission types, 16 contracts and a four-hour campaign spread across two well-guarded landmarks in Kilcairn, with two dynamic and replayable maps forming the foundation of the experience. Rather than relying purely on length, the game is designed around changing conditions and repeated attempts. As players increase the difficulty from Novice to Master Thief, security layouts and guard configurations shift, creating different routes, risks and opportunities. That means the focus is less on memorising a single perfect path and more on learning how to adapt to the systems at work.

The tools available to each thief are a major part of that design. Players can use Slithersap to short-circuit security lights, Smoke Bombs to break line of sight and the Pickpocket Fairy to trigger switches from a distance. These gadgets give Thick As Thieves a playful but tactical edge, encouraging players to solve problems through stealth, distraction and subterfuge rather than direct confrontation. The best ideas in the game come from that sense of improvisation: using a tool at just the right moment, slipping past a patrol, recovering from a mistake or turning a failed plan into a narrow escape.

At the time of writing, Thick As Thieves has a Mixed rating on Steam, and its structure may help explain why the response has been divided. The premise, setting and stealth pedigree are strong, and the idea of a replayable co-op heist game set in an alternate-history Scottish city gives it a distinctive place in the genre. At the same time, the game’s introductory scale may not match what every player expects from those names and that premise. A four-hour campaign, two maps and 16 contracts can work if the replayable systems land well, but some players may naturally want a broader, longer or more traditional stealth adventure.

That does not make Thick As Thieves an uninteresting release. Its appeal is quite clear: it is a focused stealth sandbox about reading spaces, using gadgets, taking risks and finding creative ways through guarded locations. For players who enjoy repeating missions at higher difficulty, experimenting with different loadouts or working with a co-op partner, the compact structure may be part of the point. The changing guard layouts and security arrangements are designed to keep contracts from feeling identical each time, while the short-session format makes the game approachable for players who want stealth challenges without committing to lengthy missions.

Thick As Thieves is best understood as a concentrated introduction to a particular kind of heist fantasy. Its strengths lie in its atmosphere, Kilcairn setting, magical technology, Thieves’ Guild framing, co-op options and emphasis on improvisational stealth. Its more divided reception suggests it may not satisfy every player looking for a large-scale stealth epic, but for those interested in sneaking through guarded landmarks, experimenting with unusual tools and proving themselves one contract at a time, it offers a shadowy world of secrets, risks and carefully timed escapes.

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