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2025 is shaping up to be the year of the heist co-op game, with multiple titles set to deliver thrilling, team-based capers.

The Big-Ticket Items

Kicking things off on PC is Monaco 2 which brings back the beloved cooperative stealth-action gameplay of its predecessor but enhances it with 3D graphics, procedurally generated heist locations, and improved AI. Players take on different roles, from a Locksmith to a Hacker, each with unique abilities crucial for executing the perfect heist. The game’s top-down perspective and strategic stealth mechanics ensure that teamwork remains at the heart of every mission.

Meanwhile, Contraband takes a different approach, offering an open-world smuggling adventure set in the 1970s. Developed by Avalanche Studios, known for Just Cause and Mad Max, the game promises vast environments where players plan elaborate heists and smuggling operations.

Though gameplay footage is still under wraps, the teaser suggests a high-stakes experience centred around moving contraband across borders while evading law enforcement. With its emphasis on vehicular gameplay, strategic planning, and co-op coordination, Contraband aims to deliver an action-packed take on the heist genre. While its release date remains unconfirmed, anticipation is high for what could be one of the most ambitious co-op heist games yet.

Elsewhere, Dark Hours, which was released in the winter of 2024 and has since received a major update this year, adds a supernatural twist to the genre, taking the classic heist formula and infusing it with horror elements.

Players, working as a team of thieves, break into an auction house, only to find themselves trapped with an otherworldly entity.

Dark Hours’ latest update introduces a casino environment for players to rob, alongside new items and cooperative minigames that deepen the heist experience.

The Enduring Thrill of a Heist

Heist missions have provided some of the most exhilarating moments in video games over the years.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a great example with a daring break-in at Konpeki Plaza, where V and Jackie attempt to steal a priceless relic, only for everything to spiral into chaos. Similarly, Mass Effect 2 delivers a thrilling infiltration sequence filled with puzzle-solving and deception. Rockstar Games has famously mastered the art of the heist game, with GTA V offering multiple standout missions, from the climactic “The Big Score” to the relentless shootout of “The Paleto Score,” where players fight off an army of cops before escaping by train.

The heist theme has also been firmly established in other areas of entertainment. As early as 1975 we had major Hollywood forerunners to the genre like Dog Day Afternoon, or Heat in 1995. Today, one of a host of heist-themed casino games, the Action Bank slot offers players the chance to crack a vault and discover the potential jackpot inside. The 20-payline, 5-reel slot, with its “big bank bonus”, invites players to take part in a heist to potentially win 500x their total stake. In addition, many popular escape rooms feature the theme such as Breakout Games’ Museum Heist.

Get Ready to Plan the Perfect Score

With 2025 bringing a wave of new heist games, the genre is more exciting than ever. From the strategic stealth of Monaco 2 to the open-world smuggling of Contraband and the supernatural tension of Dark Hours, there’s something for every aspiring mastermind.