Thief: Deadly Shadows

2004 Ion Storm Action

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxPlatinum

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 854

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 781

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

81%

2,449 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Thief: Deadly Shadows run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxPlatinum

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Platinum, runs perfectly out of the box.3

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Thief: Deadly Shadows lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Thief: Deadly Shadows running today

Install the fan-made Sneaky Upgrade, which fixes crashes and freezes when loading saves, the repeating intro movie on multi-core systems, and adds widescreen and ultrawide resolutions.
In the Sneaky Upgrade options, keep the frame rate at 100 or lower so lockpicking and ladders work correctly.
If movement feels jittery, add DXVK as PCGamingWiki describes.

Synopsis

The third Thief game, a first-person stealth game in which master thief Garrett sneaks through manors, crypts and city streets to steal valuables while avoiding guards. Between heists you roam a hub city, buy tools, and get pulled into a conflict between the city's factions. You can switch to a third-person view at any time.

Developer: Ion Storm
Released: 2004
Genre: Action
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics at release praised its atmosphere, lighting and stealth, and a 2014 Game Informer retrospective found the stealth and mood still held up. Longtime fans criticized the smaller levels split by loading zones and stiff movement. Players today mostly recommend it, but many Steam reviews say the game needs the fan-made Sneaky Upgrade to run well, and recent reviews still report ladder, lockpicking and resolution problems on the unmodded version.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
No content has been removed from the current release (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen and ultrawide resolutions need the Sneaky Upgrade fan patch (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
The PC version has no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
The unmodded game can freeze or crash when loading a save and can loop its intro movie on multi-core systems; the Sneaky Upgrade fixes both (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
The game has no controller support on PC, and a plugged-in controller can cause auto-walking or crash the key rebinding screen. Recent players describe Garrett's movement as stiff next to the earlier Thief games. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Widescreen, ultrawide and 4K resolutions are only available through the Sneaky Upgrade fan patch, so the unmodded game is limited to old aspect ratios. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Manual saves are allowed at any time and there is a one-slot quicksave, though the game has no autosave, so forgetting to save can cost progress. Source: steamcommunity.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
A short tutorial mission teaches stealth, lockpicking and tools before the main heists begin. Source: gameinformer.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Missions are cut into smaller zones separated by loading screens, which breaks up exploration; a fan mod exists to merge them back into single levels. Source: pcgamer.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
In first person, collision and movement feel imprecise, and recent players report having to retry ladders, climbs and lock interactions, sometimes spinning the camera to get them to work. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.