Thief: Deadly Shadows is a stealth record game where the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief. It is set in a fantasy/steampunk planet resembling a thwart between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies interspersed.

One of the sport major new features was the ability to explore the City. Even as before games sent Garrett straight from mission to mission, Thief: Deadly Shadows allows him to walk the City streets between missions where he can steal from passersby, spy on the townspeople’s daily lives, and search for sidequests in addition to major tale missions. The game also introduced an ability to switch between initially and third person views, and to flatten against walls.