Missing Splinter Cell game mysteriously hits Steam, and it's one of the best

What I'd give for a new Splinter Cell game - even the upcoming remake of the original is shrouded in more shadows than Sam Fisher himself, with no news on when that'll arrive. Well, for PC players, Ubisoft has at least delivered an unexpected shot of nostalgia. Unless you have the physical discs, buying and playing 2004's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow on PC was a bit of an ordeal (through official platforms and storefronts, at least). Now though, one of the best-rated Splinter Cell games has appeared on Steam out of nowhere.

That early run of Splinter Cell games in the 2000s was truly special. The third game in the series, Chaos Theory, still retains a spot on our best stealth games list to this day, but its predecessor, Pandora Tomorrow, is just as gripping. The second-best-rated game in the series, per its 93 Metacritic score (just behind Chaos Theory on 94), it added the likes of laser sights, cover transitions on doorways, and the ability to whistle to attract enemy attention.

While most of the Splinter Cell games built for PC have had standalone listings on Steam for some time, Pandora Tomorrow has been an unusual outlier. However, that just changed. With very little fanfare, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow has arrived on Steam and is purchasable right away. It's also joined the recently rebranded Splinter Cell Legacy Collection, a bundle that now collates all six mainline games together.

While its addition is unexpected and surprising, it does coincide with the release of Splinter Cell Deathwatch, the new animated series that goes live on Netflix today, October 14. Clearly wanting a complete collection of all the Splinter Cell games ready and waiting for anyone that enjoys the Netflix series, Pandora Tomorrow was the missing puzzle piece that's been found just in time.

Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is available on Steam right now with a 40% introductory discount, making it just $5.99 / £5.39. However, if you don't own any games in the series on Steam already, might I recommend the Legacy Collection, which now features Pandora Tomorrow and is currently 75% off, costing $13.45 / £10.88. While some of the later games aren't quite as hot as the earlier ones, it's still a cracking deal for stealth fans.

For more all-time greats, check out our best old PC games list, which is packed with classics. While the shiny new Splinter Cell remake doesn't yet have a release window, we've collated some of the biggest upcoming PC games that do.

What's your favorite Splinter Cell game, or are you obsessed with a different stealthy series? Head to the PCGamesN Discord to share your thoughts with us.