Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a stealth platformer developed by Sanzaru Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2013 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, it is the fourth main entry in the Sly Cooper series. The game follows Sly and his gang as they travel through different historical periods to restore the Thievius Raccoonus, which is being erased from existence. Players control Sly and various characters, each with unique abilities while completing stealth-based missions, platforming challenges, and puzzles. The game retains the series’ signature cel-shaded art style and humour while introducing new mechanics, including time-travelling settings and costumes with special abilities.

Sly Cooper was enjoying his relationship with Inspector Carmelita Fox, a relationship they were able to begin by Sly feigning amnesia, when Bentley showed up. Bentley explained to Sly that the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus were disappearing and that Penelope had also suddenly vanished simultaneously. Bentley was looking to re-form the Cooper Gang so that they could stop whomever was altering history. Sly soon met up with Bentley and Murray at their old hideout, where Bentley introduced them to the Time Machine. With this device integrated into the Cooper Van, the gang would be able to travel back in time and fix the past. Their first stop was Feudal Japan, but because the Time Machine required an item from that era, they would need to pull a heist to get the item in question. Their target was a nearby museum owned by a seemingly respectable art mogul, a museum that Sly had been keeping tabs on already.