- #1 Mothmen 1966
97% matchVery Positive91% of 320 reviews2022
Dev: LCB Game StudioPub: Chorus Worldwide Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 2.1 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Mothmen 1966 is a 'Pixel Pulp' - a visual novel fusing exceptional writing and stunning illustration, inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and 80s home computer graphics - set amongst the strange occurrences of the Leonid meteor shower of 1966.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 14.5%, Thriller 13.8%, Interactive Fiction 13.6%, Dialogue Heavy 12.6%, Visual Novel 9.8%
- #2 The Case of the Golden Idol
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 10,351 reviews2022
Dev: Color Gray GamesPub: Playstack
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.0 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 90%
A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.
Why similar: Detective 17%, Narrative 16.7% ★, Thriller 14.3%, Investigation 11.3%, Interactive Fiction 11.3%
- #3 Pentiment
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 9,325 reviews2022
Dev: Obsidian EntertainmentPub: Xbox Game Studios
Windows
Median: 5.2 hrsMean: 10.7 hrs≥1hr: 72%
Step into a living illustrated world in a time when Europe is at a crossroads of great religious and political change. Walk in the footsteps of Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself in the middle of murders, scandals, and intrigue in the Bavarian Alps.
Why similar: Narrative 19.3% ★, Interactive Fiction 15.4%, Detective 14.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 13.8%, Investigation 12.4%
- #4 Tails Noir
95% matchMixed67% of 3,409 reviews2021
Dev: EggnutPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 62%
Tails Noir is a post-noir narrative adventure. Become raccoon private eye Howard Lotor and explore dystopian Vancouver inhabited by animals as you uncover a deeply personal story of change and transformation.
Why similar: Narrative 22.7% ★, Detective 13.7%, Dialogue Heavy 12.2%, Interactive Fiction 11.4%, Visual Novel 8.8%
- #5 Urban Myth Dissolution Center
94% matchVery Positive88% of 5,930 reviews2025
Dev: HakababunkoPub: SHUEISHA GAMES
Windows
Median: 8.0 hrsMean: 9.9 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Join forces with the psychic Director of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and solve a variety of cases involving cursed relics, rental properties with shady histories, and dimensional anomalies. Monstrous oddities and otherworldly planes abound in this occult mystery adventure game!
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.4%, Detective 16.6%, Pixel Graphics 10.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10%, Mystery 9.9%
- #6 Blake: The Visual Novel
94% matchVery Positive90% of 62 reviews2021
Dev: Ori MeesPub: LegendOri Productions
Windows · Mac
Graphic Novel meets Visual Novel in this story-rich, choice-driven thriller. Experience Blake’s journey as he encounters a clandestine nemesis, sparking a series of events that force him to choose between losing his sanity or rising to the challenge. Make the right decisions and save New Stone.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 15.6%, Detective 14.9%, Interactive Fiction 14.8%, Thriller 13.6%, Dialogue Heavy 13%
- #7 Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure
93% matchVery Positive92% of 2,845 reviews2021
Dev: DigiTales InteractivePub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 4.9 hrs≥1hr: 76%
A murder. A hack. A bombing. All it takes to plunge the solar system into war – unless you do something about it. Help CDI agent Neil Conrad make a string of increasingly difficult decisions in this modern dialog-driven adventure set in a gorgeous 2D sci-fi noir universe.
Why similar: Thriller 17.2%, Detective 17.1%, Interactive Fiction 15%, Dialogue Heavy 14.8%, Investigation 9.3%
- #8 NORCO
92% matchVery Positive93% of 3,080 reviews2022
Dev: Geography of RobotsPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 5.6 hrs≥1hr: 65%
NORCO is a dialogue-focused point & click adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and industrial swamplands of an increasingly surreal and distorted South Louisiana.
Why similar: Investigation 24.6%, Pixel Graphics 16.7%, Mystery 16.4%, Story Rich 15.5%, Retro 8%
- #9 The Operator
91% matchVery Positive92% of 8,280 reviews2024
Dev: Bureau 81
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Welcome to the FDI. As our newest Operator, your role is to use your detective skills to assist our field agents and investigate mysterious crimes. Use cutting-edge FDI software to dig for clues, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth.
Why similar: Narrative 22.5% ★, Detective 18.9%, Thriller 17.2%, Investigation 12.7%, Interactive Fiction 7.1%
- #10 Radiolight
91% matchVery Positive92% of 411 reviews2025
Dev: Krystof KneslPub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows
Ashwood Creek, 1985. A child disappears without a trace. A local policeman is drawn into a national park, seeking the truth. Mysterious radio signals beckon him further and further. Investigate, survive and face the unknown in Radiolight— an '80s thriller by solo dev Krystof Knesl.
Why similar: Narrative 21.7% ★, Thriller 14.8%, Detective 12.3%, Interactive Fiction 10.4%, 1980s 10%
- #11 Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer
90% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 1,243 reviews2025
Dev: Clifftop GamesPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 9.1 hrsMean: 9.6 hrs≥1hr: 87%
In this point-and-click urban thriller, down-and-out private eye Kathy Rain will embark on her most dangerous case yet — the pursuit of the notorious serial killer known as the Soothsayer. Find clues, gather evidence, connect the dots, and confront the murderer before the hunter becomes the hunted…
Why similar: Detective 20%, Interactive Fiction 15.9%, Thriller 15.7%, Investigation 14.3%, Mystery 8.2%
- #12 The Occult Detective
89% matchMostly Positive71% of 326 reviews2025
Dev: Battlecry Studio
Windows
A narrative detective game blended with supernatural elements. Play as a rookie investigator, discover vital clues in every case, dive into unscripted interrogations and uncover truths that break minds. But with each revelation, the world feels... less human.
Why similar: Detective 33.8%, Visual Novel 25.8%, Story Rich 15.5%, Mystery 10.9%, 2D 5%
- #13 The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
89% matchVery Positive92% of 3,087 reviews2022
Dev: Cloak and Dagger GamesPub: Wadjet Eye Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 91%
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a folk horror narrative-driven adventure. Explore the isolated moors of rural Victorian England as you uncover the mysteries of Hob's Barrow. The answers lie in the soil...
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 23.1%, Thriller 19.3%, Pixel Graphics 14.3%, Investigation 10.5%, Mystery 9.1%
- #14 [Redacted] The Safehouse
87% matchVery Positive100% of 88 reviews2026
Dev: Heartbeast
Windows · Linux
You're a detective. Investigate the haunting events surrounding the murder of Ann Peterson and her boyfriend. Explore an old safehouse for clues, deduce keywords and reveal redacted words as you search Ann's digital journal, and piece together your case report as this unfortunate story unfolds.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.2%, Detective 27.7%, Investigation 17.8%, Story Rich 9.1%, Supernatural 7.6%
- #15 Suhoshin
88% matchVery Positive91% of 170 reviews2022
Dev: No More 500
Windows
Suhoshin is a 2D Visual Novel set in the medieval Joseon period of Korea. While investigating a series of mysterious murders, you will have to make choices that will lead you down different paths toward different endings.
Why similar: Thriller 16.9%, Visual Novel 12.5%, Interactive Fiction 11.3%, Detective 10.7%, Dialogue Heavy 10%
- #16 Neon Hearts City
86% matchVery Positive85% of 53 reviews2025
Dev: Cosmic VoidPub: Dionous Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
A private investigator, tracking a missing person, uncovers a conspiracy between humans and androids and a secret that could change everything. Neon Hearts City is a retro point-and-click adventure that thrusts you into a grungy cyberpunk city of the future.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 24.1%, Detective 23.7%, Investigation 15.7%, Pixel Graphics 10.4%, Story Rich 7.8%
- #17 Whispers of Prague: The Executioner's Last Cut
86% matchVery Positive94% of 50 reviews2024
Dev: Shader Mess
Windows
Classic first-person point-and-click adventure game set in contemporary Prague. As a programmer and treasure hunter, you embark on a long journey to uncover the secrets of the infamous Executioner. Your task will be complicated by a sect of fanatic cultists and your own unexplained heritage.
Why similar: Choices Matter 17%, Thriller 14.4%, Investigation 12.8%, Mystery 12.5%, Story Rich 12.3%
- #18 Tails Noir Preludes
85% matchVery Positive92% of 300 reviews2023
Dev: EggnutPub: Raw Fury
Windows
Tails Noir Preludes is a post-noir narrative adventure with branching choices. It is an intertwined series of vignettes about change, circumstance, and consequence. Guide four characters through formative moments in their lives in a dystopian Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals.
Why similar: Dialogue Heavy 19.7%, Narrative 16% ★, Visual Novel 13.9%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, Detective 12.3%
- #19 Burden Street Station
83% matchVery Positive95% of 111 reviews2026
Dev: IODINEPub: CRITICAL REFLEX
Windows
A surreal, narrative adventure game where you shapeshift during conversations to uncover how God went missing.
Why similar: Detective 22.8%, Interactive Fiction 18.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14%, Investigation 11.2%, Choices Matter 10.6%
- #20 Tron: Identity
84% matchMostly Positive79% of 292 reviews2023
Dev: Bithell Games
Windows · Mac
Something has been taken. Enter a new Grid and forge alliances via visual novel gameplay, uncovering truths through Identity Disc puzzles. Make critical decisions and plot your own course in a world without a creator.
Why similar: Detective 23.5%, Choose Your Own Adventure 18.3%, Visual Novel 16.4%, Choices Matter 11.6%, Mystery 8.7%
- #21 Saint Kotar
84% matchMostly Positive75% of 280 reviews2021
Dev: The-Mark EntertainmentPub: SOEDESCO
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 6.1 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Saint Kotar is a psychological horror detective game set in a cursed valley in rural Croatia. Investigate the disappearance of your relative in the occult-ridden town of Sveti Kotar as you switch between conflicting realities through the eyes of two godly men.
Why similar: Detective 22.8%, Interactive Fiction 18.1%, Thriller 14%, Choices Matter 11.5%, Visual Novel 11.2%
- #22 Tangle Tower
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 6,076 reviews2019
Dev: SFB Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Unravel a thrilling mystery by exploring a strange and twisted mansion, discovering curious clues, interrogating peculiar suspects and solving unique puzzles. Will you be able to uncover the secrets of Tangle Tower?
Why similar: Detective 33.1%, Dialogue Heavy 18.2%, Visual Novel 15.7%, Story Rich 8.5%, Mystery 8.5%
- #23 Death Trick: Double Blind
82% matchVery Positive87% of 275 reviews2024
Dev: Citreat StudioPub: Neon Doctrine
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 81%
The star magician of Morgan’s Traveling Circus is missing, but the show must go on! In this non-linear detective visual novel, unravel the mystery from two different perspectives as you learn the varying stories of an entire circus of performers, each with their own lives... and their own secrets.
Why similar: Detective 15.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15.1%, Interactive Fiction 14.5%, Dialogue Heavy 13.4%, Visual Novel 10.6%
- #24 Lost Wiki: Kozlovka
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,076 reviews2026
Dev: yattytheman
Windows · Linux
Explore a wikipedia-like database and solve a small town mystery in Eastern Europe. Step into the shoes of a journalist in the 90s as you sprawl through articles and uncover the secrets that have been laid in front of you.
Why similar: Detective 25%, Thriller 17.7%, Investigation 16.1%, Interactive Fiction 15.3%, Mystery 11.3%
- #25 Unavowed
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,565 reviews2018
Dev: Wadjet Eye Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A demon has possessed you and used your body to tear a swath of bloodshed through New York. You are now free, but life as you knew it is over. Your only path forward is joining the Unavowed - an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil. No matter what the cost.
Why similar: Detective 23.9%, Story Rich 13.6%, Choices Matter 12.3%, Supernatural 11.9%, Pixel Graphics 11.6%
- #26 Silicon Dreams | cyberpunk interrogation
80% matchVery Positive94% of 255 reviews2021
Dev: James PattonPub: Clockwork Bird
Windows · Mac · Linux
It’s 2065, and you are an interrogator-model android tasked with rooting out deviants among your own kind. You must probe for lies, monitor and exploit emotional spikes, earn the trust of your subjects, and make the final call: release, or destroy?
Why similar: Dialogue Heavy 23.6%, Detective 19%, Investigation 18%, Choices Matter 14.4%, Visual Novel 10.8%
- #27 Unusual Findings
79% matchVery Positive90% of 561 reviews2022
Dev: Epic Llama GamesPub: ESDigital Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 6.1 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Three friends uncover mysteries in the 1980s. Follow their amazing adventures in a game where your decisions really matter. Be prepared to spin like a record on your incredible journey back to the era of synthesizers, VHS Rental stores, 8 bits games and evil alien conspiracies.
Why similar: Dialogue Heavy 30.9%, Choices Matter 20%, Pixel Graphics 13.1%, Story Rich 12.4%, Mystery 11.9%
- #28 Interrogation Simulator
79% matchVery Positive95% of 61 reviews2022
Dev: Otis MillerPub: Fire Cycle Games
Windows · Linux
Inspired by JCS videos and similar Interrogation analysis. Match evidence with statements. Play good cop/bad cop. Make choices. Learn what makes people tick. Unravel the mystery.
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 22.2%, Interactive Fiction 20.9%, Dialogue Heavy 16.6%, Visual Novel 14.8%, Investigation 14.6%
- #29 A Case of Distrust
81% matchVery Positive82% of 607 reviews2018
Dev: An Open Ben
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
A Case of Distrust is a narrative mystery from 1924 San Francisco. Play as private investigator Phyllis Cadence Malone in this historical 2D adventure game.
Why similar: Narrative 17.3% ★, Detective 15.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14.7%, Interactive Fiction 14%, Visual Novel 10.2%
- #30 The Narcotic Operation
76% matchVery Positive88% of 515 reviews2025
Dev: Beijing Kuailai Technology Co., Ltd.
Windows
Step into the role of a shadowed undercover police officer in Dark Eyes, brave an area dominated by vice and crime, where allies and enemies blur. Every smirk, tear, and lie tightens the web of deceit—will you destroy the empire or lose yourself in its shadows?
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 27.7%, Visual Novel 20.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 16.8%, Story Rich 11.8%, Mystery 11.2%
- #31 YOUR HOUSE
77% matchVery Positive87% of 69 reviews2025
Dev: PATRONES & ESCONDITES
Windows · Mac
A narrative puzzle-thriller that blurs the lines between games and books, reality and fiction, puzzles and storytelling.
Why similar: Thriller 20.8%, Detective 18.8%, Interactive Fiction 13.7%, Investigation 12.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.3%
- #32 Heaven Does Not Respond
75% matchVery Positive91% of 438 reviews2026
Dev: Rise Studios
Windows
Heaven Does Not Respond is a psychological and analog horror game set in an alternate 2005 timeline. Play as an intelligence agent, exploring a retro computer interface to decipher secret files, watch mysterious videos, and uncover the dark secrets behind a young man's death.
Why similar: Detective 22.1%, Dialogue Heavy 17.1%, Investigation 16.1%, Interactive Fiction 15.8%, Choices Matter 10.9%
- #33 Subsurface Circular
78% matchVery Positive94% of 1,931 reviews2017
Dev: Bithell Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 2.7 hrs≥1hr: 69%
When the truth is buried, go underground. Step into this new take on text-based adventure from the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume. A short story that hands you the fate of the world above, as a detective looking for answers on the Subsurface Circular.
Why similar: Detective 22.3%, Dialogue Heavy 18.9%, Visual Novel 15.5%, Investigation 15.3%, Choices Matter 11.1%
- #34 Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders
77% matchVery Positive89% of 1,277 reviews2019
Dev: Nupixo Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 96%
A thrilling point-and-click adventure game where you play as Di Renjie, ancient China's most famous and gifted investigator, as he tracks a serial killer in the heart of the Tang Dynasty's capital city.
Why similar: Narrative 22.9% ★, Detective 13.7%, Interactive Fiction 12.4%, Dialogue Heavy 12.4%, Thriller 9.7%
- #35 No Questions Asked
76% matchVery Positive94% of 83 reviews2023
Dev: Troubadour Collective
Windows
A neo-noir point&click thriller about a delivery service for illegal goods. Play as a Courier who—after hours—has to solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance. Visit various locations, collect clues, navigate branching dialogue options, and hurry as time is not on your side.
Why similar: Detective 22.7%, Thriller 22.2%, Investigation 14.7%, Interactive Fiction 11.4%, Mystery 8.3%
- #36 LumineNight
73% matchVery Positive89% of 510 reviews2024
Dev: Spickasoft
Windows
LumineNight is a story-driven detective adventure. Play as Detective Foster and his daughter to solve a series of murders spanning a decade. Interrogate suspects, infiltrate locations, solve puzzles, and gather evidence from crime scenes. Uncover the dark truth behind these killings.
Why similar: Detective 33.1%, Visual Novel 18.9%, Mystery 12.5%, Investigation 12.4%, Story Rich 12%
- #37 DIGITAL EXORCIST case_(0);
74% matchVery Positive94% of 162 reviews2023
Dev: COOL BEANS PRODUCTIONSPub: HYPER REAL
Windows
Step into a dark world where cyberdemons haunt humankind. When mutilated bodies start appearing all over this sleepy town in the Mississippi inaka, Sawyer, ex-AGENCY operative; now unemployed shut-in, must exorcise the demon perpetrator in this story-rich, PC-98 style adventure game.
Why similar: Detective 25.8%, Visual Novel 19%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15.5%, Interactive Fiction 13.3%, Story Rich 10.2%
- #38 The Devilry Reservation
74% matchVery Positive93% of 85 reviews2023
Dev: GentFish
Windows · Mac · Linux
Step into the role of a faceless detective investigating creatures from Slavic folklore. Explore dialogue-driven mysteries, solve puzzles, and uncover post-Soviet occult secrets in a pixel art housing block full of bizarre residents and hidden truths
Why similar: Detective 27.2%, Pixel Graphics 18.9%, Interactive Fiction 17.9%, Story Rich 16.5%, 2D 7.6%
- #39 Interrogation: You will be deceived
75% matchMostly Positive78% of 375 reviews2019
Dev: Critique GamingPub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 92%
As a detective tasked with bringing down a dangerous terrorist group, you fight on two fronts: interrogating suspects & managing your team and its reputation. With time running out, how far will you go to stop these criminals? Manipulation, threats or even torture? Does the end justify the means?
Why similar: Detective 28.7%, Interactive Fiction 19.6%, Visual Novel 16%, Choices Matter 13.8%, Story Rich 10.1%
- #40 Kathy Rain: Director's Cut
73% matchVery Positive93% of 1,427 reviews2021
Dev: Clifftop GamesPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 74%
The award-winning point-and-click adventure returns in the Director's Cut with an extended story, additional puzzles, and new areas to explore. Witness the rise of an iconic detective as you uncover a dark and sinister truth hiding behind the calm exterior of a small rural town.
Why similar: Detective 22.2%, Narrative 20.6% ★, Investigation 13.9%, Visual Novel 10.1%, Pixel Graphics 8.9%
- #41 Betrayal At Club Low
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 571 reviews2022
Dev: Cosmo D Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 2.5 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Tonight you're on a rescue mission, infiltrating a nightclub that was once a coffin factory. Will you succeed? Will you fail? Or will your night take an unexpected detour? Roll the Pizza Dice and find out!
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 30.3%, Detective 30.1%, Dialogue Heavy 25.4%, Choices Matter 14.2%
- #42 The Isle Tide Hotel
73% matchMixed65% of 264 reviews2023
Dev: Wales Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Explore a mysterious hotel and infiltrate a cult in this FMV detective game, featuring a cast from GoT, The Witcher, and more. Every decision counts as you gather clues and question guests. Can you unearth the ominous secrets at The Isle Tide Hotel before it's too late to save your missing daughter?
Why similar: Choose Your Own Adventure 18.2%, Interactive Fiction 17.7%, Detective 15.4%, Thriller 12.6%, Visual Novel 11.7%
- #43 Backspace Backspace Backspace
70% matchVery Positive97% of 60 reviews2024
Dev: Blue Tango Street
Windows · Mac
In an AI-powered age where original authors have become largely redundant, play as a dejected writer on the brink of losing their creative drive forever.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.3%, Interactive Fiction 22%, Narrative 17.7% ★, Story Rich 9.5%, Choices Matter 7.4%
- #44 Casebook 1899 - The Leipzig Murders
69% matchVery Positive87% of 104 reviews2025
Dev: Homo Narrans Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Play as a sharp-witted detective in late 19th-century Leipzig, Germany, in this retro pixel-art point & click adventure. Search for clues, question suspects, and piece together evidence on your deduction board to solve four gripping murder cases.
Why similar: Detective 31.3%, Investigation 19.8%, Pixel Graphics 13.3%, Choices Matter 12.6%, Story Rich 8.3%
- #45 Omen Exitio: Plague
72% matchVery Positive85% of 626 reviews2018
Dev: Tiny Bull Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Investigate a paranormal disease that threatens to eradicate humanity in this unsettling Lovecraftian adventure, inspired by the choose-your-own-adventure gamebooks of the 80s and 90s. Your choices will determine the story, your character’s destiny… and the future of humanity.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 25.1%, Visual Novel 17.2%, Choices Matter 15%, Story Rich 10.8%
- #46 RE:CALL
71% matchVery Positive87% of 79 reviews2023
Dev: maitan69Pub: Whitethorn Games
Windows
Memories are malleable and changing them will modify the present. Tackle mind-bending puzzles that rely on altering your own recollections to shape the future.
Why similar: Detective 19.3%, Narrative 17.8% ★, Thriller 17.3%, Dialogue Heavy 16.5%, Choices Matter 9.5%
- #47 Dry Drowning
72% matchVery Positive81% of 512 reviews2019
Dev: Studio VPub: Leonardo Interactive
Windows
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 8.9 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Dry Drowning is a psychological investigative visual novel set in a futuristic dystopian city. Follow the story of Mordred Foley, unscrupulous private detective haunted by his dark past, and look into a series of macabre serial killings inspired by Greek mythology.
Why similar: Thriller 17.4%, Detective 14.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 12.8%, Visual Novel 11.5%
- #48 The Murder Hotel
68% matchVery Positive95% of 64 reviews2025
Dev: Wegenbartho Games
Windows
Interrogate suspects, search for clues, & uncover a dastardly plot, as you solve a string of mystifying murders to help reluctant detective Ilmarinen escape the foreboding Fafnir Hotel.
Why similar: Detective 25.6%, Visual Novel 18.3%, Thriller 15%, Interactive Fiction 14.9%, Mystery 10.5%
- #49 Mohism: Battle of Words
70% matchMostly Positive78% of 607 reviews2023
Dev: 玄镜工作室Pub: Yooreka Studio
Windows
Mohism: Battle of Words is a detective game set in the world of wuxia. The game follows Zhang Xiaochen, investigates unsolved cases and comes into his own as a hero. He must rely on his wits and razor-sharp tongue to best his opponents, find the culprit and ensure justice prevails!
Why similar: Detective 23%, Dialogue Heavy 21.4%, Visual Novel 17.7%, Investigation 13.3%, Story Rich 8.2%
- #50 Deluded I
71% matchMostly Positive75% of 54 reviews2021
Dev: New IDEA Games
Windows
A worn out detective with his demons to fight and a homicide case to solve. Deluded is an interactive crime thriller movie with point-and-click investigation and adrenaline pumped quick time events.
Why similar: Thriller 21.5%, Detective 19.6%, Interactive Fiction 16%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14.6%, Investigation 13.1%
- #51 The Roottrees are Dead
65% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 8,392 reviews2025
Dev: Evil Trout Inc.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.9 hrsMean: 9.8 hrs≥1hr: 89%
A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.
Why similar: Detective 37.7%, Investigation 18.1%, Mystery 14.3%, Interactive Fiction 12.9%, Story Rich 8.7%
- #52 Unforeseen Incidents
70% matchVery Positive88% of 1,051 reviews2018
Dev: Backwoods EntertainmentPub: Application Systems Heidelberg
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Unforeseen Incidents is a classical style interactive mystery set in a beautifully hand-painted world. Join Harper Pendrell and experience a challenging investigation, smart dialog and a rich cast of characters in this thrilling new adventure game.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 32.6%, Detective 24.8%, Story Rich 14.5%, Mystery 13.5%, 2D 7.4%
- #53 Let Bions Be Bygones
69% matchMostly Positive73% of 122 reviews2024
Dev: Bohemian PulpPub: MicroProse Software
Windows
Having lost everything, a retired, hardboiled detective, John Cooper, must take his last case to find a missing upper-class girl among the lowest parts of the dystopian city-planet Terrahive. Choose your unique path in this atmospheric narrative future-noir thriller.
Why similar: Detective 21.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 21.6%, Interactive Fiction 20.8%, Choices Matter 10.5%, Story Rich 7.3%
- #54 Between Horizons – A Sci-Fi Detective Adventure
67% matchVery Positive88% of 502 reviews2024
Dev: DigiTales InteractivePub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 67%
Between Horizons is a narrative 2.5D sci-fi detective adventure. 33 years into the Zephyr's journey, its mission is suddenly jeopardized. Can you find the culprit before it's too late? Experience an enthralling story set in a semi-open world that branches and ends based on your choices.
Why similar: Detective 21.3%, Dialogue Heavy 18.3%, Interactive Fiction 17.9%, Investigation 14.1%, Choices Matter 10.1%
- #55 The Drifter
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 4,432 reviews2025
Dev: Powerhoof
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.7 hrsMean: 6.9 hrs≥1hr: 85%
A Pulp Adventure Thriller - A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point 'n click thrill-ride.
Why similar: Thriller 29.5%, Investigation 18.4%, Pixel Graphics 11.3%, Story Rich 10.4%, Mystery 10.4%
- #56 Daemonologie
66% matchVery Positive90% of 669 reviews2024
Dev: KatanalevyPub: Oro Interactive
Windows
Median: 36 minMean: 1.6 hrs≥1hr: 21%
A short folk horror story about the Scottish witch trials. You play the role of a witch finder. Speak to the locals and sort their truths from their lies. On the last morning a witch must hang, best you know who by then.
Why similar: Detective 21.6%, Interactive Fiction 17.8%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Investigation 11.6%, Choices Matter 11%
- #57 Detective Grimoire
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,355 reviews2014
Dev: SFB Games
Windows
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Detective Grimoire has been called to investigate a murder. The owner of a small tourist attraction, seemingly killed by the mythical creature his attraction is based around... Explore the area, inspect the crime scene, grill suspects, solve puzzles, hunt for clues & uncover the secret of the swamp!
Why similar: Detective 24.8%, Dialogue Heavy 20.7%, Visual Novel 16.2%, Investigation 11.8%, Story Rich 7.9%
- #58 Roadwarden
66% matchVery Positive94% of 4,990 reviews2022
Dev: Moral Anxiety StudioPub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.2 hrsMean: 7.5 hrs≥1hr: 54%
Roadwarden is an illustrated text-based RPG that uses isometric pixel art and combines mechanics borrowed from RPGs, Visual Novels, adventure games and interactive fiction.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 23.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 20.8%, Pixel Graphics 12.1%, Visual Novel 10.1%, Story Rich 9%
- #59 Lamplight City
68% matchVery Positive90% of 844 reviews2018
Dev: Grundislav GamesPub: Application Systems Heidelberg
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 7.4 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A steampunk-ish detective adventure from the creator of A Golden Wake and Shardlight! Can you help private investigator Miles Fordham find justice for his clients and track down his partner's killer before his entire world comes apart?
Why similar: Detective 26.4%, Interactive Fiction 14.8%, Choose Your Own Adventure 13.5%, Mystery 10.3%, Story Rich 7.8%
- #60 TOBOR
67% matchVery Positive94% of 88 reviews2023
Dev: Cogoo
Windows · Mac
A psychological surveillance adventure. Observe 16 real-time CCTV feeds as TOBOR, a spy unit uncovering secrets in a dystopian bunker. Monitor suspects, collect evidence, and choose who survives. Multiple endings.
Why similar: Detective 17.9%, Interactive Fiction 17.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14.9%, Visual Novel 12.1%, Investigation 12%