- #1 Long Live The Queen
97% matchVery Positive95% of 7,162 reviews2013
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Rule the world or die trying!Being a Princess is not an easy job. Being a Queen is even harder. Especially when you're only fourteen years old, and the reason you've inherited the throne is that your royal mother has just met an untimely end.Now power is up for grabs.
Why similar: Female Protagonist 25.6%, Difficult 20.9%, Visual Novel 16.6%, Strategy 9.5%, RPG 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: Like Black Closet, this game features high-stakes management and difficult decision-making where failure is a constant threat to your character's survival.
- #2 GNOSIA
96% matchVery Positive94% of 5,092 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 15.3 hrs≥1hr: 91%
The Gnosia lie. Pretending to be human, they’ll get in close, trick and deceive, and then eliminate one victim at a time...
Why similar: Detective 28.8%, LGBTQ+ 27.1%, Mystery 13.5%, Story Rich 10.2%, Visual Novel 10%
Why You'll Like It: This game perfectly captures the traitor-hunting and social deduction elements found in Black Closet within a visual novel framework.
- #3 Night Cascades
96% matchVery Positive92% of 221 reviews2022
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
The city is on fire, and the Devil is to blame - or is it? Two women must solve an occult-themed mystery set in an alternate 1980s while unraveling the secrets of their past. Hunt for clues and interrogate suspects in this interactive yuri visual novel.
Why similar: Noir 21.5%, Detective 19.4%, LGBTQ+ 18.3%, Romance 12.5%, Female Protagonist 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: A detective-focused visual novel that incorporates LGBTQ themes and a strong sense of noir atmosphere.
- #4 This Bed We Made
95% matchVery Positive91% of 3,323 reviews2023
Dev: Lowbirth Games
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 86%
This Bed We Made is a third-person mystery game in which you play as a maid in a 1950s hotel and snoop around strangers' rooms to uncover their deadly secrets. Discover what links guests together in this tale of love, heartbreak and murder!
Why similar: Noir 22.7%, LGBTQ+ 17.6%, Detective 16.6%, Investigation 13.3%, Female Protagonist 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: This mystery game focuses on investigative work and character-driven narratives with strong LGBTQ representation.
- #5 Interrogation: You will be deceived
94% matchMostly Positive78% of 382 reviews2019
Dev: Critique GamingPub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 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: Noir 33.8%, Detective 28.7%, Choices Matter 10.7%, Management 10.3%, Story Rich 7%
Why You'll Like It: This noir-inspired detective game emphasizes difficult choices and psychological manipulation during investigations.
- #6 Royal Alchemist
94% matchVery Positive93% of 323 reviews2020
Dev: Nifty VisualsPub: Nifty Productions
Windows · Mac · Linux
Intrigue, betrayal, deaths! An Otome / BxB survival Raising Simulation in a high-fantasy royal court setting with RPG elements.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 28.7%, Romance 16.7%, Female Protagonist 11.7%, RPG 10.6%, Strategy 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: It shares the strategy and RPG elements of Black Closet while focusing on complex character relationships and narrative choices.
- #7 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
93% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 38,237 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.9 hrsMean: 22.9 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Investigate murders, search for clues and talk to your classmates to prepare for trial. There, you'll engage in deadly wordplay, going back and forth with suspects. Dissect their statements and fire their words back at them to expose their lies! There's only one way to survive—pull the trigger.
Why similar: Detective 53.6%, Mystery 19.5%, Visual Novel 13.4%, Story Rich 11.5%, Singleplayer 2%
Why You'll Like It: It features a high-stakes mystery set within a school environment where social deduction and uncovering the truth are essential for survival.
- #8 Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority-
91% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 4,394 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.9 hrsMean: 13.6 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority- is a multi-ending horror adventure game. Sara Chidouin returns home from school late one night to discover that something's gone terribly wrong. When she comes to, she finds herself, her friend Joe, and 9 other people trapped in a mysterious place.
Why similar: Female Protagonist 44%, Mystery 29.3%, Story Rich 16.1%, 2D 6%, Singleplayer 4.6%
Why You'll Like It: This title combines a tense school-like setting with social deduction and high-stakes mystery mechanics.
- #9 Mask of the Rose
92% matchMostly Positive76% of 401 reviews2023
Dev: Failbetter Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
A marvellous romance with a hint of murder, where every playthrough is different! Seek love, friendship, or more... intimate encounters. Help a murdered man find justice. And watch out for the bats.
Why similar: Detective 26.2%, LGBTQ+ 22.5%, Romance 15.9%, Investigation 12.1%, Choices Matter 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: It blends detective investigation with romance and visual novel elements in a way that mirrors the social complexity of Black Closet.
- #10 SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair
91% matchVery Positive91% of 128 reviews2016
Dev: Gosatsu Visual Novels
Windows · Mac · Linux
A secluded mountain resort, 10 friends, 1 murderer. Investigate, interrogate and present evidence as you solve various mysteries throughout the night. Will you be able to reach the truth and uncover the culprit’s identity? Or will your deductions lead you to blame someone completely innocent...?
Why similar: Detective 28.8%, Investigation 19.2%, LGBTQ+ 17.7%, Female Protagonist 10.8%, Mystery 10.2%
Why You'll Like It: This visual novel focuses on deep investigation and mystery-solving in a high-tension social environment.
- #11 Wintermoor Tactics Club
90% matchVery Positive88% of 649 reviews2020
Dev: EVC GamesPub: Versus Evil
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 6.0 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Wintermoor Tactics Club is a story about surviving high school, with gameplay inspired by tactics RPGs and visual novels.
Why similar: Turn-Based 21.6%, Female Protagonist 21.2%, Mystery 11.8%, RPG 11.5%, Strategy 11%
Why You'll Like It: It features a school-based setting combined with tactical RPG elements and a visual novel style narrative.
- #12 Lucifer Within Us
89% matchMostly Positive74% of 764 reviews2020
Dev: Kitfox Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Solve 3 increasingly intricate murders by examining the evidence -- find the motive, the means, and the opportunity. Use testimonies of the suspects as evidence by examining every detail for contradictions... and signs of sin. Purify the possessed. Purge the daemons.
Why similar: Noir 28.9%, Detective 27.6%, Investigation 19.2%, Female Protagonist 12.2%, Mystery 6.7%
Why You'll Like It: This experimental detective game focuses on reconstructing events and identifying the truth behind complex mysteries.
- #13 Murder Mystery Machine
89% matchMixed55% of 179 reviews2021
Dev: Blazing GriffinPub: Microids
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Join the District Crime Agency in this isometric, modern noir deduction thriller. Explore crime scenes in complex dioramas, organize your evidence effectively, and blur the lines between right and wrong to present your case. Do you have what it takes to be a real detective?
Why similar: Detective 32.9%, Noir 31.9%, Strategy 9.6%, Mystery 9.1%, Female Protagonist 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: A detective game that uses strategy and investigation to piece together complex crime scenes.
- #14 Rough Justice: '84
88% matchMostly Positive75% of 109 reviews2023
Dev: Gamma MinusPub: Daedalic Entertainment
Windows
Median: 4.8 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Do what it takes to make your fledgling security agency thrive in this 80s noir crime bustin', dirty crossing, vengeance-seeking board game inspired strategy game with dice and cards.
Why similar: Noir 27.6%, Detective 22.5%, Investigation 19.6%, Management 9.1%, Strategy 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: It incorporates time-management and investigative mechanics that require strategic planning to succeed.
- #15 Methods: The Detective Competition
87% matchVery Positive91% of 754 reviews2020
Dev: LockedOn GamesPub: Erabit
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 6.2 hrs≥1hr: 84%
One hundred detectives compete against each other in a crime-solving competition.
Why similar: Detective 25.3%, LGBTQ+ 21%, Investigation 17.1%, Female Protagonist 11.6%, Mystery 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: It provides a focused detective experience where players must solve mysteries through careful observation and deduction.
- #16 Paper Perjury
86% matchVery Positive89% of 228 reviews2024
Dev: Paper Cat Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
It all started with a simple robbery. When that thread was pulled, a tapestry of mysteries was revealed. Solve cases and outsmart criminals in a detective story full of lies, confessions, and maybe even a murder or two.
Why similar: Detective 34.1%, Investigation 20.3%, Female Protagonist 15.3%, Mystery 10.1%, Story Rich 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: A detective visual novel that centers on investigative work and uncovering scandals, much like the core gameplay loop of Black Closet.
- #17 Royal Order
86% matchVery Positive91% of 137 reviews2024
Dev: Nifty VisualsPub: Nifty Productions
Windows · Mac · Linux
Intrigue, betrayal, deaths! A LGBT+ survival Raising Simulation in a high-fantasy royal court setting with RPG elements.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 39.4%, RPG 16.3%, Management 13.3%, Visual Novel 12.9%, Simulation 7%
Why You'll Like It: A simulation-heavy visual novel that focuses on time management and dating-sim mechanics.
- #18 The Chrono Jotter
84% matchVery Positive94% of 2,261 reviews2021
Dev: Orca LayoutPub: 2P Games
Windows
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 9.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Rewind time to save your girlfriend in a twisted high school death game. A gripping yuri visual novel: Investigate brutal murders, unravel psychological horrors, and fight for a forbidden love that defies death itself.
Why similar: Detective 29.4%, LGBTQ+ 27.4%, Female Protagonist 15.8%, Mystery 10.2%, Story Rich 8%
Why You'll Like It: This visual novel features strong LGBTQ themes and a mystery-focused narrative that rewards careful investigation.
- #19 Best Served Cold
84% matchVery Positive88% of 727 reviews2025
Dev: Rogueside
Windows · Mac
Can you mix a cocktail while eye-to-eye with a criminal? Find out in Best Served Cold, a murder mystery set in a bustling speakeasy where you serve customers, make friends and enemies, and solve crimes. At the Nightcap bar, prohibition is a killer… and so are some of your customers!
Why similar: Detective 30%, Investigation 16.3%, LGBTQ+ 12.6%, Choices Matter 10.9%, Romance 7.4%
Why You'll Like It: A visual novel that prioritizes conversation and choices, mirroring the social strategy aspects of Black Closet.
- #20 Lockheart Indigo
85% matchVery Positive97% of 140 reviews2020
Dev: Fangsoft
Windows
A private-eye must deceive a rich family into revealing their darkest secrets, before the killer amongst them silences everyone.
Why similar: Noir 36.5%, Detective 30%, Investigation 13.5%, RPG 9.4%, Mystery 7.4%
Why You'll Like It: A noir-inspired detective RPG that emphasizes atmosphere and investigative gameplay.
- #21 Citizen Sleeper
82% matchVery Positive92% of 10,481 reviews2022
Dev: Jump Over The AgePub: Fellow Traveller
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism. Live the life of an escaped worker, washed-up on a lawless station at the edge of an interstellar society. Inspired by the flexibility and freedom of TTRPGs, explore the station, choose your friends, escape your past and change your future.
Why similar: RPG 48.1%, Story Rich 43.3%, Indie 8.6%
Why You'll Like It: This RPG features deep resource management and narrative-driven choices that explore complex social and personal themes.
- #22 The Case of the Golden Idol
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 10,922 reviews2022
Dev: Color Gray GamesPub: Playstack
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 6.9 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 38.2%, Investigation 25.4%, Mystery 14.7%, Choices Matter 9.3%, Story Rich 7.8%
Why You'll Like It: A pure detective experience that challenges players to solve complex mysteries through observation and deduction.
- #23 Pixel Noir
83% matchMostly Positive71% of 91 reviews2024
Dev: SWDTech Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Untangle a gripping conspiracy in this noir-influenced mystery, laced with classic RPG elements. Navigate seedy streets to collect clues, upgrade skills and customize weapons. Brawl in turn-based combat with timed hits & combos, to reveal the dark truth that plagues the city’s core and your sanity.
Why similar: Noir 28.7%, Detective 25%, Turn-Based 17.1%, Mystery 8.6%, RPG 8.2%
Why You'll Like It: It combines classic RPG elements with a gritty detective story and noir aesthetic.
- #24 Lady in Mystery
82% matchVery Positive94% of 168 reviews2021
Dev: nolsoft
Windows
Welcome to a small detective agency in old Seoul. Lady in Mystery is a Yuri mystery visual novel set in 18th-century Joseon. Choose one of four women to grow closest to Heesoo, the disguised detective. Your choices may lead to love, revenge, or darker paths than you imagined.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 25.8%, Romance 17%, Female Protagonist 14.2%, Mystery 9.8%, Investigation 9.8%
Why You'll Like It: This visual novel focuses on detective work and romance, featuring a female protagonist and LGBTQ themes.
- #25 Magical Girl Witch Trials
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 33,789 reviews2025
Dev: AcaciaPub: Re,AER
Windows · Mac
Median: 16.0 hrsMean: 36.7 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Thirteen girls awaken, only to find themselves in a prison. What awaits them: a Witch Trial. Help them prepare for the trial by exploring the prison in order to find the witch hidden amongst them. Find the witch, learn what kind of magic she holds, dispel the lies, and prepare for the execution.
Why similar: Detective 23.6%, LGBTQ+ 16.9%, Female Protagonist 16.6%, Gothic 12.4% ★, Visual Novel 8.7%
- #26 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 38,654 reviews2016
Dev: Sukeban GamesPub: Ysbryd Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 31.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a booze em' up about waifus, technology, and post-dystopia life.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 34.1%, Female Protagonist 21.5%, Choices Matter 14.3%, Story Rich 11.5%, Visual Novel 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: It focuses on social interaction and narrative discovery through a unique management-style interface.
- #27 Scrutinized
81% matchVery Positive89% of 1,389 reviews2020
Dev: Reflect Studios
Windows
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 6.8 hrs≥1hr: 69%
Work to expose the numerous criminal degenerates that plague your quiet town. Use citizen-issued reports, police records, social media accounts, text conversations, and more to determine who’s an actual threat and who’s harmless, all while avoiding the killers trying to infiltrate your home.
Why similar: Detective 68.4%, Difficult 10.7%, Simulation 10.5%, Female Protagonist 5.4%, Indie 2.5%
Why You'll Like It: This simulation game forces players to balance investigative tasks with survival and high-pressure decision-making.
- #28 Return of the Obra Dinn
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 35,035 reviews2018
Dev: Lucas PopePub: 3909
Windows · Mac
Median: 6.7 hrsMean: 8.5 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
Why similar: Detective 53.5%, Mystery 18.1%, Noir 8.8%, Story Rich 8.7%, Difficult 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: An exceptional detective game that requires players to piece together a complex mystery using limited information.
- #29 Suzerain
79% matchVery Positive92% of 11,790 reviews2020
Dev: Torpor Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 18.4 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Assume the role of President Anton Rayne and guide the nation of Sordland. Amidst brewing international conflicts, need for reform, deep-seated corruption, and economic recession, you must make the decisions in this political drama. How will you lead?
Why similar: Choices Matter 27.9%, Visual Novel 22.5%, RPG 19.3%, Story Rich 18.1%, Simulation 4.6%
Why You'll Like It: A text-heavy political management game where every choice has significant consequences for the story.
- #30 千面 Melancholy Love
78% matchVery Positive95% of 2,240 reviews2020
Dev: 白露社Pub: PeriScope Game
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 67.6 hrs≥1hr: 74%
《千面》是一款百合向视觉小说游戏,讲述了在前作时间线十年之后,聆花女子学院中的“优等生”与“不良少女”间的甜蜜纠葛。
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 42.8%, Female Protagonist 17.4%, RPG 12.7%, Visual Novel 10.7%, Romance 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: A visual novel that emphasizes character relationships and multiple endings within an LGBTQ-focused narrative.
- #31 Back to the Dawn
75% matchVery Positive94% of 10,367 reviews2025
Dev: Metal Head GamesPub: Spiral Up Games
Windows
Median: 6.8 hrsMean: 22.8 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Back to the Dawn is a story-rich RPG set in a high-security prison ruled by factions and buried secrets. Investigate two conspiracies from the inside, gather evidence, and outsmart a system designed to silence you. Make friends (or foes) with fellow inmates and with their help, break out of prison.
Why similar: Detective 32.2%, Investigation 14.5%, Choices Matter 12.7%, RPG 12.5%, Story Rich 9.9%
- #32 Connected Clue
75% matchVery Positive88% of 120 reviews2026
Dev: Alpheratz Games Pub: CFK Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac
Connected Clue is a quarter-view detective adventure game inspired by the atmosphere of 19th-century mystery novels. Gather clues, see through lies, and uncover the identity of the culprit shrouded in secrecy!
Why similar: Detective 30.7%, Noir 24.6%, Investigation 18.3%, Female Protagonist 11.1%, Mystery 9.5%
- #33 Melancholy Love
77% matchVery Positive95% of 76 reviews2021
Dev: White Dew GamesPub: Kikai Digital
Windows · Mac
Melancholy Love is a Yuri Visual Novel between an elite and a misfit in an All-Girls' High School. How will sparks flare between the two?
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 29.3%, Romance 20.1%, Female Protagonist 16.4%, Choices Matter 10.8%, Visual Novel 8%
- #34 Magical Diary: Horse Hall
76% matchVery Positive90% of 1,020 reviews2012
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.2 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 91%
You have been invited to attend a magical school. You can make new friends, learn spells, face exams, run for class office, and try to find a date for the May Day Ball.
Why similar: Female Protagonist 26.5%, Visual Novel 17.5%, Romance 16%, RPG 12.4%, LGBTQ+ 11%
- #35 Asphyxia
77% matchMostly Positive78% of 283 reviews2015
Dev: ebi-hime
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 4.8 hrs≥1hr: 95%
A gloomy lesbian / yuri visual novel featuring characters based on famous Romantic poets such as Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Byron. Can you help Samantha Coleridge repair her fractured relationship with Lillian Wordsworth?
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 28.3%, Romance 18.5%, Female Protagonist 18%, Visual Novel 8.8%, Story Rich 7.3%
- #36 Black Chapter
76% matchVery Positive93% of 56 reviews2020
Dev: Spire Studio
Windows
Your class trip to Durhal Cathedral turns into a nightmare when everyone gets trapped inside. A killer demon hides among your classmates—can you uncover the truth before it’s too late?
Why similar: Detective 31%, Investigation 22.6%, Story Rich 19.2%, RPG 14.7%, 2D 6.2%
- #37 Money for Girls: Amortized
72% matchVery Positive98% of 129 reviews2026
Dev: PorpentinePub: INNOCENT Interactive
Windows · Mac · Linux
A girl detective faces her darkest mystery yet, in this horror-romance visual novel with stickers, fashion, and bad ends.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 23.7%, Romance 17.4%, Detective 16.5%, Gothic 15.9% ★, Visual Novel 8%
- #38 Murder by Numbers
74% matchVery Positive84% of 1,683 reviews2020
Dev: MediatonicPub: The Irregular Corporation
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 12.6 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Solve Pixel Puzzles to find clues. Use those clues to interrogate witnesses. Work your way to the truth... ...and uncover the mystery of Murder by Numbers!
Why similar: Detective 24.9%, LGBTQ+ 21.9%, Investigation 18.6%, Female Protagonist 13%, Mystery 6.9%
- #39 Sweet Home
69% matchVery Positive95% of 10,224 reviews2025
Dev: 开心茶房Pub: Tailtone Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Sweet Home is a visual novel set in a Chinese high school. Parted friendships, ambiguous romances, tangled relationships, and flawed families... Are these just the pangs of adolescence—or something heavier? Step into the shoes of Zhao Ying, shape her choices, and uncover every possible path.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 47.2%, Female Protagonist 26%, RPG 13%, Visual Novel 9.4%, Simulation 2.5%
- #40 Waiting For The Raven
74% matchMostly Positive79% of 73 reviews2020
Dev: Musclebird
Windows · Mac · Linux
Become Master of Spies, plant connections and agents in the underworld. Who will you join? Who may be betrayed? Decipher Letters, Solve Mysteries, Manage Businesses, Spy, Bribe, Abduct, Murder, Seduce in an experimental atmospheric hybrid of first-person & top-down espionage experience.
Why similar: Management 31%, Mystery 20.4%, Choices Matter 19.9%, Strategy 18.3%, Simulation 6%
- #41 The Shadow Government Simulator
73% matchMostly Positive74% of 110 reviews2022
Dev: Chupacabra Game StudiosPub: Games Incubator
Windows · Mac · Linux
A turn-based strategy game where you lead a secret society towards world domination. Investigate the influential and convert them to your faction via bribery, seduction and intimidation. Reshape society's power structures to fend off rival societies and the world's nations in your quest for power.
Why similar: Turn-Based 29%, Difficult 23.3%, Strategy 13.5%, Investigation 11.7%, Choices Matter 11.1%
- #42 Black Lily's Tale
71% matchVery Positive88% of 496 reviews2023
Dev: 1000-REKA
Windows
Perhaps it was the curse of a black lily that bloomed too early in the winter...Before graduation, a girl falls in love with another girl... But her pure feelings are torn apart by a "loop of tragedy."By [interrupting choices] and [typing in words], you will weave her feelings into the story.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 36.4%, Female Protagonist 20.5%, Mystery 13.1%, Visual Novel 9.9%, Story Rich 7.8%
- #43 Ms.Director
73% matchVery Positive97% of 69 reviews2021
Dev: SketchyNonsense
Windows
Cameras and heads are rolling in this noir inspired RPGmaker horror game. Save the spectral starlets trapped in the deadly director's mansion, and escape without joining them in their fate.
Why similar: Noir 37.1%, Investigation 23.9%, LGBTQ+ 21.9%, Female Protagonist 6.5%, Story Rich 5.5%
- #44 Detective Ridelle
71% matchVery Positive99% of 90 reviews2024
Dev: PuzzLab
Windows
Detective Ridelle is a cozy murder mystery game featuring escape room style puzzles. Find clues, interrogate suspects, solve the mystery - before it's too late.
Why similar: Detective 29.7%, LGBTQ+ 17.1%, Investigation 16%, Female Protagonist 12.5%, Mystery 10%
- #45 Evil School
68% matchVery Positive93% of 994 reviews2026
Dev: CineGame Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 80%
This game is an FMV about anti-bullying. A teenage girl mysteriously disappeared, and the truth was buried by power for eight years. Now, you return to this place of evil with a bloodstained list. The moment of slay & judgment has arrived...
Why similar: Choices Matter 21.4%, Mystery 19.5%, RPG 17%, Strategy 16.4%, Visual Novel 14.5%
- #46 Malleus Cocconum: The Heiress
70% matchVery Positive95% of 161 reviews2025
Dev: Domus Aurea
Windows · Mac · Linux
You are Arenda Finch—fifteen years old, wealthy beyond measure, and newly exiled from your former school. Dunkenwood House takes you in, but its halls hide the darker side of privilege. Humanity or demonic nature. Love or desire. Every choice shapes the person you become.
Why similar: Gothic 36.4% ★, Mystery 16.6%, Female Protagonist 16%, RPG 12.3%, Visual Novel 9.4%
- #47 The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily
69% matchVery Positive85% of 1,587 reviews2025
Dev: Alliance Arts
Windows
Median: 8.6 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 85%
The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily is a turn-based strategy game. Framed for murdering the Emperor, villainess Scarlet and Lily, fight the Empire as the first Streamers in history. Capture every enemy and turn them into allies for a happy ending... Or execute everyone and become the Demon Queen!
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 34.8%, Romance 22.2%, Female Protagonist 21.8%, Strategy 8.9%, Story Rich 7.5%
- #48 MMM: Murder Most Misfortunate
73% matchVery Positive83% of 127 reviews2017
Dev: Michael LongPub: Foolish Mortals Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.3 hrs≥1hr: 82%
A gruesome murder interrupts an evening party at a secluded mansion and you are the prime suspect! Explore the mansion, search for clues, and interrogate the other guests as you strive to unmask the killer in this open-ended mystery.
Why similar: Mystery 34.5%, Visual Novel 26.8%, Story Rich 22.4%, Indie 12%, Singleplayer 4.2%
- #49 Rose Academy
68% matchVery Positive94% of 66 reviews2026
Dev: KK Studio
Windows · Mac
A detective visual novel inspired by Danganronpa and Everlasting Summer. You play as a young agent sent to an elite girls’ academy to investigate a suspicious death. Interrogate suspects, gather clues, and build romantic relationships — truth or temptation?
Why similar: Detective 40.5%, Romance 23.9%, Visual Novel 9.9%, Mystery 9.5%, Story Rich 8.4%
- #50 Magical Diary: Wolf Hall
70% matchVery Positive91% of 217 reviews2020
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 7.5 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Design your own wizard to attend a magical school. Learn spells, explore dungeons, make friends, and find a date for the May Day Ball. But be careful, everyone has secrets - including you!
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 31.4%, RPG 16.4%, Romance 13.9%, Choices Matter 10.5%, Visual Novel 9.8%
- #51 Galaxy Princess Zorana
68% matchVery Positive91% of 191 reviews2025
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Linux
You are the Evil Emperor's only daughter, but can you claim the throne? Raise stats, make deals, appoint advisors, and scheme your way through the Imperial Election - unless an assassin gets you first. Rule the galaxy or die trying!
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 24.1%, Female Protagonist 21.4%, Choices Matter 14.7%, Visual Novel 10.1%, RPG 9.6%
- #52 Ambition: A Minuet in Power
70% matchVery Positive85% of 432 reviews2021
Dev: Joy Manufacturing Co.Pub: Iceberg Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 94%
18th century Paris - a city of love, lies and revolution. You are a woman of fashion trying to survive the political turmoil. Date a cast of unforgettable characters. Amass the wealth and respect you deserve. Engage in gossip that can alter the course of history, or lead you to the guillotine.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 25.1%, Romance 19.3%, Female Protagonist 17.3%, Choices Matter 9.9%, Visual Novel 8.9%
- #53 Save Koch
72% matchMixed63% of 155 reviews2019
Dev: Wooden Monkeys
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 5.6 hrs≥1hr: 88%
You are local mafia kingpin, Jeffrey Koch. Your empire in New Kandinski is in total chaos because an unknown Mastermind has decided to take your place. And they’ve planted a sleeper Mole inside your operation. It’s time to act, but you need to act smart.
Why similar: Detective 33.4%, Strategy 13.9%, Choices Matter 13%, Difficult 12.2%, Story Rich 9%
- #54 Iwakura Aria
69% matchMostly Positive78% of 50 reviews2025
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: PQube
Windows
The Iwakura mansion holds a dark secret. Ichiko the new young maid joins looking for nothing but safety and security, but would soon find herself entangled with the beautiful daughter of the Iwakura household. Unravel the secrets of the Iwakura mansion in this gripping suspense visual novel.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 36.1%, Female Protagonist 30.1%, Visual Novel 18.5%, Simulation 13%, Singleplayer 2.3%
- #55 主角
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,126 reviews2026
Dev: 顶顶阳光Pub: 一相逢互动娱乐
Windows
Campus mystery hides conditioning. All act with scripts. Smiles, tears, hugs are props and hints. Surveillance and rules bind. Stay true, break free. Protagonist: an anti-conditioning game of disguise and self-redemption. The system writes, your principles decide. Newcomer, the show begins.
Why similar: RPG 39.7%, Visual Novel 23.9%, Story Rich 17.7%, Simulation 7.4%, Strategy 6.8%
- #56 Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter
65% matchVery Positive92% of 348 reviews2026
Dev: Mango FactoryPub: Akupara Games
Windows
Kill each other...for science! The class of '89 is trapped in an elite school killing game. Investigate, solve, and expose your classmates in Kumitantei™: Old-School Slaughter, an episodic murder-mystery ADV card-battler inspired by retro anime.
Why similar: Detective 45.1%, Female Protagonist 16.5%, Mystery 16.4%, Visual Novel 10.7%, RPG 9%
- #57 Methods: The Illusion Murders
67% matchVery Positive85% of 102 reviews2024
Dev: LockedOn GamesPub: Erabit
Windows · Mac · Linux
Detective Red July must stop a serial killer who patterns his murders after optical illusions in this mystery visual novel set in the world of Methods.
Why similar: Detective 23.7%, LGBTQ+ 20%, Investigation 12.9%, Female Protagonist 12.7%, Mystery 7.9%
- #58 London: Echoes of the Past
66% matchMostly Positive78% of 317 reviews2025
Dev: Stellar Artificer Games
Windows · Mac
A mysterious woman comes back from the dead, and the dusty past surfaces. Between a gloomy student girl and a glamorous ex-girlfriend, the clues are intertwined, who is the mastermind behind the scene? Play as a detective heroine in 1935 London, embark on a journey of love and growth.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 23.9%, Detective 19.9%, Female Protagonist 14.1%, Investigation 11.5%, Mystery 9.9%
- #59 Demonheart: The Cursed Trial
66% matchVery Positive91% of 133 reviews2025
Dev: Rolling Crown
Windows · Mac
You are a girl with a demonic heart, trapped with a group of suspicious individuals. A demonspawn arrives, setting off a chain of mysterious murders. Can you trust any of your fellow captives and find love in the chaos? Or will you fight for your life alone?
Why similar: Detective 25.6%, Investigation 18%, Romance 16.5%, Female Protagonist 13.4%, Mystery 10.4%
- #60 Invisible, Inc.
67% matchVery Positive91% of 5,772 reviews2015
Dev: Klei Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Take control of Invisible's agents in the field and infiltrate the world's most dangerous corporations. Stealth, precision, and teamwork are essential in high-stakes, high-profit missions, where every move may cost an agent their life.
Why similar: Difficult 29.2%, Turn-Based 23.3%, Female Protagonist 17.4%, Strategy 13.3%, Choices Matter 12.8%