- #1 Long Live The Queen
97% matchVery Positive95% of 7,125 reviews2013
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 5.7 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 25.5%, Difficult 20.7%, Visual Novel 16.6%, Strategy 9.6%, 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 4,865 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 15.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
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 29%, LGBTQ+ 26.4%, Mystery 13.7%, Story Rich 10.3%, 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 Positive94% of 191 reviews2022
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 92%
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 21.6%, Detective 19.4%, LGBTQ+ 18.1%, Romance 12.5%, Female Protagonist 9.4%
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 3,051 reviews2023
Dev: Lowbirth Games
Windows
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 5.4 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 23%, LGBTQ+ 17.4%, Detective 16.6%, Investigation 13.2%, Female Protagonist 10.5%
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 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: Noir 33.7%, Detective 28.6%, Choices Matter 10.8%, Management 10.5%, Story Rich 6.9%
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 322 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+ 28.4%, Romance 16.7%, Female Protagonist 11.5%, RPG 10.6%, Strategy 9.7%
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 36,871 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 8.0 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 53.5%, Mystery 19.6%, 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 4,059 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 13.8 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 43.8%, Mystery 29.4%, Story Rich 16%, 2D 6.2%, 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 Positive77% of 391 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+ 22.2%, Romance 15.8%, Investigation 12.2%, Choices Matter 9%
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 Paper Perjury
91% matchVery Positive89% of 201 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 36.7%, Female Protagonist 17.2%, Mystery 12.3%, Investigation 11.9%, Visual Novel 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.
- #11 SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair
90% 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 28.9%, Investigation 19.3%, LGBTQ+ 17.4%, Female Protagonist 10.8%, Mystery 10.3%
Why You'll Like It: This visual novel focuses on deep investigation and mystery-solving in a high-tension social environment.
- #12 Wintermoor Tactics Club
89% matchVery Positive88% of 645 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 21.3%, Female Protagonist 21.2%, Mystery 11.9%, RPG 11.5%, Strategy 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: It features a school-based setting combined with tactical RPG elements and a visual novel style narrative.
- #13 Lucifer Within Us
88% matchMostly Positive74% of 744 reviews2020
Dev: Kitfox Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 77%
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 19.3%, Female Protagonist 12.1%, Mystery 6.7%
Why You'll Like It: This experimental detective game focuses on reconstructing events and identifying the truth behind complex mysteries.
- #14 Methods: The Detective Competition
87% matchVery Positive91% of 717 reviews2020
Dev: LockedOn GamesPub: Erabit
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 6.1 hrs≥1hr: 86%
One hundred detectives compete against each other in a crime-solving competition.
Why similar: Detective 25.4%, LGBTQ+ 20.8%, Investigation 17.3%, 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.
- #15 Murder Mystery Machine
89% matchMixed54% of 173 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: Noir 32.4%, Detective 32.2%, Strategy 9.8%, Mystery 8.8%, Female Protagonist 7%
Why You'll Like It: A detective game that uses strategy and investigation to piece together complex crime scenes.
- #16 Royal Order
86% matchVery Positive91% of 134 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%, RPG 16.2%, Management 13.6%, Visual Novel 12.9%, Simulation 7.1%
Why You'll Like It: A simulation-heavy visual novel that focuses on time management and dating-sim mechanics.
- #17 Rough Justice: '84
86% matchMostly Positive75% of 108 reviews2023
Dev: Gamma MinusPub: Daedalic Entertainment
Windows
Median: 5.1 hrsMean: 7.0 hrs≥1hr: 89%
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 27.5%, Detective 22.4%, Investigation 19.7%, Management 9.3%, Strategy 6.4%
Why You'll Like It: It incorporates time-management and investigative mechanics that require strategic planning to succeed.
- #18 The Chrono Jotter
84% matchVery Positive94% of 2,231 reviews2021
Dev: Orca LayoutPub: 2P Games
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 7.6 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 29.5%, LGBTQ+ 27.1%, Female Protagonist 15.8%, Mystery 10.3%, 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 640 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 30.2%, Investigation 16.5%, LGBTQ+ 11.9%, Choices Matter 11.2%, Romance 7.3%
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 138 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 29.9%, Investigation 13.6%, RPG 9.3%, Mystery 7.4%
Why You'll Like It: A noir-inspired detective RPG that emphasizes atmosphere and investigative gameplay.
- #21 Citizen Sleeper
82% matchVery Positive93% of 10,020 reviews2022
Dev: Jump Over The AgePub: Fellow Traveller
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 7.4 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 47.9%, Story Rich 43.1%, Indie 9%
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 10,351 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 38%, Investigation 25.5%, Mystery 14.7%, Choices Matter 9.5%, Story Rich 7.9%
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 28.8%, Detective 25.1%, Turn-Based 16.8%, Mystery 8.7%, RPG 8.2%
Why You'll Like It: It combines classic RPG elements with a gritty detective story and noir aesthetic.
- #24 Scrutinized
82% matchVery Positive89% of 1,345 reviews2020
Dev: Reflect Studios
Windows
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 6.9 hrs≥1hr: 70%
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%, Simulation 10.6%, Difficult 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.
- #25 Magical Girl Witch Trials
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 31,109 reviews2025
Dev: AcaciaPub: Re,AER
Windows · Mac
Median: 16.0 hrsMean: 32.0 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 23.9%, Female Protagonist 16.7%, LGBTQ+ 16.6%, Gothic 12.6% ★, Visual Novel 8.4%
- #26 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 38,192 reviews2016
Dev: Sukeban GamesPub: Ysbryd Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 31.1 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+ 33.7%, Female Protagonist 21.5%, Choices Matter 14.6%, Story Rich 11.5%, Visual Novel 11.1%
Why You'll Like It: It focuses on social interaction and narrative discovery through a unique management-style interface.
- #27 Return of the Obra Dinn
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 33,856 reviews2018
Dev: Lucas PopePub: 3909
Windows · Mac
Median: 6.7 hrsMean: 8.4 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
Why similar: Detective 53.3%, Mystery 18.2%, Noir 8.8%, Story Rich 8.8%, Difficult 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: An exceptional detective game that requires players to piece together a complex mystery using limited information.
- #28 Lady in Mystery
81% matchVery Positive94% of 163 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+ 25.5%, Romance 17%, Female Protagonist 14.2%, Mystery 9.9%, Investigation 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: This visual novel focuses on detective work and romance, featuring a female protagonist and LGBTQ themes.
- #29 Suzerain
79% matchVery Positive93% of 11,339 reviews2020
Dev: Torpor Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 18.3 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 29.4%, Visual Novel 23.5%, RPG 20.1%, Story Rich 18.8%, 2D 4.3%
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 Positive94% of 2,218 reviews2020
Dev: 白露社Pub: PeriScope Game
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 68.1 hrs≥1hr: 75%
《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+ 43%, Female Protagonist 17.3%, RPG 12.7%, Visual Novel 10.6%, 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 Positive95% of 10,038 reviews2025
Dev: Metal Head GamesPub: Spiral Up Games
Windows
Median: 6.6 hrsMean: 22.3 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 14.4%, Choices Matter 12.9%, RPG 12.4%, Story Rich 9.9%
- #32 Melancholy Love
77% matchVery Positive95% of 75 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%, Romance 20.2%, Female Protagonist 16.4%, Choices Matter 11%, Visual Novel 8%
- #33 Connected Clue
74% matchVery Positive88% of 112 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 30.6%, Noir 24.6%, Investigation 18.4%, Female Protagonist 10.9%, Mystery 9.6%
- #34 Magical Diary: Horse Hall
76% matchVery Positive90% of 1,019 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 26.4%, Visual Novel 17.5%, Romance 16%, RPG 12.4%, LGBTQ+ 10.9%
- #35 Sweet Home
71% matchVery Positive95% of 9,271 reviews2025
Dev: 开心茶房Pub: Tailtone Games
Windows
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 6.3 hrs≥1hr: 82%
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%, Female Protagonist 26.1%, RPG 13%, Visual Novel 9.5%, Simulation 2.6%
- #36 Black Chapter
76% matchVery Positive93% of 55 reviews2020
Dev: Spire Studio
Windows
Your class goes on a field trip to Durhal Cathedral before things take an unexpected turn. Solve the mystery before you and your friends perish!
Why similar: Detective 31%, Investigation 22.8%, Story Rich 19.1%, RPG 14.5%, 2D 6.3%
- #37 Asphyxia
77% matchMostly Positive77% of 277 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%, Romance 18.6%, Female Protagonist 18%, Visual Novel 8.8%, Story Rich 7.3%
- #38 Black Lily's Tale
73% matchVery Positive88% of 485 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%, Female Protagonist 20.4%, Mystery 13.4%, Visual Novel 10.1%, Story Rich 8%
- #39 Malleus Cocconum: The Heiress
72% matchVery Positive97% of 121 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 36.6% ★, Mystery 16.7%, Female Protagonist 15.8%, RPG 12.2%, Visual Novel 9.4%
- #40 The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily
71% matchVery Positive86% of 1,447 reviews2025
Dev: Alliance Arts
Windows
Median: 8.1 hrsMean: 11.7 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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+ 33.6%, Romance 22.6%, Female Protagonist 21.7%, Strategy 9.2%, Story Rich 7.8%
- #41 Detective Ridelle
72% matchVery Positive99% of 88 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 29.8%, LGBTQ+ 16.9%, Investigation 16.2%, Female Protagonist 12.4%, Mystery 10.1%
- #42 Ms.Director
73% matchVery Positive97% of 68 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 37.2%, Investigation 24.1%, LGBTQ+ 21.6%, Female Protagonist 6.4%, Story Rich 5.5%
- #43 MMM: Murder Most Misfortunate
75% matchVery Positive82% of 125 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 34.7%, Visual Novel 26.7%, Story Rich 22.4%, Indie 12.1%, Singleplayer 4.2%
- #44 Waiting For The Raven
74% matchMostly Positive79% of 72 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 31.4%, Mystery 20.2%, Choices Matter 19.8%, Strategy 18.2%, Simulation 6%
- #45 Rose Academy
70% matchVery Positive93% of 61 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 40.2%, Romance 23.9%, Visual Novel 9.9%, Mystery 9.6%, Story Rich 8.4%
- #46 Ambition: A Minuet in Power
71% matchVery Positive86% of 425 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+ 24.7%, Romance 19.3%, Female Protagonist 17.3%, Choices Matter 10.1%, Visual Novel 8.9%
- #47 Galaxy Princess Zorana
68% matchVery Positive91% of 174 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+ 23.9%, Female Protagonist 21.2%, Choices Matter 15%, Visual Novel 10.1%, RPG 9.5%
- #48 Cultist Simulator
70% matchMostly Positive80% of 13,856 reviews2018
Dev: Weather Factory
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 11.5 hrs≥1hr: 80%
Seize forbidden treasures. Summon alien gods. Feed on your disciples. Cultist Simulator is a game of apocalypse and yearning. Play as a seeker after unholy mysteries, in a 1920s-themed setting of hidden gods and secret histories.
Why similar: Difficult 22.5%, Management 19.7%, Choices Matter 16.4%, RPG 12.7%, Strategy 12.2%
- #49 Methods: The Illusion Murders
69% matchVery Positive89% of 97 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+ 19.7%, Investigation 13%, Female Protagonist 12.6%, Mystery 8%
- #50 London: Echoes of the Past
69% matchMostly Positive76% of 266 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+ 23.6%, Detective 20%, Female Protagonist 13.9%, Investigation 11.7%, Mystery 9.9%
- #51 Magical Diary: Wolf Hall
70% matchVery Positive91% of 215 reviews2020
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 6.3 hrs≥1hr: 85%
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+ 29.7%, RPG 16.6%, Romance 14.2%, Choices Matter 10.9%, Visual Novel 10%
- #52 Blood Lily Loop
69% matchVery Positive84% of 69 reviews2024
Dev: Sounding Stone / 老奉毊
Windows
Your bestie seems to be hiding something. There's something about your world that seems odd as well, like it has...secrets. Dive into the Cthulhu Mythos universe of this horror game and witness a "friendship" that rewrites the world.
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 34.1%, Female Protagonist 19.8%, Choices Matter 14.8%, Visual Novel 8.6%, Story Rich 8.5%
- #53 Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter
66% matchVery Positive91% of 285 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 45.2%, Mystery 16.5%, Female Protagonist 16.4%, Visual Novel 10.7%, RPG 8.9%
- #54 Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!™
73% matchMixed60% of 207 reviews2009
Dev: Mousechief
Windows · Mac
Median: 24 minMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 31%
"Well behaved women seldom make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich This is the game where good girls get better by being bad! In the 1920s, young women had a chance to change society--by misbehaving. Gather a gang of girls. Explore. Battle petty townsfolk with quick, naughty games: Fib, Flirt, Taunt...
Why similar: Female Protagonist 31%, Investigation 30.4%, Story Rich 17.7%, RPG 15.8%, Indie 3.2%
- #55 Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator
65% matchVery Positive93% of 5,440 reviews2025
Dev: Aluba Van+Pub: Spiral Up Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 10.1 hrsMean: 22.5 hrs≥1hr: 96%
Discover a digital realm shrouded in mystery. Sequel to an award-winning narrative driven hacking simulator puzzle game. Play as an AI assistant in a major corporation. Deploy intricate social engineering tactics and expose hidden truths in a world of ambition and high-tech deception.
Why similar: Detective 25.3%, Choices Matter 17.7%, Mystery 16.4%, Story Rich 12.8%, RPG 9.7%
- #56 Eclipse : Special Forces
67% matchVery Positive95% of 58 reviews2025
Dev: MoonSun
Windows · Mac
MEN ARE EXTINCT. ONLY WOMEN REMAIN. Welcome to Eclipse—a choice-driven Yuri VN where God, Kings, Soldiers, and even Villains are all women. As Haesu, an elite agent, your choices will forge her destiny and the very future of the world. Amidst love, desire, and bloodshed—can you handle the truth?
Why similar: LGBTQ+ 27.3%, Investigation 21.3%, Female Protagonist 12.4%, Choices Matter 10.8%, Mystery 8.7%
- #57 Demonheart: The Cursed Trial
67% matchVery Positive91% of 128 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 18.1%, Romance 16.4%, Female Protagonist 13.3%, Mystery 10.5%
- #58 Invisible, Inc.
67% matchVery Positive91% of 5,734 reviews2015
Dev: Klei Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 8.7 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 28.9%, Turn-Based 22.9%, Female Protagonist 17.4%, Strategy 13.5%, Choices Matter 13.2%
- #59 Murder by Numbers
67% matchVery Positive84% of 1,662 reviews2020
Dev: MediatonicPub: The Irregular Corporation
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 12.7 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+ 21.6%, Investigation 18.8%, Female Protagonist 13%, Mystery 7%
- #60 DAEMON MASQUERADE
64% matchVery Positive96% of 461 reviews2024
Dev: Callum Page
Windows · Mac · Linux
An anime-inspired supernatural detective game. Uncover the identities and powers of your adversaries using a conspiracy board full of evidence.
Why similar: Detective 42%, Investigation 27.4%, Mystery 14.1%, Story Rich 9%, Visual Novel 7.5%
