- #1 Xochi's Apothecary
97% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Single Effect Studios
Windows · Mac
A deceptively cozy narrative game about an alchemist that immigrates to a new country and opens an apothecary. Get to know your weird and wonderful community, brew the potions your customers need, and use your words to stir up a country on the brink of change.
Why similar: Detective 17.4%, Investigation 16.8%, Interactive Fiction 14.8%, Narrative 13.4% ★, Choices Matter 8.1%
- #2 Spell Candle
96% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Bottled Monster Ink.
Windows
Spell Candle is your grief coping mechanism in a 2D romance visual novel. Take on the role of a foreign correspondent turned investigator of magical crimes to uncover the culprit behind the mysterious disappearance of a sleeping God.
Why similar: Otome 21.7% ★, Detective 14.1%, Romance 12%, Visual Novel 11%, Interactive Fiction 8.8%
- #3 Обо: Шоу Теней
96% matchPositive90% of 20 reviews2025
Dev: Julliet Pub: Julliet Tales
Windows · Mac · Linux
Байкал зовёт. Прошлое возвращается в форме теней, и Андрей должен решить - играть по чужим правилам или переписать сценарий судьбы.
Why similar: Detective 17.1%, Noir 15.5%, Investigation 12.6%, Romance 11.3%, Visual Novel 10.7%
- #4 A Case of Distrust
95% matchVery Positive82% of 601 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: Noir 16.1%, Detective 15.5%, Interactive Fiction 12.1%, Investigation 11.8%, Narrative 9.9% ★
- #5 Arts & Hearts Academy
94% matchPositive97% of 34 reviews2024
Dev: Vera Florentine
Windows · Mac · Linux
In the romantic visual novel Arts & Hearts Academy, immerse yourself in a world of mysteries, art scandals, and love! A student girl dreams of winning a prestigious architecture competition and finding love. Little does she know, a cunning criminal has already set their traps.
Why similar: Otome 19.5% ★, Detective 18.4%, Interactive Fiction 11.2%, Visual Novel 9.7%, Multiple Endings 8.9%
- #6 Black Closet
94% matchVery Positive92% of 270 reviews2015
Dev: Hanako Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Command your minions to solve mysteries and cover up scandals in a high-class boarding school, where the competition is cut-throat and image is everything. But be careful - one of your minions is a traitor.
Why similar: Noir 19.3%, Detective 19.1%, LGBTQ+ 12.1%, Investigation 11.4%, Romance 11.2%
- #7 Placebo Love
93% matchPositive97% of 33 reviews2021
Dev: Twelve Tiles
Windows · Mac
A lonely young man is guided by a silent Muse to solve the mystery behind his two Doppelganger Soulmates.
Why similar: Narrative 17.3% ★, Interactive Fiction 12.6%, Detective 12.2%, Romance 11.3%, LGBTQ+ 11.2%
- #8 Lachesis or Atropos
92% matchVery Positive87% of 68 reviews2023
Dev: 4nokiPub: Quill Yuri
Windows · Mac · Linux
This world is woven of strings, of fate and of hate. What do you see, detective? A horror-mystery yuri visual novel peering into the maddening darkness of love and death.
Why similar: Detective 20.8%, LGBTQ+ 14.7%, Visual Novel 13%, Romance 10.3%, Mystery 9.9%
- #9 Mirage Noir
91% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Studio Chawan
Windows · Mac · Linux
Mirage Noir is a detective romance visual novel where every lead could bring you closer to love—or straight into a killer’s hands.
Why similar: Otome 24% ★, Detective 15.8%, Investigation 12.1%, Visual Novel 11.9%, Mystery 10.5%
- #10 Poetry in Purgatory
91% matchNo user reviews2027
Dev: Tymedust Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
After dying, poisoned for unknown reasons, Isobel finds herself in the afterlife... and on a dangerous mission. Experience a truly unique visual novel full of character, mystery and heart as you point and click your way to unveiling the strange world of Purgatory's many secrets.
Why similar: Otome 22.6% ★, Romance 13.2%, Visual Novel 12.4%, Interactive Fiction 11.4%, LGBTQ+ 9.4%
- #11 Talewarden: Riders of the New Day
90% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Bucket Hat Cat
Windows · Mac
Talewarden is a weird west adventure visual novel. Restore time on a planet where the sun never sets as you explore locations, talk, romance, and bond with your companions. Find the source of the voice in your head and discover why you all fell here from different worlds.
Why similar: Narrative 19.7% ★, Otome 15.3% ★, LGBTQ+ 11.8%, Visual Novel 10%, Interactive Fiction 9.5%
- #12 Pitstop in Purgatory
89% matchPositive95% of 42 reviews2022
Dev: Tymedust Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Astrid wakes up in Purgatory and has to make peace with her death. Only problem is... she doesn't remember anything! Point and click your way through adventure-based gameplay mixed with visual novel storytelling, and solve the mystery of our heroine's untimely demise.
Why similar: Otome 22.2% ★, Romance 13%, Visual Novel 11.8%, Interactive Fiction 11.7%, LGBTQ+ 9.3%
- #13 再见断刀
87% matchVery Positive93% of 2,313 reviews2025
Dev: 非侠游戏Pub: LoveStoryProject
Windows
Median: 11.7 hrsMean: 12.8 hrs≥1hr: 87%
古风悬疑推理AVG《再见断刀》——在与世隔绝的山庄之中,接二连三地发生了骇人命案。只有通过细致入微的调查,抽丝剥茧的推理,才能定一个是非清白,还一个天理公道。 然而,在逐渐浮出水面的真相之下,似乎还有暗流涌动……
Why similar: Detective 17.6%, Visual Novel 11.2%, Romance 10.9%, Historical 10.7%, Interactive Fiction 9.3%
- #14 Detective Rosie Morgan: Death at a Dinner Party
89% match5 user reviews60% of 5 reviews2022
Dev: Little Black Book Entertainment
Windows
When a famous Human Rights Lawyer dies under mysterious circumstances in her Sevenoaks mansion, Detective Inspector Rosie Morgan and her team of indefatigable investigators are called on the scene to find out who murdered the barrister and why.
Why similar: Detective 18.1%, Noir 14.2%, LGBTQ+ 12.7%, Interactive Fiction 12.2%, Visual Novel 9.3%
- #15 Northanger Abbey
88% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Spiral Atlas GamesPub: 60Yaks
Windows · Mac · Linux
Play Jane Austen's classic satirical romance as a visual novel. You're young, new to Bath, and ready for adventure. Choose your gender, choose your path, and discover the secrets of Northanger Abbey.
Why similar: Otome 22.1% ★, Visual Novel 14.6%, LGBTQ+ 13.6%, Historical 13.2%, Romance 10.6%
- #16 Man of Nollyn
86% matchPositive100% of 17 reviews2026
Dev: Slater Chae
Windows
A noir detective game where you can bribe or intimidate suspects for extra clues.
Why similar: Noir 23.8%, Detective 21.8%, Investigation 17%, Interactive Fiction 11.1%, Mystery 10.7%
- #17 Lewd Mod: Noir
85% matchPositive100% of 17 reviews2025
Dev: HH Richards
Windows
This is a game where you work as a spy, looking through sexy surveillance photos to identify Red Hat agents. Get close to your boss, get her to send you lewd selfies, & uncover a sexy spy mystery.
Why similar: Noir 24.8%, Interactive Fiction 14.7%, Romance 13%, Investigation 10.6%, Visual Novel 8.4%
- #18 Night Call
86% matchMostly Positive75% of 725 reviews2019
Dev: Monkey MoonPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.9 hrsMean: 6.0 hrs≥1hr: 58%
Friend. Confidant. Therapist. Voyeur. As a cab driver working the Paris night shift, you are many things to different people. Your gift is getting people to talk; and in order to catch the serial killer who left you for dead, that’s exactly what you’ll need to do.
Why similar: Noir 28.9%, Investigation 14.3%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Detective 11.9%, Simulation 11.5%
- #19 Fateweaver: The Alchemist's Quandary
84% matchVery Positive98% of 99 reviews2023
Dev: Randumb Studios
Windows
You are The Fateweaver; an ancient beast of legendary status. It is your job to determine which way Fate will unravel as you dig deep into the psyche of those who beckon. Decide whether to help those who beg for your mercy, or invoke the wrath of the Gods upon those you deem unworthy of existence...
Why similar: Detective 18.2%, Investigation 14.6%, Visual Novel 11.7%, Interactive Fiction 10%, Mystery 9.6%
- #20 Nut City Blues
84% matchVery Positive98% of 377 reviews2023
Dev: looking4stupid
Windows
A comedy-mystery visual novel about Captain Fox, Detective Raccoon and the danger of pineapple pizza.
Why similar: Detective 22.1%, Investigation 13.9%, Visual Novel 13.8%, Romance 11.6%, LGBTQ+ 11%
- #21 Hearth & Holmes
83% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Abigail CorfmanPub: Open Sorcery Games
Windows · Mac
Did you ever have a virtual pet? Was your virtual pet responsible for solving mysteries in the cruel streets of Victorian London? Did your virtual pet forget to eat? Did he stay up to 3AM doing chemistry experiments? Your virtual pet is named Sherlock Holmes. Try to keep him alive.
Why similar: Detective 13%, Interactive Fiction 12.2%, LGBTQ+ 11.7%, Investigation 10.9%, Visual Novel 10.9%
- #22 Merry Crisis
82% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Monsoon Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Three loves. One week. Merry Crisis is an intimate, character-driven romance visual novel about love, loss, and belonging—is home what you left behind, or where you’re headed?
Why similar: Narrative 17% ★, Otome 16.7% ★, Interactive Fiction 15.4%, Visual Novel 11.4%, Romance 10.6%
- #23 Furry Detective Blacktail and the Case of the Blood Moon
82% matchNo user reviews2026
Dev: Velvet Sin LabPub: Dinotonte
Windows
Play as a noir detective in a dark, seductive world — investigate the Blood Moon case while making choices, uncovering secrets, and indulging in explicit encounters.
Why similar: Detective 20.3%, Noir 15%, Visual Novel 12.5%, Mystery 10.8%, Romance 10.1%
- #24 My Alien Roommate
81% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Purple Herring Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
When an alien boy named Enoch lands on your balcony one fateful Sunday evening, your life is changed forever. Can you keep your alien roommate a secret from the world?
Why similar: Otome 21% ★, Interactive Fiction 13.2%, LGBTQ+ 13.2%, Visual Novel 11%, Romance 10.6%
- #25 迷渡桥
81% matchNo user reviews
Dev: 犬狸工作室Pub: OKJOY
Windows
《迷渡桥》是一款水墨风格的国风悬疑推理游戏,你将扮演牵涉谋逆的罪臣后人宁不移,背负着家族十年的冤屈,在弥留之际踏上迷渡桥,换一个查明真相的机会。调查一桩桩离奇命案,窥见朝堂内的暗流涌动。当迷雾散尽,揭开深埋于王朝的骇人秘密......
Why similar: Detective 24.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.2%, Visual Novel 12.7%, Historical 12.2%, Mystery 12%
- #26 No Stone Unturned
80% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Wise Monkey Entertainment Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Why did the chicken cross the road? Only one squirrel can solve a murder most... fowl. Join Detective Cox as he encounters quirky characters, challenging puzzles, countless mini-games, and a town in disrepair where choices matter but morals don't. Will you be leaving... No Stone Unturned?
Why similar: Noir 24.4%, Detective 22.8%, Investigation 13.5%, Mystery 9.5%, Multiple Endings 8.5%
- #27 Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
78% matchVery Positive95% of 385 reviews2025
Dev: Armonica LLC
Windows
A woman vanishes without a trace on a cross-country train. The catch? Nobody on board remembers her ever existing in the first place - nobody, except for you. Uncover the story in this mystery adventure game!
Why similar: Detective 30.4%, Visual Novel 17.1%, Mystery 13.6%, Noir 12%, Interactive Fiction 11.3%
- #28 Отделение 38
78% matchVery Positive95% of 234 reviews2024
Dev: The Three Windmills
Windows
После неожиданной смерти студент Александр попадает в "Отделение 38", где бюрократия переплетается с мистикой. Раскройте тайны этого потустороннего мира и найдите ответы, которые изменят всё.
Why similar: Detective 20.2%, Investigation 16.1%, Interactive Fiction 15.5%, Romance 14%, Visual Novel 12.4%
- #29 Tron: Identity
79% matchMostly Positive79% of 290 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 23.3%, Noir 18.4%, Visual Novel 14.6%, Mystery 11.7%, Choices Matter 9.8%
- #30 Pasajeros
79% matchPositive86% of 21 reviews2022
Dev: GameLoop
Windows
Pasajeros is developed through a collection of urban and surreal stories collected in a taxi in Bogotá . It’s a four-night adventure packed with micro-stories of vampires, mariachis, and thugs. In addition to the opportunity to find love or madness in the night magic of a city.
Why similar: Noir 25.8%, Interactive Fiction 16.3%, Visual Novel 13%, Romance 9.8%, Multiple Endings 9.5%
- #31 Stella: into the Shadow
77% matchPositive96% of 25 reviews2025
Dev: Shadow games
Windows
"Stella: into the Shadow" is a dark mystical story. When Stella's friend disappears, her life transforms into a detective mystery. Working at a nightclub, forging new connections, and uncovering the city's secrets will force her to reevaluate everything: from those around her to her very self.
Why similar: Detective 19.9%, Investigation 15.8%, Noir 14.9%, Romance 12.8%, Visual Novel 12.8%
- #32 Detective Turtletop: Who Killed Harambe?
77% match1 user reviews100% of 1 reviews2026
Dev: Turtletop Software
Windows
The first AI detective game that doesn't cheat. Developed by a former Meta AI Engineer. Interrogate suspects using your own words to solve the murder of Harambe. Features procedurally generated cases, consistent hard logic, and a unique stress mechanic. You have 3 hours to find the truth.
Why similar: Noir 24.6%, Interactive Fiction 23.1%, Detective 14.9%, Visual Novel 14.7%, Mystery 12.4%
- #33 Conscience
75% matchVery Positive93% of 168 reviews2024
Dev: Bowker Studios
Windows
Jack Beckham is found dead, hanging in his apartment alone. Police rule it a suicide. His father, refusing to accept the conclusion, hires you to investigate. Delve into the clues left behind in his apartment to discover what really happened.
Why similar: Noir 25.5%, Detective 23.8%, Investigation 17.2%, Narrative 15.7% ★, Mystery 12.4%
- #34 Call Me Under
76% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Lunaris Games
Windows · Mac
Dive into the 1950s and explore an underwater world soaked in dark magic, Eldritch mysteries, and romance. Investigate the sudden disappearances plaguing Styx and uncover the truth behind the vicious power struggle between two ancient forces.
Why similar: Otome 15.5% ★, LGBTQ+ 12.8%, Romance 12.3%, Visual Novel 11.2%, Noir 10.5%
- #35 Entropic Float: This World Will Decay And Disappear
76% matchPositive92% of 49 reviews2022
Dev: Nico HPub: Starfield Gaming
Windows · Mac
A free drama-mystery visual novel with a modern fantasy setting. Reach out to the fourteen people trapped inside to find the truth through eighteen endings, influenced by but not exclusively bound to your own system time.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 20.3%, Visual Novel 19.8%, LGBTQ+ 14.9%, Mystery 14.2%, Multiple Endings 10.6%
- #36 The Ripe Blood Anthology: This World Is Just for the Two of Us
75% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Роман Ветер-Пурпурный
Windows · Linux
A visual novel where your choices matter. Derek has a job, a beloved boyfriend, friends, and… “piranha thoughts.” Everything was perfect until his younger sister Rina returned to town.
Why similar: Interactive Fiction 20%, LGBTQ+ 16.4%, Visual Novel 14.9%, Romance 14.7%, Choices Matter 10.1%
- #37 Rumor Reporter
74% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Greyhaven Craft
Windows
Rumor Reporter is a Golden Age whodunit mystery. Play as senior reporter Veronica Chase as you explore Greyhaven Island in the Celtic Sea, 1920s. Choose where to investigate, who to question, and what to publish. Your report shapes public opinion, drives arrests, and changes the island’s future.
Why similar: Detective 24.2%, Investigation 17.9%, Mystery 13.8%, Interactive Fiction 11.7%, Visual Novel 9.9%
- #38 Love and Crime
74% match8 user reviews100% of 8 reviews2024
Dev: Mango x2
Windows · Mac
A visual novel with an exciting detective and romantic plot. Take on a dangerous investigation and find your love in a lost Japanese town.
Why similar: Otome 20.5% ★, Investigation 13.6%, Romance 13.3%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Detective 11.2%
- #39 WHODUNNIT
73% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Don Attico
Windows
WHODUNNIT is a mystery visual novel following a man who must answer a burning question: who the hell did he hook up with last night?
Why similar: Detective 30.7%, Investigation 19.1%, Visual Novel 16.2%, LGBTQ+ 14.5%, Mystery 11.8%
- #40 Gloomy Clues: The Broken Mirror
73% match1 user reviews0% of 1 reviews2024
Dev: Pixel Paradise ®
Windows · Mac · Linux
A noir graphic adventure where your mind is your greatest enemy. Investigate crimes, interrogate suspects, and survive in this point-and-click remake, rebuilt from the ground up. Solve the mystery before your demons consume you. Play the free demo and wishlist now!
Why similar: Noir 19.9%, Detective 17.8%, Investigation 14%, Interactive Fiction 11.9%, Visual Novel 9.9%
- #41 Reanimation Scheme
73% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Wind Chimes Games Limited
Windows · Mac · Linux
An otome game and romance visual novel. Step into the shoes of the necromancer, Raenelle. Meet a colorful cast of characters, fail to summon the spirits of the dead, unravel mysteries, and maybe — just maybe — fall in love.
Why similar: Otome 25.2% ★, Interactive Fiction 14.5%, LGBTQ+ 12.7%, Visual Novel 11.6%, Romance 10.4%
- #42 Echoes of Ash
72% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Ash Studio
Windows
Detective agency management × superpowered mystery. Former operative Lin Mo rebuilds the Ash Detective Agency in Collins City. Investigate crime scenes, use “Echoes” to recover memory fragments, rebut lies with evidence, dispatch partners for intel, and uncover conspiracy behind your mentor’s death.
Why similar: Detective 28.4%, Investigation 19.2%, Visual Novel 15%, Mystery 11.1%, Noir 8%
- #43 Pentiment
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 9,036 reviews2022
Dev: Obsidian EntertainmentPub: Xbox Game Studios
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 10.8 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: Investigation 16.2%, Detective 15.4%, Historical 14%, Interactive Fiction 13.8%, Narrative 11.7% ★
- #44 Kindred [High Tide]
70% matchPositive100% of 18 reviews2026
Dev: Victoria RafaelianPub: Captain Edge Studios
Windows
In this detective horror visual novel, investigate a seabound anomaly. Explore areas of interest, uncover clues, and piece together evidence before time runs out — and before this mission becomes your last. Choose a side; don't look back.
Why similar: Detective 23.8%, Investigation 17.1%, Interactive Fiction 14.5%, Mystery 12.2%, Visual Novel 11.1%
- #45 High Elo Girls
71% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Split Fate Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
High Elo Girls is a Visual Novel set in the esports scene where you play as the latest recruit for a new all-girls team. Can you help your squad achieve their true potential, or will you only squander your own?
Why similar: Otome 18% ★, Narrative 16.7% ★, LGBTQ+ 12.8%, Romance 12%, Interactive Fiction 9.9%
- #46 Best Served Cold
70% matchVery Positive89% of 596 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 23.2%, Investigation 14.9%, Visual Novel 14.2%, Interactive Fiction 13.2%, Choices Matter 9.4%
- #47 The Final Print
69% matchPositive87% of 39 reviews2025
Dev: Dummy DetectivesPub: Breda University of Applied Sciences
Windows
You're a journalist investigating a suspicious case during the Harlem riots. Take pictures of evidence, gather information by interrogating people, and put it all together in an article to show people the truth.
Why similar: Detective 21.1%, Noir 19.2%, Interactive Fiction 15%, Historical 13.2%, Investigation 11.2%
- #48 INTERSECTION
70% matchNo user reviews
Dev: HISYSgames
Windows · Mac
Become Yoon Seunghyun, a young cadet starting his internship, and face a real, mysterious crime on your very first day.
Why similar: Detective 17.5%, LGBTQ+ 15.2%, Romance 13.5%, Visual Novel 13%, Investigation 11.2%
- #49 The Shell Part II: Purgatorio
69% matchVery Positive95% of 590 reviews2024
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 20.4 hrsMean: 157.8 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Detective Reiji Tokisaka is back to face down a mystery that spans decades, if not centuries. With the aftermath of his last case weighing on his soul and a long-silent cult resurgent, can he solve the crime—or will it become his curse?
Why similar: Noir 19.5%, Detective 18.8%, Investigation 14.9%, Romance 13%, Historical 11.7%
- #50 The Summit Library
69% matchPositive93% of 40 reviews2024
Dev: qkayoo studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
A Library that's falling apart, an Empire on the brink of war, and a dangerous magical mystery you've been tasked to solve.
Why similar: Otome 25.1% ★, Visual Novel 16.9%, LGBTQ+ 15.9%, Romance 12%, Interactive Fiction 7.2%
- #51 Solstice
72% matchMostly Positive76% of 190 reviews2016
Dev: MoaCube
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Solstice is a dystopian mystery visual novel about small personal disasters that turn into great catastrophes.
Why similar: Otome 20.4% ★, LGBTQ+ 13.2%, Visual Novel 13%, Romance 12.4%, Multiple Endings 9.7%
- #52 The Monster Inside
71% matchVery Positive88% of 2,060 reviews2017
Dev: Random Seed Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 12 minMean: 1.5 hrs≥1hr: 10%
A film noir style audio-visual novella. A mysterious woman... a string of murders... and a man with a hidden past.
Why similar: Noir 34.3%, Detective 30.2%, Visual Novel 18.5%, Mystery 15.1%, Indie 1.1%
- #53 Save the Villainess: An Otome Isekai Roleplaying Game
68% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Best Laid Plans Productions Inc.
Windows
Some people have pets. You now have a romance novel villainess. Guide your neurodiverse villainess through an animated visual novel with menacing manors, mysteries, (wo)men, and murder to see if you can… Save the Villainess.
Why similar: Otome 18% ★, Detective 16%, Narrative 14.3% ★, Romance 10.6%, Investigation 10.3%
- #54 Linework
68% matchNo user reviews2026
Dev: Overlyunderqualified
Windows
A puzzle-detective game set in 1990s China: play as a forensic artist, interview witnesses, drag and drop testimony and documents, sketch suspects from clues, and piece together evidence to solve mysterious crimes.
Why similar: Detective 25.5%, Investigation 18.9%, Interactive Fiction 15.7%, Mystery 13%, Visual Novel 11.1%
- #55 Graywood: Noir Detective
67% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Bobby & Jeni
Windows
GRAYWOOD is a 1950s crime comic-inspired graphic adventure. Investigate crime scenes, craft your own lines of questioning, and organize your findings on your corkboard all while navigating a morally-testing narrative. Respect the law, follow your conscience, or abuse your power to save your family.
Why similar: Noir 24.1%, Detective 22.2%, Narrative 17.4% ★, Investigation 12.8%, Choices Matter 7.2%
- #56 The Posthumous Investigation
66% match7 user reviews100% of 7 reviews2026
Dev: Mother Gaia StudioPub: CriticalLeap
Windows · Mac
Brás Cubas is dead, and he wants you to find out why. Explore a noir-drenched 1937 Rio de Janeiro in this time-loop murder mystery. Relive the same day, manipulate characters, and uncover secrets in a game where death is the client and time is your only weapon.
Why similar: Noir 19.7%, Detective 18.3%, Investigation 13.8%, Historical 9.8%, Mystery 9.3%
- #57 The Widow's Boutique
68% matchPositive92% of 13 reviews2023
Dev: Tidvis Games
Windows · Mac
Step into a small town society of the 1820s in this historically accurate visual novel, filled with drama, dresses and danger.
Why similar: Romance 16.3%, Historical 16.1%, Visual Novel 15.5%, Interactive Fiction 11.1%, Multiple Endings 10.5%
- #58 Actala: The Hero's Shadow
67% matchNo user reviews
Dev: ChattercapPub: Chattercap LLC
Windows
The fairy tale is over. The Hero won. But the story is just beginning. Explore the web of intrigue in this mystery/fantasy romance visual novel featuring hundreds of animated illustrations.
Why similar: Otome 29.8% ★, Romance 15.2%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, Mystery 9.7%
- #59 Drops of Death
65% matchVery Positive93% of 86 reviews2025
Dev: Snowhaven Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
A murder mystery visual novel with a romantic twist. The killer is randomly chosen at the start of each playthrough, and you may unknowingly fall in love with them. How will your story come to its end? Will you bring the killer to justice, fall in love with them, or die at their hands?
Why similar: Otome 21.2% ★, LGBTQ+ 15.3%, Visual Novel 14.7%, Romance 13.2%, Mystery 11%
- #60 Private Eye: The Young Heir
66% matchNo user reviews
Dev: Lucky 7 Studios
Windows
Private Eye is a detective game where you play as Hakeem trying to solve the murder case of Amir. The wealthy heir Amir kept strange company, is one of them his murderer? Explore, investigate, solve puzzles, and find discrepancies to unravel his mysterious death.
Why similar: Detective 21.7%, Investigation 16.6%, Noir 14.3%, Interactive Fiction 14.2%, Mystery 11.4%