Games Like Desktop Explorer

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 25.6%, Investigation 16.5%, Point & Click 12.4%, Mystery 12.4%, 1990's 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: This game perfectly mirrors the desktop-investigation style by tasking you with piecing together a family history through digital archives.

You log on to a computer having no clue of what lies within. Explore its files, solve puzzles to recover missing pieces, and decipher passwords to enter otherwise prohibited folders. As you delve deeper into its content, you’ll find that there is a greater mystery to be solved.

Why similar: Detective 24.8%, Interactive Fiction 18.9%, Text-Based 16.8%, Mystery 10%, Puzzle 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A direct simulation of a desktop environment where you must navigate files and cryptic software to solve a central mystery.

Stories Untold is a compilation tape of four experimental adventures, including a remaster of the original hit episode “The House Abandon”.

Why similar: Text-Based 32.7%, Psychological Horror 23.6%, Point & Click 19.1%, Atmospheric 10%, Adventure 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: It masterfully blends retro-computer aesthetics with episodic psychological horror and interactive-fiction mechanics.

Greetings Enforcer, and thank you for enlisting in the Hypnospace Patrol Department! As the world falls into its slumber, Hypnospace becomes a bustling global village. These virtual streets aren't going to police themselves!

Why similar: 1990's 27.3%, Point & Click 18.8%, Detective 18.5%, Interactive Fiction 9.4%, Simulation 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: This title provides a deep, immersive dive into a simulated 90s internet OS, requiring careful investigation of files and websites.

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: Detective 21.9%, Investigation 20.3%, Immersive Sim 11.3%, Point & Click 9.8%, Mystery 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: You act as a remote support agent using a simulated terminal to guide field agents through dangerous, mystery-filled situations.

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 22.8%, Investigation 20.3%, Mystery 13.1%, Interactive Fiction 10.5%, Text-Based 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: This investigation-heavy game focuses on uncovering a conspiracy through digital records and story-rich exploration.

An interactive horror experience of exploring a missing woman’s phone.

Why similar: Detective 22.7%, Point & Click 15.2%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Immersive Sim 13.2%, Visual Novel 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: This game utilizes a phone-based interface to deliver a tense, psychological horror experience centered on uncovering a missing person's secrets.

A woman is interviewed seven times by the police. Search the video database and explore hundreds of authentic clips to discover her story in this groundbreaking and award winning narrative game.

Why similar: Investigation 20.4%, Detective 19.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.4%, Point & Click 12.1%, Psychological Horror 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: It pioneered the database-driven investigation genre, forcing you to search through video clips to uncover a dark mystery.

Thanks to next generation AI technology, BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984 simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy! Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!

Why similar: Psychological Horror 27.7%, Text-Based 23%, Interactive Fiction 13.4%, Pixel Graphics 11.2%, Simulation 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the unsettling feeling of interacting with a sentient, retro-style program that slowly turns into a psychological nightmare.

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: Investigation 17.9%, Detective 17.4%, Point & Click 12.5%, Psychological Horror 11.7%, Immersive Sim 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: It combines retro point-and-click investigation with psychological horror elements in a haunting digital space.

The 98xx is an old computer OS from the 90s that’s recently been discovered after many years of being lost. There are still a few working files within the OS that can be explored.

Why similar: Point & Click 29.6%, Psychological Horror 25.2%, Simulation 16.3%, Mystery 14.5%, Puzzle 14.4%

Why You'll Like It: It effectively uses a retro-OS aesthetic to build an atmospheric and unsettling horror experience through point-and-click exploration.

10 CDs, 10 passwords. Find hidden messages, text, numbers to unlock next CD to continue your steganography puzzle journey.

Why similar: 1990's 18.6%, Detective 17.5%, Mystery 13%, Puzzle 9.7%, Point & Click 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: This game focuses on the nostalgia of 1990s technology while hiding a dark, puzzle-filled mystery within its files.

you find an abandoned fps game on an old computer. you decide to play it.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.6%, Psychological Horror 19.5%, Immersive Sim 18.1%, Puzzle 11.1%, Simulation 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric horror game that uses the concept of an abandoned, haunted multiplayer server to create a sense of dread.

Point-and-click mystery adventure on the virtual Social Media! Find secrets hidden by family, friends, companies, and idols.

Why similar: Investigation 17.4%, Interactive Fiction 11.4%, Psychological Horror 10.8%, Text-Based 10.7%, Mystery 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: A visual-novel style investigation game that tasks you with digging through social media profiles to uncover hidden truths.

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: Detective 15.7%, Psychological Horror 15.4%, Text-Based 14%, Visual Novel 12.9%, Mystery 12%

Why You'll Like It: This game blends adventure and psychological horror, focusing on investigating supernatural phenomena through a digital lens.

Congratulations, you've found Dingir OS — an operating system that lets you glimpse into the darkest corners of the internet. Browse forbidden websites, investigate lethal files, and immerse yourself in the world of digital legends. (We are not responsible for anything that may happen to you.)

Why similar: Detective 20%, Point & Click 14%, Interactive Fiction 13%, Psychological Horror 13%, Visual Novel 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: This title leans into the psychological horror genre by presenting a mysterious, corrupted operating system for you to explore.

Big Brother has arrived - and it’s you. Investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks. Information from the internet, personal communications and private files are all accessible to you. But, be warned, the information you supply will have consequences.

Why similar: Investigation 64.8%, Simulation 18.3%, Detective 5.7%, Interactive Fiction 3.1%, Mystery 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: This game puts you in the role of a government investigator using a surveillance interface to piece together personal information.

Sinheritance is a terrifying and mind-bending puzzle game. Explore every corner in an intensely oppressive atmosphere to piece together a chilling story. Every step must be taken with caution, for the deepest fears often stem from your own choices and your gradually crumbling sanity.

Why similar: Detective 20.4%, Investigation 19%, Point & Click 13%, Mystery 10.9%, Immersive Sim 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: A detective-focused puzzle game that requires you to investigate digital clues to solve a complex mystery.

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 29.1%, Point & Click 18.3%, Investigation 10%, Mystery 9.7%, Visual Novel 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: While more traditional, its focus on point-and-click detective work and uncovering clues in a contained environment matches the investigative feel.

This is a deep web exploration simulator. Discover hundreds of websites and files around the Web to get to the Silent House and save your friend. Find out creepy stories from the Web and meet its inhabitants. It's showtime!

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 16.5%, Immersive Sim 14.4%, Mystery 13.6%, Puzzle 12.4%, Simulation 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: This simulation game captures the tension of navigating dangerous, mysterious corners of the internet to solve puzzles.

In 1936, something terrible happened at Galley House. Decades later, with a strange contraption that reveals echoes of the past, you must uncover the truth behind this grisly mystery.

Why similar: Detective 31.4%, Mystery 21.5%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Puzzle 12.8%, Investigation 5.5%

Why You'll Like It: A story-rich mystery game that relies on detective work and puzzle-solving within a confined, atmospheric setting.

Confronted with fragmented narratives and deceptive persons of interest, you must isolate crucial evidence. Shatter logical loopholes from testimonies and reconstruct the crime scene from subtle clues. Can you survive this immersive battle of wits?

Why similar: Detective 18.7%, Text-Based 12.8%, Point & Click 11.7%, Immersive Sim 10.6%, Interactive Fiction 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: This game emphasizes the detective and puzzle aspects of investigation through a unique, immersive-sim inspired interface.

Four private lives. One big lie. Search through secretly recorded video conversations to discover the truth. The successor to the acclaimed Her Story.

Why similar: Detective 21.2%, Investigation 18.6%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, Point & Click 12.6%, Mystery 11.4%

Why You'll Like It: Similar to Her Story, this game requires you to sift through a massive database of stolen video files to reconstruct a complex narrative.

A missing person case straight out of 1995. Search the early internet, dig through emails and dusty floppy discs, and uncover the secrets behind the disappearance of Victoria Mason.

Why similar: Detective 17.6%, Point & Click 12.1%, 1990's 10.6%, Interactive Fiction 10.1%, Mystery 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: A simulation-heavy detective game that uses point-and-click mechanics to build an atmospheric mystery.

Pilot the MOLE, a monstrous post-war drilling machine built to descend deep below the Slavic soil. Fix failing systems, follow voices of the dead, and pray you can survive whatever is sharing your coffin. Will the vessel or your mind break first?

Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.7%, Puzzle 14.5%, Simulation 13.8%, Stylized 10.8%, Exploration 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: This simulation game blends psychological horror with puzzle-solving in a way that feels deeply connected to digital investigation.

Endacopia is a Point-and-Click Puzzle Adventure that is visually reminiscent of early computer edutainment games... with underlying horrors.

Why similar: Point & Click 24.9%, Psychological Horror 22%, Puzzle 12%, Pixel Graphics 10.5%, Exploration 9%

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 24.8%, 1990's 18.1%, Point & Click 16.3%, Visual Novel 12.5%, Interactive Fiction 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: This story-rich detective game uses a digital interface to guide you through a series of supernatural investigations.

In Amanda the Adventurer 2, the story continues as Riley encounters a mysterious masked figure after destroying the TV in the attic. Travel to the Kensdale Public Library and dig deeper into the mystery of Amanda the Adventurer.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 17.3%, Point & Click 17.3%, 1990's 14.1%, Psychological Horror 10.8%, Puzzle 8.9%

Why You'll Like It: It uses the concept of interacting with cursed, retro media to drive its puzzle-heavy, horror-filled narrative.

It's a mystery game that reveals the truth through an autopsy. Be a forensic doctor and find out why the dead died.

Why similar: Detective 23.7%, Point & Click 15.5%, Mystery 11.9%, Text-Based 11.2%, Investigation 10.7%

Why You'll Like It: A detective-focused mystery game that relies on careful observation and point-and-click mechanics to solve its central case.

A series of murders is shocking Hollywood! Use your detective skills: search the crime scene, find clues, solve the mystery. Who is pulling the strings behind these Confidential Killings?

Why similar: Detective 19.3%, Investigation 17.7%, Point & Click 12.6%, Interactive Fiction 12.1%, Text-Based 10%

Why You'll Like It: It offers a deep dive into conspiracy-laden investigations using puzzle-solving and point-and-click exploration.

Delve into a gripping world of puzzles, true ciphers on an old PalmPilot system. Will you uncover the Crypt Killer’s confession and bring him to justice, or will he escape the law?

Why similar: Detective 24.2%, Point & Click 21.5%, Immersive Sim 13.7%, Simulation 10.3%, Puzzle 9.9%

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: Detective 16.5%, Investigation 15.3%, Point & Click 12.9%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, 1990's 9.8%

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: Detective 24.3%, Investigation 21.8%, Interactive Fiction 18.8%, Text-Based 16%, 1990's 10.1%

Explore the mysterious operating system Crossʀoad OS. Adventure through its decaying programs, solve puzzles, collect items and meet strange creatures.

Why similar: Mystery 19.8%, Point & Click 19.2%, Stylized 12.3%, Pixel Graphics 10.8%, Puzzle 10.2%

An old shack deep in a dense forest, a strange computer and a game that's trying to kill you!

Why similar: Investigation 22.8%, Psychological Horror 19.6%, Mystery 16.6%, Puzzle 13.2%, Exploration 8.3%

A desktop psychological horror inspired by the Smile Dog creepypasta. Open the attachment, read your emails, and survive a real nightmare spilling out across your screen.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 30.4%, Point & Click 27.6%, Mystery 19.6%, Simulation 10.2%, Puzzle 9.8%

A psychological interactive novel about a floppy disk with a mysterious program. Help Elliot cope with his mental issues and uncover the secret of the floppy disk.

Why similar: Text-Based 23.3%, Psychological Horror 19.8%, Interactive Fiction 17.6%, Visual Novel 12.1%, Pixel Graphics 9.4%

All you wanted was a nice game. But now you find yourself opening Windows apps like Paint & Notepad to solve puzzles, and searching for files on your computers that you didn't put there... Who is she? Why did she appear on your desktop? Let's dive into her memories and find out.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 36.1%, Exploration 13.6%, Puzzle 12.8%, Pixel Graphics 10.2%, Colorful 8.5%

You bought a PC that belonged to a suicidal developer, do you dare to run "Game.exe"?

Why similar: Investigation 29.4%, Psychological Horror 22.1%, 1990's 16.5%, Pixel Graphics 9.3%, Exploration 8.1%

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 18.8%, Investigation 15.7%, 1990's 13.4%, Point & Click 12.1%, Text-Based 11.4%

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 21.7%, Investigation 20.3%, Point & Click 12.5%, Mystery 11.7%, Interactive Fiction 11%

Hearing noises? Seeing things? Call Home Safety Hotline! Our operators are standing by, waiting to give you the answers you need to protect your home from all manner of pests and household hazards.

Why similar: 1990's 21%, Text-Based 17.8%, Interactive Fiction 16.8%, Point & Click 16.7%, Psychological Horror 9%

Look through someone else’s computer. Inspired by early “escape room” flash games.

Why similar: Investigation 24.9%, Point & Click 19.5%, Puzzle 17.5%, Visual Novel 14.4%, Psychological Horror 12.9%

A survival horror puzzle game about exploring an abandoned children's toy, stalked by the shambling husks of scrapped concepts that pursue you endlessly throughout the environment as you try to solve the cryptic puzzles left behind by the developers and keep your pet alive.

Why similar: 1990's 22.4%, Psychological Horror 20.3%, Puzzle 10.8%, Mystery 10.2%, Pixel Graphics 8.7%

You’re stuck inside an abandoned video game, haunted by its own digital decay. In oneway.exe, uncover the mystery of UNTITLED.exe, its three developers, and the evolving Internet eras that once shaped their love. How does your story end? How did it ever begin?

Why similar: Investigation 23.1%, Psychological Horror 19.8%, Mystery 17%, Puzzle 13%, Exploration 8.6%

Investigate a broken mind to unravel a twisted case. Deduce the truth. Restore lost memories. Listen to private conversations. Draw your own conclusions. Mind Diver is a murder mystery, where the victim is love.

Why similar: Detective 24.9%, Investigation 23.3%, Interactive Fiction 15.8%, Mystery 13.2%, Puzzle 8.4%

In this Game Boy styled horror game, uncover the mystery of the Roanoke Museum of History and Wonder. Get lost in its maze-like exhibits, solve peculiar puzzles, and survive being hunted by grotesque creatures from the controversial Human Body Exhibit. Can you leave the museum alive?

Why similar: Investigation 20.6%, Point & Click 17.8%, 1990's 15.2%, Mystery 12.5%, Puzzle 11.8%

You are wetware, working a mysterious job.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 21.9%, Immersive Sim 18.1%, Puzzle 10.8%, Exploration 9.2%, Stylized 8.3%

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 24.7%, Investigation 22.3%, Point & Click 16.5%, Mystery 12.4%, Puzzle 8.6%

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: Investigation 17.5%, Interactive Fiction 13.6%, Point & Click 12.5%, Immersive Sim 12.3%, Text-Based 12%

Explore the Poolrooms as if it were lost media from 1998.

Why similar: 1990's 24.6%, Immersive Sim 22.8%, Psychological Horror 16.2%, Exploration 9.4%, Pixel Graphics 7.2%

Locals whisper of a roadside diner that’s lost its color. You are sent to investigate.

Why similar: Detective 23.7%, Point & Click 18.3%, Psychological Horror 14.6%, Mystery 11%, Puzzle 10.3%

A short classic point-and-click adventure with a verb-based interface and dialogue choices, where you explore a strange building, meet unsettling characters, and slowly uncover a dark, ancient secret.

Why similar: Point & Click 24.4%, 1990's 21.3%, Mystery 12.6%, Puzzle 11.9%, Pixel Graphics 10.5%

A cinematic point-and-click adventure where you step into the shoes of photographer Charlotte Gray as she explores the abandoned camp of Deer Creek and uncovers the tragedy that befell the camp and its people.

Why similar: Point & Click 19.6%, Investigation 17.6%, Mystery 13.7%, Interactive Fiction 13.1%, Puzzle 7.2%

RESTORER is a classic walking simulator set in an old, atmospheric mansion. Something roams the halls… It wants to share its secret—with the price being your sanity.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 48.4%, Atmospheric 17.6%, Simulation 13.9%, Adventure 7.3%, Exploration 7.2%

Killer Frequency is a first-person horror puzzle game set in 1987, that puts you in the role of a late-night radio talk show host in small town America whose callers are being stalked by a mysterious killer.

Why similar: Investigation 25.1%, Interactive Fiction 21.1%, 1990's 14.9%, Puzzle 11%, Simulation 8.1%

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 23%, Point & Click 16.7%, Investigation 15.6%, Visual Novel 10.3%, Mystery 8.7%

When a murdered family is discovered in 17th Century Salem, at the height of a witch hysteria, people start to suspect something supernatural to blame. An atmospheric murder mystery. Connect the evidence and see if you can deduce the secrets behind the mystery.

Why similar: Detective 22.8%, Interactive Fiction 13.1%, Mystery 11.8%, Point & Click 11.4%, Visual Novel 10.9%

Research materials about the explorers of the mysterious underground pyramid. An analog horror game about found footage tapes.

Why similar: 1990's 29.4%, Point & Click 19.6%, Interactive Fiction 18.4%, Atmospheric 9.5%, Exploration 7.2%