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 25.7%, Investigation 16.7%, Point & Click 12.5%, Mystery 12.4%, 1990's 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: You piece together a massive family tree by investigating an eccentric family's digital archives and relics.

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: Uncover a missing person's fate by digging through the deeply personal files and apps of her lost phone.

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

Why similar: Investigation 18.3%, 1990's 14.1%, Point & Click 14%, Psychological Horror 14%, Interactive Fiction 11.6%

Why You'll Like It: Investigate a series of eerie internet mysteries by analyzing old web pages and digital clues.

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 20.2%, Immersive Sim 11.4%, Point & Click 9.9%, Mystery 9.6%

Why You'll Like It: Play as an emergency dispatcher solving complex digital mysteries by combing through databases and surveillance.

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 15.5%, Text-Based 13.9%, Visual Novel 12.9%, Mystery 12%

Why You'll Like It: Investigate bizarre urban legends using a mix of internet sleuthing and supernatural investigation.

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 24.9%, Interactive Fiction 18.9%, Text-Based 16.7%, Mystery 10%, Puzzle 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: Navigate through an interactive, eerie digital space that plays with simulation and psychological horror tropes.

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 20.2%, Mystery 13.1%, Interactive Fiction 10.5%, Text-Based 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Dive into a fictional wiki and investigate dark conspiracies hidden within archival pages.

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 27.1%, Point & Click 18.9%, Detective 18.7%, Interactive Fiction 9.4%, Simulation 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: Patrol a 90s-style retro internet, hunting down rulebreakers and uncovering hidden secrets in operating system files.

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

Why similar: Investigation 17.5%, Interactive Fiction 11.3%, Psychological Horror 10.8%, Text-Based 10.5%, Mystery 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: Snoop through a social media platform to piece together a psychological thriller narrative.

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 17.7%, Mystery 13.1%, Puzzle 9.8%, Point & Click 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Solve cryptic puzzles by interacting with a retro, nostalgic disc interface.

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 17.8%, Detective 17.4%, Point & Click 12.5%, Psychological Horror 11.9%, Immersive Sim 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: Unravel a dark investigation using eerie retro point-and-click mechanics.

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. A new puzzle from the creators of The Roottrees are Dead.

Why similar: Detective 31.4%, Mystery 22.2%, Puzzle 13.1%, Visual Novel 12.7%, Investigation 5.3%

Why You'll Like It: Piece together clues in a story-rich visual novel format filled with puzzles and mystery.

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 64.9%, Simulation 18.1%, Detective 5.8%, Interactive Fiction 3.1%, Mystery 2.9%

Why You'll Like It: Invade citizens' privacy and piece together digital footprints to stop a string of mysterious threats.

A digital voyeur simulator where you watch strangers through surveillance cameras. Invade their privacy and witness their most intimate moments, but don’t interact with the subjects – anything could happen if you dare feed the monkeys!

Why similar: Point & Click 44.2%, Pixel Graphics 16.4%, Simulation 13.3%, Atmospheric 10.2%, 2D 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Spy on strangers through webcams and dig into their digital lives to piece together a voyeuristic mystery.

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 18.8%, Text-Based 12.7%, Point & Click 11.7%, Immersive Sim 10.7%, Interactive Fiction 10.5%

Why You'll Like It: Solve intricate detective puzzles and crack cases using immersive terminal tools.

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

Why similar: Point & Click 25.3%, Psychological Horror 22.2%, Puzzle 12.2%, Pixel Graphics 10.4%, Exploration 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: Explore a surreal, post-apocalyptic point-and-click horror adventure with a retro aesthetic.

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 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: Interrogate quirky suspects and solve a murder mystery by exploring a surreal mansion.

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 29.3%, Puzzle 14.7%, Simulation 13.5%, Stylized 10.5%, Exploration 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: Delve into a simulation-heavy psychological horror experience aboard a mysterious vessel.

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 20.1%, Point & Click 14.1%, Psychological Horror 13.1%, Interactive Fiction 13%, Visual Novel 9.3%

Why You'll Like It: Experience psychological horror through the lens of a bizarre, unsettling operating system interface.

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 13.8%, Simulation 10.2%, Puzzle 10%

Why You'll Like It: Crack open simulated handheld devices to uncover hidden files and dark truths.

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

Why similar: Investigation 22.6%, Psychological Horror 19.7%, Mystery 16.7%, Puzzle 13.4%, Exploration 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: Escape a cabin while interacting with a meta-narrative puzzle game that mirrors your reality.

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 29.4%, Psychological Horror 25.6%, Simulation 16.1%, Mystery 14.4%, Puzzle 14.4%

Why You'll Like It: Navigate a nostalgic and deeply unsettling 90s operating system filled with hidden psychological horrors.

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 24.1%, Investigation 21.5%, Interactive Fiction 18.6%, Text-Based 15.8%, 1990's 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Piece together a classified text-based investigation filled with deep corporate secrets.

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 24.9%, 1990's 18%, Point & Click 16.3%, Visual Novel 12.6%, Interactive Fiction 9.8%

Why You'll Like It: Solve occult mysteries using investigative tools and visual novel storytelling.

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 12%, Text-Based 11.1%, Investigation 10.6%

Why You'll Like It: Investigate mysterious occurrences through classic point-and-click detective work.

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 20.3%, Detective 19.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.4%, Point & Click 12.2%, Psychological Horror 10.4%

Why You'll Like It: Watch live-action police interview footage to piece together a nonlinear mystery about a missing man.

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%, Mystery 9.5%

Read the evidence. Run the forensics. Question suspects in your own words, they lie, crack, or lawyer up. Accuse the wrong person, and Internal Affairs comes after you.

Why similar: Detective 13.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.3%, Point & Click 13%, Investigation 12.3%, Text-Based 11.7%

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 20.5%, Investigation 18.9%, Point & Click 13%, Mystery 10.9%, Immersive Sim 8.9%

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: Point & Click 17.3%, Interactive Fiction 17.2%, 1990's 14.1%, Psychological Horror 10.9%, Puzzle 9%

Welcome to the Game is a creepy horror/puzzle game that takes you into the world of the Deep Web. Explore the Deep Web with the sole purpose of trying to find a Red Room, an online service / website that allows you to see and participate in interactive torture and murder.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 51.5%, Puzzle 21.8%, Simulation 19.3%, Atmospheric 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Hack and explore the dark web in a terrifying race against time to uncover a hidden mystery.

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

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.5%, Psychological Horror 19.6%, Immersive Sim 18.2%, Puzzle 11.2%, Simulation 9.2%

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 18.5%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, Point & Click 12.6%, Mystery 11.5%

Why You'll Like It: Scour a stolen database of secretly recorded video conversations to uncover a sprawling conspiracy.

The Silver Case – the debut title from world-renowned developer SUDA51 has been fully remastered and localized to English for the first time ever!

Why similar: Investigation 17.8%, Detective 17.1%, Text-Based 13.3%, Mystery 9.7%, 1990's 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: Investigate a bizarre string of murders through a stylish visual novel and detective interface.

Welcome to the Game II is an atmospheric horror / strategy / puzzle game that takes you into the world of the deep web in search of the shadow web. Play as an investigative reporter trying to solve a case of a mysterious woman broadcasting for help as masked men are on the hunt to kill her.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 58.8%, Simulation 19.7%, Puzzle 13.3%, Atmospheric 8.3%

Why You'll Like It: Return to the dark web to dig deeper into hidden computer files while evading unseen stalkers.

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

Why similar: Mystery 19.9%, Point & Click 19.3%, Stylized 12%, Pixel Graphics 10.8%, Puzzle 10.4%

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 16.6%, Investigation 15.3%, Point & Click 12.9%, Interactive Fiction 12.8%, 1990's 9.8%

Malware lurks where you least expect it. Unscrupulous software vendors have hidden traps inside legitimate installers — can you spot them all and keep your computer clean?

Why similar: Point & Click 22.3%, 1990's 20.5%, Detective 18.3%, Puzzle 13%, Simulation 10.2%

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 30.5%, Point & Click 27.6%, Mystery 19.6%, Simulation 10%, Puzzle 9.9%

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 36.4%, Exploration 13.5%, Puzzle 12.9%, Pixel Graphics 10.1%, Colorful 8.3%

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 17.6%, Point & Click 12.6%, Interactive Fiction 12.1%, Text-Based 9.9%

Clock in at TEREBRO INC. for the night shift in 1986. Protect the company's legacy as Risk Assessment Data Processor. Equipped with era-specific technology, navigate through obscured narratives to shape the company's future.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 19.1%, Mystery 16.5%, Immersive Sim 14%, Investigation 12.4%, Text-Based 10.7%

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

Why similar: Investigation 29.3%, Psychological Horror 22.4%, 1990's 16.5%, Pixel Graphics 9.3%, Exploration 8.1%

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 23.2%, Psychological Horror 20%, Interactive Fiction 17.6%, Visual Novel 12.1%, Pixel Graphics 9.3%

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 20.2%, Point & Click 12.5%, Mystery 11.7%, Interactive Fiction 10.9%

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 22.9%, Psychological Horror 19.9%, Mystery 17%, Puzzle 13.1%, Exploration 8.6%

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 15.6%, 1990's 13.4%, Point & Click 12.1%, Text-Based 11.3%

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 20.9%, Text-Based 17.8%, Interactive Fiction 16.8%, Point & Click 16.8%, Psychological Horror 9.1%

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 13.7%, Puzzle 12.5%, Simulation 9.7%

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 23.1%, Interactive Fiction 15.7%, Mystery 13.3%, Puzzle 8.5%

You are wetware, working a mysterious job.

Why similar: Psychological Horror 22.1%, Immersive Sim 18.1%, Puzzle 10.9%, Exploration 9.1%, Stylized 8%

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 22.3%, Psychological Horror 20.4%, Puzzle 11%, Mystery 10.2%, Pixel Graphics 8.7%

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

Why similar: 1990's 24.5%, Immersive Sim 22.9%, Psychological Horror 16.4%, Exploration 9.3%, Pixel Graphics 7.2%

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 20.5%, Point & Click 17.9%, 1990's 15.2%, Mystery 12.5%, Puzzle 11.9%

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 21.2%, Mystery 12.6%, Puzzle 12%, 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 17.5%, Mystery 13.8%, Interactive Fiction 13.1%, Puzzle 7.3%

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 48.7%, Atmospheric 17.4%, Simulation 13.8%, Adventure 7.4%, Exploration 7.2%

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 17.4%, Interactive Fiction 13.6%, Point & Click 12.5%, Immersive Sim 12.3%, Text-Based 12%

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%, Interactive Fiction 21.1%, 1990's 14.9%, Puzzle 11.2%, Simulation 8%

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 14.7%, Mystery 11%, Puzzle 10.4%