- #1 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
97% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 30,999 reviews2021
Dev: Team SalvatoPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.9 hrsMean: 81.7 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Welcome to the club! Write poems for your crush and experience the terror of school romance in this critically-acclaimed psychological horror story.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.9%, Dating Sim 16.6%, Visual Novel 16.2%, Anime 12.5%, Romance 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: It is the expanded commercial version of DDLC, preserving the same dating-sim-to-psychological-horror spiral while adding more character-focused side content.
- #2 YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 6,620 reviews2020
Dev: NitroplusPub: JAST
Windows
Median: 7.7 hrsMean: 131.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story is the visual novel medium in its purest form. Will Shinichi choose Miyuki, the beautiful queen bee of the school, or the endearingly awkward misfit Aoi? With art by Tsuji Santa, these beautifully rendered romances will stay with you forever.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.5%, Visual Novel 22.5%, Anime 11%, Romance 9.2%, Dating Sim 6.6%
Why You'll Like It: This is one of the closest Steam matches to DDLC thanks to its romance-VN structure, escalating psychological unease, and heavy use of fourth-wall-breaking narrative manipulation.
- #3 Find Love or Die Trying
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 12,005 reviews2021
Dev: Sunseeker Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 19.5 hrs≥1hr: 59%
Welcome to the only killer dating show where ending up single means ending up dead! Date or die, it's up to your choices!
Why similar: Dating Sim 26.2%, Visual Novel 19.5%, Anime 13.7%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Romance 12.9%
Why You'll Like It: It similarly disguises a dark, high-stakes horror story as an anime dating sim where your choices and routes carry ominous consequences.
- #4 NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD
95% matchVery Positive94% of 55,246 reviews2022
Dev: WSS playground
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 18.1 hrs≥1hr: 81%
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD is a “multi-ending ADV” depicting daily life with “OMGkawaiiAngel”, a young girl with a rather extreme need for approval attempting to become the #1 “Internet Angel” (streamer).
Why similar: Psychological Horror 37.3%, Visual Novel 22.1%, Anime 19.8%, Cute 8.7%, Sexual Content 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: It captures DDLC's blend of anime aesthetics, unstable characters, and mounting psychological breakdown, even though it plays more like a management sim than a pure VN.
- #5 How To Date A Magical Girl!
94% matchVery Positive80% of 470 reviews2019
Dev: Cafe ShibaPub: RIVER CROW STUDIO
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 15.0 hrs≥1hr: 96%
You're invited to the elite academy for magical girls! Will you take the opportunity to make new friends? Learn magic? Or... Will you try to date a cute magical girl?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 17.8%, Visual Novel 14.8%, Dating Sim 13.1%, Anime 12.8%, Violent 6.2%
Why You'll Like It: This is another short anime-style dating VN that quickly warps into psychological horror and violent route-based surprises.
- #6 Cooking Companions
94% matchVery Positive94% of 1,193 reviews2021
Dev: Deer Dream StudiosPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Unravel the mystery in this cute psychological horror VN, set deep in the woods of the Tatras Mountains. Will you wind up on the chopping block?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 19.2%, Dating Sim 18.4%, Visual Novel 16.1%, Anime 13.7%, Horror 10.1%
Why You'll Like It: Like DDLC, it uses a cute, character-driven visual-novel presentation to lull you in before turning deeply disturbing and surreal.
- #7 The Song of Saya
93% matchVery Positive90% of 9,431 reviews2019
Dev: NitroplusPub: JAST
Windows
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 59.1 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Bear witness to a love that will change the world, in this classic horror romance visual novel from acclaimed writer Urobuchi Gen.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 25%, Visual Novel 21.1%, Gore 10.8%, Anime 7.4%, Romance 7%
Why You'll Like It: This is a notorious psychological horror visual novel where romance and warped perception combine into something as disturbing as DDLC's darker turns.
- #8 Kill or Love
92% matchVery Positive89% of 2,191 reviews2020
Dev: Andy Church
Windows · Mac · Linux
A visual novel about obsession, loneliness, and, based on your choices, varying amounts of murder.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.4%, Visual Novel 22.3%, Anime 18.5%, Romance 11%, Horror 6.8%
Why You'll Like It: It mirrors DDLC's combination of romance, anime presentation, and increasingly unsettling emotional horror built around one central relationship.
- #9 missed messages.
91% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 15,474 reviews2019
Dev: Angela He
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 36 minMean: 3.0 hrs≥1hr: 18%
‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.
Why similar: Visual Novel 27.7%, Psychological Horror 24.1%, Romance 14.6%, Great Soundtrack 9.1%, Horror 5.8%
Why You'll Like It: It shares DDLC's short-form visual-novel intimacy, mental-health themes, and ability to turn soft character moments into something painful and haunting.
- #10 Tiny Bunny
90% matchVery Positive83% of 30,195 reviews2025
Dev: Saikono
Windows · Mac
Median: 8.5 hrsMean: 12.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Tiny Bunny is a non-linear horror visual novel. Those, who have heard the voice of the forest, are beyond help.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.7%, Psychological Horror 20.6%, Horror 12.3%, Dark 10.4%, Gore 6.6%
Why You'll Like It: Its school setting, escalating dread, and text-heavy psychological horror make it a strong fit for players who want DDLC's tension without the dating-sim framing.
- #11 Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
91% matchVery Positive92% of 2,538 reviews2017
Dev: KeroQPub: Frontwing USA
Windows
Median: 9.6 hrsMean: 173.0 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Wonderful Everyday is a visual novel with multiple routes which develops a story based on a few concepts: "the sky and the world", "the beginning and the end", "literature and science", "savior and hero", "brother and sister".
Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.5%, Visual Novel 22.7%, Anime 10.6%, Romance 6.9%, Gore 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: Fans of DDLC's tonal collapse and psychologically destabilizing storytelling will find a similarly intense, reality-bending VN here.
- #12 Crimson Gray
89% matchVery Positive96% of 444 reviews2017
Dev: Sierra Lee
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 94%
John is a young man suffering from severe depression. As he loses his sense of purpose in life, he begins to see the world in unfocused gray. Just when he begins to lose all hope, John meets a girl... a very special girl.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 22%, Visual Novel 18.1%, Dating Sim 16.7%, Anime 12.8%, Horror 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: Its yandere romance premise delivers the same uncomfortable mix of dating-sim intimacy and psychological danger that makes DDLC so unnerving.
- #13 Confess My Love
89% matchVery Positive94% of 4,858 reviews2017
Dev: LR Studio
Windows
Median: 1.7 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 65%
The story takes place after school, when Willie decides to confess his love to the girl of his dreams, Liza. Afraid of being refused, he hesitated for a while. Should he summon up his courage and confess his love to her?
Why similar: Anime 22%, Horror 14.9%, Psychological Horror 14.4%, Romance 14%, Visual Novel 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: This short free game mixes romance, looping choices, and horror twists in a compact format that will feel immediately familiar to DDLC fans.
- #14 Everlasting Summer
88% matchVery Positive94% of 77,532 reviews2014
Dev: Soviet Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 58.7 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Visual novel loved by many – Everlasting Summer – now on Steam!
Why similar: Visual Novel 32%, Anime 19.9%, Great Soundtrack 16%, Romance 10.9%, Dating Sim 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: It starts as a laid-back anime visual novel but gradually reveals a more mysterious and unsettling core, making it a good softer follow-up to DDLC.
- #15 Corpse Party
87% matchVery Positive89% of 1,376 reviews2016
Dev: GrisGrisPub: XSEED Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 17.2 hrs≥1hr: 81%
A group of friends unknowingly perform an occult ritual that traps them in an otherworldly elementary school. Here, the vengeful spirits of young children threaten their lives and their sanity, and the only hope of survival is to uncover the chilling details behind the murders of those trapped before them...
Why similar: Psychological Horror 20.6%, Horror 19.5%, Anime 18.6%, Visual Novel 14.2%, Gore 9.7%
Why You'll Like It: This is a stronger fit for DDLC's anime-horror audience than for its dating side, offering brutal school-set terror with a similarly oppressive mood.
- #16 CORPSE FACTORY
86% matchVery Positive80% of 866 reviews2022
Dev: RIVER CROW STUDIO
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Discard your sense of morality and enter the world of CORPSE FACTORY. An obscure website allows users to request a death. Victims supposedly receive a photograph of their own corpse before they are killed! With English voice acting by an all-star cast.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.6%, Visual Novel 20.8%, Anime 16.1%, Violent 9.2%, Horror 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: This horror VN combines cute online personas, emotional damage, and a dark unraveling story in a way that scratches a similar itch to DDLC's facade-breaking horror.
- #17 Raging Loop
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 10,075 reviews2017
Dev: KEMCO
Windows
Median: 24.2 hrsMean: 59.5 hrs≥1hr: 84%
The feast has begun, can you escape the village alive?
Why similar: Visual Novel 34.2%, Psychological Horror 28%, Anime 8.1%, Story Rich 7%, Gore 6.5%
Why You'll Like It: While more mystery-focused, it offers the same addictive sense of route-based dread, paranoia, and discovering that the story is much stranger than it first appears.
- #18 OMORI
84% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 86,619 reviews2020
Dev: OMOCAT, LLC
Windows · Mac
Median: 10.7 hrsMean: 24.8 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Explore a strange world full of colorful friends and foes. When the time comes, the path you’ve chosen will determine your fate... and perhaps the fate of others as well.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 48.9%, Great Soundtrack 20.8%, Story Rich 11%, Horror 10.7%, Anime 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: It is not a dating sim, but its cute surface, emotional trauma, and devastating psychological horror make it resonate strongly with DDLC fans.
- #19 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
85% 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: Visual Novel 25.9%, Anime 22.4%, Psychological Horror 20.3%, Great Soundtrack 14.9%, Story Rich 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: It shares DDLC's anime aesthetic, shocking tonal swings, and memorable cast, even though it leans more into mystery and murder-game structure.
- #20 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi
84% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,381 reviews2015
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 21.7 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 38.9%, Anime 23.9%, Dark 11.8%, Great Soundtrack 8.7%, Story Rich 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: This iconic horror VN likewise turns an initially ordinary anime character drama into escalating paranoia, dread, and brutal psychological collapse.
- #21 Sucker for Love: First Date
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 2,966 reviews2022
Dev: AkabakaPub: DreadXP
Windows
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 68%
Put the 'love' in 'Lovecraftian horror'! Perform terrifying rituals to win the affections of eldritch horrors and smooch 'em... at any cost!
Why similar: Psychological Horror 18.5%, Dating Sim 16.9%, Visual Novel 14.1%, Anime 13.7%, Romance 11.6%
Why You'll Like It: It similarly twists a cute dating framework into horror-comedy, making it a lighter but still thematically adjacent recommendation.
- #22 BAD END THEATER
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 9,656 reviews2021
Dev: NomnomNami
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 71%
select your protagonist and explore a variety of terrible fates!
Why similar: Visual Novel 37.6%, Romance 14.2%, Anime 13.6%, Story Rich 12.6%, Cute 12%
Why You'll Like It: Its cute presentation, branching routes, and playful manipulation of story outcomes echo the part of DDLC that makes the medium itself feel dangerous.
- #23 The Letter - Horror Visual Novel
83% matchVery Positive86% of 1,515 reviews2017
Dev: Yangyang MobilePub: Neon Doctrine
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 6.6 hrsMean: 11.1 hrs≥1hr: 90%
When seven people fall prey to a vicious curse, they will discover that horror rests not from the shadows lurking about, but within themselves. To what ends will one go in order to survive?
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.5%, Horror 17.9%, Psychological Horror 17.1%, Anime 11.2%, Gore 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: It delivers choice-driven horror through a cast of intertwined characters, building tension through relationships and bad endings much like DDLC does.
- #24 Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 21,578 reviews2021
Dev: Nikita Kryukov
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 7.6 hrs≥1hr: 79%
A sequel to Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. Dive into demented and bizarre world once again and help the girl become a little happier.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 41.6%, Visual Novel 30.1%, Anime 7.1%, Great Soundtrack 7.1%, Horror 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: This follow-up continues the same surreal, unstable mental-space storytelling that appeals to the more introspective and unsettling side of DDLC.
- #25 Hatoful Boyfriend
82% matchVery Positive94% of 7,560 reviews2014
Dev: MediatonicPub: Epic Games
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 7.8 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as the only human student at the prestigious St. PigeoNation’s Institute, a school for talented birds! Roam the halls and find love in between classes as a sophomore student at the world’s greatest pigeon high school.
Why similar: Dating Sim 29%, Visual Novel 27.4%, Anime 20.4%, Romance 9.4%, Story Rich 5.5%
Why You'll Like It: Like DDLC, it plays with dating-sim expectations and hides a much darker, more surprising narrative beneath an absurdly cute premise.
- #26 Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 33,269 reviews2020
Dev: Nikita KryukovPub: Nikita Igorevich Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 7.7 hrs≥1hr: 11%
A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 36.7%, Visual Novel 31.3%, Horror 14.4%, Anime 12.8%, Story Rich 3%
Why You'll Like It: Its fragmented internal narration and psychologically distressed perspective capture the same deeply uncomfortable intimacy that makes DDLC hit hard.
- #27 Saint Maker - Horror Visual Novel
79% matchVery Positive86% of 253 reviews2023
Dev: Yangyang MobilePub: Neon Doctrine
Windows · Mac
A haunted convent. Statues that move on their own. A buried past. Welcome to Saint Idelora’s convent, where becoming a saint comes with a price.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 30.3%, Visual Novel 24.5%, Horror 14.5%, Anime 13.7%, Dark 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: This short VN blends anime character drama, religion, and creeping psychological horror in a way that suits DDLC players looking for another compact shocker.
- #28 Helltaker
77% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 127,364 reviews2020
Dev: vanripper
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.4 hrsMean: 19.0 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Helltaker is a short game about sharply dressed demon girls.
Why similar: Anime 24%, Great Soundtrack 22.9%, Cute 16.5%, Dating Sim 15.3%, Visual Novel 8.5%
- #29 Catherine Classic
79% matchVery Positive87% of 10,957 reviews2019
Dev: ATLUSPub: SEGA
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 11.5 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Catherine: a tale of love, betrayal, and the terror of commitment. Experience the mature action-adventure-puzzle game unlike any other from the makers of the Persona series, now enhanced for PC in all its Classic glory. Is love over? Climb to the top or die trying.
Why similar: Anime 28.1%, Psychological Horror 15.3%, Sexual Content 14.4%, Horror 9.8%, Story Rich 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: Though it is more puzzle-heavy, its anime presentation, romance-driven anxiety, and psychological nightmare imagery make it a fitting lower-ranked match.
- #30 Trick and Treat - Visual Novel
78% matchVery Positive90% of 3,616 reviews2016
Dev: Eternal Night StudiosPub: Alberto Herrera
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 40%
Trick & Treat is a Visual Novel that test your instincts by making choices that can get you out from the cursed forest or drive you to death… or maybe just maybe your choices can guide you to something more?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.6%, Anime 25.7%, Horror 9.9%, Dating Sim 9.2%, Romance 8.6%
- #31 The NOexistenceN of you AND me
74% matchVery Positive93% of 20,460 reviews2024
Dev: 0x0Real StudioPub: Nino Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 16.7 hrs≥1hr: 70%
Use "game" as a medium to showcase the world of "you/girl". Explore the truth of "you/girl/world" through the form of a "visual novel".
Why similar: Psychological Horror 28.3%, Visual Novel 27.6%, Anime 16.1%, Dating Sim 11.9%, Cute 8%
- #32 Undertale
77% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 323,648 reviews2015
Dev: tobyfox
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.9 hrsMean: 18.9 hrs≥1hr: 81%
UNDERTALE! The RPG game where you don't have to destroy anyone.
Why similar: Great Soundtrack 34%, Psychological Horror 13.3%, Story Rich 12.9%, Dating Sim 9.9%, Cute 7.6%
- #33 Carpe Diem
78% matchVery Positive89% of 8,560 reviews2015
Dev: Moonlit Works
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 12 minMean: 9.1 hrs≥1hr: 13%
Seize the day
Why similar: Visual Novel 31.1%, Anime 28.5%, Dating Sim 16.9%, Cute 7%, Psychological Horror 5.9%
- #34 Crush Crush
76% matchVery Positive89% of 28,060 reviews2016
Dev: Sad Panda Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.2 hrsMean: 96.8 hrs≥1hr: 80%
Welcome to Crush Crush - the Idle Dating Sim! Meet, flirt, and fall in love with a motley cast of girls in this heartfelt and hilarious game.
Why similar: Dating Sim 33.5%, Anime 22.5%, Sexual Content 18.6%, Visual Novel 8.3%, Romance 7.3%
- #35 CLANNAD
76% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 10,614 reviews2015
Dev: VisualArts/KeyPub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 106.2 hrs≥1hr: 83%
From the world renowned visual novel studio Key, the highly rated story of CLANNAD is now available on Steam! Improved visuals, achievement integration, and Dangopedia make this the best version of CLANNAD to date.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.5%, Anime 19.7%, Romance 13.5%, Dating Sim 12.1%, Great Soundtrack 11.9%
- #36 MiSide
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 138,400 reviews2024
Dev: AIHASTOPub: IndieArk
Windows
Median: 5.8 hrsMean: 21.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Let's imagine that you have a game in which you care for a character. But could you imagine one day getting into that game yourself?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 39.2%, Horror 14.2%, Cute 13.6%, Anime 11.9%, Story Rich 7.9%
- #37 REFLEXIA Prototype ver.
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 7,432 reviews2022
Dev: MAHOUMAIDENPub: Nikita Kryukov
Windows · Linux
Median: 48 minMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 37%
REFLEXIA's story starts out as a parody of its genre and ends as a psychological drama.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 21.4%, Dating Sim 18.6%, Visual Novel 17.9%, Anime 10.5%, Romance 10.4%
- #38 Yume Nikki
75% matchVery Positive94% of 10,100 reviews2018
Dev: kikiyamaPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 54 minMean: 71.6 hrs≥1hr: 47%
This is a game in which you traverse the extremely dark world inside a dream.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 46.9%, Horror 18.7%, Dark 16%, Cute 11.5%, Indie 2.5%
- #39 Kid,napper: Gosh, I'm Kidnapped by a Pupil
75% matchVery Positive88% of 4,460 reviews2018
Dev: Catnip
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 9.6 hrs≥1hr: 31%
I had to admit, the only thing that is more scary than a murder weapon, is that girl, who is not even supposed to hold it
Why similar: Psychological Horror 21.3%, Visual Novel 18.3%, Anime 14.4%, Horror 10.7%, Dark 9.1%
- #40 PockeDate! - Pocket Dating Simulator
70% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 2,449 reviews2024
Dev: TERNOX
Windows
Your Pocket-Sized Dating Simulator! Every launch brings a new date with unique dialogues! Spend endless hours with your adorable, love-struck virtual girlfriend.
Why similar: Dating Sim 22.4%, Visual Novel 20.4%, Psychological Horror 18.5%, Horror 11.1%, Romance 10.5%
- #41 SCP: Doki Doki Anomaly
73% matchVery Positive92% of 91 reviews2021
Dev: Flightyfelon Games Inc.
Windows
SCP-8008-1 IS A HORROR DATING SIM WHERE THE BEST YOU CAN HOPE FOR IS SURVIVAL. SMOOCH SCP-173, SCP-682 AND EVEN SCP-096. DO NOT RUN THIS SOFTWARE WITHOUT CLASS-4 AUTHORIZATION.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 20.9%, Dating Sim 17.4%, Anime 13.4%, Visual Novel 12.2%, Romance 9.6%
- #42 Adolescent Santa Claus
74% matchVery Positive85% of 1,321 reviews2018
Dev: TALESSHOP Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 25%
This visual novel game tells the tale of a cute little Santa Clause appearing
Why similar: Visual Novel 44.8%, Anime 33.2%, Cute 14.9%, Story Rich 2.6%, Casual 1.7%
- #43 Tricolour Lovestory
73% matchVery Positive81% of 28,032 reviews2017
Dev: HL-Galgame
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 48.5 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Time flies and never comes back. But with an incredible 1-million-word script and 100+ original CGs, this game will take you back to when you were young, simple and pure. Go and get the love of your life back, start something new, or end everything in flame, that's for you to decide!
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.3%, Dating Sim 29%, Anime 14.2%, Sexual Content 6.9%, Great Soundtrack 6.6%
- #44 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.2 Watanagashi
72% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 1,830 reviews2015
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 17.1 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 23.2%, Psychological Horror 20.7%, Anime 14.4%, Horror 11.5%, Dark 6.8%
- #45 Narcissu 1st & 2nd
72% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 5,284 reviews2015
Dev: stage-nanaPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 48 minMean: 19.5 hrs≥1hr: 47%
This is a story of disease and suffering; of medication and adverse effects; of thoracotomy scars and cellular poisons; of the living who cannot help but to die and of the dying who cannot help but to live; of a resting place other than "on 7F" or "at home".
Why similar: Visual Novel 51.4%, Anime 28.9%, Great Soundtrack 11.6%, Story Rich 5.3%, Indie 1.2%
- #46 Moe Era
71% matchVery Positive88% of 4,830 reviews2020
Dev: Comfy Company
Windows · Mac · Linux
Welcome to Moe Era, the era of cute things! It has everything but a hero to help four adorable girls. You're the one they're waiting for!
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.5%, Psychological Horror 19.8%, Dating Sim 17.4%, Anime 16.2%, Romance 6.6%
- #47 Emily is Away
71% matchVery Positive89% of 32,252 reviews2015
Dev: Kyle Seeley
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 19.9 hrs≥1hr: 42%
Emily is Away is an interactive story. Create a screenname and choose your path through the branching narrative.
Why similar: Visual Novel 26%, Dating Sim 25.4%, Story Rich 18.9%, Romance 17.9%, Singleplayer 4.6%
- #48 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.6 Tsumihoroboshi
70% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 908 reviews2018
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 6.3 hrsMean: 39.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 23.5%, Psychological Horror 20.6%, Anime 16%, Horror 12%, Gore 7.2%
- #49 Muse Dash
69% matchVery Positive91% of 120,809 reviews2019
Dev: peroperoPub: hasuhasu
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 34.4 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Paradise of parkour & rhythm game ★★★ — Muse Dash!!
Why similar: Anime 38.8%, Great Soundtrack 20.6%, Cute 19.5%, Sexual Content 10.3%, Psychological Horror 6.2%
- #50 Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim™
68% matchVery Positive90% of 6,618 reviews2022
Dev: PsyopPub: Behaviour Interactive Inc.
Windows
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 6.3 hrs≥1hr: 66%
Welcome to Murderer’s Island. Your companions: four dead-sexy Killers who, underneath their murderous exteriors, just want a little romance. Flirt your way into their hearts, uncovering dark twists along the way. Will you find true love, forge friendships… or get hacked to death?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 26.8%, Dating Sim 24.3%, Visual Novel 17.9%, Romance 11.3%, Anime 9.7%
- #51 Kimochii Classroom
67% matchVery Positive88% of 164 reviews2025
Dev: Radish ASMR
Windows · Mac · Linux
Welcome to Kimochii Classroom! A slice-of-life visual novel with stunning visuals, a beautiful soundtrack, and an immersive story. Who will you meet first?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.3%, Psychological Horror 20.9%, Dating Sim 20.9%, Anime 15.3%, Romance 6.9%
- #52 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.3 Tatarigoroshi
70% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,271 reviews2016
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 21.9 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.8%, Anime 15.2%, Psychological Horror 14.7%, Great Soundtrack 10.1%, Horror 9.3%
- #53 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.5 Meakashi
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,058 reviews2017
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 21.8 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 20.7%, Visual Novel 18.3%, Anime 14.5%, Great Soundtrack 12.2%, Horror 11.6%
- #54 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.4 Himatsubushi
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 899 reviews2016
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 20.9 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21%, Psychological Horror 19.5%, Anime 14.5%, Great Soundtrack 10.6%, Dark 8.1%
- #55 Higurashi When They Cry Hou+
67% matchVery Positive88% of 170 reviews2023
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 65%
The tragedy of Hinamizawa is over. Those held captive within its grip are free from the fate that bound them to June 1983. Yet the tale of Hinamizawa is not truly complete. There are many worlds not yet explored.
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.2%, Anime 22%, Psychological Horror 10.1%, Gore 9.9%, Violent 7.6%
- #56 XOXO Blood Droplets
68% matchVery Positive92% of 248 reviews2019
Dev: GB Patch Games
Windows
A collection of very short stories. XOXO Blood Droplets is an absurd, dark comedy, twisted romance Visual Novel about terrible things happening to terrible people. The fun comes not from avoiding the potential horrors, but by seeing just how many ways things can go wrong.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.2%, Dating Sim 17.8%, Gore 14.1%, Psychological Horror 13.5%, Violent 9.6%
- #57 MONMUSU
68% matchVery Positive80% of 5,251 reviews2018
Dev: Tentacle GamesPub: NEKO WORKs
Windows
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 48.7 hrs≥1hr: 77%
You are an up and coming summoner and a lover of monster girls. Earn money to gather up summoning materialsand summon monster girls!
Why similar: Anime 47%, Sexual Content 31%, Visual Novel 15.4%, Cute 3.4%, Indie 1.3%
- #58 Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion
67% matchVery Positive93% of 15,419 reviews2015
Dev: Lag Studios
Windows
Median: 48 minMean: 3.6 hrs≥1hr: 43%
Can you survive 1000 rooms of cute terror? Or will you break once the cuteness starts to fade off and you're running for your life from the unspeakable hideous beings that shake and writhe in bowels of this house? They wait for you, they wait and hunger for meeting you.
Why similar: Horror 35.8%, Psychological Horror 31.4%, Cute 13.3%, Dark 10.5%, First-Person 4.3%
- #59 It gets so lonely here
65% matchVery Positive94% of 2,141 reviews2023
Dev: ebi-hime
Windows · Mac · Linux
A yandere yuri visual novel with a fairytale theme. Can you escape from your mysterious pursuer?
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.3%, Psychological Horror 21.7%, Anime 13.3%, Romance 10.3%, Horror 9.1%
- #60 Midnight Witch
66% matchVery Positive92% of 351 reviews2023
Dev: Crimson Moon Studio
Windows
Your average student life quickly descents into horror as a mysterious witch takes over the college... Can you save the girl you love? Or even make it out alive?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 21%, Dating Sim 17.2%, Visual Novel 16.8%, Anime 13.9%, Romance 10.1%
