- #1 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi
97% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,215 reviews2015
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 21.9 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 28.1%, Mystery 14.8%, Anime 12.6%, Psychological 10.4%, Cult Classic 7.7% ★
Why You'll Like It: This is the essential starting point of the series that establishes the core mystery and atmosphere found in the second chapter.
- #2 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.3 Tatarigoroshi
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,224 reviews2016
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 22.0 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: Visual Novel 19.3%, Mystery 10.4%, Anime 9.8%, Horror 8.4%, Psychological 7.8%
Why You'll Like It: This chapter continues the intense psychological descent and character-driven horror that defines the Higurashi experience.
- #3 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.4 Himatsubushi
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 867 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 20.1%, Mystery 10.7%, Psychological Horror 10.6%, Anime 10.1%, Great Soundtrack 8%
Why You'll Like It: It provides critical context to the overarching mystery while maintaining the series' signature blend of suspense and character development.
- #4 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.5 Meakashi
95% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,008 reviews2017
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 21.9 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: Visual Novel 19.6%, Horror 12.9%, Psychological Horror 12.7%, Anime 11.3%, Mystery 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: This chapter offers a chilling perspective shift that deepens the player's understanding of the series' dark, recurring themes.
- #5 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.6 Tsumihoroboshi
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 873 reviews2018
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 6.2 hrsMean: 40.2 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 24.6%, Horror 13%, Mystery 12.4%, Psychological Horror 12.3%, Anime 12.2%
Why You'll Like It: It serves as a pivotal turning point in the narrative, escalating the psychological stakes and emotional intensity.
- #6 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.7 Minagoroshi
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 663 reviews2019
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 15.8 hrsMean: 91.0 hrs≥1hr: 87%
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 21.2%, Psychological Horror 13.9%, Anime 13.4%, Mystery 13.2%, Horror 13.2%
Why You'll Like It: This entry is crucial for piecing together the complex puzzle of the Hinamizawa tragedy.
- #7 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.8 Matsuribayashi
93% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 753 reviews2020
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 19.6 hrsMean: 76.9 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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 31.9%, Psychological Horror 20.8%, Horror 15.9%, Anime 10.1%, Great Soundtrack 9.6%
Why You'll Like It: The grand conclusion to the main story arc provides necessary closure and resolution to the series' psychological mysteries.
- #8 Umineko When They Cry - Question Arcs
92% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,634 reviews2016
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 13.9 hrsMean: 40.4 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Umineko When They Cry is the 2nd series of Sound Novel released by 07th Expansion. The steam version features renewed character sprites which is swappable from the classic art.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.9%, Great Soundtrack 15.2%, Mystery 15.1%, Cult Classic 9.2% ★, Psychological Horror 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: Created by the same author, this series shares the same masterful approach to mystery, psychological tension, and meta-narrative structure.
- #9 Umineko When They Cry - Answer Arcs
91% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 1,457 reviews2017
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24.7 hrsMean: 46.6 hrs≥1hr: 87%
This is the 2nd half of the Umineko When They Cry sound novel series, featuring episodes 5 through 8. This steam version features multi-language options, swap-able renewed character sprites, as well as the original BGMs and un-cut content.
Why similar: Visual Novel 23.9%, Great Soundtrack 16.5%, Mystery 16%, Cult Classic 8.8% ★, Horror 8%
Why You'll Like It: These arcs provide the definitive resolution to the complex riddles and psychological battles established in the Question Arcs.
- #10 Ciconia When They Cry - Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones
91% matchVery Positive93% of 540 reviews2019
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac
Median: 12.2 hrsMean: 14.9 hrs≥1hr: 74%
This is the first chapter in newest entry When They Cry visual novel series produced by Ryuukishi07. It features HD graphics, more detailed animations, and newly created songs by many of the composers from Umineko, as well as several new additions.
Why similar: Visual Novel 33.4%, Mystery 16.8%, Great Soundtrack 13.6%, Anime 13.3%, Violent 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: Another entry from the same creator that explores dark, high-stakes science fiction themes with a similar psychological depth.
- #11 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
90% matchVery Positive93% of 6,967 reviews2017
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 6.5 hrsMean: 21.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Kidnapped and taken to an unfamiliar location, nine people find themselves forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game by an enigmatic mastermind called Zero. Why were they there? Why were they chosen to put their lives on the line? And more importantly, who can be trusted?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29%, Mystery 16.4%, Psychological Horror 13.5%, Anime 9.7%, Story Rich 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: This game features a high-stakes death game scenario that relies on intense psychological pressure and complex mystery-solving.
- #12 The House in Fata Morgana
89% matchVery Positive95% of 6,041 reviews2016
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 27.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion. "The House in Fata Morgana" is a full-length visual novel spanning nearly a millennium that deals in tragedy, human nature, and insanity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.7%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Mystery 12.8%, Horror 10.7%, Great Soundtrack 10.1%
Why You'll Like It: It shares the dark, gothic, and emotionally heavy atmosphere that makes Higurashi so memorable and impactful.
- #13 The Song of Saya
89% matchVery Positive90% of 9,092 reviews2019
Dev: NitroplusPub: JAST
Windows
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 56.3 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Bear witness to a love that will change the world, in this classic horror romance visual novel from acclaimed writer Urobuchi Gen.
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.8%, Psychological Horror 19.6%, Gore 11.2%, Horror 9.8%, Anime 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: A seminal work of psychological horror that, like Higurashi, uses a deceptive premise to explore truly disturbing and dark themes.
- #14 STEINS;GATE
88% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 25,378 reviews2016
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 6.5 hrsMean: 66.2 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus, STEINS;GATE was awarded Famitsu magazine's coveted annual Game of Excellence award and was voted one of the most emotionally charged “tear-inducing games” ever made, in a Famitsu poll. It is a gripping and moving Visual Novel, which has already spawned manga and anime adaptations.
Why similar: Visual Novel 38.5%, Anime 18.2%, Great Soundtrack 12.9%, Story Rich 11.1%, Mystery 7%
Why You'll Like It: A classic visual novel that excels in building a slow-burn mystery that eventually spirals into a gripping, high-stakes psychological thriller.
- #15 CHAOS;HEAD NOAH
87% matchVery Positive89% of 1,696 reviews2022
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 52.6 hrs≥1hr: 82%
CHAOS;HEAD NOAH is now available on Steam!
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.9%, Mystery 13.5%, Psychological Horror 12.2%, Anime 12.1%, Gore 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: This title explores the psychological instability of its protagonist in a way that mirrors the paranoia found in Higurashi.
- #16 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 35,609 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.9 hrsMean: 22.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 26.5%, Mystery 17%, Anime 16.8%, Great Soundtrack 12%, Psychological Horror 11.8%
Why You'll Like It: It combines a claustrophobic death game setting with intense character-driven mystery and psychological conflict.
- #17 CHAOS;CHILD
86% matchVery Positive94% of 3,800 reviews2019
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 81.1 hrs≥1hr: 81%
From the creators of the critically acclaimed STEINS;GATE comes a sensational new visual novel: CHAOS;CHILD. Set in Shibuya in 2015, a group of high school students who survived an earthquake six years ago find themselves at the center of a new series of bizarre murders in the city.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.9%, Mystery 12.8%, Anime 10.7%, Psychological Horror 10.2%, Horror 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: It delivers a dark, mystery-heavy narrative centered on gruesome events and the psychological toll they take on the characters.
- #18 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
84% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 30,083 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 10.8 hrsMean: 33.0 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Jabberwock Island—You and your classmates were ready for fun in the sun until Monokuma returned to restart his murderous game! Trapped in a kill-or-be-killed situation, your only hope rests in solving the island’s mysteries.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.8%, Anime 17.3%, Mystery 15.5%, Great Soundtrack 12%, Psychological Horror 10.3%
Why You'll Like It: This sequel expands on the mystery and psychological horror elements of the first game with even higher stakes.
- #19 Tiny Bunny
82% matchVery Positive83% of 29,932 reviews2025
Dev: SaikonoPub: Serenity Forge
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 25.3%, Horror 15%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Dark 9.4%, Story Rich 8%
Why You'll Like It: This atmospheric horror visual novel uses a dark, folk-horror aesthetic to build a sense of constant, creeping unease.
- #20 Corpse Party
85% matchVery Positive89% of 1,369 reviews2016
Dev: GrisGrisPub: XSEED Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 17.3 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: Horror 24.8%, Visual Novel 17.4%, Anime 16.6%, Psychological Horror 14.5%, Gore 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: A quintessential horror visual novel that focuses on gore, supernatural dread, and the psychological breakdown of its cast.
- #21 Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
84% matchVery Positive93% of 2,444 reviews2017
Dev: KeroQPub: Frontwing USA
Windows
Median: 9.4 hrsMean: 168.3 hrs≥1hr: 90%
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: Visual Novel 26.3%, Psychological Horror 17.2%, Mystery 9.4%, Anime 9.1%, Horror 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: A deeply philosophical and disturbing visual novel that explores the darker aspects of human nature and reality.
- #22 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,520 reviews2023
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 8.6 hrsMean: 10.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
How far would you go to bring someone back from the dead? Discover the depths that some will go to in this horror-adventure game.
Why similar: Visual Novel 32.5%, Horror 18.8%, Anime 18.2%, Mystery 17.6%, Story Rich 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural mystery that uses its visual novel format to create a tense, atmospheric experience filled with dread.
- #23 Iwaihime
83% matchMostly Positive79% of 873 reviews2020
Dev: DMM GAMESPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 17.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
From hit writer Ryukishi07, the creator of When They Cry, comes a story on the theme of “curses.” Strike down the dark riddle of dolls and soot in this supernatural horror visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.6%, Psychological Horror 19.1%, Anime 17.1%, Horror 14%, Story Rich 5.5%
Why You'll Like It: It features a haunting, supernatural atmosphere and psychological horror elements that will feel familiar to Higurashi fans.
- #24 Doki Doki Literature Club!
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 219,150 reviews2017
Dev: Team Salvato
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 38.2 hrs≥1hr: 74%
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Why similar: Visual Novel 23%, Psychological Horror 20.8%, Anime 14.4%, Horror 11.5%, Dark 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: It subverts the visual novel genre to deliver a shocking psychological horror experience that challenges the player's expectations.
- #25 WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 7,330 reviews2023
Dev: TYPE-MOONPub: Aniplex Inc.
Windows
Median: 14.0 hrsMean: 62.4 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A tale told with vivid colors and rich sound in a classic TYPE-MOON visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 52.9%, Anime 20.4%, Great Soundtrack 13.2%, Story Rich 8.4%, Adventure 2.7%
Why You'll Like It: A high-production visual novel that features a compelling mystery and supernatural elements with a strong narrative focus.
- #26 Sound of Drop - fall into poison -
82% matchVery Positive85% of 536 reviews2015
Dev: aiueoKompanyPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 95%
Nestled in the heart of Tokyo, the quaint little aquarium, Manten Aquarium. Numerous urban legends have arisen from here. On the night of the full moon the waters turn to blood and man faced fish lurk within.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.7%, Horror 16%, Anime 14.8%, Gore 9%, Violent 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: A horror-focused visual novel that emphasizes atmosphere and the constant threat of death in a mysterious setting.
- #27 Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority-
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 3,866 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 14.0 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority- is a multi-ending horror adventure game. Sara Chidouin returns home from school late one night to discover that something's gone terribly wrong. When she comes to, she finds herself, her friend Joe, and 9 other people trapped in a mysterious place.
Why similar: Mystery 20.5%, Psychological Horror 19.5%, Psychological 16.1%, Anime 15.4%, Dark 15%
Why You'll Like It: This game masterfully utilizes a death game premise to force players into difficult moral and psychological dilemmas.
- #28 GNOSIA
78% matchVery Positive94% of 4,733 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.2 hrsMean: 15.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
The Gnosia lie. Pretending to be human, they’ll get in close, trick and deceive, and then eliminate one victim at a time...
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.2%, Psychological Horror 15.8%, Mystery 15.7%, Anime 15.1%, Psychological 11.6%
Why You'll Like It: This game blends social deduction with a deep, looping mystery that forces players to constantly question the motives of those around them.
- #29 Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition
80% matchVery Positive90% of 592 reviews2016
Dev: YetiPub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 8.9 hrsMean: 14.3 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Rescue squad captain Watase Kasasagi wakes up without his memories in the middle of his most critical mission yet-- a nuclear meltdown at a research facility. In an unfamiliar place and without his years of training, he must rescue the survivors and escape...
Why similar: Visual Novel 39.8%, Anime 16.2%, Mystery 13.6%, Story Rich 8.7%, Gore 5.3%
Why You'll Like It: A complex, multi-perspective mystery that relies on psychological tension and high-stakes survival scenarios.
- #30 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Rei
78% matchVery Positive98% of 252 reviews2022
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 197.5 hrs≥1hr: 74%
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 36.8%, Anime 14.7%, Story Rich 7.5%, Psychological Horror 7.5%, Horror 6.3%
- #31 Higurashi When They Cry Hou+
77% matchVery Positive88% of 163 reviews2023
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 64%
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 26.9%, Anime 15.5%, Psychological 12.6%, Gore 7.2%, Violent 6.3%
- #32 Return to Shironagasu Island
77% matchVery Positive94% of 3,990 reviews2020
Dev: HYOGO ONIMUSHIPub: TABINOMICHI
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 14.2 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A mystery adventure game and visual novel set on solitary Shironagasu Island. Discover its secrets, solve its mysteries, and escape from the ominous island!
Why similar: Visual Novel 32%, Mystery 18.8%, Horror 14.9%, Anime 10.7%, Psychological Horror 10.5%
- #33 Narcissu 1st & 2nd
76% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 5,225 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 58.1%, Anime 23.7%, Great Soundtrack 10.3%, Story Rich 6.3%, Indie 0.7%
- #34 The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence
76% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 1,710 reviews2018
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 9.5 hrsMean: 16.6 hrs≥1hr: 79%
"A Requiem for Innocence" is a companion to the visual novel "The House in Fata Morgana." It tells the tale of a young man dragged down by his ambitions and a girl both worshiped as a saint and maligned as a witch. For them, there is no happily ever after.
Why similar: Visual Novel 35.1%, Great Soundtrack 12.1%, Gore 11.7%, Violent 9.7%, Anime 9.7%
- #35 AI: The Somnium Files
74% matchVery Positive92% of 9,101 reviews2019
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 15.1 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Play as detective Kaname Date on the case of an elusive serial killer in this thrilling, sci-fi murder mystery.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.4%, Mystery 17.6%, Anime 16.3%, Story Rich 9.1%, Gore 7%
- #36 Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS
75% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 3,292 reviews2015
Dev: Angels Blue Digital EntertainmentPub: DigitalEZ
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 161.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
This is an isolated town, a town of memories that have been forgotten by its people. However, this small town has not been quiet and peaceful since the murders began... Time passes by, where are the sinful spirits going? Are my memories reality, or just a dream?
Why similar: Visual Novel 14.4%, Psychological Horror 11.6%, Mystery 11.2%, Horror 10.8%, Anime 9.3%
- #37 Corpse Party: Book of Shadows
75% matchVery Positive86% of 499 reviews2018
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: XSEED Games
Windows
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 16.4 hrs≥1hr: 85%
An anthology series that serves as a Corpse Party sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one. Rejoin old friends for a deeper dive into the haunted halls of Heavenly Host Elementary...
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.3%, Horror 15.7%, Psychological Horror 13.3%, Anime 13.2%, Gore 10.2%
- #38 STEINS;GATE 0
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 7,939 reviews2018
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 124.0 hrs≥1hr: 88%
If you can't save the one you love… How can you save humanity? Sequel to the visual novel cult classic. Experience an alternate worldline of STEINS;GATE.
Why similar: Visual Novel 38%, Anime 18.3%, Great Soundtrack 14.2%, Story Rich 12.4%, Psychological Horror 4.9%
- #39 YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 6,464 reviews2020
Dev: NitroplusPub: JAST
Windows
Median: 7.7 hrsMean: 128.2 hrs≥1hr: 85%
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: Visual Novel 34.4%, Psychological Horror 22.3%, Anime 12.3%, Horror 8.2%, Story Rich 5.2%
- #40 CLANNAD
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 10,460 reviews2015
Dev: VisualArts/KeyPub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 105.4 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 42.9%, Anime 21%, Great Soundtrack 13.6%, Story Rich 10.3%, Classic 6.2% ★
- #41 Raging Loop
72% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 9,674 reviews2017
Dev: KEMCO
Windows
Median: 23.9 hrsMean: 58.6 hrs≥1hr: 84%
The feast has begun, can you escape the village alive?
Why similar: Visual Novel 32%, Mystery 15.6%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Psychological 7.2%, Story Rich 7%
- #42 Magical Eyes - Red is for Anguish
74% matchVery Positive81% of 69 reviews2016
Dev: Pomera StudiosPub: Fruitbat Factory
Windows
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 97%
Magical Eyes - Red is for Anguish is a thrilling mystery story revolving around a series of unfathomable incidents in a town.
Why similar: Visual Novel 35.9%, Anime 20.5%, Mystery 19.8%, Horror 15%, Adventure 3.8%
- #43 The Shell Part I: Inferno
70% matchVery Positive91% of 1,325 reviews2023
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 10.7 hrsMean: 110.2 hrs≥1hr: 70%
Unravel a string of gruesome murders terrorizing Tokyo in this mystery-thriller visual novel. The secrets of a case from six years prior may just be the key to the current unending cycle of tragedy—and the thing that cracks this woeful world’s shell may be one girl’s smile.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.3%, Mystery 18.6%, Psychological Horror 17.8%, Dark 9.4%, Anime 8.3%
- #44 Tokyo Dark
72% matchVery Positive84% of 1,336 reviews2017
Dev: CherrymochiPub: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Legend tells of a door deep below Tokyo's sewers. All who enter are lost forever. Detective Ito's partner is missing. Explore Tokyo & uncover the darkness that lays beneath the streets in this Point & Click - meets Visual Novel - narrative adventure that questions the very core of Ito's sanity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.9%, Anime 15.8%, Horror 13.9%, Psychological Horror 13.3%, Mystery 12.1%
- #45 CORPSE FACTORY
71% matchVery Positive80% of 855 reviews2022
Dev: RIVER CROW STUDIO
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 6.7 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: Visual Novel 21.7%, Psychological Horror 15.2%, Anime 12.2%, Mystery 12.1%, Horror 9.6%
- #46 Lucid9: Inciting Incident
71% matchVery Positive90% of 1,038 reviews2016
Dev: Fallen Snow Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 71%
Lucid9 is a visual novel focused on a web of intricate mysteries set in the fictional 2018 metropolis of Isamu. Lucid9: Inciting Incident is the first part of the story, focused on a string of disappearances that occur at a prestigious, uppity boarding academy.
Why similar: Visual Novel 33.4%, Anime 16.9%, Mystery 15.8%, Horror 9.7%, Psychological Horror 6.9%
- #47 The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
70% matchVery Positive92% of 499 reviews2018
Dev: GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.Pub: NIS America, Inc.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 9.8 hrs≥1hr: 85%
In the bayside area of Kanto, a murder with unknown motivations sets off a series of seemingly random events bringing together peculiar individuals, one of whom is detective Tokio Morishima. When their ambitions begin to collide, a truly shocking pattern emerges…
Why similar: Visual Novel 40.2%, Mystery 18.5%, Great Soundtrack 16.1%, Violent 13.7%, Story Rich 6.7%
- #48 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
70% matchVery Positive83% of 21,767 reviews2017
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 9.2 hrsMean: 30.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
A new cast of 16 characters find themselves kidnapped and imprisoned in a school. Inside, some will kill, some will die, and some will be punished. Reimagine what you thought high-stakes, fast-paced investigation was as you investigate twisted murder cases and condemn your new friends to death.
Why similar: Visual Novel 27.1%, Mystery 15.4%, Anime 15.1%, Great Soundtrack 11.5%, Psychological Horror 10.5%
- #49 Perennial Dusk -Kinsenka-
67% matchVery Positive85% of 171 reviews2025
Dev: FrontwingPub: Frontwing USA
Windows
“Perennial Dusk -Kinsenka-” is a kinetic novel about how the human heart endures relentless violence and limitless cruelty, telling the story of a group of exorcists-in-training as they gather the pieces needed to mend their wounded souls.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.7%, Anime 17.6%, Dark 10.3%, Horror 9.9%, Psychological 7.5%
- #50 Tiny Bunny: Prologue
67% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,244 reviews2020
Dev: Saikono
Windows
Median: 42 minMean: 2.7 hrs≥1hr: 38%
Tiny Bunny: Prologue is a non-linear horror visual novel. Those, who have heard the voice of the forest, are beyond help.
Why similar: Visual Novel 39%, Horror 28.9%, Psychological Horror 8.7%, Anime 6.6%, Dark 5.8%
- #51 Nie No Hakoniwa - Dollhouse of Offerings
68% matchMostly Positive78% of 204 reviews2024
Dev: Chatte NoirePub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 9.5 hrs≥1hr: 93%
"Let us celebrate, the birth of this nightmare." A story about an urban legend surrounding a certain "Box", this is a Japanese-style, supernatural visual novel about madness, love and hate.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.7%, Anime 15.6%, Horror 14.6%, Mystery 11.3%, Gore 10.5%
- #52 Detention
67% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 11,663 reviews2017
Dev: RedCandleGames
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Detention is an atmospheric horror game set in 1960s Taiwan under martial law. Incorporated religious elements based in Taiwanese/Chinese culture and mythology, the game provided players with unique graphics and gaming experience.
Why similar: Horror 26.9%, Psychological Horror 20.3%, Great Soundtrack 11.8%, Visual Novel 10.3%, Story Rich 8.2%
- #53 Nightmare Zapping
67% matchVery Positive99% of 74 reviews2023
Dev: Maldo19
Windows
A horror channel browsing game where each channel holds a different nightmare to experience, explore them and find out the truth about what has happened in a small town where the inhabitants have disappeared.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.4%, Horror 13.5%, Psychological Horror 12%, Anime 10.7%, Mystery 10.4%
- #54 ENIGMA:
69% matchVery Positive95% of 144 reviews2016
Dev: UzumeyaPub: Fruitbat Factory
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 5.6 hrs≥1hr: 96%
Enigma is an atmospheric, full-length visual novel where you discover the secrets of Enigma, a worldwide epidemic, and a forest on a lonely island that bears its name.
Why similar: Visual Novel 40.7%, Anime 19.5%, Mystery 15.7%, Great Soundtrack 15.2%, Adventure 4.6%
- #55 CROSS†CHANNEL: Steam Edition
68% matchVery Positive90% of 430 reviews2018
Dev: MoeNovel
Windows
Median: 1.1 hrsMean: 20.6 hrs≥1hr: 52%
"This is the Gunjo Broadcasting Club. Is there anyone left out there?” CROSS†CHANNEL is now available to the whole world for the first time ever. Eight students relive an eternally looping week as tensions rise. Can they mend their broken friendships, or are they too far gone to salvage...?
Why similar: Visual Novel 35.9%, Anime 17%, Great Soundtrack 14.3%, Cult Classic 13.1% ★, Story Rich 8.3%
- #56 BAD END
69% matchVery Positive84% of 393 reviews2015
Dev: Arai Koh Create OfficePub: YOX-Project
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
It's rumored that those who play 'BAD END'- a Visual Novel will die in REAL LIFE if they make the wrong decision in the game itself.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.1%, Mystery 15.9%, Horror 15.8%, Anime 14.9%, Psychological Horror 7.8%
- #57 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
68% matchVery Positive82% of 4,723 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 11.5 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Nine participants awaken, trapped in an underground facility. To escape, they must play a game with deadly consequences. Who will live, and who will die? The choice is yours. Let the Decision Game begin…
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.4%, Psychological Horror 17.1%, Mystery 15.6%, Anime 9.8%, Story Rich 8.7%
- #58 Fate/stay night REMASTERED
63% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 4,307 reviews2024
Dev: TYPE-MOONPub: Aniplex Inc.
Windows
Median: 5.8 hrsMean: 47.6 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Seek the root of the Fate franchise. Return to where it all began.
Why similar: Visual Novel 45.5%, Anime 21.7%, Story Rich 11%, Great Soundtrack 10%, Psychological Horror 7.5%
- #59 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 30,488 reviews2021
Dev: Team SalvatoPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.9 hrsMean: 79.9 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: Visual Novel 31.1%, Psychological Horror 27.5%, Anime 17.6%, Gore 7.2%, Story Rich 6.7%
- #60 Banebush
63% matchVery Positive95% of 2,088 reviews2024
Dev: Hinterland Mood
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Banebush is a nonlinear and very red visual novel in the horror genre. Do you dare to step into a fairy tale if it turns out to be reality? 💀
Why similar: Visual Novel 34.9%, Horror 20.6%, Psychological Horror 20.5%, Story Rich 9.2%, Violent 7.2%
