- #1 Neo Cab
97% matchMostly Positive79% of 2,886 reviews2019
Dev: Chance AgencyPub: Fellow Traveller
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 66%
A visual novel about emotional survival in an automated world. Play as Lina, the last human cab driver. It’s your first night driving the lonely streets of Los Ojos, and your best friend has just disappeared. Stay on the road. Stay on the search. Stay human.
Why similar: Noir 54.6%, Visual Novel 20.6%, Story Rich 12.5%, Choices Matter 6.4%, Atmospheric 4.4%
Why You'll Like It: Shares the core premise of being a gig-economy driver who must manage emotional connections and information gathering with passengers.
- #2 Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
96% matchVery Positive93% of 130,397 reviews2019
Dev: ZA/UM
Windows · Mac
Median: 7.4 hrsMean: 22.9 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is a groundbreaking role playing game. You’re a detective with a unique skill system at your disposal and a whole city to carve your path across. Interrogate unforgettable characters, crack murders or take bribes. Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.
Why similar: Noir 33.1%, Detective 20.3%, Story Rich 17.4%, Visual Novel 10.9%, Choices Matter 8.2%
Why You'll Like It: Offers unparalleled depth in dialogue-driven investigation and moral complexity that mirrors the introspective nature of Night Call.
- #3 The Red Strings Club
96% matchVery Positive93% of 14,255 reviews2018
Dev: DeconstructeamPub: Devolver Digital
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 85%
The Red Strings Club is a cyberpunk narrative experience about fate and happiness featuring the extensive use of pottery, bartending and impersonating people on the phone to take down a corporate conspiracy.
Why similar: Story Rich 35.3%, Visual Novel 21.1%, Indie 16.8%, Choices Matter 15.6%, Atmospheric 8.6%
Why You'll Like It: A cyberpunk narrative experience that uses conversation and manipulation as the primary tools for uncovering a corporate mystery.
- #4 Shadows of Doubt
95% matchVery Positive82% of 17,722 reviews2024
Dev: ColePowered GamesPub: Fireshine Games
Windows
Median: 5.4 hrsMean: 15.7 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Take on the role of a private investigator in this immersive detective simulator. Solve murders and other crimes in a procedurally generated and persistent city where every NPC lives and breathes their own independent lives. Find the killer quickly… or they will kill again!
Why similar: Noir 62.7%, Detective 26.3%, Indie 6.8%, Atmospheric 2.3%, Singleplayer 1.8%
Why You'll Like It: A procedural detective game that captures the gritty, noir atmosphere of urban investigation and surveillance.
- #5 Paradise Killer
94% matchVery Positive93% of 4,509 reviews2020
Dev: Kaizen Game WorksPub: Fellow Traveller
Windows
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies can solve. Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in this open world adventure. You can accuse anyone, but you’ll have to prove your case in trial. It’s up to you to decide who’s guilty.
Why similar: Investigation 33%, Detective 22.3%, Mystery 16.2%, Story Rich 15.4%, Choices Matter 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: An open-world investigation game that rewards players for piecing together clues through deep conversations with eccentric suspects.
- #6 The Wolf Among Us
93% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 40,122 reviews2013
Dev: Telltale
Windows
Median: 9.3 hrsMean: 11.9 hrs≥1hr: 89%
From the makers of the 2012 Game of the Year: The Walking Dead, comes a thriller based on the award-winning Fables comic books. As Bigby Wolf you will discover that a brutal, bloody murder is just a taste of things to come in a game series where your every decision can have enormous consequences.
Why similar: Noir 38.6%, Detective 17.8%, Visual Novel 15.8%, Story Rich 12%, Mystery 6.5%
Why You'll Like It: A quintessential noir detective story where your choices significantly impact the narrative and character relationships.
- #7 Telling Lies
94% matchMixed63% of 1,323 reviews2019
Dev: Sam BarlowPub: Annapurna Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
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: Investigation 23.1%, Detective 17.4%, Simulation 17.4%, Mystery 13.6%, Story Rich 11.4%
Why You'll Like It: A non-linear investigation game that requires you to analyze video footage to uncover a complex conspiracy.
- #8 Citizen Sleeper
92% matchVery Positive92% of 10,481 reviews2022
Dev: Jump Over The AgePub: Fellow Traveller
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Roleplaying in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism. Live the life of an escaped worker, washed-up on a lawless station at the edge of an interstellar society. Inspired by the flexibility and freedom of TTRPGs, explore the station, choose your friends, escape your past and change your future.
Why similar: Story Rich 50.3%, Indie 34.7%, Atmospheric 15%
Why You'll Like It: Features a strong focus on narrative survival and character interaction in a moody, atmospheric urban setting.
- #9 Unheard - Voices of Crime
91% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 33,881 reviews2019
Dev: NEXT Studios
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 7.4 hrs≥1hr: 78%
What if you could hear every word spoken at the scene of a crime? “Acoustic Detectives” wanted for testing our new device! Return aurally to crime scenes and use the voices you hear to identify potential suspects and solve the mysteries. What is it that’s connecting these seemingly unrelated cases?
Why similar: Investigation 21.7%, Detective 19.1%, Simulation 18.5%, Mystery 14.3%, Story Rich 11.9%
Why You'll Like It: A clever audio-based detective game where you listen to past conversations to piece together a crime scene.
- #10 Killer Frequency
91% matchVery Positive93% of 6,160 reviews2023
Dev: Team17
Windows
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 76%
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 34.9%, Simulation 31.3%, Story Rich 16.6%, Choices Matter 8.4%, Atmospheric 6%
Why You'll Like It: A narrative-driven mystery that uses a unique communication mechanic to solve crimes in real-time.
- #11 Interrogation: You will be deceived
90% matchMostly Positive78% of 382 reviews2019
Dev: Critique GamingPub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 92%
As a detective tasked with bringing down a dangerous terrorist group, you fight on two fronts: interrogating suspects & managing your team and its reputation. With time running out, how far will you go to stop these criminals? Manipulation, threats or even torture? Does the end justify the means?
Why similar: Noir 48.2%, Detective 16.4%, Visual Novel 14.3%, Story Rich 10.4%, Choices Matter 5.5%
Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the high-stakes tension of questioning suspects, echoing the interrogation elements of the seed game.
- #12 NORCO
89% matchVery Positive92% of 3,226 reviews2022
Dev: Geography of RobotsPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 5.6 hrs≥1hr: 65%
NORCO is a dialogue-focused point & click adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and industrial swamplands of an increasingly surreal and distorted South Louisiana.
Why similar: Noir 46.8%, Investigation 22.3%, Mystery 13.2%, Story Rich 11.9%, Atmospheric 4.2%
Why You'll Like It: A surreal, atmospheric point-and-click adventure that excels in world-building and narrative-heavy mystery.
- #13 The Flower Collectors
89% matchVery Positive82% of 163 reviews2020
Dev: Mi'pu'mi Games GmbH
Windows
Barcelona, 1977. An ex-cop in a wheelchair witnesses a murder, and teams up with a young ambitious journalist to bring the truth to light. With camera, binoculars and transmitter in hand, uncover the town’s secrets from your balcony in this soul-searching detective mystery.
Why similar: Noir 32.7%, Indie 19.2%, Investigation 16.9%, Detective 13%, Mystery 8.5%
Why You'll Like It: An indie mystery game that emphasizes observation and dialogue from a fixed, atmospheric perspective.
- #14 Coffee Talk
88% matchVery Positive95% of 12,534 reviews2020
Dev: Toge Productions
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 10.3 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to fantasy-inspired modern peoples’ problems, and helping them by serving up a warm drink or two.
Why similar: Visual Novel 31.5%, Simulation 23.3%, Story Rich 17.9%, Indie 10.6%, Choices Matter 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: While more relaxed, it captures the essence of being a listener and confidant to a diverse cast of characters in a night-time setting.
- #15 The Operator
86% matchVery Positive92% of 8,818 reviews2024
Dev: Bureau 81
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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: Investigation 29.2%, Detective 20.8%, Simulation 18.4%, Mystery 13.1%, Visual Novel 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: A modern investigation game where you act as a remote support agent uncovering a conspiracy through digital tools.
- #16 Beat Cop
87% matchVery Positive82% of 6,185 reviews2017
Dev: Pixel CrowPub: 11 bit studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 85%
A retro, pixel art style adventure in New York, inspired by ’80s cop shows. You are Jack Kelly and you’ve been framed for murder. Now as a regular beat cop you have to find out, who did that. Expect thick crime story, a lot of black humour and all the other things you can find on the streets of Brooklyn.
Why similar: Simulation 40.4%, Indie 25.4%, Detective 17.9%, Story Rich 8.2%, Choices Matter 5.8%
Why You'll Like It: Combines a gritty noir aesthetic with the daily grind of a law enforcement job in a busy city.
- #17 Mind Diver
84% matchVery Positive95% of 370 reviews2025
Dev: Indoor SunglassesPub: PLAYISM
Windows
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: Noir 37%, Investigation 19.3%, Detective 13.6%, Mystery 10.5%, Story Rich 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: A short, atmospheric mystery game that tasks you with diving into memories to solve a crime.
- #18 The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker
86% matchVery Positive82% of 616 reviews2017
Dev: D'Avekki Studios Ltd
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 7.3 hrs≥1hr: 91%
YOU are a psychiatrist, trying to solve a murder whilst treating the unusual patients of the recently deceased Doctor Dekker. Type a question - patients reply in full screen video and have questions for you too but be careful what you say. Your words determine their eventual fates, and your own!
Why similar: Detective 20.2%, Simulation 18%, Mystery 14.7%, Story Rich 13.7%, Indie 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: An FMV-based investigation game where you must type questions to uncover the truth behind a patient's secrets.
- #19 Return of the Obra Dinn
83% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 35,035 reviews2018
Dev: Lucas PopePub: 3909
Windows · Mac
Median: 6.7 hrsMean: 8.5 hrs≥1hr: 81%
Lost at sea 1803 ~ The good ship Obra Dinn.
Why similar: Detective 33.2%, Mystery 22.7%, Story Rich 14.2%, Noir 13.6%, Indie 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in deductive reasoning that challenges players to solve a mystery through careful observation.
- #20 Silicon Dreams | cyberpunk interrogation
84% matchVery Positive94% of 256 reviews2021
Dev: James PattonPub: Clockwork Bird
Windows · Mac · Linux
It’s 2065, and you are an interrogator-model android tasked with rooting out deviants among your own kind. You must probe for lies, monitor and exploit emotional spikes, earn the trust of your subjects, and make the final call: release, or destroy?
Why similar: Investigation 29.7%, Detective 14.8%, Story Rich 14.4%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Simulation 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: Centers on the tension of interrogating androids to determine their truthfulness through dialogue.
- #21 Bohemian Killing
85% matchMixed63% of 206 reviews2016
Dev: The MoonwallsPub: Libredia Entertainment
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Paris, 1894. Class differences and pervasive racism finally lead to a tragedy. A year later you find yourself on trial, accused of a brutal murder. How far will you go to exonerate yourself? Will you lie? Manipulate the evidence? Frame others? Act insane? Confess? Your imagination is the limit.
Why similar: Detective 23.4%, Indie 20.7%, Mystery 16.9%, Simulation 13.3%, Story Rich 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: A unique courtroom-based detective game where you must defend yourself against murder charges using your own narrative choices.
- #22 Best Served Cold
79% matchVery Positive88% of 727 reviews2025
Dev: Rogueside
Windows · Mac
Can you mix a cocktail while eye-to-eye with a criminal? Find out in Best Served Cold, a murder mystery set in a bustling speakeasy where you serve customers, make friends and enemies, and solve crimes. At the Nightcap bar, prohibition is a killer… and so are some of your customers!
Why similar: Investigation 21.7%, Visual Novel 20.1%, Detective 18.8%, Simulation 12.8%, Story Rich 11.8%
Why You'll Like It: A visual novel that emphasizes the importance of conversation and choices in a detective-themed setting.
- #23 911 Operator
81% matchVery Positive89% of 19,768 reviews2017
Dev: Jutsu GamesPub: Games Operators
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 9.4 hrs≥1hr: 73%
Game about the difficult work of people that manage emergency lines and services. Answer incoming calls and react properly - give first aid instructions, advise, dispatch correct number of firemen / police / ambulances, or sometimes - just ignore the call. Play on ANY CITY in the world!
Why similar: Simulation 69.8%, Indie 16.5%, Choices Matter 6.7%, Singleplayer 4%, Atmospheric 2.9%
Why You'll Like It: Provides a high-pressure simulation experience that captures the urgency of responding to urban emergencies.
- #24 Papers, Please
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 80,270 reviews2013
Dev: Lucas PopePub: 3909
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 10.2 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling.
Why similar: Simulation 45.3%, Indie 31.4%, Story Rich 13.4%, Singleplayer 4%, Atmospheric 4%
Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in job-based narrative simulation where moral choices and attention to detail are paramount.
- #25 Hitchhiker - A Mystery Game
81% matchMostly Positive71% of 230 reviews2021
Dev: Mad About PandasPub: Versus Evil
Windows
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Hitchhiker is a mystery game set along lost highways, where your goal is to solve the puzzle of your own backstory.
Why similar: Mystery 27.7%, Story Rich 26.5%, Visual Novel 17.6%, Indie 15.4%, Atmospheric 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: Focuses on the surreal, dialogue-heavy encounters one has while traveling on the road.
- #26 The Detail
82% matchMostly Positive72% of 682 reviews2014
Dev: Rival Games Ltd
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 4.6 hrs≥1hr: 93%
The Detail, a crime noir adventure in a modern American city. This is a city where cases matter, clearance rates matter, and on a good day even justice matters.
Why similar: Noir 46.5%, Story Rich 31.2%, Detective 17%, Choices Matter 5.4%
Why You'll Like It: A gritty, choice-driven crime drama that feels like an interactive graphic novel.
- #27 Bite Night: Dine or Die
77% matchVery Positive92% of 90 reviews2026
Dev: MyGrandfather Games
Windows
Bite Night: Dine or Die is a First-Person horror thriller where you play as a diner worker trying to solve the murders of your customers along side your best friend Vamp.
Why similar: Noir 66.7%, Investigation 14.9%, Story Rich 10.5%, Indie 7.2%, Singleplayer 0.7%
- #28 RE:CALL
79% matchVery Positive87% of 84 reviews2023
Dev: maitan69Pub: Whitethorn Games
Windows
Memories are malleable and changing them will modify the present. Tackle mind-bending puzzles that rely on altering your own recollections to shape the future.
Why similar: Detective 40.3%, Investigation 36.7%, Choices Matter 13.7%, Atmospheric 6.9%, Singleplayer 2.5%
Why You'll Like It: A narrative-heavy detective game that uses time-manipulation mechanics to uncover the truth.
- #29 Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You
78% matchVery Positive90% of 15,558 reviews2016
Dev: Osmotic StudiosPub: Daedalic Entertainment
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 8.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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 44.4%, Simulation 34.9%, Choices Matter 10.7%, Detective 2.6%, Story Rich 2%
- #30 Subsurface Circular
77% matchVery Positive94% of 1,940 reviews2017
Dev: Bithell Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 70%
When the truth is buried, go underground. Step into this new take on text-based adventure from the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume. A short story that hands you the fate of the world above, as a detective looking for answers on the Subsurface Circular.
Why similar: Noir 31.6%, Investigation 18.5%, Visual Novel 13.8%, Detective 12.7%, Mystery 8.5%
- #31 LumineNight
74% matchVery Positive88% of 562 reviews2024
Dev: Spickasoft
Windows
LumineNight is a story-driven detective adventure. Play as Detective Foster and his daughter to solve a series of murders spanning a decade. Interrogate suspects, infiltrate locations, solve puzzles, and gather evidence from crime scenes. Uncover the dark truth behind these killings.
Why similar: Noir 31.3%, Detective 15.4%, Visual Novel 13.7%, Investigation 12.2%, Mystery 10.9%
- #32 Nobody Wants to Die
74% matchVery Positive83% of 7,373 reviews2024
Dev: Critical Hit GamesPub: PLAION
Windows
Median: 5.1 hrsMean: 6.1 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Lose yourself in the dystopian world of New York, 2329; immortality comes at a price that someone has to pay. In this interactive noir story, lead the investigation using advanced technology, as Detective James Karra who risks it all in pursuit of a serial killer targeting the city’s elite.
Why similar: Noir 46.5%, Investigation 19.6%, Detective 15.9%, Story Rich 9.6%, Choices Matter 5.1%
- #33 Tails Noir
76% matchMixed67% of 3,467 reviews2021
Dev: EggnutPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 8.2 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Tails Noir is a post-noir narrative adventure. Become raccoon private eye Howard Lotor and explore dystopian Vancouver inhabited by animals as you uncover a deeply personal story of change and transformation.
Why similar: Noir 34.9%, Investigation 17.3%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Detective 13.3%, Mystery 8.7%
- #34 Noir Chronicles: City of Crime
78% matchMixed60% of 235 reviews2018
Dev: Brave Giant LTDPub: Artifex Mundi
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 4.3 hrs≥1hr: 96%
Step into the shoes of Alfred Fox, a private eye with a knack for getting into trouble, and confront the danger looming over your old flame, Barbara Le Purr. Using your own intuition and wide investigation techniques you will follow the intrigue and face many, sometimes deadly, consequences.
Why similar: Noir 50.3%, Detective 16.7%, Mystery 10.6%, Visual Novel 7.5%, Story Rich 7.2%
- #35 Romance after dark
76% matchMostly Positive73% of 51 reviews2021
Dev: Lesson of Passion
Windows
ROMANCE AFTER DARK is a noir blend of visual novel and adventure game experience. Play as Trevor, once successful private investigator and help him put his miserable life on the right track again. Use your detective hunch and interact with characters and objects.
Why similar: Visual Novel 34.1%, Investigation 25.2%, Detective 22.6%, Mystery 11.8%, Atmospheric 6.3%
- #36 The Shapeshifting Detective
75% matchMostly Positive77% of 1,707 reviews2018
Dev: D'Avekki Studios LtdPub: Wales Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.2 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 92%
The Shapeshifting Detective is a supernatural murder mystery FMV game where you play as a detective who can shapeshift into other characters, allowing you to unlock secret conversations and private encounters.
Why similar: Detective 38%, Indie 22%, Mystery 17%, Story Rich 12%, Choices Matter 11%
- #37 For Your Tranquility
75% matchMixed68% of 193 reviews2023
Dev: Gamesung Games
Windows · Mac
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 21.6%, Visual Novel 17.5%, Mystery 15.8%, Investigation 14.8%, Indie 12.9%
- #38 The Murder Hotel
72% matchVery Positive93% of 73 reviews2025
Dev: Wegenbartho Games
Windows
Interrogate suspects, search for clues, & uncover a dastardly plot, as you solve a string of mystifying murders to help reluctant detective Ilmarinen escape the foreboding Fafnir Hotel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.9%, Detective 27.7%, Mystery 21.5%, Story Rich 17.5%, Singleplayer 2.3%
- #39 Death and Taxes
73% matchVery Positive86% of 8,511 reviews2020
Dev: Placeholder Gameworks
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 4.6 hrs≥1hr: 82%
In this 2D, short narrative-based game, you assume the role of the Grim Reaper... on an office job. Your job is to decide which people are going to live or die. The consequences of your choices are yours to bear, while the mystery of your incarnation awaits revelation!
Why similar: Simulation 40.2%, Story Rich 24.3%, Indie 13.7%, Choices Matter 13%, Atmospheric 6%
- #40 Cloudpunk
72% matchVery Positive87% of 15,433 reviews2020
Dev: ION LANDS
Windows
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 10.3 hrs≥1hr: 69%
A neon-noir story in a rain-drenched cyberpunk metropolis. It’s your first night on the job working for the Cloudpunk delivery service. Two rules: Don’t miss a delivery and don’t ask what’s in the package.
Why similar: Story Rich 45.2%, Indie 25%, Atmospheric 18.4%, Singleplayer 7.1%, Choices Matter 4.3%
- #41 Curtain Call
73% matchVery Positive92% of 59 reviews2022
Dev: Dramatis Personae GamesPub: Juggernaut Entertainment
Windows · Mac
"Curtain Call" is a visual novel about (literally) breaking through social masks by forming meaningful connections with incredibly deep personalities. Whether you’re looking to make new friends or something more, there’s a whole cast of characters just dying to meet you!
Why similar: Visual Novel 50.5%, Simulation 34.5%, Choices Matter 15.1%
- #42 DETECTIVE - Rainy night
71% matchMostly Positive74% of 96 reviews2025
Dev: k148 Game StudioPub: JanduSoft
Windows
Detective Rainy Night is a narrative adventure with elements of deduction. Violent crimes, mature stories, and a touch of psychological horror await you at the Motel Holiday. Grab a pencil and paper because solving this case won’t be easy.
Why similar: Simulation 33.5%, Detective 31.7%, Mystery 24.2%, Atmospheric 7%, Singleplayer 3.6%
- #43 No Questions Asked
71% matchVery Positive94% of 83 reviews2023
Dev: Troubadour Collective
Windows
A neo-noir point&click thriller about a delivery service for illegal goods. Play as a Courier who—after hours—has to solve the mystery of his friend's disappearance. Visit various locations, collect clues, navigate branching dialogue options, and hurry as time is not on your side.
Why similar: Noir 46.2%, Investigation 20.2%, Detective 14.8%, Mystery 10.2%, Story Rich 7.8%
- #44 Bookbinding – Dark Cozy Sim
70% matchMixed69% of 144 reviews2026
Dev: NDApolisPub: Caspianborn Publishing
Windows
A quiet bookshop. A magical past. A murder and Tarot cards that can twist fate itself. Craft beautiful covers, read between the lines of your customers’ lives, and decide which secrets deserve to stay hidden… including your own.
Why similar: Simulation 25.6%, Investigation 24.3%, Detective 16.3%, Mystery 10.7%, Story Rich 10.5%
- #45 We should talk.
73% matchMixed57% of 168 reviews2020
Dev: Insatiable CyclePub: Whitethorn Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 47%
It's not what you say, it's how you say it. We should talk is a short-form narrative game that will make you think carefully about the words you choose. Can your relationship survive the night?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.7%, Simulation 19.4%, Story Rich 18.9%, Indie 15.6%, Choices Matter 9.7%
- #46 Gamedec - Definitive Edition
71% matchMostly Positive80% of 1,735 reviews2021
Dev: Anshar StudiosPub: Anshar Publishing
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Gamedec is a single-player cyberpunk isometric RPG. You are a game detective, who solves crimes inside virtual worlds. Use your wits to gather info from your witnesses and suspects, getting to the bottom of deceptive schemes. The game continually adapts to your decisions and never judges.
Why similar: Noir 33.3%, Investigation 14.4%, Detective 12.8%, Visual Novel 11.9%, Story Rich 9.3%
- #47 SIMULACRA
70% matchVery Positive90% of 4,678 reviews2017
Dev: Kaigan Games OÜ
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 7.6 hrs≥1hr: 71%
An interactive horror experience of exploring a missing woman’s phone.
Why similar: Detective 22.1%, Visual Novel 21.6%, Simulation 20.1%, Story Rich 12.7%, Mystery 11.7%
- #48 Interrogation Simulator
69% matchVery Positive95% of 62 reviews2022
Dev: Otis MillerPub: Fire Cycle Games
Windows · Linux
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 36.3%, Visual Novel 27.2%, Simulation 22.2%, Story Rich 14.4%
- #49 Depanneur Nocturne
69% matchVery Positive96% of 259 reviews2020
Dev: KO_OP
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.8 hrsMean: 2.8 hrs≥1hr: 70%
A short exploration game about poking around a convenience store and finding a gift with the help of its owner. But sometimes the perfect gift finds you.
Why similar: Noir 83.6%, Choices Matter 9%, Indie 5.6%, Atmospheric 1.9%
- #50 Detective Worden
67% matchVery Positive88% of 66 reviews2025
Dev: Domestic Black CatPub: Studio Amateur
Windows · Mac
As a private detective, you’ll crack word clues left by a mysterious informant, gather evidence, and uncover the truth hidden in the shadows.
Why similar: Noir 65.6%, Detective 19.4%, Indie 9%, Choices Matter 4.8%, Singleplayer 1.2%
- #51 A Case of Distrust
70% matchVery Positive82% of 609 reviews2018
Dev: An Open Ben
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 3.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
A Case of Distrust is a narrative mystery from 1924 San Francisco. Play as private investigator Phyllis Cadence Malone in this historical 2D adventure game.
Why similar: Noir 34.1%, Investigation 17.3%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Detective 12.7%, Mystery 9.3%
- #52 Whispers of a Machine
68% matchVery Positive93% of 2,011 reviews2019
Dev: Clifftop GamesPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 5.0 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Whispers of a Machine is a Sci-Fi Nordic Noir that tells the story of Vera, a cybernetically augmented detective in a post-AI world, who investigates a string of murders and unravels a dark conflict over forbidden technology.
Why similar: Noir 42.9%, Detective 24.2%, Mystery 12.8%, Story Rich 9.2%, Choices Matter 5.9%
- #53 This Is the Police 2
69% matchMostly Positive75% of 6,580 reviews2018
Dev: Weappy StudioPub: THQ Nordic
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 10.7 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Interpret the law as you see fit! Run the sheriff’s department, manage your cops, make tough decisions – and try to keep out of prison yourself – in this story-driven mixture of adventure, strategy, and turn-based tactical combat.
Why similar: Story Rich 26.3%, Noir 21.1%, Simulation 14.3%, Indie 14.2%, Detective 9%
- #54 Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders
68% matchVery Positive89% of 1,287 reviews2019
Dev: Nupixo Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 96%
A thrilling point-and-click adventure game where you play as Di Renjie, ancient China's most famous and gifted investigator, as he tracks a serial killer in the heart of the Tang Dynasty's capital city.
Why similar: Investigation 32%, Detective 23.8%, Story Rich 15.7%, Mystery 12.1%, Indie 9.8%
- #55 Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 1,354 reviews2025
Dev: Clifftop GamesPub: Raw Fury
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 8.9 hrsMean: 9.3 hrs≥1hr: 86%
In this point-and-click urban thriller, down-and-out private eye Kathy Rain will embark on her most dangerous case yet — the pursuit of the notorious serial killer known as the Soothsayer. Find clues, gather evidence, connect the dots, and confront the murderer before the hunter becomes the hunted…
Why similar: Noir 38.2%, Investigation 22.1%, Detective 14.5%, Mystery 11.2%, Story Rich 8.8%
- #56 Accident: The Pilot
68% matchMixed69% of 823 reviews2020
Dev: Duality Games
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 2.1 hrs≥1hr: 20%
Become a journalist who researches old car accident cases. Help victims and perform first aid, obtain evidence and reconstruct the events to discover what really happened.
Why similar: Simulation 47.2%, Detective 20.1%, Indie 19%, Choices Matter 5.8%, Atmospheric 4.3%
- #57 Tails Noir Preludes
66% matchVery Positive91% of 309 reviews2023
Dev: EggnutPub: Raw Fury
Windows
Tails Noir Preludes is a post-noir narrative adventure with branching choices. It is an intertwined series of vignettes about change, circumstance, and consequence. Guide four characters through formative moments in their lives in a dystopian Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals.
Why similar: Visual Novel 39.4%, Detective 22.5%, Story Rich 17%, Mystery 12.1%, Atmospheric 6.1%
- #58 This Is the Police
67% matchVery Positive82% of 11,217 reviews2016
Dev: Weappy StudioPub: THQ Nordic
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 12.4 hrs≥1hr: 91%
This Is the Police is a strategy/adventure game set in a city spiraling the drain. Taking the role of gritty Police Chief Jack Boyd, you'll dive into a deep story of crime and intrigue. Will Jack reach his retirement with a nice stack of bills, or will he end up broken ... or worse?
Why similar: Noir 36.5%, Simulation 14.4%, Story Rich 13.9%, Detective 12.7%, Indie 7.2%
- #59 Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure
65% matchVery Positive92% of 2,943 reviews2021
Dev: DigiTales InteractivePub: Assemble Entertainment
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 4.9 hrs≥1hr: 76%
A murder. A hack. A bombing. All it takes to plunge the solar system into war – unless you do something about it. Help CDI agent Neil Conrad make a string of increasingly difficult decisions in this modern dialog-driven adventure set in a gorgeous 2D sci-fi noir universe.
Why similar: Noir 49.4%, Investigation 19.4%, Detective 16.7%, Story Rich 8.9%, Choices Matter 5.5%