Games Like Return of the Obra Dinn

A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.

Why similar: Detective 43.6%, Mystery 23.1%, Puzzle 9.2%, Historical 8%, Story Rich 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: Like Obra Dinn, it revolves around deducing who did what from compact tableau-like scenes and filling in exact answers from contextual clues.

A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.

Why similar: Detective 46.9%, Mystery 23.2%, Puzzle 11%, Story Rich 6.4%, Atmospheric 5.6%

Why You'll Like It: This is another deduction-heavy mystery where you build a web of relationships and identities from fragmented evidence until everything clicks.

The Award-winning detective saga returns in this standalone sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol. Uncover the truth behind 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity in the 1970s. The world has changed dramatically - the sins of humanity have not.

Why similar: Detective 46.4%, Mystery 25.2%, Puzzle 10%, Historical 7.3%, Atmospheric 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its case-based structure again asks you to infer identities, motives, and timelines through close observation rather than hand-holding.

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: Detective 59.3%, Mystery 18.5%, Puzzle 10%, Story Rich 5.9%, Indie 2.2%

Why You'll Like It: You reconstruct crimes by listening to overlapping audio scenes and identifying people, places, and events through pure inference.

Step into a living illustrated world in a time when Europe is at a crossroads of great religious and political change. Walk in the footsteps of Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself in the middle of murders, scandals, and intrigue in the Bavarian Alps.

Why similar: Detective 40.1%, Mystery 22.5%, Historical 15.7%, Story Rich 11.7%, Multiple Endings 5.5%

Why You'll Like It: Its historical setting, sharp writing, and evidence-led investigation capture Obra Dinn's mix of period atmosphere and methodical deduction.

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Why similar: Mystery 31.4%, Great Soundtrack 20.1%, Story Rich 13%, Puzzle 11.8%, Atmospheric 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: It trades shipboard for cosmic exploration, but the joy of reconstructing a vanished story from scattered clues is remarkably similar.

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

Why similar: Detective 68.5%, Puzzle 16.2%, Story Rich 12.3%, Singleplayer 3%

Why You'll Like It: Searching a police interview database for the right clips creates the same exhilarating feeling of piecing together a hidden story yourself.

The Forgotten City is a narrative-driven time loop adventure in ancient Rome. Discover the ruins of an ancient underground city, travel 2000 years into the past, and unravel the mystery of who destroyed it by cleverly exploiting the power to wind back time. The fate of the city is in your hands.

Why similar: Mystery 35.3%, Great Soundtrack 16%, Story Rich 13.3%, Atmospheric 9.3%, Multiple Endings 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its time-loop structure turns every conversation and clue into part of a larger logic puzzle about a doomed community.

Become the most celebrated detective of all time: Sherlock Holmes! Use your impressive talents as a detective to solve six thrilling and varied cases: murders, missing persons, spectacular thefts and numerous investigations that sometimes lead you into the realms of the fantastic.

Why similar: Detective 58%, Mystery 18.8%, Puzzle 6.3%, Story Rich 5.2%, Atmospheric 3.8%

Why You'll Like It: Each case asks you to weigh evidence and choose conclusions, making it a more guided but still satisfying detective alternative.

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: Detective 45.8%, Mystery 22.5%, Story Rich 10.1%, Atmospheric 8.1%, Multiple Endings 5.4%

Why You'll Like It: You are set loose in a stylized murder mystery and expected to connect testimony, evidence, and motive with far less hand-holding than most detective games.

Welcome to Mt. Holly, where every dawn unveils a new mystery. Navigate through shifting corridors and ever-changing chambers in this genre-defying strategy puzzle adventure. But will your unpredictable path lead you to the rumored Room 46?

Why similar: Mystery 38.9%, Puzzle 23.2%, Story Rich 13.2%, Atmospheric 8.7%, First-Person 6.4%

Why You'll Like It: Though more abstract, it scratches a similar itch by rewarding careful note-taking, pattern recognition, and gradual big-picture understanding.

Scene Investigators is a hardcore deductive reasoning game for fans of the "true crime" genre. Step into re-created crime scenes, observe closely for pieces of evidence, analyze possible motives behind the crimes, and uncover what truly happened.

Why similar: Detective 47%, Mystery 24.4%, Puzzle 11.1%, Atmospheric 6.3%, First-Person 3.6%

Why You'll Like It: Examining static crime scenes for tiny contextual details makes this one of the closest modern games to Obra Dinn's forensic reasoning loop.

In this award-winning puzzle adventure game, play as the Traveler on a quest to reunite the Peoples of the Tower. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the Myth of Babel.

Why similar: Detective 32.5%, Puzzle 25.7%, Great Soundtrack 9.5%, Mystery 8.7%, Atmospheric 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Deciphering languages through observation and logic delivers the same satisfying sense of solving something the game refuses to over-explain.

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: Detective 65.6%, Noir 10.2%, Puzzle 9.3%, First-Person 4.6%, Atmospheric 4.5%

Why You'll Like It: This immersive detective sim emphasizes gathering clues, tracking leads, and solving cases through your own note-taking and reasoning.

The Sexy Brutale — a never-ending masked ball featuring intrigue, murder and the (quite possibly) occult! Relive the same mysterious day where the guests at the casino mansion are being murdered by the staff over and over again...

Why similar: Detective 36.5%, Mystery 23.7%, Puzzle 12.6%, Great Soundtrack 11.9%, Story Rich 6.6%

Why You'll Like It: Its looping mansion mystery is another intricate puzzle box where understanding who died, when, and why is the key to progress.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, the classic puzzle-solving mystery adventure directed by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi, is back! This long-awaited HD remaster features upgraded visuals and sound and new gallery content.

Why similar: Detective 41%, Mystery 24%, Puzzle 12.6%, Story Rich 9.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: This inventive mystery-puzzle game revolves around revisiting deaths, learning causal chains, and untangling a tightly designed narrative.

You wake up, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that will challenge and surprise you.

Why similar: Puzzle 37.4%, Mystery 13.6%, Atmospheric 9.9%, First-Person 9.2%, Difficult 9.1%

Why You'll Like It: It is less narrative and more abstract, but it similarly trusts you to notice rules, make leaps, and solve puzzles without explicit guidance.

Investigate an infamous cold case in the eerie, abandoned town of Painscreek. Search for evidence, connect the dots and uncover who killed Vivian Roberts. Can you expose the truth behind this town’s dark secrets?

Why similar: Detective 41.9%, Mystery 23.1%, Puzzle 9%, Story Rich 8%, Atmospheric 6.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its open-ended murder investigation and dense environmental clues reward patience, observation, and notebook-style play.

"Murders on Yangtze River" is an Ace Attorney-like detective game that takes you on a journey through early 20th century China as you solve a series of intriguing cases. Use your logical reasoning and deduction skills to uncover clues, interrogate suspects, and solve the mysteries.

Why similar: Detective 50.3%, Mystery 16.2%, Puzzle 11.2%, Story Rich 9%, Historical 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: This historical detective adventure focuses on examining scenes, questioning suspects, and deducing solutions from physical evidence.

An archaeologist uncovers a lost history in an ancient space Nebula. Award-winning narrative adventure game with hieroglyphic language puzzles, from the creators of 80 DAYS.

Why similar: Mystery 38.6%, Puzzle 15.9%, Atmospheric 11.7%, Story Rich 8.4%, Great Soundtrack 8%

Why You'll Like It: Translating an ancient script from incomplete inscriptions gives you the same detective-like pleasure of inferring meaning from context.

Welcome to the FDI. As our newest Operator, your role is to use your detective skills to assist our field agents and investigate mysterious crimes. Use cutting-edge FDI software to dig for clues, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth.

Why similar: Detective 52.1%, Mystery 22.7%, Puzzle 11.1%, Atmospheric 8.3%, Story Rich 5%

Why You'll Like It: Sorting through security feeds, documents, and terminal data makes you feel like an investigator assembling the truth from fragments.

Immerse yourself in a dramatic yet charming and witty world of evidence-gathering, deduction and courtroom battles with this double-pack of the adventures of rookie lawyer Ryunosuke.

Why similar: Detective 44.9%, Mystery 21.9%, Historical 8.2%, Story Rich 7.7%, Great Soundtrack 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: While more courtroom-driven, it shares Obra Dinn's love of contradictions, testimony analysis, and carefully reasoned reveals.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery. Purchase this game to get both the original and the Unreal Engine 4 remaster called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.

Why similar: Detective 42.2%, Mystery 21.9%, Atmospheric 7.9%, Story Rich 5.2%, Great Soundtrack 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: This is a moodier, more guided mystery, but its first-person investigation and haunting reconstruction of past events will appeal to Obra Dinn fans.

An interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop. Featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.

Why similar: Mystery 37.9%, Puzzle 17.5%, Story Rich 13.8%, Great Soundtrack 7.5%, Atmospheric 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its repeated time-loop investigation centers on extracting new information and testing theories, though it is more constrained than Obra Dinn.

GET AWAY WITH MURDER. Highly replayable detective game where you're the one whodunnit. From the creators of 80 Days and Heaven's Vault.

Why similar: Detective 54.7%, Mystery 17.8%, Puzzle 12.9%, Historical 12%, Adventure 2.5%

Why You'll Like It: By rewinding a murder night and manipulating events, it captures some of the same delight in untangling a fatal chain of cause and effect.

The Séance of Blake Manor is a supernatural detective mystery, set in 1897 Ireland, where you investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane in a remote hotel full of secrets and other-worldly occurrences.

Why similar: Detective 36.7%, Mystery 16.8%, Historical 8.3%, Puzzle 8.3%, Story Rich 6.7%

Spot the lie and beat the liars in 'Contradiction' - the all-video murder mystery adventure!

Why similar: Detective 48.5%, Mystery 20.6%, Atmospheric 7.7%, Story Rich 7.6%, Puzzle 6.7%

Why You'll Like It: Its FMV interrogations are all about noticing inconsistencies in stories and pinning down the truth through observation.

Play as detective Kaname Date on the case of an elusive serial killer in this thrilling, sci-fi murder mystery.

Why similar: Detective 46.1%, Mystery 24.1%, Story Rich 10.2%, Great Soundtrack 6.4%, Puzzle 3.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its surreal detective structure mixes clue gathering and layered mystery-solving, even if it leans more heavily on visual-novel storytelling.

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a folk horror narrative-driven adventure. Explore the isolated moors of rural Victorian England as you uncover the mysteries of Hob's Barrow. The answers lie in the soil...

Why similar: Mystery 30.3%, Puzzle 20.8%, Atmospheric 14.3%, Story Rich 11%, Horror 7.4%

Why You'll Like It: This folk-horror mystery offers strong atmosphere and old-world intrigue for players who want another carefully paced investigation.

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: Detective 53.4%, Story Rich 13.8%, Mystery 12%, Great Soundtrack 7.8%, Atmospheric 5.1%

Why You'll Like It: You investigate by reading files, tagging connections, and inferring intent from partial information, which hits a similar deductive rhythm.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state. As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she's the last one in her family left alive.

Why similar: Mystery 25.7%, Story Rich 22.1%, Atmospheric 13.5%, Great Soundtrack 13%, Walking Simulator 7.6%

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

Why similar: Detective 45.2%, Mystery 23.9%, Story Rich 9.4%, Puzzle 9.2%, Atmospheric 5.8%

Why You'll Like It: Another database-search mystery, it asks you to build the narrative by finding the right clips rather than following a linear path.

LOSE YOUR MIND. EAT YOUR CREW. DIE. Take the helm of your steamship and set sail for the unknown! Sunless Sea is a game of discovery, loneliness and frequent death, set in the award-winning Victorian Gothic universe of Fallen London.

Why similar: Story Rich 30%, Great Soundtrack 26.1%, Atmospheric 20.7%, Horror 6.6%, Singleplayer 6.1%

Draugen is a single-player, first-person Fjord Noir mystery set in 1920s Norway. Explore a forgotten coastal village in your search for your missing sister, accompanied by your independent and enigmatic young ward. Norwegian Game of the Year 2019.

Why similar: Detective 34.5%, Mystery 20.6%, Story Rich 8.8%, Puzzle 8%, Historical 8%

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: Detective 48.5%, Mystery 20.2%, Great Soundtrack 12.8%, Story Rich 8.4%, Puzzle 3.6%

Discover what connects a lost ship’s disappearance with Devil’s Island and a local family’s unsolved murder.

Why similar: Mystery 43.9%, Puzzle 19.8%, Great Soundtrack 9.9%, Story Rich 6.5%, Atmospheric 6%

Welcome to Myst: a starkly beautiful island, eerily tinged with mystery and shrouded in intrigue. Built from the ground up to play in 2D & VR, explore Myst in a whole new dimension! Journey to the Ages, unravel puzzles, and be a part of the surrealistic adventure that will become your own.

Why similar: Puzzle 31.9%, Mystery 20.8%, Story Rich 13.6%, First-Person 8.6%, Adventure 6.3%

Why Am I Dead At Sea is an adventure game where you solve the mystery of your own murder. As a ghost, you will have to possess people and use them to investigate your surroundings. But in this place no one is who they seem...and everyone has a secret.

Why similar: Mystery 56.5%, Story Rich 18.1%, Indie 9.5%, Adventure 6.5%, Multiple Endings 5.4%

Step into the mind of John Morley, a 1940s detective on his final case. Explore shadowed places long forgotten by time, and piece together crime scenes in a narrative adventure steeped in mystery, unexpected twists, and a truth buried for decades.

Why similar: Detective 39.1%, Mystery 17.7%, Puzzle 9.3%, Story Rich 7.8%, Noir 7.3%

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: Puzzle 16.5%, Great Soundtrack 16.4%, Story Rich 14.1%, Indie 12.6%, Atmospheric 10.1%

Inscryption is an inky black card-based odyssey that blends the deckbuilding roguelike, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror into a blood-laced smoothie. Darker still are the secrets inscrybed upon the cards...

Why similar: Story Rich 39.4%, Puzzle 34.8%, Horror 13.9%, First-Person 9.6%, Adventure 2.3%

Explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel its many secrets. Collect items to manipulate your environment in surprising and meaningful ways. Encounter beautiful and unsettling creatures, as you attempt to survive what lurks in the dark. There is more than what you see.

Why similar: Mystery 35.3%, Puzzle 26.4%, Atmospheric 15%, Horror 6.9%, Retro 5.8%

Enter The House of Da Vinci, a new must-try 3D puzzle adventure game. Solve mechanical puzzles, discover hidden objects, escape from rooms and dive into the authentic atmosphere of the Renaissance. Use all your wits to find out what's behind your master's disappearance.

Why similar: Mystery 30.6%, Detective 23.5%, Puzzle 14.4%, Atmospheric 8.9%, Historical 8%

What are the most important moments in your life? Lost At Sea is a game about life and death, about coming to terms with your past and about family. Set on a beautiful island, this game will force you to face your fears and take stock of your life through imaginative puzzles and a relatable story.

Why similar: Mystery 22%, Great Soundtrack 18.1%, Puzzle 14.2%, Atmospheric 10.1%, Story Rich 9.3%

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 35.7%, Mystery 17.5%, Great Soundtrack 8.5%, Historical 6.6%, Story Rich 5.9%

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

Why similar: Detective 38.5%, Great Soundtrack 15.9%, Mystery 13.4%, Puzzle 7.8%, Story Rich 7.2%

Investigate. Interrogate. Descend into a world of intrigue to untangle the Mystery of the Malign.

Why similar: Mystery 35%, Puzzle 15.6%, Story Rich 13.1%, Detective 11.9%, Atmospheric 11%

Join Norah, a woman plagued by a mysterious illness, in her search for her missing husband in this adventure puzzle game set on a lush island paradise. Immerse yourself in stunning visuals and unlock forbidden secrets in a moving tale of mystery and love.

Why similar: Mystery 26.1%, Puzzle 18.6%, Story Rich 14.3%, Historical 10.1%, Atmospheric 9.8%

Discover the truth about Quern’s past, unfold the mysteries of its present, and be the explorer who shapes its future. Quern introduces reusable puzzle mechanics to the classic genre, making the player think about the game as a whole, and not just as a series of individual challenges.

Why similar: Mystery 35.6%, Puzzle 18.8%, Story Rich 12.8%, Atmospheric 12%, Walking Simulator 6.9%

DREDGE is a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your boat, and dredge the depths for long-buried secrets. Explore a mysterious archipelago and discover why some things are best left forgotten.

Why similar: Mystery 51.9%, Atmospheric 16.6%, Story Rich 11.6%, Horror 6.6%, Singleplayer 4.9%

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

Why similar: Atmospheric 20.9%, Story Rich 13.1%, Great Soundtrack 12.1%, Puzzle 9.6%, Horror 9.5%

In a creaky old tavern, in a forgotten corner of the video-game universe, a storm is raging. An anonymous caller suggests that there is a murder plot. Six video game protagonists are the only plausible suspects...

Why similar: Mystery 36.1%, Great Soundtrack 17.5%, Story Rich 16.9%, Indie 8.3%, Puzzle 7.7%

Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts. Winner of Debut Game at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award at the GDC 2018 Choice Awards.

Why similar: Puzzle 37.1%, Mystery 19.6%, Atmospheric 11.8%, Great Soundtrack 11.8%, Story Rich 9%

Unravel a thrilling mystery by exploring a strange and twisted mansion, discovering curious clues, interrogating peculiar suspects and solving unique puzzles. Will you be able to uncover the secrets of Tangle Tower?

Why similar: Detective 48.4%, Mystery 16%, Puzzle 8.9%, Story Rich 7.2%, Noir 5.6%

KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway running through the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it.

Why similar: Atmospheric 25.2%, Mystery 21.7%, Great Soundtrack 19.8%, Story Rich 17%, Indie 7.6%

Disembodied souls linger in this old estate. To each one, utter their name.

Why similar: Detective 38.8%, Mystery 18.9%, Puzzle 8.1%, Historical 7.5%, Story Rich 6.5%

Baba Is You is a puzzle game where the rules you have to follow are present as blocks you can interact with. By manipulating them, you can change how the game works, repurpose things you find in the levels and cause surprising interactions!

Why similar: Puzzle 46.9%, Difficult 21.4%, Great Soundtrack 15.2%, Indie 8.4%, Singleplayer 5.3%

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: Mystery 38.2%, Story Rich 16.2%, Atmospheric 13.9%, Noir 12.8%, Retro 6.7%

A murdered priest. A secret list. Hunt Nazi fugitives across the globe in this gritty 1971 detective thriller. Analyze evidence, follow leads, and make sharp deductions before the trail goes cold. From the creators of Family, Rivals, Conspiracy, Echo Beach and Riley & Rochelle.

Why similar: Detective 50.6%, Mystery 21.2%, Puzzle 8.9%, Atmospheric 5.7%, Noir 5%