- #1 The House in Fata Morgana
97% matchVery Positive95% of 6,235 reviews2016
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.5 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: Gothic 25.1% ★, Philosophical 15.9%, Visual Novel 11.9%, Psychological Horror 10%, Mystery 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: A gothic masterpiece that shares the same tragic, atmospheric, and philosophical depth found in Salthe.
- #2 Iwaihime
96% matchMostly Positive79% of 887 reviews2020
Dev: DMM GAMESPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 17.6 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 19.7%, Psychological Horror 18.3%, Anime 16.9%, Supernatural 15.6%, Horror 10%
Why You'll Like It: A chilling psychological horror experience that delves into supernatural themes and dark folklore.
- #3 Misericorde: Volume One
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 509 reviews2023
Dev: XEECEE
Windows · Linux
Misericorde: Volume One is the first part of a series of mystery visual novels set in a convent in 1482.
Why similar: Gothic 26.4% ★, Medieval 18.9%, Visual Novel 16.9%, Mystery 15.4%, Dark 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: Set in a medieval context, this visual novel excels at building mystery and dark, character-driven drama.
- #4 Sanator: Scarlet Scarf
95% matchVery Positive89% of 526 reviews2019
Dev: Ignis SanatPub: Ignis Sanat 🔥
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.4 hrsMean: 117.2 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Scarlet Scarf is a visual novel inspired by the legend of Plague Maiden. Dive into the dark mysteries of a dying city with the fate of Sanator Richard Murdock in your hands. Perhaps it's not too late to stop the on-going calamity...
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.9%, Dark Fantasy 17.3%, Anime 14.4%, Mystery 13.5%, Horror 11.7%
Why You'll Like It: Its dark fantasy world and heavy, atmospheric storytelling mirror the somber tone of Salthe.
- #5 Umineko When They Cry - Question Arcs
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,708 reviews2016
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 13.3 hrsMean: 42.9 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 21.1%, Mystery 19.5%, Philosophical 13.6%, Psychological Horror 10.2%, Anime 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: This complex mystery features profound philosophical debates and a dark, gothic-inspired narrative structure.
- #6 Saint Maker - Horror Visual Novel
94% 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: Visual Novel 22.6%, Psychological Horror 22.1%, Horror 14.4%, Anime 13.1%, Dark 10.1%
Why You'll Like It: A tense psychological horror game that focuses on dark, religious-themed mysteries and emotional trauma.
- #7 CORPSE FACTORY
93% 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: Visual Novel 18.9%, Psychological Horror 18.4%, Anime 15.3%, Mystery 14.2%, Horror 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: A brutal and gripping psychological thriller that explores the dark side of human nature through a visual novel lens.
- #8 Kara no Shojo
92% matchVery Positive92% of 449 reviews2018
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 5.9 hrsMean: 161.1 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Play as a detective tasked with catching a serial killer in this visual novel set in post-war Japan. Investigate key locations, question many complex characters, piece together clues, and try to stop the culprit before they end yet another young girl's smile.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.4%, Psychological Horror 17.2%, Mystery 16.7%, Anime 16%, Dark 12.2%
Why You'll Like It: This dark detective mystery offers a gritty, psychological narrative that fans of intense visual novels will appreciate.
- #9 The Mildew Children
91% matchVery Positive93% of 471 reviews2024
Dev: The Growing StonesPub: Valkyrie Initiative
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Featuring a blend of 2D adventure and visual novel, The Mildew Children is a grim tale about a village inhabited only by children who follow savage pagan traditions. A young witch named Kyrphel, along with her sisters, are bound to perform a macabre Ritual in order to save their village.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.4%, Psychological Horror 21.6%, Mystery 18.7%, Horror 10.5%, Dark 10%
Why You'll Like It: This game captures a similar sense of surreal, dark, and atmospheric storytelling set in a folklore-inspired world.
- #10 Thy Creature
91% matchVery Positive82% of 142 reviews2022
Dev: Growing Seeds
Windows
A dark fantasy story adventure to face the long-forgotten 「memories」!
Why similar: Gothic 35.2% ★, Dark Fantasy 15.5%, Mystery 12.5%, Visual Novel 11.8%, Dark 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: A dark, philosophical adventure that deals with themes of existence and trauma through a unique, somber lens.
- #11 Suhoshin
90% matchVery Positive91% of 170 reviews2022
Dev: No More 500
Windows
Suhoshin is a 2D Visual Novel set in the medieval Joseon period of Korea. While investigating a series of mysterious murders, you will have to make choices that will lead you down different paths toward different endings.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.8%, Psychological Horror 16%, Mystery 15.8%, Anime 15.3%, Medieval 14.1%
Why You'll Like It: A mystery-heavy visual novel that balances psychological horror with an engaging, story-rich plot.
- #12 Night Loops
89% matchVery Positive89% of 163 reviews2023
Dev: JiaquariumPub: indie.io
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Journey through the psyche… Welcome to the Seaside Hotel, where the final hour of your night shift awaits. Tend to guests, explore their dreams, and lose your sense of Self – time and again. In this dark, labyrinthine adventure, unravel the path to the truth below.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 15.8%, Psychological 14.3%, Visual Novel 14%, Anime 12.7%, Dark 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: This surreal psychological horror game uses a loop-based narrative to explore deep, unsettling themes.
- #13 The Missing Parts of Maria Gwozdek
89% matchVery Positive96% of 136 reviews2023
Dev: Senokos Games
Windows · Linux
The Missing Parts of Maria Gwozdek is a dark fantasy visual novel about fulfilling your aspirations by sacrificing parts of yourself. Literally.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 17.6%, Visual Novel 17.5%, Dark Fantasy 16.2%, Supernatural 14%, Mystery 12.7%
Why You'll Like It: A dark fantasy visual novel that focuses on psychological horror and complex, branching character paths.
- #14 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,838 reviews2023
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 8.7 hrsMean: 10.2 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 21.7%, Anime 17.1%, Mystery 15.8%, Supernatural 15.2%, Horror 13.1%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural mystery that masterfully weaves psychological tension with a dark, historical setting.
- #15 Bad Faith
88% matchVery Positive92% of 64 reviews2022
Dev: Mado
Windows · Mac · Linux
Sanctuaries. Secrets. Serious consequences. A solo-developed psychological horror/drama visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.9%, Psychological Horror 17.3%, Psychological 17%, Anime 15.7%, Horror 11.8%
Why You'll Like It: This title delivers a compact, intense psychological horror experience with a strong focus on dread.
- #16 Without a Dawn
85% matchVery Positive93% of 757 reviews2025
Dev: Jesse Makkonen
Windows
Median: 1.4 hrsMean: 2.4 hrs≥1hr: 62%
Without a Dawn is a dark, psychological, and philosophical visual horror novel featuring hauntingly beautiful pseudo-ASCII art.
Why similar: Philosophical 26.4%, Visual Novel 15.5%, Psychological Horror 15.2%, Mystery 11.3%, Psychological 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: A story-rich psychological horror game that focuses on heavy, philosophical themes and dark atmosphere.
- #17 The Letter - Horror Visual Novel
87% 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 28.7%, Horror 19.5%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Anime 11.8%, Mystery 11.3%
Why You'll Like It: A choice-driven horror experience that emphasizes character relationships and psychological tension.
- #18 Inversed
86% matchVery Positive92% of 78 reviews2024
Dev: Tymedust Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
A short, interactive visual novel set in the mid-19th Century, in which a poet fights against time as she's writing the most important work of her life. Poetry is the answer, but what is the question?
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.3%, Psychological Horror 16.2%, Psychological 15.8%, Mystery 13.3%, Dark 10.2%
Why You'll Like It: A short, emotional visual novel that focuses on psychological trauma and dark, atmospheric storytelling.
- #19 It Paints Me
82% matchVery Positive97% of 245 reviews2024
Dev: ENDYSIS
Windows · Mac · Linux
Take the role of a painter struggling to finish his masterpiece in this short Gothic horror visual novel about art, pain and love.
Why similar: Gothic 30.1% ★, Visual Novel 13.6%, Psychological Horror 8.5%, Supernatural 8.2%, Horror 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: A gothic-inspired horror visual novel that focuses on atmospheric storytelling and dark, artistic themes.
- #20 GNOSIA
82% matchVery Positive94% of 4,865 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.3 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 21.8%, Psychological Horror 18.1%, Anime 17.9%, Mystery 17.6%, Psychological 16.9%
Why You'll Like It: A unique psychological mystery that forces players to navigate complex social dynamics and existential dread.
- #21 Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
84% matchVery Positive82% of 512 reviews2019
Dev: EXPERIENCEPub: Aksys Games
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 13.2 hrs≥1hr: 71%
A strange rumor is spreading through the shadows of Tokyo's H City: a mysterious disfigurement has been appearing on the bodies of certain individuals. Anyone who receives the Mark will rapidly die of unknown, horrifying causes. The countdown to death has already begun...
Why similar: Visual Novel 44.1%, Horror 32.3%, Anime 18.4%, Adventure 5.2%
Why You'll Like It: This horror-mystery title excels at creating a sense of dread and unease through its supernatural narrative.
- #22 My Lovely Daughter
84% matchMostly Positive70% of 1,304 reviews2018
Dev: GameChanger StudioPub: Toge Productions
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 3.8 hrs≥1hr: 84%
My Lovely Daughter is an alchemist simulator that explores the depth of a father’s grief and how far he will go to resurrect his daughter. Contains dark and disturbing subject matters, might not be suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Why similar: Gothic 20.1% ★, Philosophical 14.4%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Dark Fantasy 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: A dark, experimental game that explores themes of grief and morality through a grim management-simulation hybrid.
- #23 Doki Doki Literature Club!
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 221,125 reviews2017
Dev: Team Salvato
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 38.4 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: Psychological Horror 29.1%, Visual Novel 23.2%, Anime 20.7%, Horror 12%, Dark 10.8%
Why You'll Like It: A meta-psychological horror game that subverts expectations to deliver a truly unsettling experience.
- #24 CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~
83% matchVery Positive83% of 53 reviews2016
Dev: ROSEVERTE MYSTERYPub: ROSEVERTE
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 7.2 hrs≥1hr: 95%
A supernatural mystery visual novel. What kind of fate will the heroine face after she relives the last seven days before her death?
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.7%, Psychological Horror 17.4%, Anime 12.8%, Horror 12.6%, Mystery 12.5%
Why You'll Like It: A mystery-horror visual novel that explores the boundary between life and death in a gothic setting.
- #25 Drowning Song of the Stagnant Sea
79% matchPositive86% of 50 reviews2026
Dev: 空想の工房Pub: Waku Waku Games
Windows
A dark fairy tale set in the deep sea. The fated encounter between a sea monster and a human forever changes their lives in this visual novel. Contains platonic yuri.
Why similar: Visual Novel 41.3%, Dark Fantasy 36.2%, Multiple Endings 6.6%, Adventure 6%, 2D 5.3%
- #26 Graces: Posthumous Wish
79% matchVery Positive97% of 191 reviews2024
Dev: TomoToro
Windows
Aki is haunted by a curse. In search of salvation, she travels into the memories of a dead classmate, where she must witness three eerie mystical stories and figure out how to break the shackles of misfortune.
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.6%, Psychological Horror 16%, Supernatural 13.7%, Mystery 12.6%, Dark 11%
- #27 Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition
81% matchVery Positive90% of 598 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 40.7%, Anime 23.6%, Mystery 18.8%, Story Rich 6.7%, Multiple Endings 4%
Why You'll Like It: A high-stakes psychological thriller that emphasizes mystery and complex character motivations.
- #28 The Silver Case
81% matchVery Positive89% of 1,129 reviews2016
Dev: GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 8.6 hrs≥1hr: 85%
The Silver Case – the debut title from world-renowned developer SUDA51 has been fully remastered and localized to English for the first time ever!
Why similar: Visual Novel 18%, Mystery 17.5%, Psychological Horror 13.6%, Anime 13.5%, Psychological 12.5%
Why You'll Like It: A surreal and stylistic psychological mystery that offers a deep, experimental narrative experience.
- #29 Malleus Cocconum: The Heiress
78% matchVery Positive97% of 121 reviews2025
Dev: Domus Aurea
Windows · Mac · Linux
You are Arenda Finch—fifteen years old, wealthy beyond measure, and newly exiled from your former school. Dunkenwood House takes you in, but its halls hide the darker side of privilege. Humanity or demonic nature. Love or desire. Every choice shapes the person you become.
Why similar: Gothic 32.2% ★, Psychological Horror 15.4%, Mystery 15%, Visual Novel 14.3%, Dark 13.4%
- #30 HAPPY SAIN† SHEOL
77% matchVery Positive84% of 230 reviews2024
Dev: HUNGRYCULTPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Two thousand years ago, the Pestis Disaster swept through the land, corrupting all living things and making it to difficult to live on the land. Having touched the darkest darkness the world has seen, one must now face the dazzling light. Thus I pose this question. Whose wings did I see that day?
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.9%, Anime 25.8%, Dark 19%, Horror 18.4%, Adventure 3.7%
- #31 Narcissu 1st & 2nd
77% 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 59.6%, Anime 34.8%, Story Rich 4.9%, 2D 0.4%, Adventure 0.2%
- #32 MINE MEMORY
76% matchVery Positive96% of 53 reviews2024
Dev: VAINSANE
Windows · Mac · Linux
Uncover the skeletons in Hana's closet in "MINE MEMORY," a gripping psychological visual novel. Dive into Hana's memories, shape her destiny, and confront haunting choices with deep consequences.
Why similar: Psychological 29.9%, Mystery 23.5%, Dark 9.9%, Interactive Fiction 7%, Visual Novel 6.8%
- #33 The Shell Part I: Inferno
75% matchVery Positive91% of 1,368 reviews2023
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 10.9 hrsMean: 114.3 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 25.6%, Psychological Horror 21.2%, Mystery 21.2%, Dark 12.6%, Anime 11%
- #34 My Head On Your Body
76% matchMostly Positive74% of 50 reviews2024
Dev: Creepy Pop
Windows · Mac · Linux
You've moved to a new house where the previous owner was murdered. They never found his head. But, it has found you.
Why similar: Philosophical 20.5%, Visual Novel 14.6%, Psychological Horror 14.3%, Psychological 13.3%, Anime 10.9%
- #35 Cross The Boundaries
74% matchVery Positive99% of 69 reviews2025
Dev: AlfredProsPub: Ziel Graywords
Windows · Linux
This is a Touhou Fangame. Maribel Hearn is a girl with unusual experience with ghosts and supernatural beings. In Cross The Boundaries, you will solve riddles while trying to stay alive, and looking for a way out of the nightmare.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.1%, Anime 17%, Mystery 14%, Psychological 13.7%, Supernatural 10.2%
- #36 • Dread Chess ✣
74% matchMostly Positive80% of 97 reviews2025
Dev: • NullTalePub: • NullTale Scape
Windows
✣ Dread Chess is an original and strange narrative story-puzzle game with sandbox elements. Uncover mysteries by speaking with gods in Latin. Immerse yourself in an atmosphere of madness, and reach one of many endings in an unfair game against Death that can be played ONLY ONCE...
Why similar: Gothic 27.9% ★, Visual Novel 16.6%, Mystery 12.1%, Dark 11.7%, Psychological 11.2%
- #37 Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
72% matchVery Positive88% of 3,358 reviews2023
Dev: silver978Pub: IndieArk
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.3 hrsMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 57%
A short psychological adventure about a stressed girl who wants to explore her ceiling.
Why similar: Psychological 19.2%, Psychological Horror 14%, Mystery 13.6%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Anime 13.1%
- #38 For Mother Matron
73% matchVery Positive91% of 164 reviews2022
Dev: Velvetique GamesPub: Neoclassic Games
Windows · Mac
A story about a girl named Lizzy living in a miserable world and her journey to its darkest depths. A free atmospheric horror visual novel where you navigate life-or-death situations. SEEK PARADISE OR DIE TRYING
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.8%, Psychological Horror 21.7%, Anime 14.2%, Horror 12.2%, Dark Fantasy 12%
- #39 Untale: King of Revinia
75% matchMostly Positive77% of 56 reviews2020
Dev: Empty Die Studio
Windows · Linux
Unravel the mystery of the King's sudden death... Claim your right for the throne. Try to stay alive as long as possible. Will you take the risk? The story for those who are brave enough to dive in a dark story and are able to think reasonably.
Why similar: Medieval 26.1%, Visual Novel 23.4%, Mystery 22.7%, Dark 8.7%, Story Rich 6.8%
- #40 The Rule Of SHE
72% matchVery Positive88% of 58 reviews2025
Dev: HaiBin studio
Windows
A wandering soul mistakenly enters a world of strange tales and odd rules. Beware! This place is fraught with danger. To complete reincarnation, you must toe the line. Any soul that dares to go against the system will face correction. Will you comply—or defy?
Why similar: Mystery 21.4%, Horror 18.2%, Psychological Horror 14.6%, Dark Fantasy 11.8%, Fantasy 11.7%
- #41 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.7 Minagoroshi
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 703 reviews2019
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 15.8 hrsMean: 89.0 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 19.9%, Psychological Horror 18.2%, Anime 18%, Mystery 16.8%, Horror 12.8%
- #42 MOOD
71% matchVery Positive86% of 468 reviews2025
Dev: MAT Affect
Windows
MOOD is a short visual novel combining horror, dark humor, and dialogues on a wide variety of topics, from old movies to ancient wars. You were the one who summoned your new companion, there is no backing out now!
Why similar: Philosophical 25.4%, Visual Novel 16.1%, Psychological Horror 15.2%, Dark 11.6%, Anime 11.5%
- #43 Train of Afterlife
78% matchMixed51% of 183 reviews2015
Dev: Zeiva Inc
Windows
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 97%
Train of Afterlife is a mystery, psychological, horror Visual Novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 36.9%, Anime 18.7%, Psychological 10.5%, Mystery 10.2%, Psychological Horror 9.5%
- #44 Experimentation
73% matchMostly Positive72% of 98 reviews2023
Dev: Faithy Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
A linear visual novel about five short stories, unrelated at first glance. Be prepared for mysticism, gloomy atmosphere and light psychological horror. Not recommended to play if you are experiencing depression or severe psychological state.
Why similar: Visual Novel 14.7%, Psychological Horror 14%, Dark Fantasy 12.3%, Supernatural 12%, Dark 10.6%
- #45 Geminism
70% matchVery Positive90% of 121 reviews2025
Dev: CRAFTWORKPub: Shiravune
Windows
Two pairs of twins war for love, life, and limb beneath the curtain of a dark Tokyo night. From the artisans at CRAFTWORK comes a visual novel lush with art, action, and mystery; a story of GEMINISM—deformity and divinity.
Why similar: Dark Fantasy 18.1%, Visual Novel 17.7%, Psychological Horror 16.8%, Anime 14.5%, Dark 10.8%
- #46 Reaplaced
71% matchVery Positive91% of 55 reviews2023
Dev: Mystery Gamedev
Windows · Mac · Linux
A supernatural Halloween whodunnit. Solve a chilling locked-room mystery before the grim reaper reveals the answer!
Why similar: Psychological Horror 16.8%, Mystery 14.5%, Anime 14.2%, Visual Novel 14.2%, Dark 13.5%
- #47 The Mildew Children: Chapter 1
71% matchVery Positive86% of 324 reviews2023
Dev: The Growing StonesPub: Valkyrie Initiative
Windows
Median: 36 minMean: 1.7 hrs≥1hr: 30%
Featuring a blend of 2D adventure and visual novel. Chapter 1 is the very beginning of the grim tale about a village inhabited only by children who follow savage pagan traditions. A young witch Kyrphel, along with her sisters, are bound to perform a macabre Ritual in order to save their village.
Why similar: Visual Novel 31.4%, Psychological Horror 24.2%, Mystery 19.4%, Story Rich 9.2%, Dark 7%
- #48 Mojika - Truth Rears Its Ugly Head
70% matchMostly Positive77% of 485 reviews2025
Dev: NITRO ORIGINPub: JAST
Windows
Median: 7.6 hrsMean: 9.9 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Haunted by the ability to read minds, Suteru embarks on a journey of revenge against those who wronged him. Uncovering the secrets of his tormentors, he must confront his demons in a story that explores the depths and darkness of the human mind.
Why similar: Philosophical 16%, Visual Novel 11.5%, Psychological 11.1%, Psychological Horror 10.7%, Mystery 10.5%
- #49 Perennial Dusk -Kinsenka-
69% matchVery Positive85% of 173 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 25.4%, Anime 21.6%, Dark 13.8%, Psychological 11.4%, Philosophical 10.9%
- #50 The NOexistenceN of you AND me
66% 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: Visual Novel 26.7%, Psychological Horror 21.7%, Anime 16.3%, Psychological 14.2%, Interactive Fiction 6.4%
- #51 Forsaker:DingDing&Blade
69% matchVery Positive80% of 246 reviews2025
Dev: 圣剑提灯制作组 [BladeLanternStudios]Pub: Infini Fun
Windows · Mac
A visual novel/roguelike hybrid where a simple mission spirals into a cannibalistic odyssey. You'll struggle as a fragile human, blood-soaked knight, or flesh-devouring Forsaker. Devour or be devoured—yet your fate dangles by unseen strings. Choose: cling to this broken world... or forsake it.
Why similar: Gothic 34.1% ★, Medieval 17.8%, Visual Novel 15.1%, Anime 12.9%, Mystery 6.5%
- #52 Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
69% 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: Philosophical 28.8%, Visual Novel 18.4%, Psychological Horror 16.4%, Psychological 9%, Anime 9%
- #53 Trapped with Jester
67% matchVery Positive94% of 1,515 reviews2022
Dev: AntaPub: Neoclassic Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
An unusual horror-themed Visual Novel about waking up in a carriage with a stranger… Whatever could go wrong?
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.9%, Psychological Horror 19.4%, Horror 11.5%, Dark Fantasy 10.5%, Anime 10.4%
- #54 DEAD LAMB WALKING
66% matchVery Positive97% of 195 reviews2024
Dev: Lyn Mametchi
Windows
A story about a dead lamb walking.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.9%, Psychological Horror 20%, Horror 13.6%, Anime 12.7%, Interactive Fiction 9.7%
- #55 Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS
68% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 3,296 reviews2015
Dev: Angels Blue Digital EntertainmentPub: DigitalEZ
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 163.4 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: Gothic 25.1% ★, Psychological Horror 11.3%, Psychological 11.3%, Mystery 10.7%, Visual Novel 10.2%
- #56 Eden's Ritter - Paladins of Ecstasy
70% matchVery Positive86% of 146 reviews2020
Dev: WafflePub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 1.1 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 53%
A virtuous princess and her lady knight battle depraved demons called Lustfiends, but struggle between shame and lust themselves... An erotic dark-fantasy visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.4%, Medieval 19.8%, Dark Fantasy 17.6%, Anime 17.4%, Dark 7%
- #57 The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence
68% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 1,769 reviews2018
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 9.5 hrsMean: 16.5 hrs≥1hr: 80%
"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: Gothic 37.2% ★, Visual Novel 30.6%, Anime 12.1%, Psychological Horror 10.8%, Story Rich 5.8%
- #58 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: Visual Novel 19.3%, Psychological Horror 19.1%, Anime 16.7%, Mystery 12.3%, Horror 9.7%
- #59 Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary
63% matchVery Positive95% of 516 reviews2026
Dev: Laplacian
Windows
A mystery visual novel where horror meets occult comedy. Follow Kugayama Shiori, a ghost who casually dies over and over as she searches for her cause of death and the regrets that bind her to this world. Her investigation will eventually lead to a single incident—and the truth behind her demise.
Why similar: Visual Novel 46.4%, Mystery 19.8%, Horror 15.5%, Adventure 6.6%, 2D 6.3%
- #60 ABYSS OF THE SACRIFICE
68% matchVery Positive83% of 267 reviews2020
Dev: INTENSEPub: D3PUBLISHER
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 12.6 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Five girls meet in an isolated underground city. As they slay and betray each other, what fate awaits them at the end of their journey? Hope? Or despair? Enjoy an immersive story, fully voiced and boasting multiple endings!
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.4%, Anime 24.4%, Mystery 16.5%, Dark 15.6%, Story Rich 6.7%