- #1 Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut
97% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 31,772 reviews2023
Dev: Black Tabby Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 6.9 hrs≥1hr: 88%
You're here to slay the princess. Don't believe her lies.
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.3%, Psychological Horror 18.1%, Choices Matter 18%, Hand-drawn 13.8%, Story Rich 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: This is another choice-driven horror VN built around a deeply warped central relationship, with constant tonal swings between funny, unsettling, and horrific.
- #2 Scarlet Hollow
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 4,749 reviews2021
Dev: Black Tabby Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 8.4 hrsMean: 13.8 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Your aunt’s dead, your cousin hates you, and you’re stuck in the dead-end town of Scarlet Hollow. Choose your path through a branching narrative so dense that you'll see less than 1/5 of the game on a single playthrough. You won't be able to save everyone. Good luck, and welcome home.
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.5%, Psychological Horror 17.2%, Choices Matter 17.1%, Multiple Endings 15%, Story Rich 11.1%
Why You'll Like It: Its hand-drawn horror, razor-sharp dark humor, and heavily branching choices make it the closest overall match in both feel and structure.
- #3 Cooking Companions
96% matchVery Positive94% of 1,193 reviews2021
Dev: Deer Dream StudiosPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.5 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Unravel the mystery in this cute psychological horror VN, set deep in the woods of the Tatras Mountains. Will you wind up on the chopping block?
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.7%, Psychological Horror 16.4%, Multiple Endings 14.3%, Female Protagonist 13.7%, Dark 12.3%
Why You'll Like It: Cute presentation hiding cannibalism, manipulation, and multiple ugly endings makes it one of the strongest tonal matches on Steam.
- #4 Sally Face - Episode One
95% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 26,584 reviews2016
Dev: Portable Moose
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 8.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Delve into a dark adventure following the boy with a prosthetic face and a tragic past. Unravel the sinister mysteries of Sally's world to find the truth that lies hidden beneath the shadows.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 18.2%, Demons 16.7%, Dark 13.6%, Story Rich 12.3%, Hand-drawn 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: It mixes offbeat dark comedy, unsettling family trauma, and occult horror in a conversation-heavy adventure structure that feels very adjacent.
- #5 Fran Bow
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 22,182 reviews2015
Dev: Killmonday Games AB
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.4 hrsMean: 10.5 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Fran Bow is a creepy adventure game that tells the story of Fran, a young girl struggling with a mental disorder and an unfair destiny.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.3%, Psychological 18.6%, Story Rich 11.9%, Dark 11.4%, Horror 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: Its hand-drawn adventure format, light puzzling, and childlike-yet-grotesque psychological horror line up very well with Andy and Leyley's appeal.
- #6 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
93% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 30,999 reviews2021
Dev: Team SalvatoPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac
Median: 5.9 hrsMean: 81.7 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Welcome to the club! Write poems for your crush and experience the terror of school romance in this critically-acclaimed psychological horror story.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 35.5%, Visual Novel 28.1%, Multiple Endings 15.1%, Story Rich 11.3%, Dark Humor 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: Another deceptively approachable VN that weaponizes unstable characters, player expectations, and escalating psychological damage.
- #7 The Letter - Horror Visual Novel
94% 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 24.7%, Horror 15.5%, Choices Matter 14.9%, Psychological Horror 12.2%, Multiple Endings 11.1%
Why You'll Like It: A branching horror VN with major choices, doomed relationships, and escalating supernatural dread that rewards players who want consequences and replayability.
- #8 Little Goody Two Shoes
92% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,377 reviews2023
Dev: AstralShiftPub: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 80%
Venture into the woods as you play Little Goody Two Shoes, a phantasmagorical horror narrative adventure where all your decisions matter!
Why similar: Multiple Endings 19.4%, Choices Matter 17.3%, Female Protagonist 16.7%, Horror 15.6%, Exploration 11%
Why You'll Like It: It blends gorgeous hand-drawn anime art, multiple endings, and a playful surface that slowly reveals a much nastier psychological-horror core.
- #9 CORPSE FACTORY
91% matchVery Positive80% of 866 reviews2022
Dev: RIVER CROW STUDIO
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 6.6 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Discard your sense of morality and enter the world of CORPSE FACTORY. An obscure website allows users to request a death. Victims supposedly receive a photograph of their own corpse before they are killed! With English voice acting by an all-star cast.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 19.7%, Visual Novel 19.5%, Female Protagonist 10.5%, Psychological 10.2%, Story Rich 10.2%
Why You'll Like It: Its story-rich VN structure and focus on ugly human impulses, death, and emotional cruelty make it a great fit for fans of disturbing character drama.
- #10 Little Misfortune
91% matchVery Positive92% of 13,710 reviews2019
Dev: Killmonday Games AB
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 10.3 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Led by her new friend, Mr. Voice, Misfortune ventures into the woods, where mysteries are unraveled and a little bad luck unfolds.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 20%, Choices Matter 16.5%, Female Protagonist 12.5%, Story Rich 12.3%, Dark Humor 12.2%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a similarly strong blend of cute presentation, talky adventure gameplay, dark comedy, and mounting dread.
- #11 The Price Of Flesh
90% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 1,097 reviews2022
Dev: Gatobob
Windows · Mac · Linux
An immersive choose-your-own-adventure survival horror with optional adult content featuring hand drawn backgrounds, sprites, and over 150 pieces of full screen art- and 50 endings.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 16.6%, Visual Novel 15%, Multiple Endings 14.4%, Dark 14.3%, Hand-drawn 13.4%
Why You'll Like It: This choice-heavy narrative horror leans into cults, gore, and transgressive subject matter in a way that overlaps well with the seed game's taste for the taboo.
- #12 Paper Lily - Chapter 1
88% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 8,379 reviews2024
Dev: Leef 6010
Windows
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 8.2 hrs≥1hr: 76%
Paper Lily is an RPG horror game in which you can solve puzzles in different ways. Explore a hidden world, meet strange characters, and guide Lacie as she attempts to find answers about her unusual condition.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 20.8%, Multiple Endings 14.2%, Choices Matter 12.4%, Story Rich 11.9%, Female Protagonist 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: A story-focused horror adventure with occult themes, strong character interplay, and a personal, unsettling atmosphere.
- #13 Mad Father
89% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 6,511 reviews2016
Dev: senPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 3.8 hrsMean: 7.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Witness the tale of a most foolish family. A remake of the classic horror exploration game makes its way to Steam.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.8%, Horror 16.7%, Dark 11.9%, Female Protagonist 11.9%, Story Rich 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: Grotesque family horror, light puzzles, and multiple endings make it a natural pick for players who liked the seed game's twisted domestic vibe.
- #14 Who's Lila?
89% matchVery Positive95% of 3,610 reviews2022
Dev: Garage Heathen
Windows
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 78%
A reverse-detective adventure, where you control your character's face
Why similar: Psychological Horror 18.8%, Visual Novel 16.3%, Multiple Endings 16%, Choices Matter 13.6%, Horror 11.3%
Why You'll Like It: This surreal narrative horror about controlling your face during conversations nails the same deeply wrong social energy and psychological unease.
- #15 Mouthwashing
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 36,697 reviews2024
Dev: Wrong OrganPub: CRITICAL REFLEX
Windows
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
The five crew members of the Tulpar are stranded in the empty reaches of space, shrouded in perpetual sunset. God is not watching.
Why similar: Psychological 27.7%, Psychological Horror 23.1%, Dark 12.2%, Story Rich 11.4%, Horror 10.7%
Why You'll Like It: It is another character-driven descent into psychological horror centered on terrible people, bleak humor, and a steadily worsening sense of disgust.
- #16 OMORI
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 86,619 reviews2020
Dev: OMOCAT, LLC
Windows · Mac
Median: 10.7 hrsMean: 24.8 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Explore a strange world full of colorful friends and foes. When the time comes, the path you’ve chosen will determine your fate... and perhaps the fate of others as well.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 31.8%, Story Rich 17.5%, Multiple Endings 17.5%, Hand-drawn 15.9%, Horror 8.4%
Why You'll Like It: Beneath the cute art is a deeply upsetting story about denial, guilt, and damaged relationships, with a similarly sharp contrast between funny and horrific moments.
- #17 Agatha Knife
87% matchVery Positive93% of 644 reviews2017
Dev: Mango Protocol
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 5.3 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Embark on a whimsically twisted adventure with Agatha, a child torn between her love for eating meat and her friendships with animals. Join her as she discovers religion and creates her own, Carnivorism, to convince animals that the sacrifice of their flesh is the secret to their eternal happiness.
Why similar: Female Protagonist 37%, Dark Humor 34.6%, Adventure 23.6%, Singleplayer 4.8%
Why You'll Like It: This adventure game turns religion, morality, and slaughter into deadpan dark comedy, echoing the seed's cheerful-macabre tone.
- #18 MiSide
84% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 138,400 reviews2024
Dev: AIHASTOPub: IndieArk
Windows
Median: 5.8 hrsMean: 21.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Let's imagine that you have a game in which you care for a character. But could you imagine one day getting into that game yourself?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 44.3%, Story Rich 21.9%, Horror 19.5%, Puzzle 5.6%, Singleplayer 4.8%
Why You'll Like It: It starts cute and intimate before curdling into possessive psychological horror, which mirrors the seed game's talent for turning closeness into menace.
- #19 Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
85% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 21,578 reviews2021
Dev: Nikita Kryukov
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 7.6 hrs≥1hr: 79%
A sequel to Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk. Dive into demented and bizarre world once again and help the girl become a little happier.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.9%, Visual Novel 21.9%, Psychological 19.5%, Multiple Endings 10.2%, Story Rich 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: Its intensely uncomfortable psychological writing and distorted internal logic make it a great fit if you want something more intimate and mentally unraveling.
- #20 Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition
84% matchVery Positive95% of 9,194 reviews2019
Dev: Baroque DecayPub: Neon Doctrine
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 8.3 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Join Brian Pasternack on his first working day at Sintracorp. Uncertain, unprepared, and massively unqualified, will Pasternack have what it takes to shine in Sintracorp’s hierarchy? It all depends on how he performs on his first assignment… and whether he survives it.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 16.7%, Multiple Endings 15.5%, Dark Humor 13.8%, Choices Matter 13.3%, Story Rich 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: This one pairs sardonic humor with occult horror and exploration-puzzle pacing, giving it a similarly nasty but playful edge.
- #21 The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty
82% matchVery Positive95% of 59,133 reviews2024
Dev: 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame)
Windows
Median: 6.1 hrsMean: 24.8 hrs≥1hr: 83%
He is a bandit who sells lives. She is a mute girl seeking revenge. In a famine-ravaged ancient China, a ruthless trafficker escorts four girls to a demon's feast. But when a deadly secret is revealed, a cold transaction turns into a journey of redemption. A dark visual novel about an unlikely bond.
Why similar: Visual Novel 27.8%, Multiple Endings 22.7%, Dark 17.1%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Story Rich 13%
Why You'll Like It: Its grim VN storytelling, moral rot, and cannibalism themes make it a strong thematic match even though the setting is very different.
- #22 Corpse Party (2021)
83% matchVery Positive90% of 1,439 reviews2021
Dev: MAGES.Pub: XSEED Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.7 hrsMean: 8.1 hrs≥1hr: 79%
Explore the haunted halls of Heavenly Host Elementary in Corpse Party (2021), the horror cult classic now updated for the next generation.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 18%, Multiple Endings 15%, Choices Matter 14%, Dark 13.9%, Horror 12.7%
Why You'll Like It: For players who want more gruesome outcomes and multiple bad endings, this delivers classic claustrophobic horror with lots of awful fates.
- #23 Ib
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 5,122 reviews2022
Dev: kouriPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 16.2 hrs≥1hr: 82%
A 2D exploration adventure game set in a creepy, mysterious art gallery.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 17.2%, Multiple Endings 16.1%, Female Protagonist 14.3%, Choices Matter 13.6%, Story Rich 12.8%
Why You'll Like It: This quieter horror adventure emphasizes exploration, eerie character dynamics, and endings shaped by how you engage with the story.
- #24 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
81% 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 24.3%, Hand-drawn 22%, Multiple Endings 19.4%, Horror 13.6%, Story Rich 12.5%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural horror mystery with branching scenes, cursed relationships, and a strong emphasis on making smart narrative choices.
- #25 Raging Loop
81% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 10,075 reviews2017
Dev: KEMCO
Windows
Median: 24.2 hrsMean: 59.5 hrs≥1hr: 84%
The feast has begun, can you escape the village alive?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.7%, Psychological 23.7%, Psychological Horror 20%, Story Rich 12.2%, Adventure 4.9%
Why You'll Like It: If you want a more reading-heavy follow-up, its ritual horror, paranoia, and branching narrative deliver strong choices-matter tension.
- #26 The NOexistenceN of you AND me
77% matchVery Positive93% of 20,460 reviews2024
Dev: 0x0Real StudioPub: Nino Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 16.7 hrs≥1hr: 70%
Use "game" as a medium to showcase the world of "you/girl". Explore the truth of "you/girl/world" through the form of a "visual novel".
Why similar: Psychological 23.7%, Visual Novel 22.5%, Psychological Horror 19%, Multiple Endings 17.3%, Story Rich 10.1%
- #27 The Cat Lady
80% matchVery Positive94% of 6,142 reviews2013
Dev: Harvester GamesPub: Screen 7
Windows
Median: 3.2 hrsMean: 6.0 hrs≥1hr: 91%
The Cat Lady follows Susan Ashworth, a lonely 40-year old on the verge of suicide. She has no family, no friends and no hope for a better future. One day she discovers that five strangers will come along and change everything...
Why similar: Psychological 19.8%, Psychological Horror 15.1%, Female Protagonist 13.1%, Horror 11.6%, Story Rich 11.4%
Why You'll Like It: Its oppressive psychological horror and brutally intimate character writing should land well if what hooked you was the seed game's damaged people and bleak mood.
- #28 The Witch's House MV
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 3,920 reviews2018
Dev: FummyPub: DANGEN Entertainment
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 9.8 hrs≥1hr: 85%
A young girl, Viola, is drawn inexorably to a mysterious manor that seems to change behind her back. It is a place of pain, turmoil and death. Plumb its detestable depths and abominable history. Untangle riddles that bar your perilous path. And flee the hellish halls of The Witch’s House.
Why similar: Horror 36%, Psychological Horror 20.2%, Female Protagonist 13.4%, Dark 10.6%, Story Rich 9.7%
Why You'll Like It: A puzzle-focused horror game packed with cruel twists and nasty reveals that fits the seed game's love of shock and malice.
- #29 Downfall
79% matchVery Positive94% of 1,646 reviews2016
Dev: Harvester GamesPub: Screen 7
Windows
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 4.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
There is nothing Joe wouldn't do for his wife. But as they try to save their marriage with a romantic getaway, things go from bad to worse, and from worse... to insanity...
Why similar: Psychological Horror 32.8%, Story Rich 19.3%, Horror 15.6%, Dark 13.2%, Adventure 8%
Why You'll Like It: This is relationship-centric psych horror full of black humor, domestic collapse, and a relentless descent into madness.
- #30 NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD
77% matchVery Positive94% of 55,246 reviews2022
Dev: WSS playground
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 18.1 hrs≥1hr: 81%
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD is a “multi-ending ADV” depicting daily life with “OMGkawaiiAngel”, a young girl with a rather extreme need for approval attempting to become the #1 “Internet Angel” (streamer).
Why similar: Psychological Horror 26.5%, Psychological 21.7%, Visual Novel 19%, Multiple Endings 14.8%, Dark Humor 9.1%
- #31 Misao - 2024 HD Remaster
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,503 reviews2017
Dev: senPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 8.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Explore a school plagued by unnatural phenomena in this horror-adventure game revolving around the missing girl Misao. Improving upon 2017's "Definitive Edition" with refreshed graphics and support for HD resolutions, you can now experience the terror in a new form.
Why similar: Psychological 24.2%, Psychological Horror 14.9%, Female Protagonist 13.5%, Dark 10.9%, Horror 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: Its gruesome deaths, dark comedy streak, and multiple endings make it a solid pick for fans of mean-spirited indie horror.
- #32 MOOD
76% 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: Visual Novel 12.3%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Dark 11.8%, Multiple Endings 10.7%, Choices Matter 10.1%
- #33 LISA: The Painful
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 15,017 reviews2014
Dev: Dingaling ProductionsPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 29.6 hrs≥1hr: 83%
The miserable journey of a broken man...
Why similar: Dark Humor 19.6%, Psychological Horror 18.5%, Dark 16.7%, Choices Matter 16.3%, Story Rich 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: While more of an RPG, its relentless black comedy, body horror, and parade of awful decisions make it a strong match for players chasing transgressive indie misery.
- #34 Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
76% 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 28.1%, Multiple Endings 12.9%, Psychological Horror 10.7%, Visual Novel 9.8%, Female Protagonist 9.7%
- #35 DEAD LAMB WALKING
74% matchVery Positive97% of 195 reviews2024
Dev: Lyn Mametchi
Windows
A story about a dead lamb walking.
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.2%, Female Protagonist 14.9%, Psychological Horror 14.7%, Multiple Endings 13.4%, Choices Matter 12.5%
- #36 Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 33,269 reviews2020
Dev: Nikita KryukovPub: Nikita Igorevich Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 7.7 hrs≥1hr: 11%
A short story about what sort of challenges everyday little things can be. Help the girl buy milk, be the first not to disappoint her.
Why similar: Psychological 31.7%, Visual Novel 24.6%, Psychological Horror 23.7%, Horror 11.3%, Story Rich 4.7%
- #37 Living With Sister: Monochrome Fantasy
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 11,756 reviews2024
Dev: InusukuPub: Kagura Games
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 35.0 hrs≥1hr: 83%
When your father goes off on an adventure, it's up to you to keep the lights on and take care of your sister.
Why similar: Visual Novel 54%, Psychological Horror 33.7%, Singleplayer 8.7%, Horror 3.7%
- #38 Saihate Station
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 8,976 reviews2025
Dev: びぶ/viv
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.2 hrsMean: 7.9 hrs≥1hr: 68%
An exploration/horror/adventure game about the codependent, love-hate relationship between two men.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 22.4%, Visual Novel 19.1%, Hand-drawn 14.1%, Multiple Endings 10.7%, Horror 9.3%
- #39 Case 00: The Cannibal Boy
75% matchMostly Positive79% of 166 reviews2020
Dev: Sounding Stone / 老奉毊
Windows · Mac
Case 00: The Cannibal Boy is a half-hour visual novel partly based on a true story, written by a writer with a background in psychology. It is a psychological horror story with an urban legend theme.
Why similar: Dark Comedy 25.8%, Psychological 21.9%, Visual Novel 11.5%, Dark Humor 9.1%, Psychological Horror 8.9%
- #40 Cannibal Tales - Episode 1
73% matchVery Positive89% of 64 reviews2024
Dev: Fantastico Studio
Windows · Mac
Horror thriller visual novel written by cult director Ruggero Deodato. A cannibal story in three episodes. Embark on a challenging journey, where every choice has a price and consequences. Will you be able to reach the end without getting your soul devoured? Dare to decide!
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.5%, Psychological Horror 15.7%, Multiple Endings 14%, Female Protagonist 12.3%, Horror 10.7%
- #41 Corpse Party
75% matchVery Positive89% of 1,376 reviews2016
Dev: GrisGrisPub: XSEED Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 17.2 hrs≥1hr: 81%
A group of friends unknowingly perform an occult ritual that traps them in an otherworldly elementary school. Here, the vengeful spirits of young children threaten their lives and their sanity, and the only hope of survival is to uncover the chilling details behind the murders of those trapped before them...
Why similar: Horror 23%, Psychological Horror 20%, Visual Novel 16.8%, Multiple Endings 11.7%, Dark 9.3%
- #42 I'll Do It Tomorrow
72% matchVery Positive96% of 82 reviews2024
Dev: Luca Morotti
Windows
It's Sara's first day of work. However, when she takes the elevator to go to the office, she suddenly finds herself on a mysterious floor. What truth lies behind these weird rooms? Will you be able to move on? Or rather... will you want to move on?
Why similar: Psychological Horror 16.1%, Visual Novel 14.6%, Female Protagonist 11.6%, Psychological 10.5%, Story Rich 9.6%
- #43 GAG
74% matchMostly Positive75% of 60 reviews2020
Dev: Joshua Roland
Windows
An interactive psychological horror drama.
Why similar: Dark Comedy 24.2%, Psychological 13.2%, Psychological Horror 11.1%, Multiple Endings 9.7%, Visual Novel 9.5%
- #44 Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole
72% 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: Visual Novel 21.9%, Psychological 21.3%, Psychological Horror 20.3%, Story Rich 10.3%, Female Protagonist 9.6%
- #45 The Mildew Children
70% 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 15.9%, Female Protagonist 14.6%, Psychological Horror 14.6%, Choices Matter 13.5%, Story Rich 12.1%
- #46 The Demons Told Me to Make This Game
69% matchVery Positive99% of 107 reviews2025
Dev: Haunted Dude
Windows · Mac
Welcome to Red Hives, a lovely Midwestern town infested with demons. You're a little spirit stuck in a time loop, your only way to interact with the world is by possessing people and whispering into their ears. Explore timelines, solve mysteries, and please, try to keep your hosts alive...
Why similar: Dark Comedy 19.4%, Demons 17.2%, Choices Matter 9.8%, Visual Novel 9.1%, Multiple Endings 8.1%
- #47 Helltaker
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 127,364 reviews2020
Dev: vanripper
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.4 hrsMean: 19.0 hrs≥1hr: 64%
Helltaker is a short game about sharply dressed demon girls.
Why similar: Demons 69.8%, Puzzle 12.5%, Visual Novel 9.4%, Singleplayer 4.8%, Adventure 3.6%
- #48 The Mildew Children: Chapter 1
70% 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 18.5%, Female Protagonist 15.7%, Choices Matter 14.9%, Psychological Horror 14.8%, Story Rich 13.8%
- #49 Class of '09
70% matchVery Positive95% of 8,578 reviews2021
Dev: SBN3
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.3 hrsMean: 3.7 hrs≥1hr: 75%
This is the anti-visual novel. Instead of playing as some guy magically able to score with beautiful anime girls, YOU play the anime girl and create mass chaos in the lives of your potential "suitors". Earnest comedy, social accuracy, and late 2000's aesthetic await you in Class of '09!
Why similar: Dark Comedy 30.5%, Visual Novel 19.4%, Female Protagonist 18.7%, Multiple Endings 17.4%, Story Rich 6.4%
- #50 The Window Box
73% matchVery Positive81% of 83 reviews2019
Dev: Sundew Studios
Windows · Mac
Wander from room to room in this whimsical and dark visual novel as you follow five friends trapped during a freak storm. Listen while they have hard conversations and tough realizations as they confront the conflict in their lives. For what is a house but a box with windows?
Why similar: Dark Comedy 29.2%, Psychological 19.1%, Visual Novel 10.7%, Female Protagonist 7.9%, Dark 7%
- #51 Contraindication
68% matchVery Positive99% of 72 reviews2025
Dev: Static Remains
Windows
Your end is my beginning. A short psychological visual novel with exploration and puzzle elements... it already lays shattered.
Why similar: Psychological 19.2%, Psychological Horror 17.1%, Visual Novel 16.4%, Hand-drawn 14.4%, Exploration 8.8%
- #52 The Doll's Window
71% matchMostly Positive74% of 58 reviews2022
Dev: ujumiru
Windows
A horror exploration game that takes place in an underground labyrinth. Avoid malicious creations that are hungry for your soul. Depart from the nightmares that constantly haunt you.
Why similar: Demons 23.1%, Psychological 15.3%, Psychological Horror 14.3%, Dark 11.6%, Hand-drawn 9.8%
- #53 Class of '09: The Re-Up
67% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 4,590 reviews2023
Dev: SBN3
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 5.8 hrs≥1hr: 81%
The REJECTION SIM returns! Explore a slice of chaotic life in late 2000's American high school as you assume the role of Nicole once again. A 100% fully voiced VN presenting as the most culturally accurate period piece in the history of gaming.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.2%, Dark Humor 19%, Female Protagonist 17.7%, Multiple Endings 17%, Hand-drawn 13.4%
- #54 Doki Doki Literature Club!
68% 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 33.3%, Visual Novel 25.6%, Dark 15.8%, Horror 12.3%, Story Rich 9.9%
- #55 The Mermaid of Zennor
69% matchVery Positive99% of 75 reviews2021
Dev: ebi-hime
Windows · Mac · Linux
A short, dark visual novel set in the UK about a young autistic girl's destructive obsession with her older brother.
Why similar: Psychological 18.6%, Visual Novel 17.2%, Female Protagonist 14.8%, Dark 14%, Multiple Endings 11.9%
- #56 Psychopomp GOLD
65% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 4,990 reviews2024
Dev: Fading Club
Windows
Median: 2.7 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 69%
Psychopomp is BACK. The catacombs stretch down farther than ever before. Your entire life has been a lie. Delve into the depths, and discover the horrors that lie below. More realms, more modes, more secrets. An ancient voice calls to you from the center of the earth. Will you answer it?
Why similar: Psychological 36.7%, Psychological Horror 28%, Female Protagonist 21.6%, Horror 8.1%, Adventure 4.4%
- #57 Malleus Cocconum: The Heiress
67% 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: Dark 22.7%, Psychological Horror 20.5%, Visual Novel 18.3%, Female Protagonist 13.4%, Multiple Endings 13.1%
- #58 BLACK SOULS
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 6,538 reviews2025
Dev: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe?Pub: OTAKU Plan
Windows
Median: 8.1 hrsMean: 14.7 hrs≥1hr: 74%
Long, long ago, there existed a kingdom shrouded in dense mist: the Lost Empire. This mist twisted humans into terrifying beasts, plunging the world into despair. War raged endlessly. Heroes rose, seeking fame and glory. It is in this place you awaken—a nameless undead.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 24.2%, Multiple Endings 20.8%, Story Rich 16.2%, Dark 14.3%, Choices Matter 13.5%
- #59 BAD END THEATER
66% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 9,656 reviews2021
Dev: NomnomNami
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 71%
select your protagonist and explore a variety of terrible fates!
Why similar: Multiple Endings 22.5%, Visual Novel 19.6%, Choices Matter 17.6%, Demons 17.4%, Story Rich 13.3%
- #60 Demonpact: Clarice
68% matchVery Positive96% of 97 reviews2021
Dev: Goiaba Megas Xellox
Windows
Two furry losers summon a demon girl, and now they have to find someone to die as her demonic sacrifice.
Why similar: Demons 26%, Visual Novel 17.6%, Choices Matter 16.8%, Dark 14.5%, Horror 10.6%
