- #1 Raging Loop
97% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 9,674 reviews2017
Dev: KEMCO
Windows
Median: 23.9 hrsMean: 58.6 hrs≥1hr: 84%
The feast has begun, can you escape the village alive?
Why similar: Visual Novel 37.7%, Psychological Horror 12%, Mystery 11.1%, Gore 8%, Story Rich 6.8%
Why You'll Like It: This gripping mystery horror visual novel uses a time-loop mechanic that forces players to make difficult choices to uncover the truth.
- #2 Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority-
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 3,866 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 14.0 hrs≥1hr: 82%
Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority- is a multi-ending horror adventure game. Sara Chidouin returns home from school late one night to discover that something's gone terribly wrong. When she comes to, she finds herself, her friend Joe, and 9 other people trapped in a mysterious place.
Why similar: Multiple Endings 18%, Psychological Horror 16.7%, Mystery 15.7%, Interactive Fiction 13.9%, Anime 12.4%
Why You'll Like It: This game features a high-stakes death game where player choices and social deduction are critical to the survival of the cast.
- #3 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
96% matchVery Positive93% of 6,967 reviews2017
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 6.5 hrsMean: 21.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Kidnapped and taken to an unfamiliar location, nine people find themselves forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game by an enigmatic mastermind called Zero. Why were they there? Why were they chosen to put their lives on the line? And more importantly, who can be trusted?
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.1%, Choices Matter 13.2%, Mystery 9.9%, Multiple Endings 9.2%, Psychological Horror 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: This series is a masterclass in combining puzzle-solving with intense, choice-heavy narratives in a life-or-death setting.
- #4 The House in Fata Morgana
95% matchVery Positive95% of 6,041 reviews2016
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 27.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion. "The House in Fata Morgana" is a full-length visual novel spanning nearly a millennium that deals in tragedy, human nature, and insanity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.2%, Horror 15.7%, Psychological Horror 10.3%, Choices Matter 10%, Mystery 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: A gothic, story-rich visual novel that delivers profound psychological horror and emotional depth.
- #5 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,520 reviews2023
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 8.6 hrsMean: 10.1 hrs≥1hr: 87%
How far would you go to bring someone back from the dead? Discover the depths that some will go to in this horror-adventure game.
Why similar: Visual Novel 31.2%, Horror 22.8%, Anime 11.1%, Mystery 10.2%, Multiple Endings 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural mystery visual novel that excels at building tension through its unique urban legend-based narrative.
- #6 Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 30,737 reviews2023
Dev: Black Tabby Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
You're here to slay the princess. Don't believe her lies.
Why similar: Visual Novel 31.2%, Choices Matter 18.5%, Horror 18.1%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Interactive Fiction 7%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror visual novel that relies heavily on branching paths and complex, choice-driven consequences.
- #7 CORPSE FACTORY
93% matchVery Positive80% of 855 reviews2022
Dev: RIVER CROW STUDIO
Windows
Median: 4.3 hrsMean: 6.7 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Discard your sense of morality and enter the world of CORPSE FACTORY. An obscure website allows users to request a death. Victims supposedly receive a photograph of their own corpse before they are killed! With English voice acting by an all-star cast.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.8%, Horror 12.8%, Psychological Horror 10.9%, Gore 9.4%, Anime 8.2%
Why You'll Like It: A chilling visual novel that focuses on a series of mysterious deaths and the psychological toll on its characters.
- #8 Tokyo Dark
92% matchVery Positive84% of 1,336 reviews2017
Dev: CherrymochiPub: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Legend tells of a door deep below Tokyo's sewers. All who enter are lost forever. Detective Ito's partner is missing. Explore Tokyo & uncover the darkness that lays beneath the streets in this Point & Click - meets Visual Novel - narrative adventure that questions the very core of Ito's sanity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 23.1%, Horror 17.6%, Anime 10.2%, Psychological Horror 9.1%, Choices Matter 7.9%
Why You'll Like It: A detective-themed horror visual novel where your decisions significantly impact the protagonist's sanity and the story's outcome.
- #9 Corpse Party
91% matchVery Positive89% of 1,369 reviews2016
Dev: GrisGrisPub: XSEED Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 17.3 hrs≥1hr: 81%
A group of friends unknowingly perform an occult ritual that traps them in an otherworldly elementary school. Here, the vengeful spirits of young children threaten their lives and their sanity, and the only hope of survival is to uncover the chilling details behind the murders of those trapped before them...
Why similar: Horror 29.3%, Visual Novel 16.3%, Gore 12%, Anime 9.9%, Psychological Horror 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: A classic horror visual novel known for its brutal consequences and multiple endings based on player actions.
- #10 Doki Doki Literature Club!
90% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 219,150 reviews2017
Dev: Team Salvato
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 38.2 hrs≥1hr: 74%
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.4%, Horror 18.5%, Psychological Horror 17.9%, Anime 11.7%, Gore 8.4%
Why You'll Like It: A deceptive visual novel that subverts expectations to deliver a deeply unsettling psychological horror experience.
- #11 Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
91% matchVery Positive82% of 496 reviews2019
Dev: EXPERIENCEPub: Aksys Games
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 13.2 hrs≥1hr: 70%
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 38.8%, Horror 34.6%, Violent 12.4%, Anime 7.3%, Adventure 6.9%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural horror visual novel that tasks you with investigating urban legends to survive a deadly curse.
- #12 Spirit Hunter: NG
89% matchVery Positive90% of 280 reviews2019
Dev: EXPERIENCEPub: Aksys Games
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 20.5 hrs≥1hr: 72%
Beware the Creeping Horror... Face nightmares you thought were merely urban legends. Uncover a dark mystery, making deadly decisions just to survive. Play this chilling companion story to the award-winning Spirit Hunter: Death Mark game and bring the terror home.
Why similar: Visual Novel 32.4%, Horror 25.2%, Gore 20.4%, Violent 11.1%, Adventure 6.7%
Why You'll Like It: A direct spiritual successor to Death Mark that continues the focus on investigative horror and life-or-death decision-making.
- #13 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi
89% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,215 reviews2015
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 21.9 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 53%, Mystery 16.8%, Anime 15.2%, Story Rich 9.6%, Mature 2.7%
Why You'll Like It: A foundational horror visual novel that excels at building a sense of dread in a seemingly peaceful setting.
- #14 Tiny Bunny
86% matchVery Positive83% of 29,932 reviews2025
Dev: SaikonoPub: Serenity Forge
Windows · Mac
Median: 8.5 hrsMean: 12.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
Tiny Bunny is a non-linear horror visual novel. Those, who have heard the voice of the forest, are beyond help.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.9%, Horror 19.4%, Choices Matter 10.2%, Psychological Horror 9.5%, Gore 8.4%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric and dark visual novel that uses a haunting art style to tell a disturbing, choice-driven story.
- #15 Saint Maker - Horror Visual Novel
88% matchVery Positive86% of 252 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 25.2%, Horror 19.6%, Psychological Horror 12%, Choices Matter 9.1%, Interactive Fiction 7.9%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror visual novel that focuses on religious trauma and dark secrets within a convent.
- #16 Return to Shironagasu Island
86% matchVery Positive94% of 3,990 reviews2020
Dev: HYOGO ONIMUSHIPub: TABINOMICHI
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 14.2 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A mystery adventure game and visual novel set on solitary Shironagasu Island. Discover its secrets, solve its mysteries, and escape from the ominous island!
Why similar: Visual Novel 32.8%, Horror 19.3%, Mystery 11.7%, Choices Matter 7.8%, Psychological Horror 7.3%
Why You'll Like It: A tense mystery visual novel that blends investigative gameplay with horror elements on a secluded island.
- #17 Sound of Drop - fall into poison -
87% matchVery Positive85% of 536 reviews2015
Dev: aiueoKompanyPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 95%
Nestled in the heart of Tokyo, the quaint little aquarium, Manten Aquarium. Numerous urban legends have arisen from here. On the night of the full moon the waters turn to blood and man faced fish lurk within.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.5%, Horror 20%, Gore 12.9%, Anime 9.4%, Violent 6.2%
Why You'll Like It: A horror visual novel set in an aquarium that features multiple endings and a heavy focus on survival.
- #18 428: Shibuya Scramble
85% matchVery Positive95% of 3,587 reviews2018
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 11.9 hrs≥1hr: 82%
A kidnapping on the streets of Shibuya brings together a hot-blooded detective, hard-hitting journalist, former gang leader, the head researcher of a big pharma manufacturer and a part-timer stuck in cat costume for a series of events each more unexpected and outrageous than the last.
Why similar: Visual Novel 53%, Mystery 15.5%, Choices Matter 10.6%, Story Rich 9.5%, Adventure 5.8%
Why You'll Like It: A masterpiece of multi-perspective storytelling where the actions of one character ripple through the lives of others.
- #19 The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters
84% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 3,401 reviews2020
Dev: Dvora Studio Co., Ltd.Pub: Headup
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.9 hrsMean: 9.0 hrs≥1hr: 93%
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is a Korean survival horror-adventure. Venture from your deserted school to survive the horrors of the night. Explore the surrounding Sehwa district and uncover the shadow realm's dark secrets. Use everything at your disposal to avoid a demoness hellbent on killing you!
Why similar: Horror 38.7%, Visual Novel 13.7%, Anime 6.8%, Psychological Horror 6.4%, Gore 6.3%
Why You'll Like It: A survival horror game with strong visual novel elements that emphasizes exploration and escaping a relentless pursuer.
- #20 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
83% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 35,609 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.9 hrsMean: 22.8 hrs≥1hr: 88%
Investigate murders, search for clues and talk to your classmates to prepare for trial. There, you'll engage in deadly wordplay, going back and forth with suspects. Dissect their statements and fire their words back at them to expose their lies! There's only one way to survive—pull the trigger.
Why similar: Visual Novel 37.1%, Anime 15%, Mystery 14.4%, Horror 11.8%, Psychological Horror 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: A high-tension death game visual novel that combines mystery, investigation, and character-driven drama.
- #21 Kara no Shojo
84% matchVery Positive92% of 439 reviews2018
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.1 hrsMean: 165.3 hrs≥1hr: 64%
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 17%, Horror 12.1%, Gore 9.4%, Mature 8.9%, Choices Matter 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: A dark, detective-focused visual novel that features a gritty mystery and multiple branching paths.
- #22 BAD END
82% matchVery Positive84% of 393 reviews2015
Dev: Arai Koh Create OfficePub: YOX-Project
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
It's rumored that those who play 'BAD END'- a Visual Novel will die in REAL LIFE if they make the wrong decision in the game itself.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.4%, Horror 20.1%, Mystery 9.8%, Anime 9.6%, Multiple Endings 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: A short but effective indie horror visual novel that focuses on the grim consequences of player choices.
- #23 GNOSIA
79% matchVery Positive94% of 4,733 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.2 hrsMean: 15.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
The Gnosia lie. Pretending to be human, they’ll get in close, trick and deceive, and then eliminate one victim at a time...
Why similar: Visual Novel 37.9%, Psychological Horror 15.5%, Anime 13.9%, Mystery 13.7%, Story Rich 10.5%
Why You'll Like It: A unique social deduction visual novel that forces players to navigate paranoia and mystery in a sci-fi setting.
- #24 MAMIYA
81% matchVery Positive93% of 444 reviews2021
Dev: Kenkou LandPub: Fruitbat Factory
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 86%
MAMIYA is a captivating, dark mystery visual novel in which a group of young men struggle against existential dread before the end of the world.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.5%, Horror 15%, Psychological Horror 12.8%, Choices Matter 11%, Multiple Endings 7.9%
Why You'll Like It: A surreal and psychological visual novel that explores themes of identity and loss through a dark, noir-inspired lens.
- #25 The Witch's House MV
80% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 3,881 reviews2018
Dev: FummyPub: DANGEN Entertainment
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 9.9 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 60.8%, Psychological Horror 11.9%, Anime 6.2%, Story Rich 5.4%, RPG 5.3%
Why You'll Like It: A horror-focused adventure game that relies on puzzle-solving and environmental storytelling to deliver its scares.
- #26 Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition
81% matchVery Positive90% of 592 reviews2016
Dev: YetiPub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 8.9 hrsMean: 14.3 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Rescue squad captain Watase Kasasagi wakes up without his memories in the middle of his most critical mission yet-- a nuclear meltdown at a research facility. In an unfamiliar place and without his years of training, he must rescue the survivors and escape...
Why similar: Visual Novel 40%, Anime 10.4%, Multiple Endings 9.1%, Mystery 8.3%, Gore 7.7%
Why You'll Like It: A complex, choice-heavy thriller that uses a unique system to manage the survival of its characters during a crisis.
- #27 Seven Mysteries: The Last Page
82% matchMostly Positive74% of 62 reviews2018
Dev: Sang Hendrix
Windows
A story-driven psychological horror RPG about a group of friends who unintentionally become bound together after encountering 7 curses from a school.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.5%, Horror 17.1%, Choices Matter 13.5%, Psychological Horror 11.9%, Multiple Endings 9.7%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror game that uses multiple endings and choices to explore the dark secrets of a school.
- #28 Fatal Twelve
79% matchVery Positive92% of 995 reviews2018
Dev: LYCORISPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.7 hrsMean: 12.4 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Shishimai Rinka was a high schooler who ran a small café named Lion House in place of her grandmother. She lived her life much like any other person her age, but one day, she was caught up in an explosion while returning home on the train alongside her friend, Hitsuji Naomi.
Why similar: Visual Novel 34.2%, Multiple Endings 10.9%, Anime 9.9%, Mystery 9.1%, Female Protagonist 8.5%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural visual novel where characters must participate in a death game to regain their lives.
- #29 The Coma: Recut
77% matchVery Positive84% of 2,944 reviews2017
Dev: Dvora Studio Co., Ltd.Pub: Headup
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 8.9 hrs≥1hr: 86%
You are Youngho, a Korean high school student trapped and relentlessly pursued by a psychotic killer in the hellish corridors of Sehwa High. Run, hide, explore, and survive while piecing together the mystery The Coma in this remastered version of the Korean cult classic.
Why similar: Horror 25%, Visual Novel 18.6%, Anime 10.4%, Violent 7.9%, Psychological Horror 7.4%
- #30 Scar of the Doll
78% matchVery Positive91% of 68 reviews2017
Dev: Child-DreamPub: KOMODO
Windows
Scar of the Doll is a beloved '90s visual novel remastered for Steam. Asumi goes to Tokyo to search for her only sister whom she has mysteriously not heard from for months. With an intelligent and unpredictable story, uncover a frightening truth in this thrilling suspense mystery.
Why similar: Visual Novel 50%, Mystery 14.5%, Adventure 10.4%, Female Protagonist 8.8%, Story Rich 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: A classic suspense visual novel that follows a student searching for her sister in a dangerous, mystery-filled city.
- #31 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
77% matchVery Positive82% of 4,723 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 11.5 hrs≥1hr: 89%
Nine participants awaken, trapped in an underground facility. To escape, they must play a game with deadly consequences. Who will live, and who will die? The choice is yours. Let the Decision Game begin…
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.7%, Choices Matter 12.7%, Psychological Horror 11.7%, Horror 10%, Mystery 9.6%
- #32 CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~
78% 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 23%, Horror 17%, Choices Matter 10.8%, Psychological Horror 9.4%, Interactive Fiction 8.6%
- #33 Cannibal Tales - Episode 1
75% 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 21.7%, Horror 17.3%, Gore 9.9%, Psychological Horror 9.1%, Multiple Endings 6.8%
- #34 Corpse Party: Book of Shadows
76% matchVery Positive86% of 499 reviews2018
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: XSEED Games
Windows
Median: 3.9 hrsMean: 16.4 hrs≥1hr: 85%
An anthology series that serves as a Corpse Party sequel, prequel, midquel, and alternate universe tale all in one. Rejoin old friends for a deeper dive into the haunted halls of Heavenly Host Elementary...
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.4%, Horror 18.9%, Gore 14.2%, Psychological Horror 8.6%, Anime 8.1%
- #35 The Test
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 20,124 reviews2020
Dev: Randumb Studios
Windows
Median: 30 minMean: 2.9 hrs≥1hr: 23%
You will answer a series of questions that will reveal truths from deep within. These questions may make you uncomfortable, but with great knowledge comes great sacrifice. Can you make it all the way through The Test, and if you do, are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.1%, Horror 18.3%, Choices Matter 13.7%, Psychological Horror 12.6%, Multiple Endings 12%
- #36 √Letter - Root Letter -
76% matchMostly Positive79% of 575 reviews2017
Dev: DRAGAMI GAMES, LTD.
Windows
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 11.7 hrs≥1hr: 92%
When a letter is delivered 15 years late - you discover an old pen-friend was involved in a murder, before she disappeared. Travelling to her hometown, you must investigate the murder, using her past letters as clues to uncover the disturbing truth.
Why similar: Visual Novel 29.4%, Horror 21.7%, Mystery 11.8%, Anime 11.6%, Multiple Endings 11.6%
- #37 Project Vostok: Episode 1
74% matchVery Positive83% of 117 reviews2022
Dev: Natrix
Windows · Mac · Linux
"Project Vostok" is a non-linear horror visual novel about a group of airplane crash survivors finding a mysterious Soviet-era bunker in Altai mountains. Uncover the story full of drama, horrors and decide the fate a of various cast of heroes in this free visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.6%, Horror 15.5%, Gore 9.8%, Choices Matter 9.3%, Psychological Horror 8.7%
- #38 Trick and Treat - Visual Novel
74% matchVery Positive90% of 3,613 reviews2016
Dev: Eternal Night StudiosPub: Alberto Herrera
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 42 minMean: 5.1 hrs≥1hr: 41%
Trick & Treat is a Visual Novel that test your instincts by making choices that can get you out from the cursed forest or drive you to death… or maybe just maybe your choices can guide you to something more?
Why similar: Visual Novel 41.8%, Horror 18.2%, Anime 16.8%, Sexual Content 8.1%, Psychological Horror 3.7%
- #39 The Test: Hypothesis Rising
72% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 5,928 reviews2020
Dev: Randumb Studios
Windows
Median: 48 minMean: 1.5 hrs≥1hr: 42%
The second chapter in The Test trilogy. Answer a series of in-depth questions to reveal hidden truths about yourself and unlock secrets to discover how your life can change drastically with just a few, slight modifications. ...But are you sure you want the answers you seek?
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.3%, Horror 17.8%, Choices Matter 13.1%, Psychological Horror 10.3%, Multiple Endings 9.4%
- #40 Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.7 Minagoroshi
73% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 663 reviews2019
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 15.8 hrsMean: 91.0 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.1%, Horror 18.9%, Psychological Horror 10.7%, Gore 10.6%, Anime 9.7%
- #41 outside the door
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 543 reviews2024
Dev: basandaika games
Windows
Outside the door is a mystic visual novel set within one office. You are about to figure out the stories of a few visitors without having a single memory of yourself.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.9%, Psychological Horror 12.9%, Anime 12.7%, Horror 10%, Choices Matter 9.8%
- #42 The Way We All Go (2015)
75% matchVery Positive87% of 154 reviews2015
Dev: ebi-hime
Windows · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A horror/romance visual novel with numerous choices and over 20 endings. Set in Japan in the 1980s, our protagonist, Atcchan, must navigate his relationship between his two estranged childhood friends, one of whom might be a yandere. Will he live to see the end of his summer vacation?
Why similar: Visual Novel 41.6%, Gore 22.1%, Violent 11.5%, Horror 10.5%, Anime 10.2%
- #43 Hazy Mind
72% matchVery Positive86% of 318 reviews2024
Dev: betetiro
Windows · Mac · Linux
You can't remember anything, and all you can see is HER. Delve into your story and uncover the truth behind what happened to you and your parents.
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.7%, Psychological Horror 14.1%, Horror 13.7%, Choices Matter 12.5%, Multiple Endings 9.4%
- #44 HAPPY SAIN† SHEOL
71% matchVery Positive85% of 221 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 27%, Horror 22%, Gore 13.3%, Anime 11.5%, Choices Matter 7.7%
- #45 Ib
70% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 5,037 reviews2022
Dev: kouriPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 3.4 hrsMean: 16.4 hrs≥1hr: 82%
A 2D exploration adventure game set in a creepy, mysterious art gallery.
Why similar: Horror 25.5%, Choices Matter 15.1%, Psychological Horror 13.9%, Multiple Endings 11.1%, Story Rich 9.6%
- #46 PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse
67% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 1,800 reviews2026
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 13.6 hrsMean: 13.9 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Will you survive the curse together this summer? A new supernatural mystery adventure begins, telling a bittersweet story of the passions of youth featuring new locations, new legends and a new cast of characters.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.3%, Horror 16.1%, Gore 13.7%, Mystery 9.1%, Violent 7.8%
- #47 The Price Of Flesh
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 1,072 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: Visual Novel 23.3%, Horror 16.8%, Choices Matter 12.6%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Sexual Content 8.9%
- #48 KAKUSANKIBOU / 扩散希望
73% matchVery Positive83% of 160 reviews2018
Dev: あみそ組Pub: Pujia8 Studio
Windows
Basically the story goes as visual novel form. Sometimes, the system switches into dot part, and you can control the character to continue the story.
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.3%, Horror 16.4%, Gore 10%, Anime 9.9%, Psychological Horror 8.7%
- #49 Sakura no Mori † Dreamers
71% matchVery Positive92% of 1,051 reviews2017
Dev: MOONSTONEPub: HIKARI FIELD
Windows
Median: 7.8 hrsMean: 192.2 hrs≥1hr: 94%
Who is the one hiding deeply in abyss? The Devil? The Killer? or—Yourself?
Why similar: Visual Novel 40.2%, Sexual Content 12.2%, Horror 12%, Anime 10.4%, Psychological Horror 9.7%
- #50 Selene ~Apoptosis~
68% matchVery Positive88% of 5,451 reviews2023
Dev: Viscum keyPub: Nupu Neko Dev
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 21.1 hrs≥1hr: 48%
A beautiful stranger appears at your doorstep. Will you let her in? Dive into a captivating nightmare and decide the fates of those around you in this free mystic thriller visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.3%, Horror 19.7%, Sexual Content 14.8%, Mature 12%, Anime 6.9%
- #51 The Chrono Jotter
68% matchVery Positive94% of 2,205 reviews2021
Dev: Orca LayoutPub: 2P Games
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 7.7 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Rewind time to save your girlfriend in a twisted high school death game. A gripping yuri visual novel: Investigate brutal murders, unravel psychological horrors, and fight for a forbidden love that defies death itself.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.6%, Horror 17.9%, Mystery 8.9%, Interactive Fiction 8%, Psychological Horror 7.9%
- #52 The Shell Part I: Inferno
68% matchVery Positive91% of 1,325 reviews2023
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 10.7 hrsMean: 110.2 hrs≥1hr: 70%
Unravel a string of gruesome murders terrorizing Tokyo in this mystery-thriller visual novel. The secrets of a case from six years prior may just be the key to the current unending cycle of tragedy—and the thing that cracks this woeful world’s shell may be one girl’s smile.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.2%, Choices Matter 14.5%, Psychological Horror 12%, Mystery 11.2%, Gore 10%
- #53 The Elevator Game with Catgirls
69% matchVery Positive100% of 107 reviews2022
Dev: NoBreadStudio
Windows · Linux
Kirin plays the elevator game and disappears. Will her girlfriend, Asahi, be able to find her? The Elevator Game with Catgirls is a horror visual novel with point-and-click elements, inspired by the Korean urban legend, Elevator to Another World.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.6%, Horror 22.1%, Psychological Horror 12.8%, Choices Matter 10.7%, Multiple Endings 7.1%
- #54 Sixtieth Kilometer
70% matchMostly Positive79% of 1,786 reviews2016
Dev: TalentplacePub: KishMish Games
Windows · Linux
Median: 3.6 hrsMean: 8.1 hrs≥1hr: 97%
You're going to work by train, but strange things happens on the way: the train stops, the pink fog appears outside and the man who came off the train immediately dies. The main characters turned out to be locked in the train without any clues about what's happening...
Why similar: Visual Novel 64.6%, Horror 7.6%, Psychological Horror 4.6%, Choices Matter 4.5%, Sexual Content 3.6%
- #55 The NOexistenceN of you AND me
64% matchVery Positive93% of 19,673 reviews2024
Dev: 0x0Real StudioPub: Nino Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 15.7 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 37.7%, Psychological Horror 15.4%, Multiple Endings 11.6%, Anime 10.5%, Interactive Fiction 9.1%
- #56 Banebush
65% matchVery Positive95% of 2,088 reviews2024
Dev: Hinterland Mood
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Banebush is a nonlinear and very red visual novel in the horror genre. Do you dare to step into a fairy tale if it turns out to be reality? 💀
Why similar: Visual Novel 37.4%, Horror 27.8%, Psychological Horror 14.8%, Story Rich 8.1%, Violent 6.9%
- #57 Dread Weight
67% matchVery Positive87% of 177 reviews2024
Dev: Deer Dream Studios
Windows · Mac
Trapped in a crumbling mansion, it’s up to you to outsmart and outlast an ancient witch hunting you down. Scavenge for items to set traps, solve puzzles and discover hidden secrets to avoid your demise. Don’t be scared: encounters with ghosts are rewarded in this horror visual novel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.7%, Horror 18.3%, Choices Matter 11.4%, Psychological Horror 9.7%, Multiple Endings 8.8%
- #58 Epimutation
66% matchVery Positive95% of 63 reviews2025
Dev: Barbieronpa
Windows · Mac · Linux
399 days ago, the world ended. Epimutation is a horror visual novel that follows seven survivors as they attempt to navigate life in the apocalypse. Make life or death decisions, form bonds with your fellow survivors, and attempt to unravel the mystery behind the outbreak.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.3%, Horror 18.3%, Choices Matter 13.3%, Psychological Horror 9.3%, Interactive Fiction 9%
- #59 For Mother Matron
67% matchVery Positive91% of 163 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 24.9%, Horror 17%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Choices Matter 11.7%, Multiple Endings 9.5%
- #60 The Butterfly Collector
65% matchVery Positive89% of 870 reviews2025
Dev: Wicky Yu
Windows
investigate the evidence left by a stalker and kidnapper and track the fate of a college girl. The player advances and watches the plot by clicking to make choices for the heroine at key moments, with different choices leading to different endings.
Why similar: Visual Novel 34.3%, Horror 22.3%, Psychological Horror 12.5%, Gore 10%, Female Protagonist 6%
