- #1 Sepia Tears
97% matchVery Positive88% of 991 reviews2016
Dev: Scarlet String Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 30 minMean: 5.7 hrs≥1hr: 32%
A visual novel about a memory that a boy named Mark tries very hard to forget, and a girl named Myra who unearths it.
Why You'll Like It: A classic emotional visual novel that explores the complexities of memory and past relationships.
- #2 If Found...
96% matchVery Positive90% of 2,276 reviews2020
Dev: DREAMFEELPub: Annapurna Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.9 hrsMean: 3.5 hrs≥1hr: 89%
If Found... is a game about going home, coming out and erasing everything.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A deeply emotional narrative game about memory and letting go that shares the same introspective, melancholic tone.
- #3 The Wreck
96% matchVery Positive89% of 273 reviews2023
Dev: The Pixel Hunt
Windows · Mac
In this 3D visual novel, follow failed screenwriter Junon as she attempts to make it through the most pivotal day in her life. Relive the past, alter the present, and embrace the future, or without your help, Junon’s story might end in a wreck.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A story-rich experience that deals with trauma and healing through a deeply personal, interactive narrative.
- #4 one night, hot springs
95% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 3,091 reviews2018
Dev: npckc
Windows · Mac · Linux
Haru is invited by her old friend Manami to spend a night at the hot springs. All Haru wants to do is enjoy the hot springs like everyone else, but she doesn't want to cause any trouble...
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: This short, slice-of-life visual novel captures the same quiet, personal intimacy found in reflective indie titles.
- #5 A Taste of the Past
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 1,768 reviews2022
Dev: Sondering Studio
Windows
What do you do when you lose someone you love? A Taste of the Past is an emotional sidescroller about reconnecting with your Chinese culture while navigating a train to the afterlife. Featuring a wholesome story, cooking minigames, and hope.
Why You'll Like It: This narrative-driven game uses a reflective lens to explore family history and personal growth.
- #6 Some Goodbyes We Made
94% matchVery Positive98% of 180 reviews2024
Dev: Safe Flight Games
Windows · Mac
I have some memories of saying goodbye that I don't want to forget, so I turned them into 11 minigames and backed them up in this collection.
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric and emotional journey that focuses on the difficulty of moving on from the past.
- #7 Florence
92% matchVery Positive93% of 15,716 reviews2020
Dev: MountainsPub: Annapurna Interactive
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.2 hrsMean: 5.2 hrs≥1hr: 63%
Florence Yeoh feels a little... stuck. Her life is an endless routine of work, sleep, and spending too much time on social media. Then one day, she meets a cello player named Krish who changes everything about how she sees the world and herself.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, poignant interactive story that perfectly captures the emotional arc of a relationship from start to finish.
- #8 Forgotten Fields
93% matchMostly Positive79% of 101 reviews2021
Dev: Frostwood InteractivePub: Dino Digital
Windows · Mac · Linux
Forgotten Fields is a game about yearning and nostalgia. Play as Sid - a struggling writer who travels back to his childhood home one last time before it's sold off. Visit old friends, relive memories and play through sections of Sid's book in this warm game about the passage of time.
Why You'll Like It: A beautifully written narrative game that deals with the struggle of creativity and the passage of time.
- #9 It's You: A Breakup Story
91% matchVery Positive87% of 52 reviews2018
Dev: Brwarner Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
It's You: A Breakup Story is a narrative-driven breakup game where it is them, not you, even when it doesn't feel that way. The game only has one ending; you decide how to get there.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A direct exploration of the emotional aftermath of a relationship, mirroring the themes of loss in the seed game.
- #10 Guilt Free
91% matchVery Positive86% of 288 reviews2020
Dev: Lateral Games
Windows · Mac
Guilt Free is a visual novel crossed with a point and click made to offer perspective on mental health and eating disorders. Navigate a couple's rocky relationship and encounter "flaws" or "quirks" that may actually be symptomatic behaviors.
Why You'll Like It: An interactive fiction title that forces the player to confront difficult choices and their emotional consequences.
- #11 Memoir
90% matchVery Positive97% of 272 reviews2022
Dev: 7757
Windows
A short memoir of first love.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, dramatic visual novel that focuses on the internal life and memories of its protagonist.
- #12 Lost Connections
89% matchVery Positive96% of 76 reviews2023
Dev: Amber Pearl
Windows
If she leaves now you will never see her again. Would you have enough courage to take a step, or would you stay quiet and regret it? Experience this story about love and loss.
Why You'll Like It: A story-rich visual novel that emphasizes the emotional weight of human relationships and multiple outcomes.
- #13 Once10
89% matchVery Positive82% of 104 reviews2019
Dev: JingtuStudio
Windows · Mac
This is a visual novel about 60 minutes in length, telling a story of memories.he visual novel "Once10" is a story which will recall the experience of many individuals.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, free-to-play visual novel that fits the same indie, narrative-focused niche as the seed game.
- #14 Once'
88% matchVery Positive88% of 171 reviews2019
Dev: Once重置制作室Pub: JingtuStudio
Windows · Mac
This is a visual novel about 60 minutes in length, telling a story of memories."Once'" is a story which will recall the experience of many individuals. Regardless of if you're in your springtime of life having full of dreams for the future, or if you're a matured adult who has already stepped into the society and owns a family,...
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A concise indie visual novel that focuses on personal narrative and character interaction.
- #15 Left on Read
86% matchMostly Positive80% of 5,286 reviews2020
Dev: Weston Bell-GeddesPub: Spookulele Games
Windows · Mac
It’s March of 2020; you were just sent home from college because of the coronavirus, you have a few small regrets, mainly not telling someone how you really feel.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A simulation-based visual novel that captures the anxiety and emotional nuance of modern communication.
- #16 Narcissu 1st & 2nd
85% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 5,225 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: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A foundational emotional visual novel that deals with life, death, and the search for meaning in the face of tragedy.
- #17 Emily is Away
84% matchVery Positive89% of 32,165 reviews2015
Dev: Kyle Seeley
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 54 minMean: 19.8 hrs≥1hr: 42%
Emily is Away is an interactive story. Create a screenname and choose your path through the branching narrative.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A nostalgic, narrative-heavy experience that uses a simulated interface to tell a story about lost connections.
- #18 Don't Let Me Fade
84% matchVery Positive99% of 127 reviews2025
Dev: AinkOink
Windows
Don't Let Me Fade is an interactive adventure about memory, identity, and loss. Piece together fragments of a life - even if a simple teddy bear is the last symbol of connection to oneself in a world without time.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: An interactive fiction title that emphasizes narrative depth and emotional stakes.
- #19 Say Goodbye
87% matchMixed52% of 229 reviews2017
Dev: morojenoe's empire
Windows
Median: 2.2 hrsMean: 9.4 hrs≥1hr: 87%
This visual novel about an ordinary man with his typical problems. Suddenly, you got a report that your distant cousin died in a car crash. Fortunately, her daughter wasn't with her. You take the girl under your wing. But soon, something starts to go wrong...
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A brief, emotional visual novel that centers on the difficulty of parting ways.
- #20 Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
82% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 32,921 reviews2020
Dev: Nikita KryukovPub: Nikita Igorevich Studio
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 7.2 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: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, intense psychological experience that explores internal struggle with a unique, minimalist aesthetic.
- #21 The Raintime
86% matchMostly Positive70% of 54 reviews2020
Dev: socah developmentPub: socah
Windows · Mac · Linux
Delve into a troubled student's mind as his grip on reality unravels . . .
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric and short visual novel that captures a specific, melancholic mood through its storytelling.
- #22 The Painting
83% matchVery Positive99% of 69 reviews2024
Dev: Tymedust Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
A short, emotional visual novel following a grieving man who relives memories of days long gone. An exploration of loss presented honestly and kinetically.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A story-rich visual novel that uses mystery and drama to explore emotional themes.
- #23 you're just imagining it
81% matchVery Positive97% of 442 reviews2024
Dev: npckc
Windows · Mac · Linux
A chronic illness simulator. You think you have a chronic illness, but you don't know what. All you know is you are always in some state of pain. You've been to too many doctors to count... but you still have to live your life.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological visual novel that explores the fragility of perception and memory.
- #24 The Beginner's Guide
81% matchVery Positive88% of 22,915 reviews2015
Dev: Everything Unlimited Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 1.6 hrsMean: 2.2 hrs≥1hr: 85%
The Beginner's Guide is a narrative video game from Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable. It lasts about an hour and a half and has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: An introspective, meta-narrative experience that examines the relationship between creator and player through personal memories.
- #25 A Warmer Shade of Summer
82% matchMostly Positive76% of 117 reviews2021
Dev: 52.6 Productions
Windows
You return to the family farm to find it in disrepair. Maybe you have what it takes to bring it back to its former glory? Who knows who you'll meet on you're way? An old friend? That special someone? Anything is possible in Summerset.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A romance-focused visual novel that provides a gentle, narrative-driven experience.
- #26 Denpa Nightmares
77% matchVery Positive95% of 121 reviews2025
Dev: 不重要Pub: 千鳥豚工作室
Windows
No matter how long you’re gone, there will always be a girl waiting for you in the same place. This is a story about forgetting, and about waiting. After countless restarts and countless memories lost… how long will you stay with her this time?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #27 旅燕归航 Swallow Homing
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 842 reviews2019
Dev: 吃了就睡工作室
Windows
Space opera is a love letter written by humans to the stars.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A sci-fi visual novel that provides a contemplative and emotional narrative experience.
- #28 memories
77% matchVery Positive94% of 1,515 reviews2023
Dev: guiyyuPub: Spookulele Games
Windows · Mac
memories is a sapphic visual novel dress-up game where clothes are linked to painful memories of a failed relationship.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #29 be you
79% matchVery Positive82% of 210 reviews2019
Dev: louis morel
Windows
HELLO i made weird game visual novel thingy Your character develops different personality types depending on your choices, so they respond uniquely to different situations. With around three different choices to make and three unique lines of dialogue for each of them there's around nine different texts you can see and six endings.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, indie adventure that focuses on personal discovery and introspective dialogue.
- #30 Sunset's Ashes
79% matchVery Positive88% of 161 reviews2016
Dev: Fifth One
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 18 minMean: 6.5 hrs≥1hr: 27%
Experience the short story of Alex and Nic as they share memories with each other while climbing a mountain together for the first time. For years, Alex has been going for climbs, and trying to get Nic to join. It’s a chance for them to remember their lives together and know why this climb is so important.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A free-to-play indie visual novel that shares the short, reflective pacing of the seed game.
- #31 Freshman Year
80% matchMixed63% of 216 reviews2015
Dev: Nina FreemanPub: N/A
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 17.0 hrs≥1hr: 61%
Freshman Year is a vignette game about an ordinary night in the life a college freshman named Nina. Nina's best friend Jenna invites her to meet up at a local bar with some classmates. Jenna is sort of flaky though, so Nina has to navigate the party by herself.
Why similar: Indie 100%
Why You'll Like It: A short, character-driven visual novel that explores the transition into adulthood and personal identity.
- #32 The Dearest Person
73% matchVery Positive95% of 624 reviews2024
Dev: house.opposite
Windows · Mac · Linux
A visual novel about what it means to be human. A story about loneliness, self-identification, and the meaning of existence.
- #33 Find someone else
76% matchVery Positive92% of 130 reviews2018
Dev: Red Skald
Windows
A visual novel about the ever-changing nature of relationships and the hardships of dealing with loss.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #34 Deluge: Threnody of Crashing Waves
75% matchVery Positive85% of 252 reviews2022
Dev: leavesPub: socah
Windows · Mac · Linux
In the not so distant past, the Isle of Abbot underwent a mysterious evacuation event. Delve into the secrets of this unsettling place and elicit the girls' tragic fate. An interactive visual novel with psychological and lovecraftian undertones.
- #35 Only You
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 576 reviews2026
Dev: 忘雪社Pub: WindField Games
Windows · Linux
"Problem Child" me, Class Heartthrob her—two lines that should never cross collided through a series of coincidences, shattering my monochrome world. Crave her eyes on me alone, crave her world with me alone. The once-pure admiration begins to twist...
- #36 Pandemic Love
74% matchVery Positive93% of 232 reviews2021
Dev: Red Skald
Windows
A short visual novel about isolation. You try to search for comfort in the lonesome people around you. Keeping the darkness at bay with small embers of light. Will you let the fear change you?
- #37 My Dream is a Lost Memory
74% matchVery Positive90% of 241 reviews2022
Dev: LeJunesArt
Windows
My dream is a Lost Memory is a short interactive story about having Déjà vu, realizing that this Déjà vu came to you because of a dream, and then wondering if that dream is actually a memory. It's a story about work, limitations and self-respect.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #38 Unforgettable You
75% matchVery Positive90% of 51 reviews2021
Dev: NanningsGames
Windows · Linux
Unforgettable You is a contemplating platformer game about love.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #39 Carpe Diem: Reboot
76% matchVery Positive85% of 139 reviews2017
Dev: Moonlit Works
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 24 minMean: 4.0 hrs≥1hr: 34%
Just because it crashed doesn't mean it's over
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #40 不被忘记的你
72% matchVery Positive97% of 259 reviews2023
Dev: 箱崎奈绪(Hakozaki Nao)
Windows
免费美少女小说游戏，玩家将以男主角的视角，体验与女主角CnGal看板娘相遇后，共同重建CnGal资料站的故事。
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #41 To Make a Game
73% matchVery Positive91% of 77 reviews2022
Dev: TheBluePenguin
Windows · Linux
A short meta story about the struggles of procrastination, and never finishing the things you start. Help motivate me, and give me the confidence I need to finish something.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #42 Retention
78% matchMostly Negative35% of 702 reviews2015
Dev: Sometimes You
Windows
Median: 2.8 hrsMean: 3.3 hrs≥1hr: 80%
This game is about a person who kept running through his life, never looking back at the past. Once during a trip, he gets into trouble. Now he's lying on the cold ground, buried beneath his bicycle. Slides of various moments fly through his head.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #43 Forgotten, Not Lost - A Kinetic Novel
73% matchVery Positive89% of 242 reviews2016
Dev: Afterthought Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 3.5 hrsMean: 7.5 hrs≥1hr: 93%
An old farmer lives with his wife - However, he hasn't quite been himself lately. His mind wanders off, he forgets his daily routine and he often brings up things from the past. Forgotten, Not Lost comes from the creators of A More Beautiful World and is a kinetic novel that tackles the theme of dementia and is a visual novel that hopes...
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #44 Autumn Spirit
70% matchVery Positive94% of 90 reviews2024
Dev: SynstoriaPub: Abiding Bridge
Windows
Hunted by anxiety, you exiled yourself to a lonely mountain inhabited by a ghost and his regrets.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #45 Know by heart
70% matchVery Positive90% of 830 reviews2022
Dev: Ice-Pick Lodge
Windows
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 4.7 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Childhood friends reunite after spending a long time apart, revisiting old memories and rekindling their friendship. However, something beyond their control will ruin this reunion.
- #46 Contraindication
69% matchVery Positive99% of 68 reviews2025
Dev: Static Remains
Windows
Your end is my beginning. A short psychological visual novel with exploration and puzzle elements... it already lays shattered.
- #47 Dissolving
71% matchVery Positive87% of 410 reviews2019
Dev: Flying Whale
Windows
Her ex-boyfriend became a shut-in. The girl goes to visit him... then things start to go wrong. They always do, right? Experience two stories about digital gods and loss. And remember - believe in the net.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #48 i feel very lonely and i don't remember myself
69% matchVery Positive95% of 136 reviews2023
Dev: Ricardo Cancela
Windows
A short sci-fi visual novel about four scientists trapped in an underground lab. Explore their chat records to uncover the mysteries of Inturg Technologies. How can they escape their doom?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #49 AMNESIA
70% matchMixed67% of 1,051 reviews2022
Dev: Super Alex
Windows
Median: 6.7 hrsMean: 12.4 hrs≥1hr: 79%
After a series of events now shrouded in mystery, our protagonist - a young man - fell into a coma, losing all recollection of the person he used to be. He is given a clean slate. All that’s left to do now is to carefully and thoroughly investigate every facet of your former self.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #50 Love in the distance
71% matchMixed66% of 334 reviews2021
Dev: Level-Buster Studio
Windows
A word adventure game based on a long-distance relationship. On high school and college campuses, pick up memories that belong only to that time. Ideal and reality, if we can chose it again, can we not have regrets?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #51 bygone snow
66% matchVery Positive99% of 74 reviews2025
Dev: Creatalsoftware Games
Windows
When the world ends, who will you spend your final hours with? A visual novel for the GBA.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #52 Loser Named Hana
66% matchVery Positive95% of 136 reviews2025
Dev: Repurpose Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
Loser Named Hana is a friendship-building visual novel. You respond to an ad advertising $100 a week to be the lonely college student, Hana, friend.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #53 One Last Chance
72% matchMixed68% of 87 reviews2016
Dev: Last Lotus
Windows · Mac
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.3 hrs≥1hr: 90%
Do you remember that high school crush you never confessed your love to? Do you ever wonder what could have been if things had gone different back then? This short Visual Novel/Dating Sim explores those questions that we constantly ask ourselves.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #54 her tears were my light
66% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 796 reviews2022
Dev: NomnomNami
Windows · Mac · Linux
a love story between time and space
- #55 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: My Heart's Reflection
69% matchVery Positive84% of 148 reviews2021
Dev: SKY HOUR WORKSPub: Anarch Entertainment
Windows
"The day I put that uniform on, I saw myself in the mirror for the first time. And I dared to think, maybe, just maybe..." A free VN about standing up to the world to be yourself. Part of the NOISZ series, and prequel to NOISZ STΔRLIVHT.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #56 Something for Someone Else
68% matchVery Positive87% of 427 reviews2019
Dev: 4H StudioLab
Windows
Something for Someone Else is a short atypical experience, a brief journey into the mind of a distressed game developer that feels haunted by a game he made. All in the form of a poorly hand drawn narrative platformer accompanied by the beautiful musics of Celluloid Jam.
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #57 Second Chance
68% matchVery Positive85% of 1,128 reviews2018
Dev: COMANPub: C&E
Windows · Mac · Linux
One night, Leslie finds himself at a small town train station, completely lost in the memories of his past. As he explores his past, he makes friends, but... Who are they really? Who is lying and who is telling the truth? And is it true that everyone in our world is entitled to a second chance?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #58 Absent in the Rain
65% matchVery Positive94% of 797 reviews2022
Dev: D10RAMA
Windows
A mysterious senpai. A serial murder case that has taken the world by storm. And a giant, shadowy fish swimming at my feet... What if all of them are connected and surround me like a circle? What should I do?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #59 Answer Knot
67% matchVery Positive89% of 734 reviews2019
Dev: Naraven Games
Windows
A short narrative and exploration game about Zach, June, and a strange phenomenon. You're Zach and, stuck in your home, you will do everything to keep hearing June's voice messages. What is happening out there?
Why similar: Indie 100%
- #60 So, uh... a spaceship crashed in my yard.
67% matchVery Positive94% of 232 reviews2018
Dev: Archive Entertainment
Windows
A spaceship named Aria crashed into your front yard! Now it's up to you to find the parts she needs to escape Earth.
Why similar: Indie 100%
