- #1 AI: The Somnium Files
97% matchVery Positive92% of 9,294 reviews2019
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 15.1 hrs≥1hr: 85%
Play as detective Kaname Date on the case of an elusive serial killer in this thrilling, sci-fi murder mystery.
Why similar: Detective 24.1%, Visual Novel 18.5%, Anime 13.2%, Mystery 9.7%, Story Rich 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: This game features a complex detective narrative set in a surreal, sci-fi world with deep psychological themes.
- #2 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
96% matchVery Positive93% of 7,226 reviews2017
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 21.5 hrs≥1hr: 89%
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 20.6%, Multiple Endings 12.6%, Mystery 10.1%, Story Rich 9.8%, Anime 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: It is the gold standard for group-based mystery games where characters must solve puzzles to escape a life-threatening situation.
- #3 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
96% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 6,978 reviews2023
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 8.9 hrsMean: 10.2 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 21.6%, Anime 15.7%, Multiple Endings 13.1%, Mystery 10.2%, Point & Click 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: It captures the same urban mystery atmosphere and supernatural investigation elements found in Type-NOISE.
- #4 The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass
95% matchVery Positive87% of 290 reviews2021
Dev: Trinitite Team
Windows · Mac · Linux
An intricate mystery visual novel. Search text, piece together clues, and jump around the story to unravel the tangled events within the sealed tower.
Why similar: Detective 27.1%, Visual Novel 18%, Sci-fi 13.1%, Anime 12.7%, Mystery 11.5%
Why You'll Like It: A highly regarded sci-fi detective visual novel that shares the seed game's focus on unraveling a bizarre, locked-in mystery.
- #5 GNOSIA
94% matchVery Positive94% of 4,951 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.6 hrsMean: 15.4 hrs≥1hr: 91%
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: Detective 18.7%, Visual Novel 18.1%, Anime 13.5%, Sci-fi 13.2%, Mystery 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: The looping, memory-focused narrative and social deduction mechanics perfectly mirror the group-mystery feel of the seed game.
- #6 Tokyo Dark
94% matchVery Positive84% of 1,343 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: Detective 24.2%, Visual Novel 16.7%, Anime 15.3%, Point & Click 12.2%, Mystery 7.7%
Why You'll Like It: It blends detective work with urban horror and multiple endings, capturing the dark, investigative atmosphere of the seed game.
- #7 Return to Shironagasu Island
92% matchVery Positive94% of 4,118 reviews2020
Dev: HYOGO ONIMUSHIPub: TABINOMICHI
Windows
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 14.0 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 24%, Detective 16.5%, Mystery 12.3%, Adventure 11.3%, Anime 10.8%
Why You'll Like It: A classic adventure-style visual novel that focuses on mystery and exploration in an isolated, dangerous setting.
- #8 Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition
93% matchVery Positive91% of 603 reviews2016
Dev: YetiPub: Sekai Project
Windows
Median: 8.9 hrsMean: 14.2 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 31.9%, Anime 17%, Multiple Endings 14%, Story Rich 10.2%, Sci-fi 10.1%
Why You'll Like It: This sci-fi thriller features multiple endings and a high-stakes mystery that requires careful investigation to solve.
- #9 The Shell Part I: Inferno
91% matchVery Positive91% of 1,407 reviews2023
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 11.4 hrsMean: 115.0 hrs≥1hr: 71%
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: Detective 26.8%, Visual Novel 19.4%, Mystery 10.4%, Multiple Endings 9.3%, Psychological Horror 8.9%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a compelling detective story with psychological horror elements and branching paths.
- #10 428: Shibuya Scramble
91% matchVery Positive95% of 3,846 reviews2018
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 12.1 hrs≥1hr: 83%
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 41.5%, Mystery 17.4%, Detective 17.2%, Story Rich 12.9%, Adventure 11%
Why You'll Like It: Set in a bustling Tokyo, this game uses a multi-perspective narrative to unravel a complex, interconnected mystery.
- #11 Urban Myth Dissolution Center
89% matchVery Positive88% of 6,076 reviews2025
Dev: HakababunkoPub: SHUEISHA GAMES
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 9.6 hrs≥1hr: 83%
Join forces with the psychic Director of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and solve a variety of cases involving cursed relics, rental properties with shady histories, and dimensional anomalies. Monstrous oddities and otherworldly planes abound in this occult mystery adventure game!
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.5%, Detective 17.6%, Mystery 10.2%, Psychological Horror 10%, Story Rich 8.3%
Why You'll Like It: It centers on investigating urban legends and supernatural occurrences, matching the mystery-adventure vibe of the seed game.
- #12 Kara no Shojo
90% matchVery Positive92% of 450 reviews2018
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 5.9 hrsMean: 158.4 hrs≥1hr: 62%
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: Detective 19.8%, Visual Novel 13.1%, Anime 10.4%, Multiple Endings 9%, Emotional 8.1%
Why You'll Like It: A quintessential detective visual novel that emphasizes dark, gritty mystery-solving and character-driven narratives.
- #13 MAMIYA
89% matchVery Positive91% of 496 reviews2021
Dev: Kenkou LandPub: Fruitbat Factory
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.8 hrsMean: 11.9 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 22.2%, Multiple Endings 13.3%, Psychological Horror 12.6%, Anime 11.7%, Story Rich 10.9%
Why You'll Like It: A deeply psychological visual novel that explores memory and identity in a way that resonates with the themes of Type-NOISE.
- #14 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
88% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 37,546 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 8.0 hrsMean: 22.8 hrs≥1hr: 89%
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: Detective 26.2%, Visual Novel 18.3%, Anime 15.1%, Mystery 10.2%, Story Rich 7.5%
Why You'll Like It: It features a group of characters trapped in a mysterious location, forced to solve murders to survive.
- #15 Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority-
86% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 4,226 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 13.4 hrs≥1hr: 80%
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 16.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15.6%, Point & Click 14.9%, Anime 12.5%, Mystery 11.1%
Why You'll Like It: A gripping death-game narrative that relies heavily on group dynamics and difficult moral choices.
- #16 The House in Fata Morgana
87% matchVery Positive95% of 6,401 reviews2016
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.2 hrsMean: 26.8 hrs≥1hr: 83%
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 24.1%, Anime 14.5%, Multiple Endings 13.4%, Mystery 12.4%, Story Rich 11.6%
Why You'll Like It: This masterpiece focuses on memory, tragedy, and unraveling a complex mystery across different timelines.
- #17 Suhoshin
86% matchVery Positive91% of 172 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 15.7%, Detective 13.9%, Dialogue Heavy 12.3%, Anime 11.6%, Multiple Endings 9%
Why You'll Like It: This mystery-rich visual novel uses historical and supernatural elements to create a compelling, character-driven story.
- #18 Adabana Odd Tales
85% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 1,061 reviews2020
Dev: Liar-softPub: ANIPLEX.EXE
Windows
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 51.6 hrs≥1hr: 85%
"This is a tale of 'flowers' that never bloom." Shirohime, a girl who has lost her memory, and Kurofude, a mysterious boy, traverse through classic Japanese fairy tales within the land of Adabana, a realm of illustrated books. What awaits them after they mend the distorted tales?
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.6%, Adventure 20.9%, Story Rich 15.8%, Multiple Endings 13.1%, Anime 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: The surreal, story-rich nature of this game mirrors the bizarre, dream-like quality of the seed game's world.
- #19 KAMITSUBAKI CITY REGENERATE
83% matchVery Positive95% of 521 reviews2025
Dev: KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO
Windows
Answer the summons to the parallel world of "Kamitsubaki City" and meet a cast of colorful characters as you set out on a quest to save this city from the brink of destruction in this dark-fantasy sci-fi visual novel!
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 21.9%, Multiple Endings 21.6%, Anime 10.1%, Adventure 9.7%
Why You'll Like It: It offers a surreal, dark-fantasy adventure that shares the experimental storytelling style of Type-NOISE.
- #20 Rail of Möbius
84% matchVery Positive95% of 489 reviews2021
Dev: PHOSEPO
Windows
It is an adventure game with multiple endings. An original script written by a well-known light novelist with a total of 400,000 words. With reasoning, suspense, love, and science fiction elements, it allows players to embark on a highly immersive journey of salvation on the submarine train.
Why similar: Detective 23.4%, Visual Novel 17%, Anime 11.7%, Multiple Endings 10.1%, Psychological Horror 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: It utilizes a time-loop and memory-loss premise to drive its psychological horror and mystery narrative.
- #21 Hazy Mind
82% matchVery Positive86% of 333 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 20.2%, Multiple Endings 13.8%, Dialogue Heavy 12.8%, Anime 12.4%, Psychological Horror 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: Its psychedelic and psychological approach to storytelling aligns well with the memory-loss themes of the seed game.
- #22 12 Hours to Die
84% matchMostly Positive73% of 226 reviews2020
Dev: Wesley ReitsmaPub: Westeford
Windows · Mac · Linux
A mystery visual novel about six students forced to play a 12-hour long killing game.
Why similar: Detective 29%, Visual Novel 23.5%, Mystery 10.5%, Anime 10.5%, Emotional 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: This game provides a tight, puzzle-filled mystery experience that keeps the player focused on the clock.
- #23 Magical Girl Witch Trials
78% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 32,147 reviews2025
Dev: AcaciaPub: Re,AER
Windows · Mac
Median: 15.9 hrsMean: 34.0 hrs≥1hr: 87%
Thirteen girls awaken, only to find themselves in a prison. What awaits them: a Witch Trial. Help them prepare for the trial by exploring the prison in order to find the witch hidden amongst them. Find the witch, learn what kind of magic she holds, dispel the lies, and prepare for the execution.
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.4%, Detective 26.4%, Mystery 9.4%, Anime 8.8%, Cute 7.5%
- #24 Fatal Twelve
82% matchVery Positive92% of 1,027 reviews2018
Dev: LYCORISPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.2 hrsMean: 10.7 hrs≥1hr: 88%
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 29.2%, Multiple Endings 17.9%, Anime 17.3%, Story Rich 12.2%, Mystery 11.2%
Why You'll Like It: A death-game visual novel that forces characters to confront their pasts and memories to win a supernatural competition.
- #25 Five Stages of Pink
81% matchVery Positive98% of 93 reviews2022
Dev: Kaffein
Windows · Mac · Linux
Horror mystery about a boy who desperately wants a Normal life in the most abnormal city in the world. Help Timor understand his cruel life in this supernatural city while trying to survive one more day. In a universe where Sleep is an illness. This is a visual novel with point and click features.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.9%, Point & Click 13.3%, Anime 12.8%, Mystery 9.8%, Emotional 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological, story-rich adventure that explores themes of loss and memory through a unique narrative lens.
- #26 outside the door
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 667 reviews2024
Dev: basandaika games
Windows
Median: 2.1 hrsMean: 2.8 hrs≥1hr: 79%
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 26.1%, Anime 22%, Dialogue Heavy 15%, Psychological Horror 12.6%, Multiple Endings 12.1%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological visual novel that focuses on the internal struggles of its characters in a mysterious environment.
- #27 The 257th Element
80% matchVery Positive95% of 56 reviews2024
Dev: REAL co.Ltd
Windows · Linux
In 2032, Tokyo scientists unveil Araraginium, the 257th element, capable of materializing matter and bringing back the deceased as Araragi Humans. Masakazu Tokimune, a Japanese high school student, grapples with daily life's blend of humor, intrigue, and love.
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.8%, Dialogue Heavy 16%, Choose Your Own Adventure 14.5%, Anime 13.3%, Mystery 7.9%
Why You'll Like It: This title offers a blend of anime-style mystery and choose-your-own-adventure mechanics.
- #28 The NOexistenceN of you AND me
77% matchVery Positive93% of 21,072 reviews2024
Dev: 0x0Real StudioPub: Nino Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 17.4 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 26.8%, Multiple Endings 15.6%, Anime 14.9%, Psychological Horror 12.1%, Story Rich 9.2%
- #29 √Letter - Root Letter -
81% matchMostly Positive79% of 578 reviews2017
Dev: DRAGAMI GAMES, LTD.
Windows
Median: 5.0 hrsMean: 11.6 hrs≥1hr: 91%
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: Detective 20%, Visual Novel 13.4%, Anime 10.8%, Multiple Endings 10.1%, Point & Click 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: A detective-focused visual novel that revolves around uncovering the truth behind a mysterious disappearance.
- #30 Memory Girl +
77% matchVery Positive97% of 68 reviews2025
Dev: cream△Pub: Champloo Games
Windows
A tragic love story following Memori and her search for the missing "him."
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.9%, Multiple Endings 10.7%, Anime 10%, Psychological Horror 8.9%
- #31 Pink Noise
76% matchVery Positive87% of 127 reviews2026
Dev: Somber GamesPub: Caspianborn Publishing
Windows
Pink Noise is a nonlinear visual novel in the psychological horror genre, immersing you in the retro atmosphere of the '90s. It tells the tale of a group of teenagers who unknowingly set off a chain of terrifying events. What secrets lie within the mysterious VHS tape they should’ve never played?
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.9%, Multiple Endings 17.3%, Point & Click 14.7%, Psychological Horror 12.7%, Story Rich 11.5%
- #32 RGB GlitchGazer
75% matchVery Positive97% of 97 reviews2026
Dev: 群星闪耀时Pub: 群星闪耀时
Windows
A mad and romantic ADV. Unravel a strange world of science and philosophy with a mecha girl, zombie girl, or beastfolk. Some paths may disturb you... or thrill you.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.3%, Anime 14.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.8%, Sci-fi 11.7%, Emotional 11.3%
- #33 Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
78% matchVery Positive82% of 4,838 reviews2016
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 11.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
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 22.2%, Mystery 11.5%, Psychological Horror 11%, Anime 10.8%, Story Rich 10.6%
- #34 SHUTEN ORDER
75% matchVery Positive82% of 785 reviews2025
Dev: Neilo Inc.Pub: EXNOA LLC
Windows
Median: 10.3 hrsMean: 22.0 hrs≥1hr: 88%
"168 remaining until the end of the world..." Humanity is approaching its end. A sudden dismemberment murder of the leader of a religious nation that advocates an apocalyptic ideology... Five adventure games are combined into one, centered around a suspenseful story full of mystery and intrigue.
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.2%, Point & Click 17%, Anime 14.6%, Sci-fi 10.5%, Adventure 8.5%
- #35 CHAOS;CHILD
76% matchVery Positive93% of 3,973 reviews2019
Dev: MAGES. Inc.Pub: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 81.1 hrs≥1hr: 82%
From the creators of the critically acclaimed STEINS;GATE comes a sensational new visual novel: CHAOS;CHILD. Set in Shibuya in 2015, a group of high school students who survived an earthquake six years ago find themselves at the center of a new series of bizarre murders in the city.
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.4%, Anime 15.2%, Mystery 12.3%, Story Rich 9.8%, Sci-fi 9.4%
- #36 Staffer Case: A Supernatural Mystery Adventure
74% matchVery Positive94% of 4,108 reviews2023
Dev: Team Tetrapod
Windows · Mac
Median: 7.4 hrsMean: 8.8 hrs≥1hr: 93%
Staffer Case is a new sort of mystery game, asking players to find clues, arrange them into documents, and point out the contradictions between them to solve a series of murders. Each mystery unraveled leads you closer to the truth lying at the heart of each case!
Why similar: Detective 32.5%, Visual Novel 15.8%, Anime 12.7%, Multiple Endings 10.5%, Mystery 10.2%
- #37 Trials of Innocence
73% matchVery Positive92% of 1,723 reviews2025
Dev: 猫龙游戏
Windows
Median: 18.7 hrsMean: 21.5 hrs≥1hr: 77%
Trials of Innocence is an indie courtroom detective game. Step into the shoes of the main character, rookie lawyer Luna Ray, and navigate her journey through the legal world. Unravel a shocking conspiracy that changes the fate of many, including herself, and confront her inner choices.
Why similar: Detective 21.5%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Dialogue Heavy 12.2%, Anime 9.4%, Point & Click 7.8%
- #38 Train of Afterlife
79% 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 35.1%, Anime 16.3%, Adventure 10.6%, Choose Your Own Adventure 7.5%, Multiple Endings 7.3%
Why You'll Like It: It uses a supernatural setting to explore the memories and pasts of its characters in a visual novel format.
- #39 Sona-Nyl of the Violet Shadows Refrain
73% matchVery Positive100% of 64 reviews2023
Dev: Liar-softPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Explore the meaning of memories in this mysterious fairytale where fantasy and reality intertwine. The story unfolds from the perspectives of two women: one who travels in the ruins of Engine City New York, and one who finds herself in an underground world with an eldritch, violet sky.
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.8%, Anime 14.5%, Emotional 12.5%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.2%, Multiple Endings 11.1%
- #40 Folie Fatale
72% matchVery Positive86% of 2,591 reviews2024
Dev: Kanmidoko (神海処)Pub: 346lab Localization
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 88%
All capture targets are mentally "Jirai"(landmine)!? Meet these eccentric boys, reveal the truth beneath in this Psycho-love-horror VN!
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 16.1%, Multiple Endings 13.4%, Anime 13%, Psychological Horror 11.8%
- #41 Tamayura Mirai
73% matchVery Positive93% of 214 reviews2023
Dev: AzuritePub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 7.6 hrsMean: 42.2 hrs≥1hr: 71%
There is a girl, searching for something she lost... Tamayura Mirai is a midsummer fantasy visual novel of humans, spirits, and sorcerers that's won several industry awards in Japan.
Why similar: Dialogue Heavy 22.7%, Visual Novel 13.3%, Anime 10.6%, Multiple Endings 9%, Emotional 8.2%
- #42 Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 782 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 32.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 21.2%, Adventure 16.6%, Mystery 9.3%, Casual 6.8%
- #43 Midnight Syndrome
71% matchVery Positive99% of 96 reviews2024
Dev: ナツミカン
Windows
A summer night consumes the girls... Exploration type horror ADV game
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.4%, Choose Your Own Adventure 15%, Point & Click 13.5%, Anime 12.9%, Mystery 7.4%
- #44 Anamnesia - part 1: am i my body?
71% matchVery Positive95% of 91 reviews2024
Dev: Simon Herbig
Windows · Mac
Sci-Fi Mystery Visual Novel. Nine people are trapped in an underground research facility, forced to play a game of life and death. Check your log to find the truth that connects those apparent strangers - if you even want to, that is.
Why similar: Visual Novel 22.8%, Sci-fi 17.6%, Anime 15.1%, Mystery 13.4%, Emotional 10.9%
- #45 Geminism
70% matchVery Positive89% of 131 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: Visual Novel 23.7%, Anime 17.8%, Emotional 13%, Psychological Horror 12.4%, Story Rich 9.4%
- #46 The Occult Detective
71% matchMostly Positive70% of 330 reviews2025
Dev: Battlecry Studio
Windows
A narrative detective game blended with supernatural elements. Play as a rookie investigator, discover vital clues in every case, dive into unscripted interrogations and uncover truths that break minds. But with each revelation, the world feels... less human.
Why similar: Detective 25.7%, Visual Novel 19%, Anime 14.5%, Story Rich 10.7%, Mystery 8.3%
- #47 Ten Trials of Babel: The Doppelganger Maze
70% matchVery Positive93% of 4,390 reviews2022
Dev: 红渊Pub: NVLMaker
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 8.6 hrs≥1hr: 77%
Otome × Death Game × Mild Horror Multiple Endings Puzzle RPG
Why similar: Multiple Endings 25%, Choose Your Own Adventure 21.5%, Story Rich 14.3%, Mystery 10.9%, RPG 9.1%
- #48 誰是犯案者 Who is the Criminal
72% matchVery Positive95% of 60 reviews2021
Dev: 莉莉恩工作室
Windows
Set in school life, “Who is the Criminal” is a text-based adventure game featuring comedian and inference elements. With inquiring suspects and debating with “evildoers”, he gathers pieces of puzzles and reveals what truly happens in every incident.
Why similar: Detective 23.6%, Dialogue Heavy 14.6%, Visual Novel 14.5%, Anime 10.7%, Mystery 8.3%
- #49 Seven Mysteries: The Last Page
74% 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: Multiple Endings 14.8%, Visual Novel 14.6%, Dialogue Heavy 14.1%, Anime 13.6%, Psychological Horror 10.7%
- #50 Yet Another Killing Game
68% matchVery Positive97% of 237 reviews2025
Dev: Soulseer Studios
Windows · Mac · Linux
You wake up in a house, alone with two beautiful girls... But no one is allowed to leave until one of you DIES. Why is this happening? What is the purpose of this “killing game”? But most importantly...WHO SHOULD DIE?!
Why similar: Visual Novel 15.6%, Anime 13.2%, Multiple Endings 12.7%, Point & Click 9.6%, Mystery 9.5%
- #51 Shanghai Summer
69% matchVery Positive90% of 451 reviews2024
Dev: FUTU StudioPub: Astrolabe Games
Windows
Median: 3.0 hrsMean: 3.4 hrs≥1hr: 78%
Shanghai Summer is an adventure game set in the millennium. Our protagonist, Baichuan, goes through a series of "anomalies" over the length of twelve days. In his pursuit of the truth, he found that his hopes and regrets from the past finally seem to converge. Will he be able to "fix" it for good?
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.2%, Multiple Endings 16.8%, Anime 15.5%, Mystery 10.5%, Story Rich 10.3%
- #52 Antrabhara
69% matchVery Positive90% of 186 reviews2023
Dev: Nekoday
Windows
在人类与妖怪共存的世界中，三个身份迥异的少年少女在荒废古宅中相遇。结伴冒险的过程中收集道具、推敲讯息、解开谜题，逃离不可名状的生物，并揭开古宅家族背后的血色历史，最终发现“中阴”的秘密。
Why similar: Detective 25.2%, Anime 18.6%, Emotional 12.8%, Adventure 9.1%, RPG 8.5%
- #53 Kanna Maze
68% matchVery Positive88% of 382 reviews2024
Dev: 致意
Windows · Mac · Linux
In an isolated lab beneath the earth, a childhood friend is resurrected. Amidst sealed walls, a spree of killings unfolds. In a godless abyss, parallel worlds entwine like a maze. Where does one find the path to the sole universe of bliss?
Why similar: Detective 20.3%, Visual Novel 19.7%, Emotional 9.5%, Mystery 8.8%, Psychological Horror 8.6%
- #54 PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,353 reviews2026
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 13.8 hrsMean: 15.0 hrs≥1hr: 93%
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 21%, Multiple Endings 12%, Point & Click 11.6%, Mystery 11.6%, Adventure 9.7%
- #55 Disillusion ST
66% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 521 reviews2024
Dev: Disillusion Dev
Windows
A strange journey throughout an elaborate labyrinth awaits, featuring hundreds of characters and happenings as you try to gather items that once brought happiness to others.
Why similar: Visual Novel 26.7%, Dialogue Heavy 22.3%, Anime 19.7%, Adventure 10.5%, Multiple Endings 9.4%
- #56 Tails Noir Preludes
67% matchVery Positive92% of 307 reviews2023
Dev: EggnutPub: Raw Fury
Windows
Tails Noir Preludes is a post-noir narrative adventure with branching choices. It is an intertwined series of vignettes about change, circumstance, and consequence. Guide four characters through formative moments in their lives in a dystopian Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals.
Why similar: Dialogue Heavy 27.5%, Visual Novel 19.9%, Detective 18.3%, Emotional 9.6%, Story Rich 7%
- #57 TASOKARE HOTEL Re:newal
67% matchVery Positive87% of 83 reviews2024
Dev: SEEC Inc.
Windows · Mac
一日中夕暮れに染まっている「黄昏ホテル」。そこは、生と死の狭間を彷徨う魂たちが羽を休めるために存在する場所。ある日、ホテルに迷い込んだ少女が、出会いと事件をきっかけに、自らの運命を大きく切り開くことに。生死の狭間で謎解きに挑む、世にも奇妙な異世界脱出アドベンチャーが登場！
Why similar: Visual Novel 17.6%, Point & Click 13.9%, Multiple Endings 13.1%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.6%, Story Rich 8.6%
- #58 Hira Hira Hihiru
65% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 932 reviews2023
Dev: BA-KUPub: ANIPLEX.EXE
Windows
Median: 5.2 hrsMean: 11.8 hrs≥1hr: 68%
"Hira Hira Hihiru" is a visual novel set in a fictional Taishō Era. It tells the story of its two protagonists' struggle against Aerodema, a terrifying disease which brings the dead back to life.
Why similar: Visual Novel 33.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 20.3%, Adventure 14%, Anime 9%, Casual 6.2%
- #59 Amnesia™: Memories
68% matchVery Positive92% of 4,343 reviews2015
Dev: Idea FactoryPub: Idea Factory International
Windows
Median: 5.5 hrsMean: 9.4 hrs≥1hr: 94%
You awaken to find your memories gone. To learn the truth behind your amnesia, you’ll choose from five romantic paths, each its own world. With 20+ endings, can you write the lasting love story you deserve, or will your love and life come to an end?
Why similar: Visual Novel 36.4%, Anime 19.4%, Multiple Endings 13.2%, Mystery 7%, Psychological Horror 6.2%
- #60 Nightmare Zapping
66% matchVery Positive99% of 76 reviews2023
Dev: Maldo19
Windows
A horror channel browsing game where each channel holds a different nightmare to experience, explore them and find out the truth about what has happened in a small town where the inhabitants have disappeared.
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.5%, Anime 12.8%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11%, Point & Click 9.9%, Dark Humor 9.8%
