- #1 PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
97% 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 19.2%, Text-Based 15.2%, Supernatural 14.1%, Mystery 12.1%, Horror 8.8%
Why You'll Like It: It shares the exact thematic focus on investigating urban legends and supernatural curses through a compelling visual novel format.
- #2 Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
96% matchVery Positive82% of 512 reviews2019
Dev: EXPERIENCEPub: Aksys Games
Windows
Median: 3.3 hrsMean: 13.2 hrs≥1hr: 71%
A strange rumor is spreading through the shadows of Tokyo's H City: a mysterious disfigurement has been appearing on the bodies of certain individuals. Anyone who receives the Mark will rapidly die of unknown, horrifying causes. The countdown to death has already begun...
Why similar: Visual Novel 40.8%, Horror 22.8%, Adventure 13.2%, Detective 11.8%, Anime 5.9%
Why You'll Like It: This game centers on a protagonist investigating deadly urban legends and supernatural anomalies, mirroring the core loop of the seed game.
- #3 Tokyo Dark
96% matchVery Positive84% of 1,341 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 18.9%, Detective 17.3%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Mystery 11.6%, Point & Click 9.5%
Why You'll Like It: Combines detective-style investigation with a dark, supernatural narrative that forces players to make difficult moral choices.
- #4 No Case Should Remain Unsolved
94% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 9,993 reviews2024
Dev: Somi
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.6 hrsMean: 2.7 hrs≥1hr: 75%
Twelve years after Senior Inspector Jeon Gyeong's retirement, she is visited by a young police officer: a woman who pleads with her to reexamine Seowon's case. But with each uncovered memory, only one thing becomes clear: everyone in Seowon's vicinity was lying.
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.8%, Text-Based 16.2%, Detective 14.5%, Point & Click 10.9%, Pixel Graphics 9.8%
Why You'll Like It: Focuses heavily on the investigative process of piecing together fragmented memories and secrets, much like the case-solving in the seed game.
- #5 Raging Loop
95% 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 31.1%, Psychological Horror 18.3%, Mystery 17.7%, Detective 11.7%, Story Rich 8.7%
Why You'll Like It: A masterclass in psychological mystery and supernatural horror that keeps the player guessing through branching narrative paths.
- #6 WORLD OF HORROR
94% matchVery Positive90% of 9,764 reviews2023
Dev: panstaszPub: Ysbryd Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 2.5 hrsMean: 7.8 hrs≥1hr: 71%
Experience the quiet terror of this 1-bit love letter to Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft. Navigate a hellish roguelite reality with turn-based combat and unforgiving choices. Experiment with your deck of event cards to discover new forms of cosmic horror in every playthrough. The inevitable awaits...
Why similar: Psychological Horror 23.6%, Horror 18%, Mystery 14%, Pixel Graphics 13.8%, Point & Click 13.5%
Why You'll Like It: It perfectly captures the cosmic horror and urban legend aesthetic through a distinct, retro-inspired visual style.
- #7 AI: The Somnium Files
93% matchVery Positive92% of 9,207 reviews2019
Dev: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 4.6 hrsMean: 15.0 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: Visual Novel 25.8%, Detective 21.3%, Mystery 18%, Story Rich 10.3%, Anime 7%
Why You'll Like It: Offers a deep, surreal investigative experience that blends detective work with psychological and supernatural elements.
- #8 The House in Fata Morgana
92% matchVery Positive95% of 6,235 reviews2016
Dev: NOVECTPub: MangaGamer
Windows
Median: 6.5 hrsMean: 27.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
A gothic suspense tale set in a cursed mansion. "The House in Fata Morgana" is a full-length visual novel spanning nearly a millennium that deals in tragedy, human nature, and insanity.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.1%, Psychological Horror 18.3%, Mystery 16.6%, Story Rich 10.3%, Horror 9.4%
Why You'll Like It: A gothic, psychological horror visual novel that excels at building a haunting atmosphere and uncovering layers of mystery.
- #9 Who's Lila?
91% 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: Detective 18%, Psychological Horror 17.6%, Visual Novel 17.5%, Point & Click 10.1%, Horror 10%
Why You'll Like It: A unique psychological horror game that relies on manual facial expression control to uncover dark mysteries.
- #10 Ib
90% 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 21.2%, Pixel Graphics 13.8%, Horror 13.2%, Story Rich 12.3%, Exploration 10.6%
Why You'll Like It: A classic pixel-art horror exploration game that relies on atmosphere and environmental storytelling to build dread.
- #11 Spirit Hunter: NG
91% matchVery Positive90% of 282 reviews2019
Dev: EXPERIENCEPub: Aksys Games
Windows
Median: 5.3 hrsMean: 20.4 hrs≥1hr: 73%
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 51%, Horror 24.8%, Adventure 19.2%, Anime 5.1%
Why You'll Like It: As a successor to Death Mark, it continues the focus on occult investigations and interacting with terrifying supernatural entities.
- #12 Your Turn To Die -Death Game By Majority-
89% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 4,059 reviews2023
Dev: NankidaiPub: 0UP GAMES
Windows
Median: 6.4 hrsMean: 13.8 hrs≥1hr: 81%
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: Psychological Horror 18.9%, Mystery 18.5%, Point & Click 12.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.8%, Pixel Graphics 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: Features high-stakes mystery and intense character-driven storytelling within a supernatural, life-or-death scenario.
- #13 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 21.7%, Pixel Graphics 13%, Mystery 10.5%, Supernatural 10.4%, Story Rich 9.6%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric pixel-art horror game that emphasizes exploration and uncovering secrets in a surreal, unsettling world.
- #14 Return to Shironagasu Island
89% matchVery Positive94% of 4,067 reviews2020
Dev: HYOGO ONIMUSHIPub: TABINOMICHI
Windows
Median: 5.6 hrsMean: 14.1 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 25.3%, Mystery 17.4%, Detective 11.1%, Psychological Horror 10.7%, Horror 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: A mystery adventure game that features a strong supernatural edge and a focus on investigating a secluded, dangerous location.
- #15 Staffer Case: A Supernatural Mystery Adventure
87% matchVery Positive94% of 4,035 reviews2023
Dev: Team Tetrapod
Windows · Mac
Median: 7.5 hrsMean: 8.7 hrs≥1hr: 91%
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 23.7%, Visual Novel 18.1%, Text-Based 16.4%, Mystery 15.7%, Story Rich 9.1%
Why You'll Like It: Directly mirrors the supernatural detective gameplay, tasking players with solving cases involving paranormal abilities.
- #16 Little Goody Two Shoes
86% 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: Mystery 21.2%, Horror 19.7%, Exploration 13.5%, Adventure 10.3%, Story Rich 10%
Why You'll Like It: An atmospheric horror game that blends folklore, mystery, and a distinct visual style to create a sense of unease.
- #17 The Silver Case
86% matchVery Positive89% of 1,129 reviews2016
Dev: GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 8.6 hrs≥1hr: 85%
The Silver Case – the debut title from world-renowned developer SUDA51 has been fully remastered and localized to English for the first time ever!
Why similar: Visual Novel 15%, Detective 13.9%, Text-Based 13.8%, Mystery 12.6%, Psychological Horror 10.3%
Why You'll Like It: A surreal, noir-inspired mystery game that shares a similar investigative vibe and focus on uncovering dark, bureaucratic secrets.
- #18 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
85% matchVery Positive93% of 7,129 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 27.1%, Mystery 17.7%, Psychological Horror 15.6%, Story Rich 11.3%, Detective 6.2%
Why You'll Like It: A complex, puzzle-heavy mystery series that deals with supernatural phenomena and high-stakes psychological tension.
- #19 Pocket Mirror ~ GoldenerTraum
83% matchVery Positive93% of 1,656 reviews2023
Dev: AstralShiftPub: KOMODO
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.1 hrsMean: 6.4 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Delve into the enthralling world of Pocket Mirror ~ GoldenerTraum, the acclaimed RPG Maker gothic horror game that'll take you on a moving journey of self-discovery.
Why similar: Horror 25%, Pixel Graphics 17.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 12.5%, Exploration 12.2%, Anime 9.2%
Why You'll Like It: A surreal horror exploration game with a heavy emphasis on mystery and uncovering the protagonist's past.
- #20 The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass
84% matchVery Positive87% of 288 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: Visual Novel 18.9%, Detective 18.1%, Mystery 16.2%, Supernatural 14.9%, Text-Based 11%
Why You'll Like It: A deeply layered mystery visual novel that rewards players for paying close attention to narrative details.
- #21 GNOSIA
82% matchVery Positive94% of 4,865 reviews2022
Dev: Petit DepottoPub: PLAYISM
Windows
Median: 7.3 hrsMean: 15.4 hrs≥1hr: 90%
The Gnosia lie. Pretending to be human, they’ll get in close, trick and deceive, and then eliminate one victim at a time...
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.1%, Psychological Horror 18.1%, Mystery 16.7%, Detective 15.9%, Story Rich 10.4%
Why You'll Like It: A sci-fi mystery game that uses social deduction and supernatural elements to create a tense, replayable experience.
- #22 BAD END THEATER
82% 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: Visual Novel 36.2%, Pixel Graphics 17.1%, Story Rich 16.5%, Choose Your Own Adventure 12.5%, Choices Matter 7.1%
Why You'll Like It: Explores multiple tragic outcomes in a dark, supernatural setting, encouraging players to experiment with different choices.
- #23 Corpse Party
84% 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 21.3%, Visual Novel 20.5%, Anime 9.5%, Pixel Graphics 8.5%
Why You'll Like It: The quintessential urban legend horror game that focuses on supernatural survival and uncovering the truth behind a cursed location.
- #24 PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive95% of 2,186 reviews2026
Dev: Square Enix
Windows
Median: 13.8 hrsMean: 15.1 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 20%, Supernatural 15.5%, Mystery 15.2%, Horror 8.5%, Point & Click 8.3%
- #25 MAMIYA
81% matchVery Positive92% of 473 reviews2021
Dev: Kenkou LandPub: Fruitbat Factory
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.7 hrsMean: 11.8 hrs≥1hr: 87%
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 25.2%, Psychological Horror 23.5%, Mystery 12.7%, Story Rich 10.9%, Horror 9.3%
Why You'll Like It: A psychological horror visual novel that delves into the minds of its characters to uncover unsettling truths.
- #26 Higurashi When They Cry Hou+
81% matchVery Positive88% of 170 reviews2023
Dev: 07th ExpansionPub: MangaGamer
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.2 hrsMean: 5.5 hrs≥1hr: 65%
The tragedy of Hinamizawa is over. Those held captive within its grip are free from the fate that bound them to June 1983. Yet the tale of Hinamizawa is not truly complete. There are many worlds not yet explored.
Why similar: Visual Novel 41.5%, Anime 11.5%, Adventure 11.3%, Psychological Horror 10.6%, Mystery 7.6%
Why You'll Like It: A classic psychological mystery involving rural legends and horror that heavily influences the genre.
- #27 Fatal Twelve
80% matchVery Positive92% of 1,003 reviews2018
Dev: LYCORISPub: Sekai Project
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 7.7 hrsMean: 12.4 hrs≥1hr: 86%
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 40.3%, Mystery 20.6%, Story Rich 14.8%, Anime 8.9%, Adventure 5.9%
Why You'll Like It: A supernatural mystery involving a battle for survival that shares the high-stakes narrative focus of the seed game.
- #28 The Occult Detective
78% matchMostly Positive71% of 326 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: Visual Novel 24.3%, Detective 20.9%, Mystery 14.1%, Story Rich 12.1%, Exploration 7.5%
- #29 Detective Grimoire
79% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,355 reviews2014
Dev: SFB Games
Windows
Median: 3.1 hrsMean: 4.4 hrs≥1hr: 92%
Detective Grimoire has been called to investigate a murder. The owner of a small tourist attraction, seemingly killed by the mythical creature his attraction is based around... Explore the area, inspect the crime scene, grill suspects, solve puzzles, hunt for clues & uncover the secret of the swamp!
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.3%, Detective 20.3%, Mystery 12.1%, Point & Click 11.8%, Exploration 9.9%
Why You'll Like It: An engaging mystery investigation game that focuses on interviewing suspects and piecing together clues.
- #30 DIGITAL EXORCIST case_(0);
78% matchVery Positive94% of 162 reviews2023
Dev: COOL BEANS PRODUCTIONSPub: HYPER REAL
Windows
Step into a dark world where cyberdemons haunt humankind. When mutilated bodies start appearing all over this sleepy town in the Mississippi inaka, Sawyer, ex-AGENCY operative; now unemployed shut-in, must exorcise the demon perpetrator in this story-rich, PC-98 style adventure game.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.6%, Detective 19.3%, Point & Click 10.2%, Story Rich 9.7%, Horror 7.9%
- #31 Graces: Posthumous Wish
76% matchVery Positive97% of 191 reviews2024
Dev: TomoToro
Windows
Aki is haunted by a curse. In search of salvation, she travels into the memories of a dead classmate, where she must witness three eerie mystical stories and figure out how to break the shackles of misfortune.
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.7%, Psychological Horror 14.6%, Supernatural 14.5%, Detective 14%, Mystery 11%
- #32 The Shell Part I: Inferno
77% matchVery Positive91% of 1,368 reviews2023
Dev: Innocent GreyPub: Shiravune
Windows
Median: 10.9 hrsMean: 114.3 hrs≥1hr: 70%
Unravel a string of gruesome murders terrorizing Tokyo in this mystery-thriller visual novel. The secrets of a case from six years prior may just be the key to the current unending cycle of tragedy—and the thing that cracks this woeful world’s shell may be one girl’s smile.
Why similar: Visual Novel 21.3%, Detective 18.5%, Psychological Horror 15.9%, Mystery 15.2%, Text-Based 8.5%
- #33 Cursed Mansion
77% matchVery Positive90% of 68 reviews2023
Dev: Dragon Emperors
Windows
Rose must escape the Cursed Mansion - a demonic space that preys and feeds on fear and despair. In this horror RPG you'll solve puzzles and learn the mansion’s history. Mystery, malignant spirits, and misery everywhere. Cursed Mansion brings an eerie atmosphere which leaves one with goosebumps.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 16.4%, Supernatural 14.9%, Mystery 14%, Horror 10.1%, Pixel Graphics 9.3%
- #34 Decollate Decoration
74% matchVery Positive93% of 314 reviews2026
Dev: KANEKODOPub: KEMCO
Windows
This is a point-and-click, command-selection style adventure game where the protagonist is a girl who has become a ghost. The objective is to fulfill her desires by speaking to her beloved "him" causing poltergeists, visiting in dreams, or even cursing.
Why similar: Visual Novel 25.6%, Horror 15.1%, Pixel Graphics 14.5%, Point & Click 12.1%, Mystery 10.1%
- #35 Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo
76% matchMostly Positive79% of 136 reviews2025
Dev: DankHeartsPub: WhisperGames
Windows
Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo is a multi-ending mystery adventure game. A group of boys and girls who have lost their memories gather in a “Tokyo” that is both familiar and unfamiliar. They must trace their lost memories to escape the bizarre labyrinths. Are they prepared to confront their “true selves”?
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.5%, Detective 17.3%, Mystery 10.3%, Psychological Horror 10.2%, Story Rich 8.3%
- #36 Myths of Rules
75% matchVery Positive88% of 1,032 reviews2023
Dev: Sugarcane Games
Windows · Mac
Median: 1.1 hrsMean: 2.8 hrs≥1hr: 53%
This is a text-based adventure puzzle game, where you must struggle to survive in a world filled with ghosts and urban legends. While collecting clues, you'll uncover the truth behind the world and find the way out. The game features a wealth of levels, unconventional rules, and a touch of horror.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 33.2%, Exploration 15%, Story Rich 13.5%, Text-Based 12.6%, Horror 11.3%
- #37 Midnight Syndrome
73% matchVery Positive99% of 93 reviews2024
Dev: ナツミカン
Windows
A summer night consumes the girls... Exploration type horror ADV game
Why similar: Visual Novel 19.7%, Mystery 10.5%, Horror 10.1%, Point & Click 10%, Exploration 8.9%
- #38 Hazy Mind
73% matchVery Positive86% of 331 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 23.6%, Psychological Horror 23.2%, Story Rich 10.1%, Text-Based 8.8%, Horror 7.6%
- #39 outside the door
72% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 619 reviews2024
Dev: basandaika games
Windows
Median: 2.0 hrsMean: 2.5 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 26.7%, Psychological Horror 20.7%, Pixel Graphics 12.5%, Mystery 11%, Text-Based 9.9%
- #40 Reaplaced
74% matchVery Positive91% of 55 reviews2023
Dev: Mystery Gamedev
Windows · Mac · Linux
A supernatural Halloween whodunnit. Solve a chilling locked-room mystery before the grim reaper reveals the answer!
Why similar: Detective 17.8%, Psychological Horror 15.9%, Visual Novel 14.8%, Mystery 13.1%, Supernatural 9.6%
- #41 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
71% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 8,077 reviews2023
Dev: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 6.6 hrsMean: 8.3 hrs≥1hr: 84%
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, the classic puzzle-solving mystery adventure directed by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi, is back! This long-awaited HD remaster features upgraded visuals and sound and new gallery content.
Why similar: Detective 23.4%, Mystery 22.3%, Visual Novel 13.7%, Story Rich 11.9%, Supernatural 9.2%
- #42 Subway Exorcist Girl
71% matchVery Positive83% of 307 reviews2025
Dev: 纤指游戏Pub: Delicate Fingers
Windows
A subway train plagued by strange occurrences. A part-time exorcist girl arrives to confront the supernatural chaos, with the unknown ahead.
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.5%, Detective 16.7%, Psychological Horror 15.3%, Mystery 14.1%, Horror 10.9%
- #43 Nightmare Zapping
72% 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 20.4%, Psychological Horror 13.7%, Mystery 11%, Pixel Graphics 10.4%, Horror 9.7%
- #44 Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
71% 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: Visual Novel 17.3%, Psychological Horror 16.5%, Mystery 15.3%, Point & Click 12.3%, Horror 8.1%
- #45 The Simen Rumors
70% matchVery Positive82% of 317 reviews2026
Dev: 羊之口
Windows
本游戏以视觉小说的形式，收录了十四个奇幻恐怖的短篇故事。从网站专栏的投稿、社团的恐怖故事分享会、到某座设施中的秘密实验……你将以不同的视角，探索发生在鸶门市周边的种种奇妙传闻。
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.4%, Detective 24.4%, Mystery 21.9%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.3%, Psychological Horror 3.7%
- #46 Seven Mysteries: The Last Page
75% 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: Psychological Horror 17.9%, Visual Novel 14.9%, Supernatural 11.1%, Mystery 10.5%, Horror 8.6%
- #47 The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
69% matchVery Positive88% of 8,394 reviews2025
Dev: Too Kyo GamesPub: Aniplex Inc.
Windows
Median: 41.4 hrsMean: 64.5 hrs≥1hr: 95%
Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi join forces for the first time to deliver the ULTIMATE adventure game! 15 students are tasked with defending a school from grotesque monsters for 100 days. Can they make it to the end? And will they survive long enough to uncover the truth?
Why similar: Visual Novel 33.4%, Psychological Horror 27.8%, Story Rich 16.1%, Anime 10.2%, Adventure 8.5%
- #48 Minds Beneath Us
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 5,730 reviews2024
Dev: BearBoneStudio
Windows
Median: 10.9 hrsMean: 12.8 hrs≥1hr: 82%
MINDS BENEATH US is an emotional sci-fi narrative game. Through the eyes of a humble individual, experience a mad world where humans are exploited as computing devices for AI. Listen to the concerns of those you meet and offer guidance. Together, face challenges and confront an uncertain destiny.
Why similar: Visual Novel 24.8%, Psychological Horror 19.6%, Story Rich 12%, Choose Your Own Adventure 11.6%, Point & Click 11.2%
- #49 Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
68% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 4,457 reviews2024
Dev: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Windows
Median: 30.7 hrsMean: 34.5 hrs≥1hr: 86%
Miles Edgeworth's dramatic turnabouts take center stage! Experience both Ace Attorney Investigations games in one gorgeous collection! Investigate crime scenes and solve tough, intriguing cases through logic and deduction. When Edgeworth's past and present collide, his future begins!
Why similar: Visual Novel 18.9%, Detective 17.1%, Mystery 15.5%, Text-Based 12.3%, Story Rich 8%
- #50 Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary
68% matchVery Positive95% of 516 reviews2026
Dev: Laplacian
Windows
A mystery visual novel where horror meets occult comedy. Follow Kugayama Shiori, a ghost who casually dies over and over as she searches for her cause of death and the regrets that bind her to this world. Her investigation will eventually lead to a single incident—and the truth behind her demise.
Why similar: Visual Novel 28.6%, Text-Based 17.6%, Adventure 11.2%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.8%, Mystery 10.6%
- #51 Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue
70% matchOverwhelmingly Positive99% of 5,824 reviews2021
Dev: Leef 6010
Windows
Project Kat is a short, unconventional RPG horror game in which there is always another way. Solve puzzles, make friends (or not), and guide Kat as she attempts to uncover the mystery behind a strange golden letter.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 21.4%, Pixel Graphics 12.1%, Supernatural 11.9%, Mystery 10.9%, Story Rich 8.8%
- #52 Cthulhu Mythos ADV Lunatic Whispers
73% matchMostly Positive74% of 105 reviews2022
Dev: Gotcha Gotcha Games
Windows
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of the Cthulhu Mythos with this 2D visual novel game featuring a thrilling TRPG-based experience! Roll the dice and use your skills and luck to escape the abandoned hospital, while experiencing the cosmic terror.
Why similar: Visual Novel 16.3%, Psychological Horror 14.1%, Mystery 13.6%, Point & Click 8.2%, Horror 7.7%
- #53 Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition
70% 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 23.6%, Pixel Graphics 13.8%, Horror 12.8%, Story Rich 11.4%, Exploration 11.3%
- #54 Unavowed
69% matchOverwhelmingly Positive96% of 2,565 reviews2018
Dev: Wadjet Eye Games
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.5 hrsMean: 8.0 hrs≥1hr: 92%
A demon has possessed you and used your body to tear a swath of bloodshed through New York. You are now free, but life as you knew it is over. Your only path forward is joining the Unavowed - an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil. No matter what the cost.
Why similar: Point & Click 17.1%, Supernatural 16.5%, Detective 14.5%, Mystery 13.7%, Story Rich 10.5%
- #55 Yuki「清醒梦」
66% matchVery Positive98% of 352 reviews2025
Dev: visualmemoryunit_
Windows
Explore an abandoned school where memories linger longer than the living. Uncover the mystery of your best friend’s disappearance. Dodge bullets.
Why similar: Psychological Horror 25.2%, Visual Novel 21.5%, Mystery 18.1%, Story Rich 7.9%, Pixel Graphics 7.8%
- #56 The Murder Hotel
67% matchVery Positive95% of 64 reviews2025
Dev: Wegenbartho Games
Windows
Interrogate suspects, search for clues, & uncover a dastardly plot, as you solve a string of mystifying murders to help reluctant detective Ilmarinen escape the foreboding Fafnir Hotel.
Why similar: Visual Novel 20.2%, Detective 18.4%, Mystery 15.9%, Psychological Horror 13.1%, Text-Based 10.6%
- #57 Folie Fatale
67% matchVery Positive86% of 2,531 reviews2024
Dev: Kanmidoko (神海処)Pub: 346lab Localization
Windows · Mac
Median: 4.4 hrsMean: 5.4 hrs≥1hr: 87%
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 25%, Psychological Horror 22.4%, Mystery 15.3%, Choose Your Own Adventure 10.4%, Story Rich 6.3%
- #58 The Mildew Children
67% 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: Detective 17%, Visual Novel 16.4%, Psychological Horror 13.2%, Mystery 10.9%, Story Rich 8.5%
- #59 Z.A.T.O. // I Love the World and Everything In It
63% matchOverwhelmingly Positive98% of 9,436 reviews2025
Dev: Ferry // Nopanamaman
Windows · Mac · Linux
Median: 4.0 hrsMean: 6.1 hrs≥1hr: 75%
USSR, 1986. A girl goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, yet not a soul seems to be concerned. Uncover the mystery behind her disappearance and transmit your signal to the universe.
Why similar: Visual Novel 30.1%, Psychological Horror 18.9%, Mystery 18.7%, Text-Based 9.8%, Story Rich 6.9%
- #60 Until Then
64% matchOverwhelmingly Positive97% of 16,524 reviews2024
Dev: Polychroma GamesPub: Maximum Entertainment
Windows · Linux
Median: 7.5 hrsMean: 11.2 hrs≥1hr: 78%
A fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction, upending Mark's life. People disappear and memories prove unreliable. Uncover a hidden truth with Mark and his friends in this narrative adventure and race to unravel the mystery before it's too late.
Why similar: Visual Novel 36.7%, Pixel Graphics 18%, Mystery 15%, Story Rich 14.7%, 2D 6.3%
