Highlights

• Good detective games have a narrative mystery to solve, challenging but engaging puzzles, and an immersive atmosphere.
• The games we've listed below offer absorbing mysteries and satisfying outcomes for players of all sorts.
• Each game has unique elements that make it worth playing, from wacky adventures to deep narratives.

What makes a good detective game? A mystery that needs to be solved, a set of challenging but still enjoyable puzzles and objectives to be completed. In addition, the right atmosphere is essential. Whether set in a smoky lounge in the 1940s or a more modern city setting, you should feel like you're thoroughly immersed in the world the mystery takes place in.

There also needs to be a good detective with whom you can share a profound experience. The games listed here have all of these elements and more. So here are the best detective games!

Updated January 3, 2024 by Jouanna Bondakji: Detective games are a great way to get your brain working. There will almost always be a good number of puzzles that'll make you have to really think to solve them, and there are few things more satisfying than getting the answer to a mystery you've spent time with. We've updated the list with more quality detective games to immerse yourself in.

We've ranked the games on this list based on which mysteries are the most absorbing, as well as the overall satisfaction you get at the end of the game.

19 Sam & Max Hit The Road

• Release Date: 1993
• Platforms: PC

Sam & Max Hit the Road is an enjoyable point-and-click adventure game. This retro game draws from the 1989 comic characters Sam and Max, two freelance detectives who are a dog and a hyperactive rabbit. Players control Sam and Max as they investigate the disappearance of a Bigfoot from a carnival.

The duo travels around to different Americana-themed tourist sites searching for clues to find the elusive Bigfoot. It's wacky, and many of the puzzles have weird solutions, but it all fits the cartoon setting and makes for a more light-hearted detective game.

18 Hypnospace Outlaw

• Release Date: March 12, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work as an internet content monitor? Well, in Hypnospace Outlaw, you do just that. This game envelops you in the world of a fictional internet from the '90s that people enter through their sleep. Yes. It is just as trippy as it sounds.

However, while the setting is trippy, the gameplay feels familiar. Cases will have you scour various sections of this snooze network, searching for copyright infringements, depictions of illegal actions, unsavory financial transactions, and more. You'll likely get drawn in by the game's unique art style, which oozes pixelated nostalgia!

17 Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

• Release Date: September 30, 2014
• Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Of course, a list of the best detective games wouldn't be complete without a Sherlock Holmes mention! And one of the best modern Sherlock Holmes games is Crimes & Punishments. Inspired by the original stories, you guide Sherlock through six different cases.

Each case has a thrilling plot, from homicide to thefts to missing person cases. You can use Sherlock's fourteen investigation skills to find clues, deduce motives and interrogate suspects. And each case has multiple solutions and even more endings, with the choices you make affecting Sherlock's reputation and fate.

16 Professor Layton And The Unwound Future

• Release Date: November 27, 2008
• Platforms: Mobile, Nintendo DS

The Professor Layton series shows that not all detective games occur in dark and gritty settings. While Professor Layton's character isn't a detective, his prowess at solving puzzles makes him just as good. The central plot of the game series has him tasked with solving mysteries.

You interact with NPCs, find clues to help them solve puzzles, and learn more about the environment. Solving puzzles is the only way to progress through the game. Each game consists of various puzzle styles, like mazes, brainteasers, and more. Unwound Future deals with shenanigans involving the past, present, and future, adding even more layers of mystery to the story.

15 Chinatown Detective Agency

• Release Date: 2021
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

If dystopian crime-stopping is more your speed, you'll love Chinatown Detective Agency. This heart-racing crime drama follows P.I. Amira Darma as she travels the world following a trail of a deep-rooted conspiracy.

The standout feature of CDA is its emphasis on outside research to solve puzzles. For instance, the game requires you to search for various trivia on the internet to make informed decisions. Some gamers may even recognize influence from the Carmen Sandiego PC games of yore, from CDA's gameplay to its pixelated art style.

14 AI: The Somnium Files

• Release Date: July 25, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

We addressed an internet dreamscape with Hypnospace Outlaw, but what about adventuring in actual dreams? In AI: The Somnium Files, you take on the role of Kaname Date and his AI partner as they investigate the subconsciouses of different people for answers to a grisly murder.

The game draws from the talents of the same minds behind the Zero Escape series. In turn, it features branching storylines based on decisions made in-game. Furthermore, the somnium sequences explore bizarre worlds where answers lie in metaphors, and every action is time-specific. This gameplay creates a challenging and rewarding experience.

13 L.A. Noire

• Release Date: May 17, 2011
• Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch

L.A. Noire gives you the whole experience of being in a Hollywood crime drama. Set in Los Angeles in the late '40s, you control Cole Phelps as he solves cases and rises through the ranks of the LAPD. You get locations to search for clues and suspects to interrogate.

When interrogating characters, you can choose the option "truth/doubt/lie" (changed to good cop/bad cop/accuse in the remastered version) in response to suspects' answers. You receive a musical cue in-game telling you if you made the right choice. Suspects get harder to read as you go on, so you have to really put your body language reading skills to the test.

12 Kathy Rain

• Release Date: May 5, 2016
• Platforms: PC, mobile, Nintendo Switch

Kathy Rain is a newer addition to the classic point-and-click adventure game, which shows the genre is still alive. You follow Kathy Rain, a journalism major in the '90s. Kathy returns to her hometown after her grandfather passes and stays to investigate the mysterious nature of his death.

The game has a rich story, enjoyable puzzles, and several exciting and compelling characters. Kathy is one of the most likeable, making you want to help her get to the bottom of the mysteries, and you'll discover more about her troubled past as you uncover the mysteries surrounding Conwell Springs.

11 The Council

• Release Date: March 13, 2018
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4

If you're a fan of visual novels or games with branching endings, such as TellTale Games' catalog, you will enjoy The Council. This monumental adventure puts you in the shoes of occultist Louis de Richet as he travels to a private island searching for his mother, Sarah.

If you're a history buff, you will get a kick out of the bizarre, almost fanfiction story featuring the likes of George Washington, Napoléon Bonaparte, and Johan Von Wöllner, to name a few. Additionally, the game adds a unique feature to the genre, with skills that affect Louis's dialogue options in conversation. Top these traits off with a rabbit hole of bizarre secrets, including daemons, and this game becomes a must-play.

10 The Wolf Among Us

• Release Date: October 11, 2013
• Platforms: PC, mobile, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PS Vita

The Wolf Among Us mixes fairy tales and fables with the dark and grittiness of crime dramas. Based on the Fables comic book series, The Wolf Among Us takes place in a community called Fabletown, inhabited by many characters depicted in folklore and fairytales.

You control the sheriff of Fabletown, Bigby, who was formerly the Big Bad Wolf, as he investigates a homicide. You can find critical objects to the story and interact with NPCs. Dialogue choices can have positive or negative effects on how Bigby is perceived and influence the route of the game.

9 Danganronpa Decadence

• Release Date: December 3, 2021
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

For most, high school was a nightmare, but it's a living nightmare for the characters in the Danganronpa series. Danganronpa Decadence contains the three main games. In them, different sets of students get forced into playing a cruel game created by a remote-controlled bear called Monokuma. To escape their fate, they have to take the lives of their classmates without getting caught.

The gameplay gets split into two styles. The first is "School Life," where the game is like a visual novel and you get to know the other students more. The second is "Class Trial," where you have to deduce the truth, suss out contradictions in stories and find clues to find the true culprit and stay alive.

8 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

• Release Date: July 27, 2021
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS

Objection! The Ace Attorney game series is too good to ignore. This series has run strong since 2001, chronicling the adventures of various lawyers, like Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice, as they gather evidence to exonerate innocent clients of heinous crimes.

The newest installation in the series, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, is a (two-game) prequel set in Victorian-era Japan and England. Various publications praised this arch, citing its funny writing, memorable characters, brain-teasing gameplay, and brilliant story-telling.

7 Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Release Date: August 25, 2009
• Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch

While Batman is a superhero, he's also Gotham City's greatest detective. In Arkham Asylum, you take control of Batman as he faces the Joker in his plot to take over Arkham Asylum and trap Batman inside as he wreaks havoc throughout Gotham.

You use Batman's stealth, combat skills, and gadgets to aid him in missions. The game even has a Detective Mode that turns the screen blue and highlights things of interest, like interactive objects, enemy status, and more. Detective Mode's findings can help solve puzzles and find clues.

6 Judgment

• Release Date: December 13, 2018
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5

You're probably used to detective games having little to no combat in order to put more focus on the narrative. Judgment does things a little differently, though. Being a spinoff of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon games, it's got similar action-adventure gameplay and plenty of fighting. But that's what makes it so good: the balance of battling and engaging in the mystery the protagonist is investigating.

You play as Yagami, a detective investigating a series of murders in the sinful city of Kamurocho. You have to gather information in both conventional and not-so-conventional ways, piece the puzzles together, and beat up those who stand in your way. The cinematic gameplay is super satisfying, and the game's story will have you racking your brain trying to solve the mystery.

5 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter

• Release Date: September 25, 2014
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person horror game that puts your deductive reasoning and investigation skills to the test. You play as Paul Prospero, a detective specializing in the occult.

A letter from a boy named Ethan Carter sends him to Red Creek Valley, Ethan's home, and the sight of more than one homicide catches his attention. What's unique about this mystery is that you can use Paul's ability to communicate with the dead to find clues and figure out the dark secret of Red Creek Valley and the fate of Ethan.

4 Her Story

• Release Date: June 23, 1995
• Platforms: PC, mobile

Her Story is an intriguing and unique take on detective games. You'll feel like you genuinely are a detective working on a case as the game's visuals look like an old desktop at a police station.

You are tasked with solving the fictional case of a missing man by searching through a database of police interviews. The interviews focus on the missing person's wife. You have to use their deductive reasoning to piece the timeline together and determine if she's innocent or responsible for his disappearance.

3 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials And Tribulations

• Release Date: January 23, 2004
• Platforms: PC, mobile, Nintendo DS, Wii, Game Boy Advance

Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is an amazing spinoff, and more than a few of the classic Phoenix Wright games are fantastic. But none among them can compare to the third mainline entry, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations. We've already addressed what makes the franchise great in our Great Ace write-up, but amplify it all to the max here, with amazing cases, terrific characterization including an excellent villain, and more.

Don't start your journey with this game, though. Play the first and second titles beforehand. You'll get way more out of this classic game that way, and you'll appreciate what it does better even more.

2 Hotel Dusk: Room 215

• Release Date: January 22, 2007
• Platforms: Nintendo DS

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is one of those games that will probably stand the test of time forever. You have to hold your DS as a book when playing this game, and taking notes on it adds to the detective feel. You follow Kyle Hyde, a former detective in search of his former partner. He stays at Hotel Dusk, but soon discovers that the hotel and its guests are holding many secrets.

You get to question the quirky guests and staff at the hotel, all of whom have standout personalities (including Hyde himself), as well as solve various puzzles and sneak around to get to the bottom of smaller mysteries that connect to the big one. The black-and-white sketch-like art for the characters still looks awesome, the game's writing characterizes everyone very well, and Hotel Dusk's main mystery easily grips you.

1 Disco Elysium

• Release Date: October 15, 2019
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

If you like detective games, you've probably heard of beloved indie game Disco Elysium. What makes this games particularly interesting is that it incorporates personality builds and dice rolls into its gameplay. You can fail or succeed at many things depending on how you've built the protagonist, such as deductions and spotting lies, but also basic empathy and logic.

That, as well as your choices, can make you the best or absolute worst cop and person in Revachol and Jamrock. The murder mystery is compelling, the dialogue is witty and self-aware, and the art style is incredibly unique. Plus, you get a bunch of side stuff you can do, some of which unexpectedly ends up connecting to the main story. Disco Elysium is a game you won't forget about anytime soon after playing.