The Best Mystery Games of All Time (and Why the Genre’s a Hall of Famer)

Why Detective Video Games Work So Well

When you play a video game, you’re seeking information. You click to examine an item, pan to explore a space, and scroll through collected artifacts, conversation quotes, and discoveries. The act of playing is one of inquiring, and that’s why I think the detective/mystery genre is one of the greatest gaming inventions of all time. The process of seeking, gathering, and deciding aligns perfectly with the experience of finding the answer, the solution, the secret to a mystery. 

These games tend to be single-player, but the style lends itself well to group sessions with a partner or friends. When you play a mystery game, you usually don’t need to fight for the controls to have fun; instead, a collective mental space emerges where part of the delight is debating suspects, gasping at the same realization, and clapping at the ultimate reveal. These moments opt for careful contemplation over quick reactions, allowing players to discuss what they want to do next together, as a team. 

Some of my earliest gaming memories are from detective games (see Nancy Drew below!), and it’s a niche genre I’ve pursued relentlessly since then. Some games are straight up mysteries, and others combine action or puzzle, all varying from rated E for Everyone to M for Mature. There’s something wroth solving for everyone! So, I am pleased to share my (updated*) list of the best detective video games of all time!

– Amanda Tien, Editor and Mystery-Game-Lover

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The Best Mystery and Detective Video Games Of All Time

Games are listed in alphabetical order below. Click on a game to jump ahead!

• Ace Attorney Series (2001 – present)
• Aviary Attorney (2015)
• Best Served Cold (2025)
• The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)
• Disco Elysium (2019)
• Firewatch (2016)
• The Forgotten City (2021)
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2010)
• Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007)
• The Nancy Drew Series (1998 – present)
• Overboard! (2021)
• Paradise Killer (2020)
• Pentiment (2022)
• Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)
• The Séance of Blake Manor (2025)
• Tangle Tower (2019)
• The Wolf Among Us (2013)

I’ve also recommended my favorite mystery board games and some additional Honorable Mentions at the end.

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Ace Attorney Series, also known as Phoenix Wright (2001 – present)

Phenomenal. Influential. Legendary. Is this an overzealous commendation of Ace Attorney? I personally do not think so. 

Capcom debuted Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in Japan in 2001, though it didn’t make his way to North America until 2005 on the Nintendo DS. The train of spiky haired lawyers defending the wrongfully accused hasn’t stopped since. The title character’s catch-phrase, “Objection!” even has its own meme. For much of the series, you play as underdog lawyer Phoenix Wright as he investigates crime scenes and dukes it out in the courtroom. The differing gameplay modes are refreshing as you unpack the secrets of each case and its suspects, fighting for justice. And just when you think that’s getting boring, there’s an element of the fantastic and magic to spice it up. 

Despite all the surprising twists and turns of the cases, the power of this series is its heart. The characters are earnest and complicated, providing an authenticity not often found in games. And don’t be discouraged by the sometimes overly well-endowed women in the game; female characters are often portrayed with nuance and thoughtfulness. Suspects, villains, and friends are all written with at least one element that feels deeply real and worth rooting for.

The Ace Attorney series features 11 games in total, including spin-offs as a prosecutor. I’ve played them all. I recommend starting with the original Ace Attorney Trilogy, currently a steal as a combo package. The following entries get sillier — think shape-shifting mystics and talking robot-necklaces that can analyze feelings — but they’re still fun for loyal fans, even Phoenix sadly retires. The series picks up with strength again in 2021’s Sherlock Holmes-inspired Victorian-era spin-off featuring one of Phoenix’s ancestors, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (which I thought had amazing music). 

These games are modern classics for a reason.

Start with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2001) which is available standalone or as part of the Ace Attorney Trilogy:

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS (iPhone/iPad). Legacy platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii.
MRSP: $29.99 as the trilogy, or free to start on iOS
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: Approximately 15-20 hours per game

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Aviary Attorney (2015)

If you like Phoenix Wright and also 1700s Napoleonic France and old timey bird art, follow up on the above with Aviary Attorney, a clear homage (in name and in blend of courtroom and detective action) to Ace Attorney. 

That’s not to say it’s a copycat. Aviary Attorney is a brilliant crowd-funded use of public domain art, humorous writing, and devastating multiple endings. I had to replay it at least a few times to catch the bad guys! It’s an impressive amount of work by just a few people, though the development team of Sketchy Logic has sadly disbanded. It’s a worthwhile weekend binge, especially on the Switch.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 4 – 8 hours

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Best Served Cold (2025)

Ah, yes, there’s nothing quite like having a delicious cocktai with a potential murderer.

Best Served Cold, an indie visual novel by Rogueside, mixes the cozy service elements of a game like Coffee Talk with solving crimes. You play as a bartender at a speakeasy in an alternate version of a 1920s eastern European country. Through reasons that are established quickly in game, you are enlisted to to help a detective find the right suspect by serving up their favorite drinks and casually asking questions. A few games have tried to do this (see Honorable Mentions for one), but this one does it best.

I think why Best Served Cold works best is that it doesn’t focus on the cocktail making aspect, which I think is the temptation. Instead, Rogueside invests a lot of time and energy into making interesting characters with worthwhile backstories that will make you eager to keep coming back to the bar to help them and even save their lives. It was one of my favorite Indie Games of 2025!

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
MRSP: $17.99
ESRB Rating: Not officially rated, but likely somewhere between T for Teen (13+) and M for Mature (17+)
How Long to Beat: 10 – 13 hours

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The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

The Case of the Golden Idol is truly the ugliest video game I’ve ever played. I think that’s part of this indie game’s charm, however, as you view scenes with zero context and try to piece together who’s who and what’s happening. The featured gameplay here is logic. There’s no brute forcing your way through this one, just cold, hard thinking. You’ll follow a decades-long conspiracy with satisfying “a-ha!” moments and gasp-out-loud-worthy twists. 

It’s worth noting that, on the Nintendo Switch, The Case of the Golden Idol has a save-breaking bug that is heinous. You can’t exit the game or you won’t be able to finish it. Update: A fix has finally been released, years later, by downloading The Complete Edition or the free “The Rise” DLC!

Still, it’s a great game. Congrats to developer Color Gray who won the BAFTA for Best Debut Game!

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android
MRSP: $17.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 6 – 8 hours

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Disco Elysium (2019)

In 2019, indie studio ZA/UM launched its first game, Disco Elysium, a weird depressing detective point-and-click game. It then won dozens of awards, and after having finally played it this November, I can see it was for good reason. I picked its complete edition, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, as my 2021 Game of the Year. 

At the beginning of this game’s steampunk world, a man wakes up in a dingy hotel with no memory of who he is or what has happened. Players soon learn the amnesiac man is an alcoholic cop who has purposefully drank himself out of his mind because he is so depressed while on a murder case investigation in a bad, unloved city district. If that sentence bummed you out, then good, because so will the rest of this beautiful game.

There is incredible voice acting, hand-painted sets, and heart-wrenching quests. Inspired by D&D-type skill checks, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut allows you to customize your detective with different strange characteristics and skills that can shape not only your journey to solve the case, but your own life to date and where it goes from here.

Note that there is a big content warning on this game for pretty much every bad thing you can think of. Not for the faint of heart/mind, young of age, or folks of polite sensibilities. Sadly, the darkness of the in-game world spread has spread to the team — the success of Disco Elysium tore apart the studio of ZA/UM. While it may be the only game that original team ever makes, at least it was an incredible one.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch (supposedly a rough port), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android
MRSP: $39.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+
How Long to Beat: Approximately 25 – 40 hours

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Firewatch (2016)

Firewatch has a mesmerizing aesthetic. You play a 1980s fire ranger who stumbles upon something peculiar happening in his park. Developers Campo Santo were especially delightful in its design, eschewing a traditional mini-map in favor of an in-game paper map you pull out of your pocket. (Some people even printed it out, literally!) Traverse a lovingly rendered state park to fix minor issues, talk over the radio to another ranger, and uncover the secrets hidden in the park. 

Shortly after its release in 2016, my partner and I played Firewatch together, hunched over my laptop, in a depressing grad school apartment during the midst of a difficult year of long distance. But together, we felt we had traversed the forest and solved a mystery together. Even if the ending was a little bit of a letdown, the adventure was well worth the journey.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+ (though I’d argue it’s more of a T for Teen)
How Long to Beat: 4 – 5 hours

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The Forgotten City (2021)

I’m incredibly impressed with The Forgotten City, a game that started as a fan-made mod for Skyrim and grew into a time-loop mystery game worthy of its own attention.

You play as a person from today’s world who gets trapped in a secret, ancient Roman city. This city abides by the Golden Rule: If any of its ~20 inhabitants commit a sin, all will be turned into golden statues for the rest of time. You’re told someone is going to break that rule today, and it’s up to you to figure out who, how, and why.

The game is a delightful mix of sleuthing (suspect investigation, searching for clues, etc.) and action, all wrapped up in the time-loop mechanic. Most mystery games don’t have a lot of action, but this one is full of dynamism and even some optional combat. Notably, your items carry over upon a failed run, meaning you can steal a secret letter, activate the Golden Rule, then loop back to the beginning of the day afresh with the evidence in pocket. I came to deeply care about some of the citizens, especially the friendly farmer who greets you every time you re-enter the city. I, more than once, literally shouted, “My guy!” when I emerged to see Galerius there.

The Forgotten City rewards your investment and time, thoughtfully revealing new opportunities to interact with the environment and townspeople as the player deepens their understanding of the overarching plot. So rarely have I been satisfied with a game’s ending, and this is one of best I’ve experienced, mystery game or not.

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch (Cloud version only), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
MRSP: $24.99 – $29.99 depending on platform; included on Game Pass
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 4 – 5 hours

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Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2010)

Best for anyone who likes puzzles, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a surprisingly alive game about a criminal low-life who becomes a ghost and has the chance to solve his own murder.

Sissel’s able to inhabit inanimate objects, talk to animals and other ghosts, and rewind time within certain intervals to uncover clues in the mystery. A ticking clock provides a sense of urgency and helps propel the story forward, while the game’s Rube Goldberg-inspired puzzles get increasingly more difficult the further you progress. 

If that’s not enough to entice, Capcom’s Ghost Trick has the same director (the great Shu Takumi) and visual/sound designers as the Ace Attorney series. So even though the gameplay is wildly different, it’ll be a familiar joy to explore. Plus, there’s a cute dog named Missile that can see you as a ghost. I mean, how great is that?

Ghost Trick was originally release on the Nintendo DS in 2010, but has since been ported to modern platforms.

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android. Legacy platform: Nintendo DS.
MRSP: $29.99; free to start on iOS
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 10 – 13 hours

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Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007)

I remember getting stuck in Hotel Dusk: Room 215 when I was about a teenager and giving up on it. Fast forward over a decade later, and I joined The Punished Backlog only to learn that it’s one of founder David Silbert’s favorite games. He encouraged me to give it another shot. I dusted off my Nintendo DS and this cartridge during the pandemic, and wow — I’m so glad I had an excuse to binge this 2007 gem. 

Hotel Dusk takes full advantage of the DS’s dual-screen feature, and is played on its side so it’s literally like a book. The protagonist, Kyle Hyde, is stuck overnight at a hotel in the middle of the desert and uncovers a massive mystery of theft, deceit, and love. Furthermore, the sketched art style and detective savvy music are memorable set-pieces.

Developer Cing is sadly defunct, but the game’s journey is so satisfying that I’d recommend unboxing your old DS, scoping the Amazon/eBay/GameStop used bins, or finding an emulator ASAP. 

Update: In July 2025, David got to memorialize his love even further! He wrote a new piece in Unwinnable Magazine about this game, “The Softboiled Allure of Kyle Hyde.”

Platforms: Nintendo DS
MRSP: Sadly no longer widely available. The going rate on eBay and Amazon for Hotel Dusk ranges anywhere from $15 to $40+. 
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 10 – 20 hours

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Murder by Numbers

Fellow mystery lover David Silbert shared in 2020, “I love Murder by Numbers. Not just because it’s a detective game, or because it features a bopping soundtrack from Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick composer Masakazu Sugimori — but I love it because it puts a Black woman in the driver’s seat, while bucking almost all stereotypical trends. You play as Honor Mizrahi, an American actor who must put her fictitious detective skills to real-world use to discover the truth behind a series of murders. Aiding her is an exuberant robot, named Scout, who has lost his memory.”

After reading David’s hype, I tried it myself. The game is heavily driven by picross puzzles (which are a mix of logic puzzles with paint-by-numbers), which wasn’t for me. I’m not a big puzzle person. However, I loved the characters and music, and I can totally see why David is such a fan!

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
MRSP: $14.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: 20 – 30 hours

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The Nancy Drew Series (2001 – Present)

I struggled to know where to start for this blurb because it is one of the most treasured gaming experiences of my life, and I could write a whole essay about it. (Update: I did! It was the cover feature of January 2024’s issue of Unwinnable Monthly, check it out here.)

I was given Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower for a birthday gift as a child probably by someone who knew I was a burgeoning feminist gamer. Because it was rated Teen, my mom sat down to play it with me, and because my younger sister was my younger sister, she sat down to watch us. This game delighted and intrigued us, bringing us joy during stressful times. It started a multi-decade holiday tradition where the three of us would pick a game and play it over a long weekend or series of weeks.

The Nancy Drew games are smart, just like their heroine. It’s necessary to take suspect interviews seriously, the wrong angle potentially shutting someone down. Clues and puzzles abound, including local games such as Scopa when Nancy goes to Italy. The voice acting is spectacular enough to make up for the somewhat robotic human models. It’s especially impressive considering these games were made by one small studio, Her Interactive, staffed largely by the same team for decades. (The journey of these games is chronicled here in this great longform piece at Kotaku by Elizabeth Ballou). 

The Nancy Drew games are made with such love and care. I’ve played every game in the series, and some are stronger than others (which I’ve recommended below; I’ve also indicated my top three favorites). Play in order if you can to marvel at the growth of their worlds and also to catch some inside jokes:

Best Nancy Drew Computer Games

• #4 Treasure in the Royal Tower – [In Amanda’s Top 3]
• #5 The Final Scene
• #7 Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
• #9 Danger on Deception Island
• #10 The Secret of Shadow Ranch
• #11 The Curse of Blackmoor Manor [In Amanda’s Top 3]
• #13 Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (featuring the Hardy Boys!)
• #17 Legend of the Crystal Skull
• #19 The Haunting of Castle Malloy
• #21 Warnings at Waverly Academy
• #24 The Captive Curse
• #26 Tomb Of The Lost Queen
• #27 The Deadly Device
• #28 Ghost Of Thornton Hall – [In Amanda’s Top 3]
• #29 The Silent Spy

Note: I do not recommend the handheld spinoffs — not the same! If you want one game to start with, try The Curse of Blackmoor Manor which I think is excellent.

Platforms: PC, though a few are also available on Mac
MRSP: $9.99 – $19.99 depending on store (including available directly from herinteractive.com)
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
How Long to Beat: About 8 – 10 hours per game

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Pentiment (2022)

Pentiment captured the hearts of all three writer-editors here at The Punished Backlog when it was released (it made my Best of 2022 list). We were all enamored of the illuminated illustration style (fonts!!!) and the game’s clever conversation mechanics. The branching storyline was enrapturing, following the trials and tribulations of a scribe in a small town during medieval times. It was especially exciting because it was such a different style for Obsidian, known more for making action RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds.

Sadly, Pentiment was super broken on Xbox One when I played it, leading to a game-breaking bug, rendering me unable to finish it. This led me to writing an argument that publishers should stop forcing new games to be backwards compatible if they can’t promise it’s functional. But, the story was so good that I ended up watching someone else play it on YouTube, which I never do.

For a stylish, thoughtful mystery that will surprise you in more ways than one, check out Pentiment … but perhaps not on the Xbox One.

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+
How Long to Beat: 15 – 20

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Overboard! (2021)

This one is a bit of a cheat — this is the best “reverse” detective game because you’re the criminal, lol. Even though you’re the bad guy in Overboard!, I think it’s worth mentioning here because indie studio Inkle! takes its signature novel-style gameplay to the next level by incorporating various witnesses, a chic visual style and music, big time replayability, and a ticking timer (which moves when you change rooms — you have time to decide what you want to do) with location feature that would be welcome in any detective game. 

You’ll play through multiple runs as Valerie, a young British theater star on her way to America who’s just murdered her horrible husband by throwing him overboard, desperately trying to scheme her way to freedom before the ship lands. You’ll piece together creative ways to befriend or betray other characters, find and plant evidence, ask snarky God NPC for advice (yes, you read that right), and/or just kill everybody. The visual novel style works well, like playing an Agatha Christie novel from a different perspective.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android
MRSP: $5.99 – $14.99 depending on platform
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+) — Given its themes, I’d skew this as one of the “ickier” T-rated options.
How Long to Beat: A run can take 30-45 minutes, but to get a “good” outcome, expect to be closer for 5 – 10 hours

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Paradise Killer (2020)

During the first hour of Paradise Killer, I thought, Eh, this is too weird even for me, I’m not gonna like this. And then I played it for 10 hours. 

This game is eccentric, and not just because it takes place in an alternate universe afterlife, or that a naked blue demon pops up around the map and heckles/supports you, or that your name is Lady Love Dies, or that your best friends are a Kenyan assassin-turned-Lyft-driver and her Turkish skeleton bartender husband. Kaizen Game Works did an amazing job with the world-building (which we talked about in an interview in 2025). It’s a quirky, engaging, dramatic murder mystery. You’ll be dying to solve it (sorry, it was right there). 

Paradise Killer is a stylish adventure with a great soundtrack. What’s perhaps most fascinating about this game is that you’re able to make the case for anyone to be the villain — meaning there are multiple endings and ways to play. In this world, you’re the arbiter of truth and justice.

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
MRSP: $19.99; included on Game Pass
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
How Long to Beat: Approximately 10 – 12 hours

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Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

Developer Lucas Pope is known for creating stylish, experimental indie games like Papers, Please and Mars After Midnight; Return of the Obra Dinn might be his crowning achievement. In this mystery, players take on the role not of a detective, but as of an insurance adjustor.

David recapped it efficiently: “Five years ago, 60 souls embarked on a voyage along the East India trade route, only to disappear. Now, the ship has resurfaced — and everyone aboard is either dead or missing. How did these people suffer their untimely fates?”

To help you discover the secrets of the titular ship, the company has provided you with a strange compass-clock that can show you the last few seconds of someone’s life before death. What results is a sort of time-traveling, spooky, mystical, naval tragedy, boiling down to whatever answers you see fit to record in your notebook.

David and I got together to celebrate the game’s three-year anniversary and discuss why it’s interesting. I shared why I think it’s fascinating: “One, how it continues to evolve on its own systems, unraveling and re-raveling, gracefully keeping the player engaged all the while. And two, that this was a one-man creation. The detail and finesse at every layer of this game shows the love of its creator in its very DNA. ” Read our spoiler-free conversation or, even better, go play it, then read it.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
How Long to Beat: Approximately 8 – 12 hours

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The Séance of Blake Manor (2025)

The Séance of Blake Manor is what inspired me to do several hours of updates to this list in December 2025. It was so good that it reminded me of why I love this genre in the first place.

Spooky Doorway’s indie mystery is indeed filled with spooky doorways in a remote Irish manor in the 1800s. A séance is being held, attracting visitors from across the world — but one guest has gone mysteriously missing. You play a detective who must scour the manor for clues, investigate suspects, deal with ghosts, and connect the dots, before it’s too late.

Spurred by a great mix of logic, exploration, and thoughtful character writing, The Séance of Blake Manor is well worth a visit. I gave it one of our site’s highest scores (a 9.8 out of 10) in my review and it also made my Best Indie Games of 2025 list.

Platforms: PC
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature 17+
How Long to Beat: 15 – 20 hours

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Tangle Tower (2019)

Tangle Tower is a phenomenal, fully voiced mystery with delightful puzzles, a gorgeously playful aesthetic, and a mesmerizing mystery. A pair of detectives enters a family’s castle to solve a “locked room” murder mystery, reveling in secrets that span multiple generations. 

I first discovered SFB Games’ mystery on Apple Arcade (which it sadly no longer is on) but have happily bought it again on other platforms. This game is probably the closest in heritage to my beloved Nancy Drew games with its blend of investigating, deduction, puzzles, and conversations.

My only gripe with Tangle Tower is that I wish the last act went on for just a bit longer than it does. That being said, it’s definitely still worth your time, and one I consistently recommend to people (especially to my mom and other women!). Great start for introducing people to mystery games.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
MRSP: $19.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: Approximately 5 – 6 hours

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What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

While it’s not a “detective” game, What Remains of Edith Finch is certainly an investigation. It’s a beautiful foray into discovering what has happened to an extended family, navigating their since abandoned home. Each room of a family member leads to a new interactive chapter that is as riveting as it is depressing. I meant to only game for an hour, but instead, I ended up playing all of What Remains of Edith Finch in one sitting over the course of four hours. I laughed, I cried, I gasped out loud, I went deep into Reddit. 

David wrote a full review here back in 2017. You’ll never forgetWhat Remains of Edith Finch. It continues to haunt me, in the best way. 

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS (iPhone/iPad)
MRSP: $4.99 – $19.99 depending on the platform
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
How Long to Beat: Approximately 2 – 4 hours

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The Wolf Among Us (2014)

The greatest disappointment about The Wolf Among Us is something you probably already know — that studio Telltale Games folded before being able to make a proper sequel. (Update: A follow-up with some of the original team has since been announced, but development has been slow. Another Update: Now with Telltale closing yet again, this game is surely dead in the water.)

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give this graphic novel-turned-adventure game a chance. I played the first chapter as an Xbox Games With Gold sample, then promptly bought and binged the remaining episodes with my partner in one evening, trading the controller between chapters. 

You play Wolf, an anthropomorphic version of the classic Big Bad Wolf. This Wolf’s a detective that solves crimes, starting with the disappearance of Snow White. (Oh, yeah.) The writing and voice acting are riveting. The world’s an exciting exploration of corruption and classism. And it’s all wrapped up in the clever guise of a classic fairy tale, M-rated style.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android
MRSP: $14.99; first episode is free
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
How Long to Beat: 8 – 12 hours

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Best Detective Board Games

Because while you’re here, why not solve a mystery with pen and paper, too?

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective

A brilliant game that takes style and gameplay guidance from Dungeons & Dragons with a book of details and clues, team agreement on pursuing choices, and the encouragement of roleplaying. I’ve had a blast playing through cases with friends and family. Keep in mind that the Jack The Ripper cases are VERY gross, so feel free to skip over those.

Hunt A Killer

Each box comes with paper evidence, knick-knacks, and clues, with a goal to solve at the end of each box. By the end of the subscription, you’ll have solved the mystery. Read more here.  Update: Hunt a Killer has been acquired by a new company and the quality is vastly different now! As a result, I no longer recommend creating new subscriptions, but their old series as “season box sets” or one-offs like this Nancy Drew-themed one are still great!

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Honorable Mentions: More Mystery Video Games

There are many more mysteries to solve out there, and even if they’re not my favorites, they might be yours! Here are more than a dozen I thought were worth mentioning. Click through the slideshow to explore:

 

Honorable Mention: Mystery Games:

• Blue Prince (read why it was one of my favorite games of 2025)
• Death Trick: Double Blind (read my review)
• Detective Barbie (read my list about the best Barbie video games)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (read my review)
• Detective Pikachu and Detective Pikachu Returns (read my review)
• Frog Detective (read Zack’s review)
• Jenny LeClue: Dectivu
• Heavy Rain
• Immortality (read why it was Sam’s Game of the Year in 2022)
• L.A. Noire
• Night Call
• Paper Perjury (read my review)
• Professor Layton
• The Red Strings Club

What Are Your Favorite Mystery Video Games? 

Do you agree with my picks? Did I miss one? Have a suggestion of what I should try next? Tell me in the comments. Seriously. I always need more mystery games.

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Updates:

• November 15, 2021: Original publication
• December 2021: Added Disco Elysium
• January 2022: Added The Forgotten City
• October 2023: Added The Case of the Golden Idol, and links for Barbie and Detective Pikachu Returns
• January 2024: Added a quote from Zack about L.A. Noire and Frog Detective, and re-arranged the honorable mention section 
• January 2025: Added a link to an essay I wrote about Nancy Drew games; added a caveat for Hunt a Killer; added Duck Detective: The Secret Salami.  
• December 2025: Added Table of Contents with hyperlinks. Main List Updates: Added Best Served Cold, Pentiment, The Séance of Blake Manor. Updated blurb for Return of the Obra Dinn. Updated cost/platform blurbs including ESRB ratings and estimates from HowLongToBeat. Honorable Mention Updates: Added Blue Prince, Death Trick: Double Blind, Immortality, Paper Perjury, Poirot: Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot: The First Cases; moved Duck Detective: The Secret Salami down to this section; removed Batman: Arkham Asylum. Changed into slideshow format rather tha a list.