RELATED: The 10 Best Video Games Cops, Ranked
Detective games are narrative-driven, giving players the ability to immerse themselves in the mystery. Finding clues, hunting suspects, and solving crimes can be satisfying. It isn’t always done well, so it’s worth praising the games that have done a good job of giving the players the tools to crack the case.
Update on March 7th, 2021, by Chris Birsner: With plenty of detective games out there, it’s hard to find the best 10 games that embody the format of solving a mystery. With that said, it’s worth looking even further into different genres to find the best detective-like games out there while also pointing out some of the new entries into the genre that have come out in recent months.
10 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (Metacritic Score: 81)
Visual novels are a perfect medium for detective games as they focus heavily on solving a mystery and not so much on other gameplay elements. That said, the Danganronpa series has always had a mixture of both point-and-click adventure and time-based puzzles. The best in the series, according to Metacritic, is Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. The story revolves around a group of students from Hope’s Peak Academy being trapped on an island by Monokuma, a stuffed bear, who tells them they must kill a fellow student and not get caught in order to escape.
9 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (81)
Another outstanding entry in the visual novel category is basically a detective game that stars a lawyer. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney focuses on a rookie attorney whose main goal is to find his defendants not guilty of the crimes they are being accused of. The primary gameplay revolves around interrogating witnesses and searching crime scenes for clues that could exonerate the client. The case comes to a head when Wright has to face-off in the courtroom with a prosecutor like Miles Edgeworth and present the evidence necessary to get the job done.
8 Paradise Killer (82)
Players looking for a little bit more control of the main character and their environment will enjoy the open-world adventure Paradise Killer. Taking place on Paradise Island, a place that doesn’t exist in reality, someone has been murdered and it is up to investigator Lady Love Dies to get to the bottom of the situation.
RELATED: Why Is The Blood In Danganronpa Pink? (& 9 More Cool Facts About The Series)
Players can wander the world in search of evidence and talk to the various suspects to get their side of the story. The game was heavily inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft and Danganronpa.
7 Condemned 2: Bloodshot (82)
A detective game that dips more into the horror genre, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a sequel to Condemned: Criminal Origins. The 2008 game is the second chapter in the story of Ethan Thomas, an investigator for the FBI’s Serial Crime Unit. In this game, Thomas is recruited back to his job after resigning following the end of the original game. He is tasked with solving a murder while also discovering his true nemesis, Serial Killer X, is still alive. The first-person game features melee-oriented combat as well as adventure mechanics revolving around investigating crime scenes.
6 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter (82)
Another horror and investigative game, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter focuses more on puzzles and stealth gameplay to tell its story. The players are Paul Prospero, a paranormal investigator who receives a letter from a young fan and is inspired to meet him. Upon arriving at the fan’s hotel, Prospero learns that 12-year old kid, Ethan Carter, has gone missing. Prospero must deal with paranormal activity to find Carter and solve the mysteries of the small town. The game is open-world and leaves the player to discover much of the story and mechanics.
5 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (83)
A unique twist on a detective game, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective has players solving a crime from the grave. The ghost of Sissel wakes up to discover they don’t know who they used to be and who killed them. The game revolves around finding clues to get answers to those questions. Along the way, Sissel must use his paranormal powers to save lives by taking control of their corpses and rewinding time. Players can jump between the Land of the Living (with time moving) and the Ghost World (where time is stopped) to ultimately figure out the mysteries in front of them.
4 Her Story (86)
It’s rare to come across a live-action video game, but Her Story keeps the action to a minimum as the goal is to just watch and solve the mystery. The game takes place on an old computer monitor. When it turns on, it reveals several files that include interrogations that were filmed and transcribed.
RELATED: The 10 Best Crime-Based Video Games
Using the tools on the computer, the goal for the player is to piece together the suspect’s story to determine whether or not she is guilty in the murder investigation.
3 Heavy Rain (87)
One detective for a game is usually enough, but four is unheard of. The exception here is Heavy Rain. The four protagonists aren’t necessarily detectives by title, but they all are looking into the same thing: The Origami Killer. The main protagonist, Ethan Mars, is trying to get his son back after he was taken by the killer. Along the way, journalist Madison Paige, FBI profiler Norman Jayden, and private investigator Scott Shelby join in helping find out who the killer is and finding out if Ethan’s son alive. The action-adventure game has multiple endings and uses quick-time events.
2 L.A. Noire (89)
Film noirs can be cheesy for viewers, but playing a detective in a noir setting can be really fun. L.A. Noire perfectly encapsulates the concept while executing an intensely deep story. The game follows Detective Cole Phelps as he works up the ranks in the Los Angeles Police Department, working five different beats along the way. His big case comes when he needs to investigate a morphine distribution ring he has personal connections to. The action-adventure involves melee-combat as well as an interrogation mechanic that involves reading people’s reactions.
1 Disco Elysium (91)
This detective game falls under a different genre than the rest: RPG. Disco Elysium has players enter the game knowing nothing about the detective they are playing since he is struggling with amnesia. Regardless, he has been tasked with solving a murder mystery. The game has no combat and relies entirely on skill checks and dialogue. The game has 24 skills that players will use to get through the game. The player has full control of the character’s feelings and traits, allowing the player to find their own path towards solving the case ahead.
NEXT: 10 Forgotten Adventure Games You Need To Play
