What are some of the best PC detective games? We’ve looked at the best detective video games available, ranging from gritty episodic experiences to old-school level and click puzzlers, all with their unique case-solving mechanisms.
“Yeah, I might do this, I might solve the case,” we’ve all thought after watching an episode of CSI or Regulation and Order, learning a John Grisham guide, or listening to a true-crime podcast. With the best detective video games for PC, you can now live out your biggest detective fantasy and solve murders, cold cases, and mysteries – so grab your deerstalker cap and magnifying glass. You’ll need them.
If you’re looking for a thriller with a dash of sci-fi, homicide with a life of fantasy, or a straightforward police procedural, we’ve got you covered with our selections for the greatest detective video games on PC.
The top detective video games are as follows:
The sword that has been damaged
In terms of point-and-click adventure games, Damaged Sword isn’t quite Monkey Island, but it more than makes up for it with fiendishly clever riddles that you’ll spend just enough time thinking before figuring out the correct answer.
In the Damaged Sword anthology, George Stobbart and Nico Collard are dragged into dark conspiracies and medieval machinations. Throughout the book, George and Nico become entangled in various nefarious escapades, assembling and investigating odd folks wherever they go. The prose is crisp and amusing. Damaged Sword is a superbly challenging level and click-to-travel collection that transports well-behaved homicide and intrigue to the picturesque and idyllic cobblestone alleys of Paris and the past.
The Wolf Among Us is a story about a wolf who lives among us.
In this iridescent noir environment, all of our childhood fancies are brought together in the filthy, crime-ridden Fabletown of modern-day Manhattan. You take on the role of Detective Bigby, the Large Unhealthy Wolf. It’s your mission to keep the city in order in this episodic thriller from Telltale Games while investigating the horrific deaths of fairytale characters using dialogue choices as your main avenue to justice.
Mr. Toad isn’t taking his Glamour (an enchantment intended to hide fairytale creatures from people), and a severed head has just appeared on your doorstep. As you carefully unravel the story of the Fabletown killer, you’ll encounter familiar characters like Snow White, the Huntsman, and Sleeping Magnificence. The idea is a little twee, but in true Telltale form, this is a sad and solemn story – there isn’t much in the way of casework here, but, like in The Strolling Useless, your choices have significant and far-reaching consequences.
Ethan Carter’s Disappearance
Detective Paul Prospero and his paranormal search for missing youngster Ethan Carter in Crimson Creek Valley, Wisconsin, focus on this first-person adventure game. As you analyze clues and recreate situations using magical commentary knowledge, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter wears its Twin Peaks and Village of the Damned influences on its sleeve.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a frightening and unsettling tale that contrasts the location’s natural beauty with the unpleasant search to find the missing youngster before it’s too late. You have complete freedom to explore the secluded valley, exploring every nook and cranny and learning all about Crimson Creek’s secrets and procedures, as well as what happened to Ethan Carter.
You’ll find small hints concealed in the most unlikely of places, motivating you to frequently stray from the beaten route in search of additional story nuggets. Unlike many other detective games, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter allows you to theorize your conclusion based on all of the evidence you uncover.
Crimes and Punishments with Sherlock Holmes
It’s no easy task to make gamers feel as smart as the world’s greatest detective without bestowing them with too many supernatural abilities. In Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, it’s primarily up to you to investigate the scene for evidence, piece it all together, and point your finger at the proper perpetrator.
While Holmes’ superhuman instincts will occasionally come in handy, what sets Crimes and Punishments apart is the amount of leeway you’re given to make mistakes. It’s possible to strike it rich and convict the right criminal, but you’ll almost always wonder if you reached the correct conclusions or missed a vital piece of evidence as you wind up a case.
While the animations and graphics are shaky at times, the performances are consistent throughout, and each case is packed with all of the suspense and grandeur you’d expect from the novels. It’s not only one of the best detective games, but it’s also the best Sherlock Holmes game we’ve played in years.
Discworld Noir is a film based on the Discworld.
In the murky underbelly of Ankh Morpork, private detective Lewton is hired to investigate a gruesome crime in the city and quickly becomes engaged in a dark and nefarious plan. Many fans of the Discworld novels will recognize places and characters in Ankh Morpork, such as The Palace and the Metropolis Watch. However, unlike the first two Discworld games, Noir takes on a life of its own, deviating from the collection’s usual tone by substituting werewolves and jazz bars for witchcraft and magic.
Instead of your trusty luggage, you’ll get a pocketbook in which you’ll save all of your clues and gradually mark them off as you uncover new places and threats. Something is unsettling about the lonely streets that go down into Ankh Morpork, not to mention the spidery individuals you’ll encounter in its shady nooks.
‘Grim Fandango’ is a film about a
When you die in the world of Grim Fandango and begin your journey to the Land of the Useless, you are assigned a travel agent who chooses the mode of transportation you will take, which is determined by the number of goods deeds you have performed in the Land of the Residing. Manny Cavalera, an afterlife trip agent with a rude employer, a smarmy adversary, and a scheme to unravel enters the picture.
Manny’s trip through this point-and-click detective sport is both hilarious and darkish, as he transforms into a travel agent turned noir detective after learning that his boss has been rigging the system and damning many souls to a grueling journey to the Land of the Useless. Each new chapter is a feast for the eyes as you discover recent locations within the afterlife. The characters you meet are full of attraction and humor, and each new chapter is a feast for the eyes as you explore new locations within the afterlife.
L.A. Noire is a noir film set in Los Angeles.
You play as Cole Phelps and a police officer turned detective in 1940s Los Angeles to make your way up through the police force without straying from your ideals along the way. You go through crime scenes, question witnesses, and follow up on leads until you have a suspect or two to question. When questioning witnesses and suspects, the quality and amount of clues you’re able to unearth, as well as your ability to understand and react to microexpressions, all play a role in how well these interrogations go. This could be a fully interactive crime drama with all the features you’d expect from a Rockstar game.
Expect a few shocks along the road, such as a gunfight at a Hollywood movie studio or a car pursuit through the long-lasting flood-control basin, as with all classic noir. It’s not long before you come across a major arson case with consequences that extend far beyond Los Angeles’ sordid underbelly.
Elysium Disco
In this story-driven RPG, you’ll build your character by assigning skills, clothing, and artifacts as you strive to solve a gruesome homicide involving the mother of all hangovers. Disco Elysium puts its spin on procedural police work by allowing you to use your hastily rebuilt psychological condition to stray drastically off course at any given moment — you’re unusual, but you achieve results. It’s a wickedly brilliant RPG game, with dialogue-heavy interactions brought to life by some of the sharpest writing we’ve ever seen in any sport.
The confused persona features of your characters mandate several strategies for understanding situations and moving the plot forward. Will you play the sassy detective in a slinky swimsuit or the obnoxious drunk who bulldozes his way through the crime scene in filthy briefs?
Gemini Street
In this cyberpunk detective game, you’ll travel to the flooded planet Barracus as investigator Azriel Odin, fumbling through a rotting society where people’s identities are bought and sold, and others slowly lose control of their lives due to debt and drug addiction. Azriel’s tale is linked with that of another playable character, Delta-Six, who wakes up in a strange coaching facility on the other side of the galaxy with no memory.
With Blade Runner and Phillip Okay, this somber point-and-click adventure game has enough inspirations for sci-fi fans. Developer Joshua Nurnberger cites Dick as a major source of inspiration. If you enjoy cyberpunk games, pixel art, and dismal dystopian cities, you should check out this grim noir tale.
The Obra Dinn Makes a Comeback
It’s not true that all detective video games are about policing. You play as an insurance coverage evaluator investigating the disappearance of crew members and passengers from a service provider ship, the titular Obra Dinn, in Return of the Obra Dinn, easily one of the best indie games of the previous decade. With a pocket watch in hand, you’ll need to piece together each individual’s death, putting down clues in your journal as you go and eventually piecing together the tragedy that occurred on this enigmatic ghost ship.
The real investigative work and hours you’ll have to put in are the simplicity of this thriller. Instead of investigating a live homicide or a current investigation, you’re working on a real cold case, combing the eerie interior of the vessel for any evidence you may find.
Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard is a sequel to Frog Detective.
Each game in this collection is worthwhile to play for its sincere and charming conversation, not to mention the fact that each one will only take you an hour or two to complete. Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard throws the world’s best detective – who happens to be a frog – on another island with a slew of townsfolk to interrogate and hidden artifacts to hunt down with a large magnifying lens.
Frog Detective 2 is about as far away from a hardboiled detective story as you can get while still theoretically being about solving mysteries, so if you’re looking for a more laid-back experience, this is a visual treat packed with twee gags at every turn.
Whether you want an episodic adventure or a dialogue-heavy thriller, these are the finest detective video games for PC. Alternatively, check out our guide to the top police games for fast-paced shootouts and officer simulations.