19 Best PlayStation 5 Detective Games You Can’t Pass Up

If you love to do a bit of detective work in your gaming then you’ll definitely want to check out some of the titles on this list. Games that incorporate mystery, crime and problem solving into their storylines are amongst the most compelling worlds to get drawn into. If you’re looking to do some sleuthing then you should try out one from this list of 15 best PS5 modern detective games. All of these games are playable on the PS5 via backwards compatibility and some of the most classic ones are amongst the best!

#19 Broken Sword 5 – The Serpent’s Curse

This is the fifth segment within the Broken Sword series, and man is it fun! This 2D adventure-type game is played from the third-person perspective and showcases hours of endless enjoyment. Players will need to combine threads of knowledge throughout the game to form logical and smart conclusions in order to progress.

Players need to be very careful about the decisions they made, as even the smallest choice can have the direst repercussions. Unlike the game’s predictors where the player dies and respawns at the last save point, Broken Sword 5 – The Serpent’s Curse allows players to respawn right before the point of death, keeping the flow of the game going in the right direction.

#18 Danganronpa Collection

Danganronpa Collection is a visual novel of sorts, mixed together with a little action and a dash of adventure. The entirety of the series revolved around an elite high school, where the unsuspecting students of the school end up being trapped in a deadly game of killings.

The games include several different chapters to ensure engagement and tons of shooting and violence to keep up with the status quo. The game includes a class trial game mode, where players will need to discuss information with other students and learn more about them to determine who is the killer during a crazy murder investigation.

The more players begin discovering new things about the other characters, the more their skill level increases, making it easier to find the killer on the loose later on down the line. It’s almost like a real-life murder mystery, where players will need to find inconsistencies and discrepancies in their suspects’ stories to really get to the bottom of what took place.

#17 Observer: System Redux

One of the best psychological horror games to ever hit the market, Observer: System Redux is teeming with mystery and induces pure unadulterated fear in the hearts of its players. Players will take control of Dan, a detective within the Observers police unit. He actually has the ability to hack into suspects’ brains, almost like a computer coder, using a device they call the Dream Eater, which is solely used for interrogation purposes of course.

Dan is able to do this due to the suspects all having brain chips installed, which honestly is just kind of cool within itself. Players are even able to scan their environment and surroundings using Augmented vision which is split up into two categories; Electromagnetic vision and Bio Vision. Players will need to interact with the world around them to obtain evidence to get to the bottom of the events that took place, which includes scanning for biological evidence with said Bio Vision.

#16 What remains of Edith Finch

This game is truly like no other, as it includes none of what you would expect from a game like this. From the looks of it, players are filled with a sense of impending doom and anticipate jumpscares… but they never come. Players assume that they are seeing through the eyes of Edith Finch, who has ventured out to her family’s estate to find out what exactly happened to her relatives who seem to have died in very unnerving ways.

The home is filled with teeny tiny crawlspaces and hidden passageways that must be explored in order to figure out what happened to her family. As the players progress, they will see exactly how each relative of the family died, and they will learn that Edith truly believes there is some form of higher power at work. Edith believes there is a family curse that causes the random deaths within her family tree.

After each mini-sequence showcasing the relative’s death is complete, players will turn their room into a shrine to allow the relative to now rest in peace. At the end of the game, it is revealed that players were not actually playing as Edith, but as her son Christopher, who was reliving all that took place within the estate, and finishes off the game by kindly placing flowers on his mother’s grave.

#15 The Darkside Detective

Publisher: Akupara Games
Developer: Spooky Doorway
Release Date: July 2017
Platform : PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AJWjawg38U&ab_channel=SpookyDoorway

The Darkside Detective is an engagingly unique point and click adventure game in which players set out to solve a series of cases as detectives McQueen and Dooley. Set in the crime-riddled city of Twin Lakes, players will discover a lurking parallel world awaits them as they set out to crack a range of cases. The game’s different cases often have a supernatural element to them, making The Darkside Detective a good choice for those who like their mysteries with a hint of the unknown about them. It’s a short game with an interesting comedic aspect to it; one which fans of games such as Monkey Island will certainly get a kick out of.

#14 Murdered: Soul Suspect

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Airtight Games
Release Date: June 2014
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xH4_YGEBPo&ab_channel=PlayStation

Another dark thriller with a supernatural vibe is 2014’s Murdered: Soul Suspect. Although developed for the PS4, this game is playable on PS5 through backwards compatibility. One for fans of a twisted tale, Murdered: Soul Suspect gives players the chance to explore the gothically gorgeous setting of Salem, Massachusetts as they attempt to solve the mystery of their own murder from beyond the grave. As a detective in life, players get to carry on that role in death, as they try to hunt down a notorious serial killer who was responsible for their own demise. While the combat in Murdered: Soul Suspect isn’t the greatest, the premise and storyline serve up a pretty cool twist that isn’t often found in other detective games.

#13 Return of the Obra Dinn

Publisher: 3909 LLC.
Developer: Lucas Pope
Release Date: October 2019
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzB-_Y-PAa8&ab_channel=GamersPrey

A game featuring a mysterious ghost ship that returns to 19th century England with its crew missing, Return of the Obra Dinn has plenty of intrigue and investigation to offer players. In this game, players will need to use the powers of deduction and appraisal to work out what happened to each of the ship’s 60 former crew members. This is one of those detective games that makes use of logic really well, so if you’re keen to solve puzzles and play coroner at the same time, then this could be the game for you. It even has a useful mechanic that lets you use a pocket watch to view the moment of a corpse’s death and explore it in detail. Which is kind of grim, but fascinating from a detective’s standpoint.

#12 Batman Arkham Games

Publisher: Eidos Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Rocksteady Studios, WB Games Montréal
Release Date: 2009-2019
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, XSX|S, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtqZJJJMPgg&ab_channel=ScereBroPSNU

An iconic collection of action-adventure drama games inspired by their comic book roots, the Batman Arkham games weave a range of investigations into their storytelling. As Batman, it’s down to the player to solve and prevent a range of atrocities from being committed by the franchise’s signature villains, from The Joker and Harley Quinn to Mr Freeze and Scarecrow, to name a few. Pairing up with the detective Jim Gordon is an ongoing feature in these games, as players will need to use their own detective skills to evade capture from the police as well as outwitting the game’s antagonists. Though not necessarily a typical example of the ‘detective’ genre, the Batman Arkham games give players the opportunity to combine action and adventure with the powers of deduction and investigation as they work through each game’s storyline.

#11 L.A. Noire

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Team Bondi
Release Date: May 2011
Platform: PS4, Switch, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbPxNGh7dto&ab_channel=RockstarGames

L.A. Noire is a truly gritty but certainly one of the most stylish detective games on this list. The action takes place in 1947 in Los Angeles. Players will see themselves taking on the role of detective Cole Phelps as they progress up the career ladder by solving a variety of cases which begin to cross over into the protagonist’s personal life. In addition to problem-solving and detective work, L.A. Noire also makes use of a range of action sequences that players can get stuck into, such as suspect interrogations, high-speed pursuits, gunfights and general crime-fighting combat. If you’re looking to do a bit of moonlighting, Cole also has an option to carry out street crimes himself while off-duty, so if role-playing as a dirty cop is your thing, then that’s totally an option here too. Despite being over a decade old, L.A. Noire is playable on PS5 through backwards compatibility and has plenty of action, storytelling, open-world exploration and detective work to keep players enthralled.

#10 Kona

Publisher: Ravenscourt
Developer: Parabole
Release Date: March 2016
Platform: PS4, Switch, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Stadia
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6KizfrASRY&ab_channel=GameSpotTrailers

Kona is an intriguing mystery that thrusts players into an abandoned snow-coated town in 1970s Canada. As detective Carl Faubert, players must solve the mystery of the town’s desertion, as well as survive the onslaught of the weather conditions and the unseen, unknown horror that haunts and stalks the place. Kona puts an emphasis on puzzle-solving at the intersection of surreal occurrences to give the storytelling a real hook that should keep players enthralled. Solving the mystery is only half the battle when staying alive in the snow is a major challenge. It’s a definite must-play title for fans of the detective genre.

#9 Judgement

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega
Release Date: December 2018
Platform: PS4, PS5, XSX|S, Stadia
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38dK9-y0cbM&ab_channel=PlayStationEurope

The original Judgement game, which was remastered for the PlayStation 5 earlier this year, is players’ first encounter with the street-fighting lawyer and detective Takayuki Yagami. In Judgement, players will need to use their investigative skills to work out why people are being murdered and then having their eyeballs removed. Grisly stuff. Using a combination of stealth, clue hunting and outright combat, players will have to work their way through the game’s Tokyo-inspired landscape as they hunt down the killer. As the first entry into the Judgement series, it’s one of the best detective games to try out if you’ve never explored the Yakuza universe and fancy a bit of sleuthing action thrown in with your action.

#8 Lost Judgement

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Release Date: September 2021
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8nWMBqT5_c&ab_channel=PlayStation

An action-packed game that sees players stepping back into the shoes of the lawyer and private detective from the first game, Lost Judgement is the sequel to 2018’s Judgement. Players will be able to take on some major detective work as the protagonist Takayuki Yagami as his investigations lead him to be caught up in a web of criminality while he hunts down the perpetrator of another series of killings. Yagami isn’t just a private investigator, of course, and players will be able to put his stealth and street-fighting skills into action as they try to solve the murder mystery at the heart of the Lost Judgement’s critically-praised narrative.

#7 The Sinking City

Publisher: Frogwares, BIGBEN INTERACTIVE, Nacon, H2 Interactive
Developer: Frogwares
Release Date: June 2019
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXhw7OcPw8Y&ab_channel=PlayStationEurope

Set in an open-world city environment in 1920s Massachusetts, The Sinking City pays homage to the horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. Players must make use of their detective skills in order to solve the mystery of the strange, supernatural flood that fills the city and threatens to submerge it whilst inducing horrors and hysterics in its inhabitants. Players will need to keep an eye on their own sanity as they explore the dark and creepy regions of The Sinking City, keeping an eye out for clues that may help them unlock the key to purging ‘The Flood’ from the place for good. The Sinking City gives players a strong dose of the supernatural and poses questions about the fate of humanity in the face of otherworldly threats.

#6 Sherlock Holmes Chapter One

Publisher: Frogwares
Developer: Frogwares
Release Date: November 2021
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKuSbg2o7Q8&ab_channel=IGN

A new setting awaits the world-famous detective as players take up the mantle of Sherlock Holmes on the open-world fictional island of Cordona. In this first ‘chapter’ of a new origins story for Sherlock Holmes, players will see themselves starting out as 21-year-old Holmes who’s only just getting to grips with his chosen career path as a detective. Thrust into a thrilling mystery, players will need to use their investigative skills to unravel the secrets and lies disguising the truth behind the crime and corruption that plagues the island. This is one of the most gorgeously detailed detective games for the PS5 and shows off the legendary detective Holmes in an entirely new light.

#5 The Wolf Among Us

Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Release Date: October 2013
Platform: PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_St9DTuO0&ab_channel=IGN

The Wolf Among Us is an episodic graphic adventure drama that’s playable on PS5 via backwards compatibility. Set in a world rich with characters from folklore, players step into the shoes of Bigby Wolf (formerly known as the Big Bad Wolf) as the sheriff of a secret community in 1980s New York known as Fabletown. Using their best detective skills players will need to solve a series of strange killings that take place in the community, making use of their wits and decision making during numerous choice-and-consequence based dialogue scenes. The Wolf Among Us takes a loan from fairy tales but it’s a darkly gripping thriller that’ll have fans of investigation hooked from the start.

#4 Life Is Strange

Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Release Date: 2015 (Remastered 2022)
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AURVxvIZrmU&ab_channel=GameSpot

Life is Strange is an episodic graphic adventure game that fans of compelling choice-and-consequence based narratives will love. Although developed for the PS4, this game is playable on PS5 through backwards compatibility, and a Remastered version for PS5 was released last September. As protagonist Max Caulfield, players will find that they have a superhuman ability to rewind time, which comes in pretty handy when they’re trying to unravel the game’s complex sequence of events. There are many threads to pull on when playing detective in Life Is Strange, but one of the central quests in the game revolves around discovering what happened to a missing girl and the circumstances leading up to her disappearance. Life Is Strange’s episodic format will leave players hungry for more after each chapter, especially as the mystery deepens and Max needs to use her powers to reveal truths and make choices. It’s a fantastically emotive and engaging game.

#3 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Publisher: The Astronauts
Developer: The Astronauts
Release Date: September 2014
Platform: Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HINFL5YrXMA&ab_channel=PlayStation

This game is a mystery rooted in horror, in which players will need to work out what happened to the members of the Carter family. Set in the forest-like open-world environment of Red Creek Valley, players will see themselves step into the shoes of Paul Prospero, a paranormal-focused private detective who, after getting a letter from a young Ethan Carter, travels to Red Creek Valley and discovers that Ethan and his entire family are missing. Cue lots of creepy supernatural twists as players navigate the secrets behind their disappearance. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is one of the great detective games for players who love a bit of paranormal activity in their investigations, but it’s definitely not an easy ride on the emotions.

#2 Disco Elysium

Publisher: ZA/UM
Developer: ZA/UM
Release Date: October 2019
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Switch
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-UY6IyI03Q&ab_channel=PlayStation

One of the ultimate modern detective RPGs, Disco Elysium sees players taking on the role of a detective whose memory is shattered thanks to a heavy reliance on alcohol and drugs and despite this, needs to solve a murder mystery. The game is primarily a narrative experience in that there’s no combat to speak of, but instead, players will need to really make use of their wits when trying to solve the mystery throughout the game through thoughtful dialogue choices and by improving their own skill points as the protagonist. These skills will have an impact on the options the player has for dialogue and other interactions with the rich cast of NPCs in Disco Elysium, so players will need to work out which abilities to prioritise to help them unlock the secrets of the case.

#1 Heavy Rain

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Quantic Dream
Release Date: February 2010
Platform: PS4, PS5, PS3, PC
Modes: Singleplayer
CO-OP: NO
Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVYiJ3VSp60&ab_channel=PlayStation

Heavy Rain is one of the oldest titles on this list but it stands out as an example of excellence in terms of narrative and investigative gameplay. Players will see themselves sucked into a world of emotional tension when as protagonist Ethan Mars, they must hunt down a notorious serial killer who has kidnapped their son and will more than likely murder him if Ethan doesn’t find him within a matter of days. Heavy Rain makes use of a dark sense of realness in its storytelling, and players shouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves becoming heavily invested in the detective work and choices that they must make as Ethan, in order to save the young boy’s life. The game is playable via backwards compatibility and is widely considered one of the best games ever made, so it’s definitely worth playing if you haven’t already.