Top 28 Best Modern Detective Games You Can Play Today

We all like to play Detective every now and again, channeling our inner Sherlock Holmes. What better way to do so than from the comfort of your own home? To find out if you can be the next Columbo, check out our picks for the 23 best modern detective games available now. Do you think you have what it takes to solve these mysteries?

#28 Persona 3 Reload

You might not think of Persona 3 Reload as a true detective game, but it definitely plays out like one. You are a new kid at school who finds themselves being connected to a mysterious period known as the “Dark Hour.” Within it, a tower known as Tartarus looms large over the city, and entities known as Shadows attack people who can see them.

What are these beings? How did Tartarus come to be? Why are you and a select few others able to see the Shadows and fight back? You’ll work your way through these mysteries to come to the truth. Whether you can handle that truth is another matter entirely.

#28 Deceive Inc.

When you’re undercover, the goal is to get the job done and not get noticed by rivals. In Deceive Inc., you’ll take part in a multiplayer experience where you’re tasked with retrieving a package and getting out of the area before a rival player gets it first! You’ll pick from a menagerie of agents, spies, thieves, and more to see which one suits your playstyle best. Then, you’ll head to numerous locales and see if you can blend in with the crowd and use your skills and gear to complete your mission!

With multiple modes to have fun in, there are many ways that each match can go.

#27 Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Capcom has made many unique franchises over the years, and Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was one that recently got a remaster treatment! In it, you play the spirit of a being who just died, which is already pretty grim! However, you don’t know who you are, and why you’re able to possess certain things like you do.

With a mysterious voice guiding you, you’ll attempt to rewrite time itself to save people’s lives and figure out the truth behind your own existence! So, yeah, that’s no big deal, right? Anyway, think cautiously about each move you make, and get through each challenge! Again, no pressure.

#26 Demonologist

There are many things in this world that we don’t fully understand, and that makes it necessary to call in those who do understand things like the supernatural when we are in need. In Demonologist, you’ll get called in with your team to investigate areas that are haunted by one kind of supernatural being or another. The question is, “What kind of entity are we dealing with here?”

You’ll work alone or with a team to figure that out, and you’ll have to try not to be scared in the process. Once you locate and identify the being in question, exorcise them so that this place may finally know peace!

#25 AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative

AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative centers around a single case that is both horrifying and mysterious. Six years ago, a serial killer struck and left only one-half of the victim’s body behind. The other half? It was never found. Then, six years later, that missing half appears. Mystery solved. Right? But it’s not, not even close. The other half of the body is fresh as if it was just cut in half.

How is that possible? Special Agents Mizuki and Ryuki must work with their AI partners to figure out the truth and stop the serial killer.

#24 Saturnalia

Nothing in Saturnalia is what it appears to be, and that will make surviving it quite hard.

The game mixes horror and survival elements in a unique story that will take you a bit to get through, depending on how many times you die. You’ll play four characters who are tied to a village that is steeped in folklore and darkness.

You must wander through the darkness with only a limited supply of matches to get you through. If all four characters die, the village will reshape, and you must start from scratch. Will you get through it and solve the mysteries within? Or will the village win in the end?

#23 Lost Judgment

Lost Judgement is a sequel to Judgement and a spinoff of the Yakuza series. In this game, players will take on the role of private detective Takayuki Yagami who gets involved in a bullying case. As he begins investigating, he uncovers a conspiracy among the upper echelons of society and has to decide whether he will pursue his own justice or simply enforce the law.

#22 The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark

A follow-up to the original title, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble In The Dark is a retro point-and-click game that sees players take on the role of Detective McQueen as he attempts to solve various cases. Set in the town of Twin-Lakes, America’s 34th most haunted city, this one is a must for lovers of detective titles and spooky point-and-click goodness.

#21 The Rewinder

An adventure puzzle game based on Chinese mythology, you’ll play as Yun, the last known person who can communicate with the spirit world and explore other people’s memories in order to alter the past. With a beautiful pixel art style that mimics the aesthetics of Chinese ink paintings, this is an indie masterpiece. Add to that a rich soundtrack and some simple point-and-click gameplay and you’re in for a great time.

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#20 Broken Sword 5 – The Serpent’s Curse

The Broken Sword franchise has been around since 1996 and its latest release came in 2013 with Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse. These point-and-click adventure games see players take control of two protagonists: George Stobbart, a patent lawyer and Nicole Collard, a freelance journalist. In this game, the duo finds themselves at a grand opening of a new art exhibit which is suddenly robbed, leading the two to start a grand journey to discover who was responsible.

Fortunately, you can enjoy this game without having played the past installments. Since the gameplay is the same as previous releases, if you find yourself enjoying this new take on an older series, you may want to give the old games a try.

#19 Murdered: Soul Suspect

Blending investigative gameplay with the paranormal, Murdered: Soul Suspect is Square Enix’s supernatural thriller with a unique twist. The murder you’re investigating? It’s your own. As if being murdered itself wasn’t enough, you must now solve your own murder as a ghost. You play as Ronan O’Connor, a former detective with the Salem Police, and solving your murder will undoubtedly be your biggest case yet. A captivating story paired with a unique gameplay style will keep you hooked until the bitter end.

#18 Deadly Premonition

More action-simulation than mystery, Deadly Premonition won’t test your puzzle-solving skills too seriously. It will test your patience.

Fans will go to bat for this singularly weird open-world game. Playing as Special Agent Francis York Morgan, you arrive at a small Pacific Northwest town to solve a grisly murder — and the murders are stacking up. Between shootouts with strange ghost-like beings only your character can see in RE4-lite (and we mean extremely lite) combat sections, you’ll spend most of your time interacting with the off-the-wall locals. There are nightmarish other worlds, bad cooking story arcs, and log ladies galore. If you don’t take a shower for too long, you’ll become a “Stinky Agent” with flies swarming around you. It’s just that type of game. If you haven’t heard of Deadly Premonition yet, you’ll just have to try it for yourself.

#17 Kona

The first installment in a series of four games, Kona is an interactive tale in which you play as a private detective exploring a spooky village and investigating supernatural occurrences. Experience a story told through a third-person storyteller along with an extremely atmospheric soundtrack you’ll want to keep blasting after the credits roll. Get a glimpse at 1970s Northern Canada and find out the truth about this town once and for all.

#16 Contradiction – Spot The Liar!

Fans of FMVs may have already taken notice of Contradiction: Spot The Liar, a unique video game that came out back in 2015. There’s not too much here in terms of gameplay outside of selecting choices. Within the game, players are consistently interviewing characters and it’s your job as a detective to catch them in a lie. Between interviews, our protagonist will be collecting key pieces of evidence which can be used to point out any contradictions made in the interview. It’s all about the plot here, and we’ll clearly refrain from spoiling anything. This title takes about seven hours to complete, and best of all, it can be a fun party game. Having friends around to help can be a lifesaver.

#15 Danganronpa Collection

In the vein of Phoenix Wright, Danganronpa is another light novel series about investigations, murder, and trials with more weird mini-games. These popular puzzle games drop fourteen students into a sadistic Battle Royale scenario. Trapped, the only way to escape is to kill and get away with it. As an innocent student, you’ll have to investigate each murder and select the correct culprit. If the murderer gets away, the rest of the class will be killed, so the stakes couldn’t be higher.

This is a darkly comedic series of games about ridiculously convoluted murder scenarios. If you’re hungry for more Phoenix Wright with a sadistic twist, you might want to give this series a spin.

#14 Kathy Rain

Years ago, point-and-click adventure games were mainstream, but now, they’re more niche. Kathy Rain comes from Clifftop Games and follows a young woman named Kathy who discovers that her grandfather has passed away. Estranged from the family, Kathy ultimately decides to attend the funeral and rekindles her relationship with her grandmother. It’s here that Kathy discovers that her grandfather had an unusual accident that left him in a comatose state. 

In hopes of uncovering the truth and gaining closure, Kathy sets off to discover what happened to her grandfather. This journey will require Kathy to visit different townsfolk while solving a slew of puzzles along the way. Slowly, Kathy reveals that there’s something a bit more sinister going on within the town as she unveils her family’s past. Being a point-and-click style adventure game, the majority of the title is based on solving puzzles, finding clues, and speaking with different characters. 

#13 Professor Layton Series

Professor Layton is a series of puzzle games from the Japanese studio Level-5. Each of the games features a series of puzzles and mysteries and two protagonists, Professor Layton and his assistant Luke. The duo will have a series of mysteries to solve so the puzzles can range quite drastically from logical questions to more mathematical. This series has become one of the most popular puzzle games on Nintendo’s handheld consoles and even the Nintendo Switch. The latest installment came in 2017 with the launch of Layton’s Mystery Journey. Originally released for smartphones and the Nintendo 3DS, it received a Nintendo Switch release the following year. 

#12 Life is Strange

A five-part episodic adventure, Life is Strange sets out to revolutionize story-based choice and consequence games by adding a gameplay mechanic rarely seen – the ability to manipulate time with the press of a button. You play as Max, a photography-obsessed senior who saves the life of her old best friend Chloe by discovering her ability to rewind time. The pair then find themselves in a number of bad situations as they travel across Arcadia Bay. Players can discover multiple endings as they make plenty of difficult decisions, realizing that changing the past can massively alter the future.

#11 Her Story

A deceptively simple investigation game that’s wildly unique. In Her Story, you’re trying to figure out an old crime — what that crime actually is? That’s also one of the mysteries you’ll have to solve. The gameplay consists of an old police database UI as you search for videos of a woman’s extensive interrogation sessions across multiple years. The only way to access the video files is by searching for keywords that appear in the videos. By listening carefully and following the rabbit hole of keywords, you’ll eventually find critical (or baffling) confessions that just might explain what’s going on. To say more would be to spoil it.

#10 The Sinking City

An investigative adventure game set in the vast open world of the half-submerged city of Oakmont, The Sinking City sees you playing as a private investigator on a mission to uncover the truth of the city and to discover why it’s plagued by supernatural forces. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the title has an oppressive atmosphere and includes an open investigation system where each case you embark on can be solved in a number of ways.

#9 L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire is one of the most ambitious games ever made, featuring dozens of face-mapped actors and a fully-realized 1940s Los Angeles setting. As Detective Cole Phelps, you’ll move through the ranks starting out as a simple beat cop and moving up to Traffic, Murder, Vice, and Arson. No matter what desk you’re sitting at, you’ll usually have to deal with murder in some form — and to solve mysteries, you comb through realistically rendered environments for clues, question suspects, and finally make a choice on who the culprit really is. Usually, these mysteries follow a set narrative path you can’t miss, but sometimes you’re free to select your own culprit. Whether you made the right choice is entirely up to you. The fun of L.A. Noire comes in the sumptuous story, the in-depth period detail, and the exciting gunfights that often end each case.

#8 Sherlock Holmes Games

Frogwares has been working on the Sherlock Holmes series of games since 2002, and over the years, we’ve seen just under ten of these games released. There’s certainly a market for the Sherlock Holmes franchise and the games bring everything we love from the IP into video game format. Here, players take on the role of Sherlock Holmes and must solve a series of mysteries.

In 2021, we saw the launch of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, a prequel title that put players into the role of Sherlock Holmes before he became the renowned investigator. In this game, players get their first big case and must track down the suspect responsible for the death of Sherlock’s mother. Because this is your first big investigation, you won’t find Sherlock’s faithful companion Watson around, but you’ll be busy enough seeking out clues and figuring out how to deal with problems. This could mean using your wits or relying on brute force.

#7 The Wolf Among Us

From Telltale Games comes The Wolf Among Us, a dark and mature take on the creatures and characters from fairytales and legends. This five-episode choice-heavy game is based on the award-winning Fables comic series and sees players take control of Bigby Wolf, better known as the Big Bad Wolf. As the Sheriff of Fabletown, you’re going to have to delve into some dirty business, with murder being the least of your problems.

#6 Return of the Obra Dinn

A completely unique mystery adventure with minimal color, Return of the Obra Dinn sees players piece together what exactly happened on the Obra Dinn ship when it was declared lost at sea. When it drifts into a port five years later with no visible crew and damaged sails, an insurance investigator must investigate each person’s death one by one and solve the mystery once and for all.

#5 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

A first-person story-driven mystery game that focuses on exploration and discovery, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter sees players investigating the case of a young boy missing after the events of a brutal murder. An occult-minded detective known as Paul Prospero receives a disturbing letter from Ethan himself and travels to find him. His detective skills mixed with his ability to communicate with the dead will allow Paul to see what events have taken place and to discover Ethan’s fate.

#4 Batman Arkham Games

Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Batman: Arkham Knight all allow players to channel their inner Batman and investigate the goings-on in Gotham City. Come face-to-face with some of the biggest and baddest enemies from the franchise such as the Joker and Scarecrow and solve the Riddlers many riddles as you live your dark knight dreams. This series introduces a brand new storyline and it’s entirely worth playing, even if you’re not the biggest Batman fan.

#3 Judgment

From the team that brought us Yakuza comes Judgment, a gritty tale of a disgraced attorney on his quest for redemption. Now taking on a new career path as a private investigator, players must investigate a string of murders. Find evidence, track and tail suspects, and bring the evidence to court all in this mystery adventure game. The combat is more fluid and intuitive in Judgement when compared to the Yakuza titles, but the game world will appease fans of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio franchise.

#2 Heavy Rain

Quantic Dream is known for delivering some excellent narrative-driven adventure titles. One of their breakout hits was Heavy Rain, a title that followed a serial killer kidnapping children and drowning them in rainwater. In the game, this killer has struck again by kidnapping the son of Ethan, one of the game’s protagonists. With a limited time to find his missing child, players will be following four protagonists who are all after the killer. If you’re familiar with Quantic Dream, chances are you know how the gameplay works in Heavy Rain. The majority of the gameplay is exploring the area, picking up objects, finding clues, speaking with NPCs, and a whole lot of quick-time events.

This game has a number of different endings as well. With players having the option to make several decisions along the way and depending on how well they handle the quick-time events, the game will ultimately reward the player with a select ending, either positive or negative.

#1 Disco Elysium – The Final Cut

A winner of multiple game awards, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut is a take on a tabletop RPG game where players become a detective with a unique skill system. Decide what you want to do and how you want to do it, and find out whether it goes according to plan with a dice-rolling system. This RPG will see you singing karaoke, threatening citizens, dancing, bribing everyone in your path, romancing whoever you can, and more. You name it, you can do it. As well as all that, you have a revolutionary dialog system that lets you say almost anything you can imagine, no matter how offensive.