Best Visual Novel Games
144 Visual Novel games, ranked by the Rank and Play community.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
Released: Aug 15, 2017
Critic rating: 78.0 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
England, 12th century: Philip the monk becomes Prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All
Released: Mar 31, 2006
Critic rating: 80.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Adventure, Visual Novel
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo DS
Game modes: Single player
The second game in the popular court room battle series from Japan introduces four new cases featuring new characters, plot twists and gameplay features.
Azur Lane
Released: May 25, 2017
Critic rating: 79.3 / 100 • 44 votes
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy, Tactical, Adventure, Visual Novel
Platforms: Android, iOS
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Azur Lane is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game created by Chinese developers Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi, released in 2017 for the iOS and Android operating systems.
Muv-Luv
Released: Oct 27, 2011
Critic rating: 78.5 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Visual Novel
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360
Game modes: Single player
Muv-Luv is a Japanese visual novel originally released as an adult game and the first game in the Muv-Luv franchise.
Emily Is Away Too
Released: May 26, 2017
Critic rating: 80.5 / 100
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Game modes: Single player
Emily is Away Too is the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed original.
Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk
Released: Dec 16, 2021
Critic rating: 78.4 / 100 • 47 votes
Rating: T
Genres: Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
A sequel to Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk.
The Red Strings Club
Released: Jan 22, 2018
Critic rating: 78.0 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
"The Red Strings Club is a cyberpunk narrative experience about fate and happiness featuring the extensive use of pottery, bartending and impersonating people on the phone to take down a corporate conspiracy."
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Released: Nov 28, 2013
Critic rating: 78.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Fighting, Visual Novel
Platforms: Arcade, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting video game developed by Arc System Works and Atlus.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Released: May 28, 2009
Critic rating: 81.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure, Visual Novel
Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo DS
Game modes: Single player
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a 2009 adventure video game developed and published by Capcom.
Storyteller
Released: Mar 23, 2023
Critic rating: 81.5 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
With Storyteller you are the one writing the stories!
Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
Released: Feb 22, 2018
Critic rating: 80.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Simulator, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Step into the shoes of a government official in a top-secret department of the Orwell surveillance program.
If Found...
Released: May 19, 2020
Critic rating: 85.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
If Found… is an interactive visual novel from Dreamfeel about searching for connection.
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
Released: Oct 27, 2016
Critic rating: 85.8 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Simulator, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Using the new governmental security program that has the power to survey the online presence of every person in The Nation, you investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
Released: Jul 25, 2013
Critic rating: 80.2 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure, Visual Novel
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS
Game modes: Single player
Dual Destinies continues the style of gameplay from previous installments, in which the player must utilize evidence and find contradictions in witness statements to prove their client innocent.
Corpse Party
Released: Aug 12, 2010
Critic rating: 77.3 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: iOS, PlayStation Portable
Game modes: Single player
A group of friends unknowingly perform an occult ritual that traps them in an otherworldly elementary school.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
Released: Feb 28, 2013
Critic rating: 82.3 / 100
Rating: E10+
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Visual Novel
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Game modes: Single player
Journey across the globe aboard the airship Bostonius while solving mind-bending brainteasers themed to their environments.
Aviary Attorney
Released: Dec 22, 2015
Critic rating: 79.3 / 100
Genres: Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Game modes: Single player
Aviary Attorney is an adventure game in the style of the Ace Attorney series.
Tangle Tower
Released: Sep 19, 2019
Critic rating: 76.5 / 100 • 30 votes
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Unravel a thrilling mystery by exploring a strange and twisted mansion, discovering curious clues, interrogating peculiar suspects and solving unique puzzles.
Katawa Shoujo
Released: Jan 4, 2012
Critic rating: 76.4 / 100 • 107 votes
Genres: Simulator, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Game modes: Single player
Katawa Shoujo is a bishoujo-style visual novel set in the fictional Yamaku High School for disabled children, located somewhere in modern Japan.
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Released: Aug 25, 2022
Critic rating: 76.3 / 100 • 25 votes
Rating: T
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel, Card & Board Game
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Spend your teenage years on an alien planet in this narrative life sim with card-based battles.
Slay the Princess
Released: Oct 23, 2023
Critic rating: 76.3 / 100 • 63 votes
Genres: Point-and-click, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Game modes: Single player
You're here to slay the princess.
Date Everything!
Released: Jun 17, 2025
Critic rating: 84.0 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Simulator, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Date Everything is a sandbox dating simulator set in the comfort of your own home, featuring 100 fully voice acted datable characters!
Death and Taxes
Released: Feb 20, 2020
Critic rating: 75.0 / 100
Rating: T
Genres: Point-and-click, Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
In this 2D, narrative-based game, you assume the role of the Grim Reaper...
Nekopara Vol. 3
Released: May 25, 2017
Critic rating: 85.0 / 100
Rating: M
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie, Visual Novel
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player
Patisserie "La Soleil", run by Kashou Minaduki, is flourishing thanks to the help of two catgirls: Maple, full of pride and a little on the haughty side, and Cinnamon, an impulsive daydreamer.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Released: Sep 29, 2021
Critic rating: 75.5 / 100 • 23 votes
Rating: T
Genres: Fighting, Visual Novel
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
"MELTY BLOOD" is a series of 2D fighting games based on TYPE-MOON's visual romance novel "Tsukihime".