Who Doesn’t enjoy challenging video games? And if you’re the type of gamer who frequently plays challenging games, then Detective games might be what you should try next.
Detective games are mostly challenging and filled with strenuous tasks for players to complete within a given time. Today we have curated a list of the 11 Greatest Detective Games of all time that will cure your boredom so let’s get started with our list without any further ado.
11 Best Detective Games
1. The Wolf Among Us
| Release Date | October 11, 2013 |
| Developer(s) | Telltale Games |
| Platforms | PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mobile |
The Wolf Among Us is surely the first game that comes to my mind when I think of the best detective games ever made. This episodic mystery detective game is a prequel to one of the Fable’s comic book series.
This game consists of five different episodes and the player’s choice will affect the relationship with other characters in the game as well.
Players in this game are given control of a sheriff named Bigby Wolf who must investigate a series of dangerous and mysterious murders as they’re the first series of murders to occur in Fabletown after a long time.
The gameplay is well-developed and the storyline is staggering as well. Critics and gamers worldwide praised that game and it is still considered one of the Best Murder Mystery games of all time.
2. Duskwood Detective Story
| Release Date | September 28, 2019 |
| Developer(s) | Everbyte |
| Platforms | Mobile |
Next up on our list is the best Mobile game for a detective titled Duskwood and players in this game need to crack a mysterious kidnapping case of a girl named Hannah.
The storyline starts with Hannah being kidnapped and there’s no trace of her being kidnapped except her friends receive a text from her, The text that Hannat sent her friends contains your phone number which is quite weird as you didn’t know her.
Her friends will try to contact you and you and her group of friends will then uncover the mystery of Hannah Dunford.
The gameplay is really simple; you need to trust your intuition and carefully progress further into the game. Duskwood is also considered one of the best Detective games for Android. We will provide you with the Trailer of the game down below so you can understand better.
Do try out this game if you think you have what it takes to unfold the mystery of Hannah and this was it for Duskwood, Let us move on to the third game on our list.
3. Criminal Case
| Release Date | November 15, 2012 |
| Developer(s) | Pretty Simple |
| Platforms | PC, Mobile, Browser |
Criminal Case is another great detective game for Mobile and PC and if you’re a detective game fan like me, then I’m sure you must’ve heard or even played this game once.
Players in this game need to create their character join the Police department of Grimsborough and solve tons of different murder and kidnapping cases.
There are numerous different tasks that players need to perform to progress further in a specific case such as instigation, gathering evidence, making decisions, sending dead bodies for autopsy, and much more.
I would advise you all to focus on one case at a time as it could become hectic if you’re going to solve multiple cases at a time.
Be patient and think responsibly while making tough decisions in the game. The gameplay is pretty simple as players need to find different types of vital objects in every crime scene before the time runs out and the evidence later will help you solve the mysteries within.
A huge amount of gamers play Criminal Case to this day and if you haven’t played this game, then you’re missing out on a lot of fun-packed gameplay and storyline.
4. Murdered: Soul Suspect
| Release Date | June 3, 2014 |
| Developer(s) | Airtight Games |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 |
The Hardest Murder mystery to solve is your own! Yes, it’s true as in this game players take control of a detective named Ronan O’Connor as his soul uncovers the mysteries and tries to expose his killer after being killed by the Bell killer at the start of the game.
One thing I love about this game is the staggering concept and storyline; uncovering the secrets of your murderer after being killed is something unique and fun.
Gameplay of this game is played from a third-person perspective and players need to navigate the protagonist through the events.
The game received average reviews from gamers and critics, but I consider it an underrated game with great potential. Now let us check out the next game on our list.
5. Call of Cthulhu
| Release Date | October 30, 2018 |
| Developer(s) | Cyanide, Saber Interactive Inc. |
| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One |
On the fifth spot, we have the Call of Cthulhu, and this game is set in Boston in 1924 where players are given control of a private investigator and war veteran named Edward Pierce who suffers from tragic nightmares and because of that, he self-medicated himself.
Later in the game, Edward is called up to look into a mysterious case of the Hawkins family who mysteriously died in a fire. The strange part is that the only clue to uncover the mystery of the Hawkins family is a picture drawn by the wife.
Edward later in the game uncovers weird and strange mysteries about the Hawkins family and eventually needs to face his nightmares as well.
The gameplay of this game is from a first-person perspective and features fun gameplay elements. Do check out the game if you’re into Detective games.
6. Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island
| Release Date | November 22, 2018 |
| Developer(s) | Grace Bruxner, Worm Club |
| Platforms | PC |
Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island is a comedy detective video game created by an independent Australian developer named Grace Bruxner. The game starts with the protagonist (Frog Detective) getting a call from his superior.
The superior informs our protagonist that a ghost has been heard on the island and he calls the Frog Detective on short notice.
The gameplay is played from a first-person perspective and the campaign is only an hour long and is super fun to play.
The game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from gamers and critics and is rated 10/10 on Steam as well.
7. Fahrenheit
| Release Date | September 16, 2005 |
| Developer(s) | Quantic Dream |
| Platforms | PC, PS2, Xbox |
Also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, Fahrenheit features Lucas Kane as one of the protagonists who murders being possessed by some supernatural powers.
Other than Lucas, there are two other protagonists in the game, Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, and both are New York City detectives.
Players are given dialogue choices in this game and the protagonists can pick up different types of objects as well. Overall the game was pretty good and received favorable reviews from critics and gamers.
8. Murder In The Alps
| Release Date | August 15, 2016 |
| Developer(s) | Nordcurrent |
| Platforms | Mobile, PC |
The Alps is one of the most beautiful locations of all time and our game takes place in one of the hotels in that specific place.
Murder In The Alps is a fully interactive game that takes players on a journey back to the 1930s where they need to solve mysteries and help Anna Mayres, a journalist holidaying at the hotel.
Two of the guests in the hotel went missing and soon, more strange things started to occur as well. Anna decides to solve this mystery by herself and players will unlock more beautiful locations as they progress further into the game.
Characters in this game are different and have different personalities as well; even your choices will affect the game. Do check out Murder In The Alps for a thrilling storyline.
9. The Darkside Detective
| Release Date | July 27, 2017 |
| Developer(s) | Spooky Doorway |
| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 |
The Darkside Detective is a point-and-click detective game set in the fictional city of Twin Lakes, a metropolis known for its frequent crimes.
Patrick Dooley and Detective Francis McQueen investigate all the supernatural and mysterious cases happening in the city.
The game has different/mysterious cases such as Malice in Wonderland, Tome Alone, Disorient Express, etc.
The game received primarily positive reviews from gamers on Steam and gamers raised the overall gameplay and concept of the game.
10. Blacksad: Under The Skin
| Release Date | November 5, 2019 |
| Developer(s) | Pendulo Studios |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
We couldn’t think of a better game other than Blacksad: Under The Skin, an adaptation of the famous Spanish comic series Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales.
The game takes place in a 3D world where everyone is an animal and this game is often compared to games from the Telltale series such as The Walking Dead.
The storyline of the game takes place in New York City in 1950 when the protagonist John Blacksad is approached by a daughter (Sonia Dunn) of a boxing club owner who recently died suspiciously.
Sonia then asks Blacksad to investigate her father’s death and locate one of the club’s fighters who has been missing since her father’s death.
The gameplay is impressive and gamers liked the overall concept of the game. If you’re into detective games, Blacksad: Under The Skin might be what you need to cure your boredom.
11. The Sinking City
| Release Date | June 25, 2019 |
| Developer(s) | Frogwares |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
We decided to end our list with The Sinking City which is an action-adventure detective game set in the fictional city of Oakmont, Massachusetts during the 1920s.
Players are given control of a private investigator and war veteran named Charles W. Reed as he searches for clues to the terrific visions plaguing him.
The gameplay is played from a third person’s perspective and players can roam around in the open-world environment. The visual quality of the game is pretty impressive and you should definitely check out The Sinking City for more staggering gameplay elements.
Over To You
This was it for our list of the 11 Best Detective games and we hope you might be hyped up to try out the games we’ve mentioned above.
If you have any doubts regarding the above games, let us know in the comments below and our team will get to you.
