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Mystery hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged Mystery on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. Showing the 60 most reviewed of 69. How these pages are made.
A narrative-driven point-and-click adventure game featuring puzzle-solving and exploration. It offers a steampunk atmosphere with a focus on unraveling intertwined mysteries.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful, touching story and art, reminiscent of classic adventure games.
The catchAuto-highlighted hotspots remove puzzle discovery
Games like Syberia: The World Before →
A narrative deduction game where you uncover family ties using 1990s internet research. Solve puzzles by connecting evidence to build a family tree.
What players likedPlayers praise this addictive detective game for its challenging, rewarding puzzles and comparisons to "Obra Dinn," "Hypnospace Outlaw," and "Her Story."
The catchInvestigation boils down to typing keywords and reading summaries, which turns tedious.
Games like The Roottrees are Dead →
Nine people wake in an underground facility and are told the exit opens only after six of them die. Search 3D rooms for escape puzzles and jump between fragments of a splintered timeline.
What players likedPlayers praise its hard puzzles and weird sci-fi story, comparing it to "Saw" and "Resident Evil 1 Remake."
The catchA weak twist and unresolved plot threads make the trilogy's finale a letdown.
Games like Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma →
Mystery adventure visual novel. Explore an island, solve murders, and uncover secrets with a detective and psychic assistant.
What players likedPlayers praise its high production value and creepy monster design, comparing it to a classic Sherlock Holmes novel.
The catchThe adult male lead repeatedly ogles underage girls, souring the mystery.
Games like Return to Shironagasu Island →
A supernatural mystery adventure game where players find clues, arrange them into documents, and identify contradictions to solve murders. It features a 1960s London setting with supernatural abilities and detective work.
What players likedPlayers praise the game's art, music, and engaging story with accessible multiple endings, recommending the "reborn" bundle.
The catchThe same clue matching repeats, and answers are either obvious or plainly illogical.
Games like Staffer Case: A Supernatural Mystery Adventure →
This is a single-player horror game featuring animated VHS tapes. Players solve escape room puzzles by interacting with characters who communicate directly through the screen.
What players likedPlayers praise its fun puzzles and analog horror style, comparing it to a playable horror series.
The catchPuzzle solutions are barely hinted, so progress usually means looking up a guide.
Games like Amanda the Adventurer →
First-person puzzle adventure game. Explore an island, solve complex puzzles, and uncover a story.
What players likedLike Myst, Quern is a brilliant puzzle game with interconnected, challenging, and satisfying puzzles that reward observation and note-taking.
The catchFar more time goes on hunting for the next puzzle than on actually solving it.
Games like Quern - Undying Thoughts →
Obduction80% positive from 3,966 reviews201629% finish itDeck Playable
Sci-fi adventure game. Explore alien worlds, solve environmental puzzles, and make choices to return home.
What players likedPlayers praise Obduction as a challenging puzzle masterpiece, reminiscent of Myst and Riven, with a rich, explorable world.
The catchSolving a puzzle means slow walking back and forth through long loading screens.
Games like Obduction →
CHAOS;CHILD93% positive from 3,964 reviews201925% finish itDeck Playable
This is a dark, supernatural visual novel where players investigate serial murders by choosing delusions to alter reality and unlock multiple endings. It features a mystery-driven narrative with character interactions and branching paths.
What players likedPlayers praise Chaos;Child as a masterpiece and the best Sci;Adv game, surpassing its predecessor Chaos;Head in story, characters, and emotional impact.
The catchThe true ending feels disappointing and inconclusive
Games like CHAOS;CHILD →
A narrative adventure game where players investigate crime scenes, find clues, and interrogate suspects as Sherlock Holmes. It features a dark, twisting story set in Victorian London.
What players likedPlayers praise the engaging story and varied, intuitive puzzles, wishing its sequel maintained its quality.
The catchObscure puzzles and pixel hunting leave you stuck and reaching for a walkthrough.
Games like The Testament of Sherlock Holmes →
Live-action visual novel following five strangers through one day in Shibuya after a kidnapping, with a JUMP system for switching between their parallel stories when one hits a dead end.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique, well-made visual novel experience with a masterfully connected, mind-blowing mystery plot.
The catchNo text skip and slow text speed force rereading the same scenes repeatedly.
Games like 428: Shibuya Scramble →
A visual novel adventure game where players investigate surreal crime scenes by entering dreams, featuring a dark, mystery-driven narrative.
What players likedPlayers praise its improved Somnium logic puzzles and engaging story, similar to the first game but with enhanced gameplay.
The catchThe plot hinges on a late twist that hides information and lands as a cheap gotcha.
Games like AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative →
A narrative exploration game with van upgrades and community interaction. It's a peaceful, hopeful post-apocalyptic road trip.
What players likedPlayers praise its cozy, non-combat exploration and rich world-building, comparing it to Outer Wilds, Knytt Stories, Mad Max, KotOR, and Portal 2.
The catchThe loop is fetch quests and slow driving with heavy backtracking over the same map.
Games like Caravan SandWitch →
This is a digital board game of deduction. Players move around a mansion, gather clues, and make accusations to solve a murder mystery.
What players likedPlayers praise this addicting and well-executed digital adaptation for being exactly like the classic board game, enjoyable solo or with friends.
The catchOnly one board and a few characters are included, the rest sits behind paid DLC.
Games like Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition →
Void Stranger91% positive from 3,455 reviews2023100% finish itDeck Verified
Void Stranger is a 2D pixel art puzzle game where players solve Sokoban-style challenges. It features a challenging, deliberate core loop focused on careful movement and environmental study.
What players likedPlayers compare "Void Stranger" to "Dark Souls," "Outer Wilds," and "Tunic" for its deep, cryptic puzzles, rewarding secrets, and paradigm-shifting discoveries.
The catchProgress means replaying the same 200 puzzle floors again and again after every setback.
Games like Void Stranger →
Metal Garden96% positive from 3,314 reviews202561% finish itDeck Playable
Short, atmospheric singleplayer FPS with a sci-fi mystery and an injury system. Explore a nature-overgrown megastructure, fight factions, and manage body part health.
What players likedPlayers praise its atmospheric megastructure exploration and Half-Life/Rain World-like brutalist FPS gameplay, with outstanding level design and gunplay.
The catchCombat is the weak point, with unsatisfying guns and enemies dumb enough to strafe past.
Games like Metal Garden →
This is a visual novel with branching narratives and multiple endings, featuring a dark, psychological mystery feel. The core loop involves player choices impacting the story and its outcomes.
What players likedPlayers praise its intriguing story, great art, and music, often comparing it to Higurashi When They Cry for its psychological horror and mystery.
The catchThe English translation is stilted and redundant, making the writing a slog to read.
Games like Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS →
NORCO93% positive from 3,147 reviews202232% finish itDeck Verified
NORCO is a pixel art point-and-click adventure game. Players explore a surreal South Louisiana to find a missing brother, uncovering a multigenerational mystery.
What players likedPlayers praise NORCO's superb writing, unique art style, and captivating narrative, often comparing it to Kentucky Route Zero for its surrealism and regional grounding.
The catchMostly walls of text with barely any gameplay, and the story never comes together.
Games like NORCO →
First-person survival horror with stealth and puzzle-solving. Players evade ghosts and uncover a conspiracy within a haunted university.
What players likedPlayers praise its fluid puzzles and easy-to-understand story, comparing it favorably to the first game in terms of cinematic quality.
The catchThe English voice acting and writing land at cheap B movie level throughout.
Games like The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication →
This is a narrative mystery game where players explore hotel rooms to uncover secrets. It features a neo-noir investigation and relationship building with consequences.
What players likedPlayers praise its immersive mystery, compelling story, and 1950s aesthetic, often comparing it to Nancy Drew and Life is Strange.
The catchRoughly four hours long and priced far above what that length is worth.
Games like This Bed We Made →
Third-person detective adventure adapted from the Agatha Christie novel. As Poirot you comb crime scenes, read how suspects answer, and assemble clues into deductions and a timeline.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a polished, engaging adventure game and interactive novel, faithful to the detective story.
The catchWalking, dialogue and puzzles all move slowly, turning the investigation into a chore.
Games like Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders →
MINDNIGHT85% positive from 2,963 reviews201769% finish it
MINDNIGHT is a free-to-play online social deduction game where players lie and accuse to achieve team objectives. It's a competitive, deceptive experience inspired by party games like Werewolf.
What players likedPlayers praise MINDNIGHT as a fun, short game similar to Among Us, especially enjoyable when understood and played well.
The catchThe small surviving community is hostile, especially toward new or casual players.
Games like MINDNIGHT →
This is a narrative investigation game where players explore a found smartphone's contents to uncover a person's life and disappearance. Its core loop involves searching messages and apps within a realistic phone interface to build empathy.
What players likedPlayers praise this story-driven game for its natural narrative exploration of a phone, piecing together an interesting mystery.
The catchPuzzles boil down to hunting arbitrary dates in walls of text to use as passwords.
Games like A Normal Lost Phone →
This is a Lovecraftian adventure game where players investigate mysteries as Sherlock Holmes. The core loop involves finding clues and fighting encroaching insanity.
What players likedPlayers praise its Lovecraftian horror and detective themes, feeling like a good remaster and continuation of the "Sherlock Holmes" franchise.
The catchVery linear with little gameplay depth or side content
Games like Sherlock Holmes The Awakened →
A 2-player cooperative puzzle game where players see different halves of puzzles and must communicate to solve them. It's a tense, collaborative experience to escape a killer.
What players likedPlayers praise its cooperative puzzle-solving, comparing it to "Tick Tock: A Tale for Two" for its engaging, shared experience.
The catchIt is over in about two hours, which feels thin for the price.
Games like Unboxing the Cryptic Killer →
妄想症：Deliver Me88% positive from 2,531 reviews20186% finish itDeck Playable
This is a visual novel ADV about a girl's descent into paranoia and her struggle to escape her mind. Players guide her through a story of lost dreams and betrayal.
What players likedPlayers praise its deep psychological story, comparing it to "Your Lie In April" and a mix of K-on, Groundhog Day, and Inception.
The catchThere is no English text at all, which makes the story very hard to follow.
Games like 妄想症：Deliver Me →
This is a point-and-click detective game where players investigate crime scenes to deduce motives and identify culprits. It features a unique mechanic of collecting keywords from observations to build theories.
What players likedPlayers praise its "eureka moment" mysteries and engaging story, a worthy sequel to the first "Golden Idol" game.
The catchSolving reduces to trial-and-error word swapping
Games like The Rise of the Golden Idol →
A VR puzzle adventure game where players interact with intricate contraptions to solve mysteries. It offers a suspenseful, tactile experience exploring cryptic locations.
What players likedPlayers praise its solid puzzles and story, comparing it favorably to Fireproof Games' other highly-regarded VR titles like Ghost Town.
The catchIt runs about three hours, which feels thin next to the price and earlier entries.
Games like The Room VR: A Dark Matter →
Heaven's Vault84% positive from 2,461 reviews201928% finish itDeck Verified
A narrative adventure game where you explore space, translate ancient languages, and make choices that shape the story. It features an adaptive narrative and a unique hieroglyphic translation puzzle.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique archaeological translation puzzles, akin to Chants of Sennar, within a rich narrative and fascinating world.
The catchWalking, sailing and dialogue all crawl, padded with unskippable transitions.
Games like Heaven's Vault →
Later Alligator96% positive from 2,383 reviews201928% finish itDeck Verified
This is a hand-drawn animated adventure game with minigames and multiple endings. Players explore a city, investigate characters, and solve a conspiracy.
What players likedPlayers praise its impressive animation, funny writing, and enjoyable mini-games, offering a good time like familiar but twisted experiences.
The catchThe minigames it is built around are mostly dull, random or actively annoying.
Games like Later Alligator →
A visual novel adventure game where you play a bird lawyer solving cases through investigation and courtroom arguments. It features a 19th-century Parisian setting with unique art and music.
What players likedPlayers praise this high-quality visual novel, similar to Ace Attorney, for its enjoyable story, characters, and unique setting.
The catchA harsh day timer punishes exploring, and going out of order costs you the case.
Games like Aviary Attorney →
This is a first-person puzzle adventure game where players solve mechanical puzzles and use time travel to uncover secrets in Renaissance Italy. It features intuitive controls and a fully narrated story.
What players likedPlayers praise this wonderful puzzle game trilogy for its gorgeous graphics, engaging storyline, and challenging yet fair puzzles.
The catchMouse and camera controls are imprecise, so clicks jump the view or grab the wrong thing.
Games like The House of Da Vinci 2 →
BURIED STARS84% positive from 2,200 reviews202147% finish itDeck Verified
This is a narrative mystery adventure game where players uncover a murder through dialogue choices and social media mechanics, set in a cinematic, atmospheric style.
What players likedPlayers praise its engaging story, character drama, and tense mystery, comparing it to Danganronpa and the Nonary Game.
The catchThe same topics get rehashed with every character, and read text cannot be skipped.
Games like BURIED STARS →
A narrative puzzle adventure where you possess objects to alter events and solve your own murder. It features quirky humor and charming characters.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique mystery, engaging puzzles, and strong story with Ace Attorney vibes.
The catchFailing a puzzle means sitting through the same long dialogue and animations again.
Games like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective →
This is a text adventure game with a film noir feel, featuring a private investigator uncovering mysteries. Players click through dioramas while managing the protagonist's illness and vices.
What players likedThis short, stylish noir visual novel with a unique diorama art style and semi-interactive sections is praised for its intriguing story and unique traits.
The catchDialogue choices change nothing, so it plays as a short story you click through.
Games like The Monster Inside →
This is a visual novel with a branching narrative exploring tragic stories within a mansion. Players uncover memories and identity through episodic tales across different time periods.
What players likedPlayers praise "The House in Fata Morgana" as a masterpiece with an unforgettable, emotionally devastating story, often compared to Umineko.
The catchThe writing is bloated and repetitive, so the second half drags badly.
Games like The House in Fata Morgana →
Narrative adventure game with branching dialogue choices and a walkie-talkie mechanic. It's a supernatural mystery with a focus on player decisions.
What players likedPlayers praise its "Twin Peaks"-like atmosphere, engaging story, and improved mechanics, building on the original Oxenfree.
The catchRecycles the first game with flatter characters and far less of its mystery.
Games like OXENFREE II: Lost Signals →
A narrative exploration game where you document a world on your bicycle. You collect memories and stories before a cataclysm.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful, story-driven, and meditative exploration of culture, memory, and history, offering a calm, unique experience.
The catchCamera jank and heavy framerate drops repeatedly break the exploration.
Games like SEASON: A letter to the future →
Doors: Paradox91% positive from 2,032 reviews202229% finish itDeck Playable
A relaxing diorama puzzle escape game where players solve puzzles to open doors and travel to new, visually stunning themed levels. The core loop involves exploring diverse realms and unraveling a story through collectible scrolls.
What players likedPlayers praise Doors: Paradox as a beautiful, charming, and creative cozy puzzle game, improving on previous titles with engaging, unique levels.
The catchPuzzles stay simple and rarely offer real challenge
Games like Doors: Paradox →
United heist83% positive from 1,992 reviews202319% finish itDeck Playable
Two-player asymmetric co-op puzzle game. Players communicate via in-game voice chat to solve puzzles and complete heists.
What players likedPlayers praise its good concept and co-op puzzle gameplay, similar to other two-player room separation games.
The catchPuzzles frequently glitch or freeze, forcing a restart or blocking progress entirely.
Games like United heist →
Mystery adventure game where players dive into the past using mementos to solve a murder. Features quirky characters and a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere.
What players likedPlayers praise the game's incredibly detailed world and intriguing story with memorable characters, despite its lack of a conclusive ending.
The catchThe story stops on a cliffhanger and the sequel was abandoned for good.
Games like D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die -Season One- →
Psalm 5:9-1384% positive from 1,938 reviews2024Deck Playable
This is a short, first-person walking simulator horror game with a VHS aesthetic. Players explore a seemingly normal location that becomes increasingly unsettling, finding anomalies and facing frightening events.
What players likedPlayers praise "Psalm 5:9-13" as a short, atmospheric psychological horror experience, akin to a walking simulator, that excels at building tension and an unsettling ambiance.
The catchIt is over in about 30 minutes, with no story and a few cheap jump scares.
Games like Psalm 5:9-13 →
Point-and-click puzzle adventure anthology. Solve environmental puzzles to uncover a mystery.
What players likedPlayers praise its solid puzzles and intriguing lore, comparing it to escape rooms and classic point-and-click adventures.
The catchPuzzle logic is arbitrary, so progress means clicking everything with every item.
Games like Cube Escape Collection →
A visual novel with a focus on relationship building and mystery solving, featuring a shy protagonist at an all-girls academy. The game explores blossoming friendships and dark secrets within a serene, yet unsettling, environment.
What players likedPlayers praise its impactful story and hope for character returns, reminiscent of games with emotionally resonant narratives.
The catchThe story moves at a crawl with little happening, making long stretches a slog.
Games like Flowers -Le volume sur printemps- →
CHAOS;HEAD NOAH88% positive from 1,872 reviews202221% finish itDeck Verified
Visual novel with psychological horror elements. Players make choices that affect the branching narrative and Takumi's perception of reality.
What players likedPlayers say it's an intense and suspenseful visual novel, often compared favorably to Steins;Gate, and they praise its brilliant story and unique protagonist growth.
The catchThe protagonist is insufferable and never grows, which makes the whole read a slog.
Games like CHAOS;HEAD NOAH →
A witty, family-friendly adventure game where players solve mysteries by talking to characters. It's the final installment in the Frog Detective series.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a short, sweet, simple, and fun game with humor, suspense, comedy, and romance.
The catchGameplay is fetch quests and errands with no puzzles or meaningful choices.
Games like Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County →
A visual novel mystery game. Players solve murders on an isolated island by discerning truth from magic.
What players likedPlayers praise Umineko as a deeply impactful, unforgettable story with exemplary characters, atmosphere, and soundtrack that explores themes of truth and belief.
The catchThe writing is hugely bloated and repetitive, dragging points out for hours.
Games like Umineko When They Cry - Question Arcs →
A narrative horror game where you decipher damaged mail through typing prompts. It features atmospheric dread and multiple endings with replayability.
What players likedPlayers praise its subtle, atmospheric horror and psychological depth, often comparing it to a "Mavis Beacon" typing game gone evil.
The catchThe typing loop turns into tedious busywork long before the story pays off.
Games like DEAD LETTER DEPT. →
Lost in Play97% positive from 1,751 reviews2022Deck Verified
This is a point-and-click adventure game featuring puzzle-solving and exploration. It has a whimsical, imaginative feel, following two siblings on a quest.
What players likedPlayers praise its charming art, creative puzzles, and relaxing, cartoon-like adventure, often compared to Gravity Falls.
The catchPuzzle difficulty swings wildly from trivial to a card game with no skip button.
Games like Lost in Play →
Courtroom detective game with evidence-based trials and witness interrogation. Features unique locations and a deep narrative.
What players likedPlayers praise "Trials of Innocence" as a smartly written visual novel detective game, similar to Ace Attorney, with a great storyline and memorable characters.
The catchThe English translation is rough and awkward, which makes following the trials harder.
Games like Trials of Innocence →
Visual novel with branching narratives and psychological horror. Players make choices that impact the story's tragic outcomes.
What players likedPlayers praise its addictive mystery and emotional storytelling, despite a slow start, with one reviewer noting it's "as good as it could be."
The catchHours of repetitive slice of life filler pass before the mystery finally starts.
Games like Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.2 Watanagashi →
A point-and-click adventure game where a medium and a ghost solve supernatural mysteries.
What players likedPlayers praise its intriguing story, voice acting, and nostalgic art style, finding it an enjoyable point-and-click adventure that launched a beloved series.
The catchIt ends in about two hours and plays more like an intro chapter than a full game.
Games like The Blackwell Legacy →
Point-and-click adventure game where you solve paranormal mysteries with Detective McQueen. It features a humorous, pixelated art style and standalone cases.
What players likedPlayers praise its humor and creative puzzles, comparing it to the original Darkside Detective game as an enjoyable point-and-click adventure.
The catchPuzzle logic is so obscure that brute-force clicking or a guide is the norm.
Games like The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark →
This is a challenging horror game where players navigate procedurally generated corn mazes at night, using an axe to cut weeds while avoiding enemies. It features jumpscares and a tense atmosphere.
What players likedNo substantive recurring points about comparisons or praise can be extracted from the provided text.
The catchDeaths come down to luck, with enemies dropping on you without warning.
Games like Zardy's Maze →
This is a first-person puzzle adventure game with real-time 3D exploration. Players solve environmental puzzles to uncover a story of intrigue.
What players likedPlayers praise this beautifully modernized classic puzzle game for its real-time island exploration, weather, and lighting dynamics.
The catchControls and movement are clunky, making navigation harder than the puzzles themselves.
Games like realMyst: Masterpiece Edition →
Visual novel defense attorney game. Investigate magical crimes and use magic laws to prove innocence against a corrupt system.
What players likedPlayers praise "Tyrion Cuthbert" as a fantastic Ace Attorney-style game with excellent writing, engaging cases, and surprising twists.
The catchThe puzzle logic is nitpicky, often rejecting evidence that seems perfectly reasonable.
Games like Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane →
This is a point-and-click adventure game featuring puzzle-solving and narrative exploration. Players interact with characters and environments to uncover a Mayan mystery.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a funny, surprising, classic-style point-and-click adventure, maintaining the quality of the first game.
The catchMany puzzle solutions run on moon logic rather than anything a player could deduce.
Games like Broken Sword 2 - the Smoking Mirror: Remastered (2010) →
Horror adventure game with RPG Maker elements. Explore a haunted mansion, solve puzzles, and escape pursuers, sometimes by waking from nightmares.
What players likedPlayers praise "Cat in the Box" as a well-made indie horror RPG Maker game with a strong story and atmosphere, comparable to genre favorites.
The catchChase scenes are unfair and worsened by fixed arrow key controls you cannot rebind.
Games like Cat in the Box →
A visual novel with a branching narrative where players make impactful choices to uncover a conspiracy in a dragon world, featuring romance. The core loop involves dialogue, investigation, and time management with multiple endings.
What players likedPlayers praise this visual novel as an unexpected gem with a great story, charming characters, and diverse routes.
The catchWriting lets it down, with flat dialogue and long exposition dumps in place of story.
Games like Angels with Scaly Wings →
This is a hidden-object puzzle-adventure game with a unique Detective Mode for investigation. It features a 1950s noir horror mystery with challenging puzzles and a gripping plot.
What players likedPlayers praise its enjoyable puzzles and charmingly bad production value, reminiscent of a B-movie.
The catchHidden object scenes and puzzles are trivially easy and the game ends quickly.
Games like 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek →
