If you’ve visited this website before, you know I love playing mystery adventure games. Below, you will see which are my favorite mystery adventures of all times, which can be played on PC and/or consoles.
I am trying to mix in newer releases with the best classics out there, so you have a varied choice of amazing titles.
And if you want more, you can see my previous articles sharing the Best FREE Hidden Object Games or the Top PC & Mobile Games Based on TV Detective Shows.
With these in mind, read on for the ultimate list of the best Mystery adventure games you can play today, listed in no particular order.
The Syberia Series
This is one of the most heart-warming, enchanting, and captivating adventure game series ever. It’s also my favorite of all time, and I always love getting back into Kate Walker’s shoes to experience Benoit Sokal’s amazing world.
I wanted to list each of the games in the Syberia series individually, but the truth is that they are all amazing.
Sure, nothing beats (at least not for me) the original Syberia 1, but the follow-up games, including the more recent Syberia: The World Before, released as a homage to Sokal’s legacy, are great.
All the games in the series tell amazing stories, are set in a beautiful, complex world… and the main protagonist (as well as other characters encountered along the way) are perfect. A perfect series for those who love point-and-click adventures.
Make sure to also check out my article detailing the Syberia games in order, to learn everything about all the games in this legendary adventure series.
Outer Wilds
Not your regular point-and-click adventure game, but one definitely worth trying if you’re looking for something new and amazing.
Named Game of the Year 2019 by important publications such as Eurogamer, The Guardian or Polygon, Outer Wilds puts you in the shoes of a recruit in a space program searching for answers in a strange, constantly evolving solar system.
Alien ruins, mind-bending puzzles (and worlds), a great story and solid gameplay make this a great, yet different from the rest mystery adventure title.
Dark Parables: Portrait of the Stained Princess
I am a HUGE fan of the Dark Parables series and this latest (and apparently last) installment is a great one to play.
Yes, you can and should play the entire series – but this time I wanted to just pick one title out of all the 16 available (read everything about the Dark Parables games here) – and it’s the Portrait of the Stained Princess.
When a young apprentice goes missing in search of a cursed painting, you rush to investigate. You arrive to find much more than old superstitions at play as art and reality collide, threatening to spread destruction over the realm!
Can you find out the truth behind the painting of the “Princess with a Duckling” and save your world in time?
Grim Legends: The Dark City
Grim Legends is another great HOPA series, and one that you should play in its entirety. But if you are to choose just one game, go for The Dark City.
Step into the shoes of the Monster Hunter from the mysterious Order and save the city of Lichtenheim from a Nightmare coming from another dimension. Apprehend the thief of the powerful artifact and unravel the secrets of your own past!
Read my article detailing the Grim Legends games in order here.
Heavy Rain
Experience a gripping psychological thriller filled with innumerable twists and turns. The hunt is on for a murderer known only as the Origami Killer.
Four characters, each following their own leads, must take part in a desperate attempt to prevent the killer from claiming a new victim.
An amazing cinematic experience, despite the game’s age – but make sure you are really up for some violence if you play this one. I have to admit that it made my stomach churn here and there – but it’s good!
The Wolf Among Us
An excellent game by Telltale Games – I loved and still love playing all their games, but for this list, it’s the Wolf Among Us that has to be recommended.
(But I repeat – do play all of their games, especially The Walking Dead series and their Game of Thrones adventure series which are amazing).
Back to The Wolf Among Us, it’s an episodic adventure game series that puts you in the shoes of Bigby Wolf – THE big bad wolf – where you will discover that a brutal, bloody murder is just a taste of things to come. Every decision matters here too!
The Séance of Blake Manor
If you loved the schedule-tracking and exploration of games like Outer Wilds but crave a spooky Victorian setting, you should play The Séance of Blake Manor – a brilliant first-person mystery that will have you completely hooked from the beginning to the end.
Set in 1897 Ireland, you play as a private investigator hired to find a missing person in a mysterious estate. But you only have two in-game days to solve the mystery before a scheduled séance makes things much worse.
Every action you take consumes time, and the manor’s guests move around on their own schedules, and you literally feel the pressure mounting, while you double think every move and decision.
The Roottrees are Dead
This is one of the most mind-bending and rewarding deduction games I have played in years!
You are tasked with reconstructing the massive family tree of a candy company dynasty after the founders perish in a 1998 plane crash. You’ll sit at an in-game retro computer, digging through old search engines, photographs, articles and so on to verify who is a legitimate heir to the fortune.
It comfortably fits the cozy genre too, and if you enjoy this type of games, I have a treat for you: the best cozy games to play this year.
Murders on the Yangtze River
If you are a fan of the Ace Attorney series, you will surely enjoy this one too. It takes that classic courtroom-drama formula and transports it into a gorgeous, hand-painted ink wash setting in 1900s China.
You play as traveling detective John Shen, who is seeking the truth behind his brother’s mysterious death. Along the way, you’ll solve a series of escape-the-room mysteries and you’ll explore to gather clues, and then engage in thrilling debates where you have to point out contradictions in suspects’ testimonies using the evidence you’ve found.
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened
Originally released back in 2008, but remastered and re-imagined, this is one of those adventure games you MUST play if you are a fan of the genre.
Become Sherlock Holmes, and find yourself at the heart of the terrifying Cthulhu Mythos as you investigate a series of mysterious disappearances in Europe and the US.
You can play the original too, but I recommend playing the newer release (the one launched in 2023) as it is up to date with the graphics and improved gameplay.
If you want to learn everything about the game series, I recommend checking out my article sharing The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes games in order.
Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut
You will fall in love with everything about this game, but especially the amazing art style and general, old school feel.
I am recommending the Director’s Cut, which is a re-imagining of the classic 2016 point-and-click detective mystery set in the ’90s.
Kathy is a strong-willed journalism major who must come to terms with her troubled past as she investigates the mysterious death of her recently departed grandfather.
Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise
You play as Agent A in this stylish secret agent world full of retro futuristic contraptions, hidden gizmos, gadgets and clever logic based puzzles. But do be warned… Ruby La Rouge is no spy to be taken lightly!
Explore a labyrinth of perplexing puzzles in this quirky game of cat and mouse that’ll have you wondering whether you’re the cat… or the mouse!!
The Case of the Golden Idol
A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.
Amazing art and perfect characters and story round up a really solid game that you must play.
And after you finish the game, you can immediately dive into its equally brilliant sequel, The Rise of the Golden Idol.
The Drifter
A great, old school point-and-click mystery adventure game that throws you right into the middle of a gritty, fast-paced conspiracy.
You step into the shoes of Mick Carter, a drifter who returns to his hometown, witnesses a brutal murder, and is then killed himself. But things take a wild turn when he inexplicably wakes up alive again, seconds before his death.
Caught in a deadly loop and hunted by shadowy figures, you have to solve puzzles and piece together what is happening to you.
Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune is an interactive story, focused on exploration and characters, both sweet and dark, where your choices have consequences, as it’s usually the case in newer games (and I LOVE this mechanic!)
Starring Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez, an imaginative 8-year-old, who seeks the prize of Eternal Happiness, as a gift to her Mommy. Led by her new friend, Mr. Voice, they venture into the woods, where mysteries are unraveled and a little bit of bad luck unfolds.
But worry not, you’ll save the day!
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Another game that takes a different route compared to your regular adventure game, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is directed by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi.
And the premise is pretty interesting: you have to solve… your own murder!
Using the powers of the dead, you can possess and manipulate objects and even rewind time as you work to solve brainteasing puzzles in a story chock-full of quirky humour and charming characters.
No Case Should Remain Unsolved
#No_Case_Should_Remain_Unsolved (this is the official name of the game) is a detective game where players uncover and piece together memory fragments to solve a long-forgotten case.
February 5, 2012. A little girl named Seowon is reported missing from a playground. Police launch an investigation and question witnesses and suspects, but Seowon’s case is never solved.
Thimbleweed Park
Welcome to Thimbleweed Park. Population: 80 nutcases. And a dead body which is the least of your problems.
A game that masterfully mixes Twin Peaks with classic LucasArts adventure games like the Monkey Island series, can only be a hit. And Thimbleweed Park delivers!
A haunted hotel, an abandoned circus, a burnt-out pillow factory, a dead body pixelating under the bridge, toilets that run on vacuum tubes… you’ve never visited a place like this before.
Five people with nothing in common have been drawn to this rundown, forgotten town. They don’t know it yet, but they are all deeply connected. And they’re being watched.
Full Throttle Remastered
Originally released by LucasArts in 1995, Full Throttle is a classic graphic adventure game from industry legend Tim Schafer, telling the story of Ben Throttle; butt-kicking leader of biker gang the Polecats, who gets caught up in a tale of Motorcycles, Mayhem and Murder.
This remaster brings everything up to date in terms of graphics and gameplay, keeping the original feel of the game intact.
Players will be able to switch back and forth between classic and remastered modes, and mix-n-match audio and graphics options to their heart’s desire. Also included is a concept art browser with work from Peter Chan, and a commentary track with the game’s original creators.
PuppetShow: Porcelain Smile
We have to wrap up this list with another HOPA – a great one, too. You will surely enjoy the entire series, but I have chosen this one because I particularly enjoy playing it.
When your friend receives a strange letter about her new rare puppet, you rush to help. Upon your arrival you quickly find that these are more than just idle threats when she’s kidnapped by a masked maniac!
Can you uncover the truth behind the auction of a rare puppet collection and save your friend in time? Find out by playing the game – or read my previous article listing all the PupperShow games in order to experience them all!
Or try something completely new with the Maze of Realities Games in Order.
Final words
There you have it! An amazing list of top notch mystery games for those who live solving crimes or great mysteries. I am always adding new titles to this list as I play them, so check back often!
Also, if you have a favorite or two that you feel should be placed on the list, comment below and let me know! I always love trying new adventure games!
See also my Best Hidden Object Games List for all the titles I have covered over the years. Or just get yourself in a cozy mood by playing one of the Best City Building Games for Mobile I recommend.
You may also enjoy Nightmare Adventures The Witch’s Prison and Nightmare Adventures The Turning Thorn by Ghost Ship Studios.
There are two installations with the first easier and the second more challenging. Both enjoyable HOPA’s hidden objective part adventure games. Can be found on BFG and Steam not sure where else.
Highly recommend.
Solid recommendations! Too bad there are just two games in the series.