The Best Detective Games for Nintendo Switch

Update, : The Case of the Golden Idol - Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka added at rank #34.
1

Hypnospace Outlaw (2019)

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100
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS Linux

Hypnospace Outlaw is a unique game that takes you to the world of the early internet circa 1999. As an assigned moderator of the Hypnospace community, you have to investigate unapproved commerce, strike down images and links with copyright infringement and page through personal blogs and projects. You will explore a web browser as well as a customizable desktop with programs and documents, while having to scan for references and redirects.

Buy

Pros:
  • Unique game setting in the early internet
  • Investigative detective work
  • Engaging storyline
  • Eye-searing kitsch comedy
  • Built with consistent world elements
Cons:
  • Limited color palette
  • Grainy pixelated artwork

  • detective
  • alternate
  • conspiracy
  • simulation
  • parody
  • funny
  • online
  • puzzle
  • 1990s

2

The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

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91
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows Nintendo Switch

In The Case of the Golden Idol, you take on the role of a detective tasked to investigate a string of cases related to a mysterious golden idol. You must piece together evidence from the frozen tableau at each crime scene and solve puzzles in order to explain what happened.


Pros:
  • Innovative puzzles
  • Elegant execution
  • Trial-and-error approach and pure deduction available
  • Sherlockian texture that plays out in imagination
  • Captivating 18th century thriller
Cons:
  • Rudimentary artwork
  • Requires feats of deduction that may be difficult for some players

  • detective
  • mystery
  • crime
  • fiction
  • pixel
  • puzzle
  • investigation
  • thriller
  • conspiracy
  • point-and-click

3

Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

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96
Review score
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PC Windows Mac OS Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox One

Return of the Obra Dinn is an adventure puzzle game set in a supernatural maritime world. Players assume the role of an appraiser for a maritime insurance company and are given a pocket watch that reveals the fates of the ship's unfortunate passengers. The game features stunning foley work, voice acting, and score to set its tone. Players must use their deductive reasoning to unravel what happened to all passengers on board.

Buy

Pros:
  • Mystery elements require sound deductive reasoning
  • Brilliant foley work and voice acting
  • Innovative visuals inspired by early computer games
  • Supernatural angle adds intrigue and suspense
  • High replay value
Cons:
  • Simulated assistance may make some tasks too easy
  • Minimalist aesthetic can be off-putting to some players
  • Limited area surrounding each scene restricts exploration

  • detective
  • mystery
  • puzzle

4

Chicken Police (2020)

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92
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone stadia Playstation 5 Mac OS

Chicken Police - Paint it RED! is an off-kilter adventure game and visual novel that takes you to the city of Clawville as private detective Sonny Featherland and his partner, Marty MacChicken investigate a case. Follow them as they meet the denizens of the seedy underbelly, interrogate suspects and investigate crime scenes in this hard-boiled noir.

Buy

Pros:
  • Smoothly running game
  • Well-made
  • Excellent story supported by good voice acting
  • No-longer weird seeing animal heads on human bodies
Cons:
  • Initial weirdness of seeing animal heads on human bodies
  • Minimal action with only occasional minigames

  • detective
  • visual-novel
  • noir
  • mystery
  • point-and-click

5

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (2021)

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91
Review score
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Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch stadia Mac OS PC Windows Playstation 4

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is a groundbreaking role playing game. You’re a detective with a unique skill system at your disposal and a whole city to carve your path across. Interrogate unforgettable characters, crack murders or take bribes. Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.

Buy

  • rpg
  • detective
  • political
  • isometric
  • must-play
  • story
  • crime
  • dice
  • choices
  • narrative
  • politics
  • funny
  • tabletop
  • rich

6

Inspector Waffles (2021)

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89
Review score
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Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Join Inspector Waffles, a jaded and witty feline detective as he attempts to solve the murder of Fluffy, beloved owner of Fluffy Box Furniture. Interrogate suspects, investigate leads and combine inventory items in the charming pixel art world of Cat Town. Enjoy sharp writing, a likeable cast of characters and enjoyable puzzles as you try to solve the case by any means necessary!

Buy

Pros:
  • Sharp writing
  • Likeable cast of characters
  • Charming pixel art presentation
  • Enjoyable puzzles
  • Clever hint system
Cons:
  • Short game length
  • Can't just drag objects onto characters during conversations

  • detective
  • pixel
  • point-and-click
  • mystery
  • noir
  • dog
  • cats
  • crime
  • investigation
  • narration
  • classic
  • funny
  • old-school
  • thriller

7

Overboard! (2021)

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89
Review score
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IOS iPhone Nintendo Switch Android PC Windows Mac OS

Overboard! is an exciting mystery game where you play as Veronica Villensey, a 1930s femme fatale who throws her husband overboard on a boat eight hours away from New York. You must help her get away with her crime by getting her off the boat scot-free when it docks. With visuals and music that evoke the 1930s, and the ability to direct your own story with multiple endings, this game is sure to keep you entertained.

Buy

Pros:
  • Open world visual novel gameplay
  • Multiple endings
  • Replayable
  • Short playthroughs
  • Fun 1930s visuals & music
Cons:
  • Short playthrough times may be a con for some players

  • visual-novel
  • crime
  • mystery
  • choices
  • detective
  • narrative
  • fiction
  • comedy
  • novel
  • interactive
  • adventure
  • conversation
  • sailing
  • cover
  • puzzle

8

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021)

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85
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 PC Windows

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a prequel to the popular Ace Attorney series that takes players through case after case packed with wonderful characters, stories and clever brain teasers. Engage in multi-pronged conversations with numerous different characters and explore lavishly detailed environments for clues. Solve puzzles as you take on the role of a lawyer trying to prove your client's innocence in court.

Buy

Pros:
  • Richly detailed art direction
  • Period-accurate references
  • Entertaining writing
  • Clever animations and character designs
  • Multiple witnesses take the stand simultaneously
  • Extra content such as DLC costumes and developer commentary
Cons:
  • Clues can be hard to connect during trials

  • visual-novel
  • crime
  • detective
  • drama
  • historical
  • mystery
  • narrative
  • adventure
  • western
  • crossover

9

Paradise Killer (2020)

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87
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows

Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies can solve. Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in this open world adventure. You can accuse anyone, but you’ll have to prove your case in trial. It’s up to you to decide who’s guilty.

Buy

  • crime
  • mystery
  • detective
  • open-world
  • exploration
  • psychedelic
  • investigation
  • visual-novel
  • first-person
  • surreal
  • multiple-endings
  • story
  • demons
  • choices
  • stylized

10

Lamplight City (2018)

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89
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows Linux Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone

A steampunk-ish detective adventure from the creator of A Golden Wake and Shardlight! Can you help private investigator Miles Fordham find justice for his clients and track down his partner's killer before his entire world comes apart?

Buy

  • detective
  • point-and-click
  • alternate
  • noir
  • pixel
  • mystery
  • historical
  • steampunk
  • adventure
  • crime
  • hand-drawn
  • third-person
  • retro

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