The Best Detective Games for Nintendo Switch

Update : Kona II: Brume added at rank #48.
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.

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What we like:
  • Unique game setting in the early internet
  • Investigative detective work
  • Engaging storyline
  • Eye-searing kitsch comedy
  • Built with consistent world elements
What could be improved:
  • 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 Nintendo Switch PC Windows

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.


What we like:
  • Innovative puzzles
  • Elegant execution
  • Trial-and-error approach and pure deduction available
  • Sherlockian texture that plays out in imagination
  • Captivating 18th century thriller
What could be improved:
  • 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

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.

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

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

4

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.

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

5

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code (2023)

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79
Review score
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Nintendo Switch

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a visually stunning and engaging mystery adventure game that combines Danganronpa's art style with a noir atmosphere. Solve murder mysteries in the rain-soaked city of Kanai Ward, accompanied by a mischievous ghost partner. Uncover clues, examine evidence, and unravel unexpected twists in this standout experience. A must-play for fans of the genre.

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What we like:
  • Visually stunning
  • Engaging gameplay
  • Unexpected twists
  • Colorful cast of characters
What could be improved:
  • Some underwhelming chapters

  • detective
  • mystery
  • crime
  • detective-in-training
  • visual-novel
  • anime
  • narrative

6

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective (2023)

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86
Review score
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IOS iPhone PC Windows Playstation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch

In Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, you're a ghost solving your own murder mystery before sunrise. With time manipulation, object possession, and mind-bending puzzles, you'll uncover a story full of twists and turns. This HD remaster offers an upgraded visual experience, new music arrangements, and a gallery of artwork, making it the ultimate version of this classic adventure.


What we like:
  • Engaging story with satisfying twists
  • Endearing, unique characters
  • Fantastic art style and graphic upgrades
  • Fun voice acting
  • Intriguing puzzle-solving mechanics
What could be improved:
  • Puzzles can be frustrating and require trial-and-error
  • Unhelpful hint system
  • Lack of bonus content

  • puzzle
  • mystery
  • detective
  • cult
  • adventure
  • narrative
  • supernatural
  • classic
  • assassin

7

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!

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What we like:
  • Sharp writing
  • Likeable cast of characters
  • Charming pixel art presentation
  • Enjoyable puzzles
  • Clever hint system
What could be improved:
  • 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

8

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

What we like:
  • Open world visual novel gameplay
  • Multiple endings
  • Replayable
  • Short playthroughs
  • Fun 1930s visuals & music
What could be improved:
  • 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

9

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021)

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85
Review score
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Nintendo 3DS Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch 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

What we like:
  • 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
What could be improved:
  • Clues can be hard to connect during trials

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

10

Paradise Killer (2020)

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87
Review score
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Nintendo Switch 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.

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

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