2025 was the best year for detective games; Introducing the top 9 games

There is a special feeling in solving puzzles in games. Piecing together clues, interrogating suspects, and finally arriving at that incredibly satisfying answer is truly magical. 2025 was a real turning point for detective games. This year, a series of creative and well-crafted works were released that not only raised the bar for the genre, but also proved that detective games still have a lot to say and can be more exciting, deep and memorable than ever. Unfortunately, these games aren’t as well known as they should be, but with 2025 coming to an end, now is a good time to take a look at some of them.

9. A Case of Fraud

Producer: Hesperus Games / Producer: Hesperus Games
Platform: PC

In this game, the CEO of a tech startup has been murdered and you have to solve the mystery by identifying the names, job titles, and even the pets of everyone who worked there. The game is clearly inspired by The Roottrees are Dead, but much simpler. Instead of the evidence being revealed little by little with clever tools like that game’s awesome built-in search engine, here a pile of evidence is dumped in front of you all at once. However, it’s still a great little game that makes creative use of office space.

8. Asbury Pines

Producer: Chaystar Unlimited LLC / Producer: Chaystar Unlimited LLC
Platform: PC

This game proves that one of the least popular genres in the gaming world can be a great way to tell a story. Asbury Pines is a resource management game where you free the townspeople and send them to work ranging from rummaging through trash cans to working in a diner and practicing a religious ritual. In return, you get little bits of story that give you more insight into the murder that’s wreaking havoc on the city. The story of the game is told in several different time periods, and Asbury Pines hides a surprising amount of narrative in a game where you practically just put people to work and then wish they would finish their work sooner. In this way, the game simulates the excruciating waiting between revelations of episodes of a detective TV series.

7. Strange Antiquities

Producer: Iceberg Interactive / Developer: Bad Viking
Platform: PC

In this game, customers are bombarded with requests like “My neighbor forgot my birthday, do you have a cursed spell to destroy his life?” or “I want a crushed pie! I’m not even going to explain what that means exactly,” they walk into your creepy little shop. Using books along with the sense of sight, touch, smell and general mood, you have to guess which antique they are looking for and then deliver it to a very dangerous person, instead of calling the police. The sequel is full of puzzles and a lot of fun, even if you feel like you’re probably making the world a worse place with each new sale.

6. Little problems

Producer: Amplified Games / Developer: Posh Cat Studios
Platform: PC

You overslept and missed the first class of the day! You have to hand in your homework, but what time are you supposed to meet your group again? These are small and everyday problems that require a little thinking, a little simple game detective and finally reaching a result. Little Problems takes a fresh and heartwarming break from the usual narratives full of massive conflicts and complex anti-heroes. The game invites players to enter a world where sleuthing means connecting with friends, understanding the small but important issues of everyday life, and finding joy in the simplicity of solving problems. This game is not about saving the world; It’s about making it better, one small problem at a time. This lovely game challenges players to solve puzzles around minor problems, everyday misunderstandings and such small problems.

5. Expelled

Producer: Inkle / Manufacturer: Inkle
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch

The year is 1922 and Miss Mulligantown’s boarding school for promising girls is one of the best schools in England. You are in the role of Verity Amersham; A student who studies in this school with a scholarship and apparently is going to be expelled from the school for the crime of attempted murder. From the creators of Overboard and A Highland Song, this game is a detective work with high replay value and a fascinating twist where you will be faced with questions such as can you escape eviction by fair or unfair means? Will you find the real culprit, or will you find someone else to blame? In general, this story is designed in such a way that you can feel the movement of its narration under your feet moment by moment; Where the constant state of “not knowing” keeps pushing you forward, towards the ultimate and only truth that, if we’re being honest, is truly brilliant.

4. The Séance of Blake Manor

Producer: Raw Fury / Producer: Spooky Doorway
Platform: PC

In this game, you have been called to the Blake mansion to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane. Blake’s mansion is full of suspicious guests who are fun to tease. You have to visit their rooms, rummage through their things, and then ask why they keep a half-empty vial of poison on their bedside table. The flawless presentation of the game may hide the fact that it is essentially a classic point-and-click game. Currently, the free demo version of the game including the first two hours that can be played in the mansion area is also available so that you can get to know its atmosphere before buying the full version.

3. The Roottrees Are Dead

Producer: Evil Trout Inc / Manufacturer: Evil Trout Inc
Platform: PC

The Rothery sisters have tragically lost their lives in a plane crash, and now you must complete their massive family tree with all the research tools the 1990s internet and dial-up connection had to offer. In fact, due to the strange habits of their great-grandfather, Elias, their wealth must be distributed among the rest of the family. But who is really a blood relative? This is where your work becomes important. The game is like reminiscing about the early internet, to the point where even the screeching sound of the computer when you first connected online is preserved. You must type words into the search engine with 100% correct spelling or you will get nothing!

2. The Rise of the Golden Idol: The Sins of New Wells

Producer: Playstack / Developer: Color Gray Games
Platform: PC

The Rise of the Golden Idol was an adventure game released in 2024. The Sins of New Wells pack was released for the game in 2025 and revolves around Samson, a detective from the original. Criminals, drugs, murder and reporters are rampant in the New Wales city, and you must join Samson and his new partner Cliff Sawia in the game to solve four completely new scenarios; Cases dealing with an organized crime syndicate engulfing a New Wales city.

1. Type Help

Producer: William Rous / Producer: William Rous
Platform: PC

This completely free game puts you inside the hard drive of a detective who has apparently solved a murder, but his computer has been mysteriously locked by his superiors. Unfortunately, the computer has no images, the inbox only has one message and four short pieces of conversation, and the fourth text doesn’t actually have half its title, so you can’t access it unless you guess and type it. Text adventures became obsolete decades ago because they weren’t much fun, but in this game, when you input the correct guess into the computer, it feels better than winning the lottery. The user interface may seem boring at first, but you will bear it, especially for the thrill of guessing and for the continuation of the fascinating story that can be considered one of the best detective narratives of all time in any medium.

Source: PCGAMER