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Detective horror games

In these games you work a case. You play a private investigator, a police detective or someone made to act like one: you search rooms for clues, question witnesses and piece together what happened. The fear comes from where the evidence leads, into old houses, cults and places that should not exist, and from learning that the answer may be worse than the question.

The top 30 of 54 detective horror games, ranked by player and critic scores

The 30 best, 2026

  1. Cube Escape: Paradox key art: the white outline of a cube under the title, on green wallpaper patterned with moths PsychologicalCube Escape: ParadoxYou play detective Dale Vandermeer, who wakes in an ominous room and must recover his memories to escape 96% on Google Play (180,000 ratings)FreePC, Mac, iPhone, Android
  2. The Dark Rites of Arkham key art: a detective in a fedora holds a revolver as huge toothed jaws and tentacles loom out of a blue night behind him 2D horrorThe Dark Rites of ArkhamYou play two Arkham police detectives working a case. 97% on Steam (706 reviews)about 6 hPaidPC
  3. Cube Escape Collection key art: a white cube outline and the title on a purple starry background PsychologicalCube Escape CollectionYou follow homicide detective Dale Vandermeer as he investigates the death of a woman. 94% on Google Play (64,100 ratings)about 7 hPaidPC, Mac, iPhone, Android
  4. Silver Thread : Episode I key art: Alicia, silver-haired with a cigarette, and Beaford holding a lantern in a red room hung with framed pictures 2D horrorSilver Thread : Episode IAlicia works the case like an investigator, gathering clues and then deducing what happened 96% on itch.io (1,017 ratings)about 30 minPay what you wantBrowser, PC
  5. Enigma of Fear key art: Mia with a flashlight and pistol, her dog Lupi and the Ordo Realitas agents before a dark house under a huge ghostly face with green eyes Multiple endingsEnigma of FearYou play Mia, a young paranormal detective who examines documents and evidence and orders her clues on a mental map. 95% on Steam (3,104 reviews)20 h or morePaidPC
  6. Key art of the three leads: a detective with a cigar, John Wade in a cracked, bloodied clown-white mask, and a bearded man in a beanie 2D horrorThe Happyhills Homicide 2: Out For BloodDetective Bryan Pawalski is a playable character who searches each level for clues that bring him closer to Wade. 96% on Steam (791 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidPC
  7. Wicked Seed key art: Ella raises a handgun and looks over her shoulder in a dark forest framed by red flowers and thorny red branches SurvivalWicked SeedYou play Ella Aster, a private investigator looking into her brother's letter and the monsters that appeared 95% on Steam (1,487 reviews)about 8 hPaidPC
  8. Key art with the title The Incident at Galley House over a dark country house on a hill at night, a 1930s car parked on the muddy track below PsychologicalThe Incident at Galley HouseA deduction game: you name every person in the echoes and work out what each did. 94% on Steam (4,837 reviews)11 h or morePaidPC, Mac, Linux
  9. Stillwater key art: a pale, tired man in a dark coat and tie, lit green in the dark, with the wavy title across his face AnimeStillwaterYou play private investigator Hugo Laurent, who takes the case of a woman carrying a strange letter 94% on itch.io (1,037 ratings)about 1 hFreePC, Mac, Linux, Android
  10. The Chrono Jotter key art: two girls in dark school uniforms lying sideways, mirrored in an ornate gold and black circular frame with red swirls PsychologicalThe Chrono JotterRan was trained in logical analysis and deductive reasoning, and her notebook keeps the evidence of each case. 94% on Steam (1,973 reviews)10 h or morePaidPC
  11. An English Haunting key art: a medium with white eyes breathing out smoke beside a glowing blue ghost, a dark manor and a red-eyed hooded figure behind 2D horrorAn English HauntingYou can control writer Arthur Conan Doyle to solve one of the game's mysteries, and Moore heads a department of psychic investigation. 96% on Steam (462 reviews)about 6 hPaidPC, Switch
  12. Lake Haven - Chrysalis art: Detective Zeke Reynold and a dark-haired woman stand back to back before a dark lake and wooded shore at night PsychologicalLake Haven - ChrysalisYou play Detective Zeke Reynold, sent by the Kansas police to look into a case he expects to forget. 97% on Steam (508 reviews)about 1 hPaidPC
  13. Conrad Stevenson's Paranormal P.I. key art: the lit porch of a clapboard house with a red door and green shutters at night, dark woods and stars around it MysteryConrad Stevenson's Paranormal P.I.You play a private investigator of the paranormal who takes clients' cases from his office in New Eidolon 92% on Steam (992 reviews)50 h or morePaidPC
  14. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II key art: a man in glasses and a loose tie between two uniformed schoolgirls before a dark school gate and brick building at night PsychologicalSpirit Hunter: Death Mark IIThe head of the Kujou house goes undercover as a temporary teacher to investigate the rumours 97% on Steam (178 reviews)17 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch
  15. Daemonologie key art: pale sheep grazing and resting on a dark, grainy black-and-white hillside at night PsychologicalDaemonologieThe game will not lead your investigation; you question suspects, take notes and decide who is guilty. 92% on Steam (581 reviews)about 30 minPaidPC
  16. Urban Myth Dissolution Center key art: a blue-skinned, dark-haired man in pixel art points at the viewer in front of yellow clouds and rays 2D horrorUrban Myth Dissolution CenterThe centre works as a sort of detective agency for anomalies, and Azami gathers clues and questions witnesses. 88% on Steam (6,444 reviews)13 h or morePaidPC, PlayStation, Switch, iPhone, Android
  17. Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within key art: the title over a blurred, snarling wolf-like head with bared teeth Puzzle horrorGabriel Knight 2: The Beast WithinYou investigate as Gabriel and Grace: questioning zoo staff and hunt club members and studying clues such as a paw print at a farm. 92% on Steam (317 reviews)15 h or morePaidPC
  18. Forgotten Memories key art: a screaming blonde Rose holds up a flashlight as shadowy figures loom on the left, above the antlered game logo PsychologicalForgotten MemoriesYou play Rose Hawkins, a police detective investigating a strange case. 90% on Google Play (3,580 ratings)about 2 hPaidiPhone, Android, Switch
  19. Alone in the Dark title art: the name in gold art-deco capitals with blue and red outlines on black SurvivalAlone in the Dark 1You can play Edward Carnby, a private investigator sent to the house 92% on Steam (378 reviews)about 4.5 hPaidPC, Mac
  20. KARMA: The Dark World key art: monochrome portrait of a wet-haired young man in a padded suit with a thick collar and numbered chest plate, lit from above on black PsychologicalKARMA: The Dark WorldAs a Roam Agent you investigate crime scenes, interview suspects and report your findings back to Leviathan 91% on Steam (4,617 reviews)about 6 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox
  21. Return to Shironagasu Island key art: a black-haired girl in a sailor uniform reaches for a red apple among a floating knife, syringe, scalpel and Bible tied by a red cord PsychologicalReturn to Shironagasu IslandYou play Sen Ikeda, a private detective from New York, questioning guests and examining scenes. 91% on Steam (432 reviews)about 6.5 hPaidPC, Mac, Switch, iPhone
  22. Endless Nightmare key art: the long-haired woman in bloodied white, knife in hand, stands by the staircase in the dim blue-lit family house EscapeEndless Nightmare 1: HomeYou play a police officer who has to find his police card and badge and then work the case. 88% on Google Play (106,000 ratings)about 30 minFree with adsAndroid, iPhone
  23. The Skin Stapler key art: a grinning killer in sunglasses holds up a bloody skin mask over a moonlit city, while two detectives stand back to back, one aiming a revolver MysteryThe Skin StaplerYou mostly play Dick Slater, a burned-out detective with a rookie partner, searching each crime scene for the killer's clues. 90% on Steam (533 reviews)about 3 hPaidPC
  24. Shift At Midnight key art: a grinning, wide-eyed monster with clawed hands leans over a gas station till, holding up an ID card that reads Real Human Co-opShift At MidnightYou question customers about their job, clothes or licence plate and deduce who is not human. 88% on Steam (13,365 reviews)about 4 hPaidPC, Xbox
  25. The Melting Apartment cover: the title in orange typewriter letters on black under an orange puddle with thin drips running down 2D horrorThe Melting ApartmentYou play a detective with a gun and a notebook in the inventory, sent to find out what happened to her 94% on itch.io (165 ratings)about 15 minFreeBrowser
  26. Heaven Does Not Respond key art: an old CRT computer on a dark desk spattered red, with a coffee cup, lamp and scattered papers PsychologicalHeaven Does Not RespondYou are an agent of the National Intelligence Center assigned to recover the files and learn how he died. 89% on Steam (557 reviews)PaidPC
  27. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter key art: a boy seen from behind on an autumn forest path, the scene torn open by a burning rift into a grey, skull-strewn world PsychologicalThe Vanishing of Ethan CarterYou play Paul Prospero, an occult-minded detective who comes to Red Creek Valley after a disturbing letter. 88% on the PlayStation Store (8,399 ratings)about 4 hPaidPC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
  28. Mansion of the Dead key art: a foggy graveyard of mossy tombstones and a stone cross before a dark red-brick mansion at night SurvivalMansion of the DeadYou play Agent Kim, a seasoned private investigator hired to find a client's missing relative. 95% on Steam (113 reviews)about 1.5 hPaidPC
  29. The Final Pin key art: the red title over a dim sewer tunnel with a ladder, a bloody handprint on the wall and teal water on the floor PsychologicalThe Final PinYou play a policeman who follows the Crow Killer case from 1968 into the mid-eighties, visiting crime scenes and questioning people. 90% on itch.io (316 ratings)about 1.5 hPay what you wantPC
  30. Endless Nightmare 2: Hospital key art: a pale, bloodied creature with a stitched sack head crawls out of a broken window in a wall marked with a red cross SurvivalEndless Nightmare 2: HospitalThe hero is investigating the case of the people who went missing in Oak Town when he wakes in the hospital. 86% on Google Play (96,300 ratings)Free with adsAndroid, iPhone

Short enough for one evening

Done in an hour or so

Free to play

11 games

Every game of the kind

More picks

Scores are those players and critics give on the stores and sites named; each game's page says where.

More kinds of horror

  1. Short horror games621
  2. Psychological horror games530
  3. Horror games with multiple endings417
  4. Horror puzzle games341
  5. Survival horror games259
  6. 2D horror games254
  7. PS1 horror games233
  8. Stealth horror games180
  9. Horror escape games164
  10. Surreal horror games145
  11. Horror visual novels137
  12. Anime horror games132
  13. Haunted house games131
  14. Mystery and detective horror games127
Every genre

Where you play

  1. Steam horror games1009
  2. Epic horror games97
  3. GOG horror games270
  4. itch.io horror games592
  5. PC horror games1337
  6. Mac horror games391
  7. Linux horror games261
  8. PlayStation horror games404
  9. Xbox horror games367
  10. Switch horror games317
  11. Mobile horror games188
  12. VR horror games69
  13. Browser horror games236
  1. Scary games1456
  2. Free horror games561
Every game, A to Z