Telling Lies (Switch eShop)
Sadly, Her Story — in our opinion, the better of the two Sam Barlow mystery FMV games — is not on Switch, but Telling Lies is. You are sitting in front of an anonymous laptop loaded with a stolen NSA database full of footage. The footage covers two years in the intimate lives of four people whose stories are linked by a shocking incident. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where those words are spoken and piece together your story.
With excellent acting and a non-linear story informed by your own choice in which threads to pull, Telling Lies is a twisty-turny detective story from start to end — wherever you choose to end.
Heaven's Vault (Switch eShop)
Another game from narrative wizards, Inkle, Heaven's Vault is an oddity. It's not exactly a detective game, because you are an archaeologist who is attempting to uncover what happened to a civilisation that went mysteriously missing, and a fellow archaeologist who also went mysteriously missing while trying to investigate the aforementioned civilisation.
But, we would argue that archaeology is simply detective work focused on the past, and therefore this is a detective game, shut up. You'll also be piecing together a forgotten language, which most detectives never get to do because they didn't bother to take French or German at school, probably.
Hypnospace Outlaw (Switch eShop)
You are an internet cop, and you are asked to get a bunch of people in trouble for breaking The Rules Of The Internet in this '90s-themed browser-explorer. Has some kid accidentally infringed on copyright with a Shrek gif on his Myspace page? SEND HIM TO JAIL.
A plot involving much more than some mild copyright infringement quickly unfolds, and it might be up to you to stop the Very Bad Things from happening. It's not a traditional detective game in any sense of the word, but sometimes it's fun to mix things up a little!
The Darkside Detective (Switch eShop)
Another game with "detective" literally in the name, The Darkside Detective is the predecessor to fellow listmate "A Fumble in the Dark".
Detective Francis McQueen is the lead investigator of the criminally underfunded Darkside Division. When evil darkens the doorsteps of Twin Lakes City – hell, even when it just loiters around shop fronts or hangs out in shady alleyways – he’s there, ready to investigate the cases that nobody else will. Expect plenty of referential humour, some of which may go over your head.
Jenny LeClue - Detectivu (Switch eShop)
In an excellent example of nominative determinism, Jenny LeClue is a detective. Or a detectivu, which is mostly just about the rhyme.
Infusing the point-and-click genre with a Gravity Falls kind of vibe, Jenny LeClue is set in a sleepy town that has a whole lot of mysteries lurking beneath its idyllic surface. And guess what? You're totally going to find them all! The game ends on a cliffhanger that will segue into the sequel, but the sequel isn't out yet, so just prepare yourself for a little bit of Game of Thrones-style waiting...
The Sinking City (Switch eShop)
H.P. Lovecraft, where the "H.P." stands for Hercule Poirot — that's pretty much the pitch for The Sinking City, which combines the tentacular writing of the former with the investigative nous of the latter. It's by the same team as the Sherlock Holmes games, Frogwares, so expect a lot of grit and a lot of gore as you attempt to solve your own muddled mind, plus a healthy dose of jank.
Perhaps best aimed at the fans of Lovecraft's oeuvre, considering how many Lovecraftian references are jammed into this one.
The Sexy Brutale (Switch eShop)
The Sexy Brutale is an underrated gem of a timeloop game, in which you — Lafcadio Boone — wake up in a lavishly decorated casino-mansion owned by a strange Gatsby-type millionaire with no memory. Also, everyone inside the mansion will be slowly and specifically killed in outlandish ways throughout the next few hours, and you'll have to prevent their deaths in order to piece together the events that led to you being here.
With plenty of puzzles, mysteries, and interconnected murders to solve, The Sexy Brutale is a glamorous but slow investigation game that's well worth checking out.
Unforeseen Incidents (Switch eShop)
This game sort of predicted the COVID pandemic, but don't hold that against it — the tale of a mysterious plague that's infected the citizens of a town pulls from old-school point-and-clicks to create a self-referential, charming game that's all about unravelling a diabolical conspiracy.
Witty writing and voice-over work bring this story to life, and protagonist Harper Pendrell's handy multi-tool makes us ask: Why don't all point-and-click protagonists carry multi-tools? It would make a lot of stupid puzzles a whole lot easier.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (Switch eShop)
Ethan Carter, a young boy who lives in Red Creek Valley, has disappeared in the wake of a gruesome murder. You play as Paul Prospero, who heads to Ethan's home in order to figure out what happened, and to hopefully find the boy alive.
As events begin to get even more gory and horrifying, this walking simulator-adjacent game gets quite scary, but it also can get a little tedious, as you won't be able to progress unless you've laboriously explored every inch of this haunting, pastoral town. Also, you gotta check every nook and cranny in case that's where Ethan Carter is, right?
Chicken Police - Paint it RED! (Switch eShop)
We've had dog detectives, rabbit detectives, bird detectives, and now we've got chicken detectives. Listen, if animals were good detectives, don't you think we'd be hiring more of them in real life?! But Chicken Police is a brilliant, so-noir-it'll-make-you-start-smoking game that is packed full of incredible writing, gorgeous art (even if it is largely animal heads on human bods), and a compelling intrigue all the way through.
Fair warning: This excellent anthropomorphic animal take on the detective genre is not for the young! It's got lots of swears and even nudity, which we strongly suspect only exists so we can make a "fowl language" joke. Thanks, developers.
AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative (Switch)
AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative is one of the most interesting visual novels we’ve played through in a while. The murder mystery at its heart is brought to life by some great writing and quirky characters alongside the satisfyingly integrated, beautifully balanced Psync puzzle elements. Even with some minor control issues, there is a lot to love in this game even if you never picked up the original. Highly recommended if you're even a little bit curious.
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If you've been looking for a detective-esque game or two to satisfy your urge to look for things, then look no further (and then look further in the game), because at least one of these games should suit you just fine.
You love birds? Check out Aviary Attorney or Chicken Police. You want something a bit goofier? Try Sam & Max Save The World, or Murder By Numbers. You really love scary murder visual novels? AI: The Somnium Files, Gnosia, or Danganronpa. And if you love detectiving, but aren't super into the policey parts and want something a little more unusual, then you'll probably enjoy Heaven's Vault or Return of the Obra Dinn!
Let us know in the comments if you think we've missed any obvious detective games on Switch in the comments, or recommend your favourites from the ones we've picked!
This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.
Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!
If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.
Comments (41)
-cries in Deadly Premonition-
Herlock Sholmes is satisfied with this list.
Famicom tantei are my favorite games from Nintendo!
The great Ace Attorney was also fantastic, except for the fourth case in the first game.
Thimbleweed park was ok, but has an extremely good endibg.
Love the original Phoenix Wright triology.
Ai the somnium files was allright.
Layton mystery journey was not as fun as the anime adaption. Katrielle works better animated. Got the Japanese BDs.
LA Noire had a interesting story but boring gameplay. Turned me of from ever checking out 3D GTA games.
Batman the telltale game is the worst Switch game I own. Unless they patched it later, the save function stopped working at chapter 3!
I never truly realized until I saw this list that this is in fact my favorite game genre. Will have to try out more of these, such as Gnosia
I highly, HIGHLY recommend Return of the Obra Dinn. This game had me constantly thinking between sessions (Basically at work) on how to fill in the blanks. There's also a unique charm to the presentation style.
I recommend going in as blind as possible.
Kate, I love your writing. I've never seen the word "listmate" before, despite being quite the wordmonger, but I see myself using it quite a bit going forward. And the Lovecraft with Poirot angle was genius.
Still though, I think this list concept was mainly another excuse to talk about about Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, haha. But there's nothing wrong with that.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a great addition to the genre IMO.
I really like Heaven's Vault, but it's definitely more of a "mystery" game than "Detective". It's also pretty slow-paced if you want to see everything (and will take multiple plays). You can definitely miss things along the way and not be able to go back. But for all of that, you slowly get better at translating the old language and can learn more about the story and universe.
I enjoyed Jenny LeClue and look forward to the sequel. My only small gripe was that it felt a bit short, but it's often on sale for a couple of dollars.
Overall - good list with a lot of options.
I really enjoyed L.A. Noire. It can move slow at times, but the story was cool and the detective work seems more realistic then some of the other games on the list.
How well does Disco Elysium run on the Switch? I know in the NL review they wrote it had "slight" issues. Has it been patched? Does it matter?
I know from experience that when a professional reviewer mentions slight performance issues it is sometimes so minor that I don't care or I hardly notice and I shouldn't worry about it too much. My standards are low.
Will get Gnosia and Heaven's vault soon. Lots of games I love on this list. Great Ace Atorney, Obra Dinn and AI are wonderful.
I'm intrigued by the fact that Damn Can Romping 3 isn't on here when 'your' review suggested that was the best 🤔
Grim fandango is a masterpiece.
@Astral-Grain I feel you...if getting your clues from your morning coffee isn't stellar detective work, then I don't know what is.
@Thomystic if this were an actual interrogation I would be sweatin like mad
@AJWolfTill aw heck, you're right. Maybe I'll add it when I've recovered from writing all 36 entries
@Purgatorium
Recent update seems to have nixed the performance issues.
Runs without a hitch now
I'm currently playing Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments and it's turning out to be one of my favorite detective games in quite a while. IMHO a better game than what this article's slightly dismissive write-up seems to suggest.
I think you missed 'Rainswept - A Murder Mystery Adventure'. I personally have not finished it, but so far its alright.
@Rambler Thanks for replying! I'll definitely check it out (eventually lol)
Sherlock holmes, La Noire and the witcher.
Love these games.
Unavowed is a lot of fun! I played it over Christmas - great setting and art, great story (especially if you like eg. Dresden Files) with branching paths, and for me it was at that Just Right point and click difficulty level where it isn't so easy that it feels like I'm playing Powerpoint and mindlessly clicking, but also not so hard that I go look up solutions in frustration.
Edith Finch brought me to ps4 some years ago and that’s still one of my absolutely best games. I have recommended it to many friends and this far everyone have loved it. Giant sparrow games are quality. The best of Annapurna’s games except for Gorgoa which is a nice game from Annapurna which’s not Sparrow’s..
@Fizza herlock sholmes from the great ace attorney?
@Tobiaku "The great Ace Attorney was also fantastic, except for the fourth case in the first game."
The best feature about TGAA was that every case was tied to each other on both games. It was like the writers made the first game knowing already the entire script of the second. That 4th case of the first game was a build up for the 2nd case of the second game. I thougnt that it was the usual filler case like what happens on the previous games, but it blew my mind when all the dots were connected later.
@BananaMetallurgica Elementary, my dear Naruhodo.
@Savage_Joe I know that, I have finished both games, but case 4 was still an absolute stinker. I guessed who actually did and how they did it before the trial and spent the trials hoping they would change it from what I guessed, but it still ended up almost like I guessed it and except for some feminist stuff in the first chapter of the second game it was also the least fun chapter as far as comedy goes in my opinion so ehh. I reallly did not like that particular chapter.
Murder by numbers might be the worst game I've played on the console, suprising to see it here honestly.
I still need to play FDC!
High recommendation for Obra Dinn. It can get hard, but it’s a fascinating and enveloping game. Very original, great premise, and wonderfully unexpected turns as it unravels.
As an Ace Attorney noob, is The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles an ok point to jump in, or is it better to try out the OG trilogy first?
So glad I’m not the only one that considers Witcher 3 a detective game too. Seriously, the Wraith in the Well in White Orchard was my first “holy pies Sam, I’m playing Supernatural the video game…:” moment. So awesome. Could seriously play a series of quests like that on infinite repeat. Whole game and DLC was truly amazing! And Hearts of Stone is likely the best story written for a game….
I just ordered the Paradise Killer physical edition the other day, because you know I need more murder-prone vaporwave drag queens in my life.
This is a great list, I haven't played too many of these games but I love all the ones I have played. Except for Batman Enemy Within. I really didn't get along with that game.
Seems like all the detective games were listed (there’s really not many to begin with) with the exception of ABC Murders and Hercule Poirot: - The First Cases which is weird considering you cracked that HP Lovecraft “joke”. I’ve played both btw being a Poirot fan and they were decent at best.
The fact that Layton's Mystery Journey is the only Layton game on Switch still is a tragedy! I did enjoy that game a lot to be honest, but Professor Layton is one of my favorite series and I hate how dormant it's been since the 3ds ended.
Ai Somnium Files is amazing. So is Obra Dinn.
On the other hand, Katrielle Layton whatever whatever is the only truly bad game in that entire franchise. I grit my teeth and muscled through it. At least the anime is pretty good!
Would LOVE to see a Layton collection on Switch.
No Detective Di on this list? And...and... isn't Overboard the exact opposite of a detective game? Even though is it rather good...
L.A. Noire is one of the best video games of all time. You will never play another game like it. I would also thoroughly recommend it if you are interested in the time period. The game developers do an amazing job creating a faithful recreation of late 1940s Los Angeles.
@KateGray What about Observer? Seems like a decent fit for the list.
My 10 year old daugher loves Jenny LeClue and Tangle Tower.
Great list! Already have a few of these (albeit some on other platforms, like Obra Dinn, Grim Fandango and the Darkside Detective games on Mac) but there's a whole lot that I hadn't ever considered before, that I'm quite keen to check out on Switch, for that "lounging on the couch" comfort factor so important to solving mysteries.
@Grackler
I would say it's an excellent place to start, maybe even the best. Other than a few Easter eggs in the background you wouldn't be at any disadvantage. It's a self contained story that starts and ends strong.
Biggest risk would be loosing the advancements and QOL of TGAA if you then went on to play the original trilogy.
This article is filled to the brim with great information. And there are a few games I was on the fence about that I didn't realize had a demo. It seems I might have some research to do.
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