Are you on the hunt for the top PC games with mystery? That doesn’t surprise us since mystery has captivated humankind since the very beginning, and video games always have a degree of it. Of course, we will focus on those that put it at the forefront and tune the dial up to eleven and deliver uncertainty and perhaps even dread. They are usually set in beautiful or captivating locations and force players to utilize their problem-solving skills and ensure their clue recognition is well-developed. Additionally, we try to cover enigmas for all ages, from innocent ways to keep your brain sharp to dark, twisted discoveries. Now, let’s begin our list of the best mystery games for PC.
1. Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium takes the crown among leading mystery PC games. It was called “powerful, poetic, haunting, and hilarious” by Gamespot and was praised for voice acting. Although it’s an RPG (role-playing game), it’s not traditional and combines several captivating elements. You wake up in a war-torn city decades after the battle ended as a detective with no memory. As you piece things together, you uncover a ruthless murder mystery and get to focus on or ignore certain ideologies and traits. The outcome of the game changes based on your personality and crime-solving expertise.
2. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments
What more would you want from popular mystery PC games than what Sherlock Holmes’ cases offer? Only this time, you’re getting the best of detective PC games mixed with the comprehensiveness and variety of crime. You’ll investigate missing people, thefts, and murders, and even reach into the realm of the supernatural at times. Sherlock has 14 investigative skills at his disposal, and you need to utilize them at the right time and for the fitting crime. Every decision you make influences your reputation and leads to different in-game progress, so be careful.
3. Project Kat – Paper Lily Prologue
Project Kat – Paper Lily Prologue, a free representative of mystery games for PC has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from its release date, October 2021, onward. If it wasn’t 2D with low-quality graphics and a focus on conversations, blood, and mild gore, it would be at the top. That isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but its free status makes it risk-free. It’s a clue-discovery puzzle game that is a prequel to the Paper Lily game, a title still in development. However, it works as a standalone and each puzzle has several outcomes and solutions.
4. What Remains of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch is yet another incredible mystery that even won the 2018 BAFTA Game Awards “Best Game” award. It puts you in the role of Edith, who comes back to the enormous Finch home and realizes she is the only family member alive. As she wanders the mansion, she finds the truth of each member’s death, including how their last day played out. It’s a first-person game that is filled to the brim with the unknown, family secrets, and difficult emotions.
5. We Were Here Too
We Were Here Too is a first-person cooperative game set in medieval times. It takes place in a humongous castle you stumble upon in the darkness and promotes co-op gameplay and teamwork. To clarify, you must use walkie-talkie devices to give clues and solve problems, meaning all players need to have a working microphone. You will have to uncover the mystery of Castle Rock and why it was abandoned. The best part is that there are multiple solutions to each puzzle, meaning you can replay them several times.
6. Alan Wake
Although Alan Wake focuses on stunning graphics and action-adventure, there’s an incredible amount of mystery in this game that has a form of a TV show or a long movie. You play the aforementioned character, a best-selling writer whose wife suddenly disappears and is presumed dead. Alan must investigate the place of their vacation and the small town named Bright Falls. There are numerous plot twists, cliffhangers, and tough situations you must overcome. For instance, there’s a looming darkness (literally!) over the city. You must stave it off with the Fight With Light combat mechanic.
7. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was released back in 2014, but if you buy it at the time of publication, you get a remastered version made in The Unreal Engine 4. With that said, you play Paul Prospero, a detective with a deep interest in the occult. After he receives a letter from Ethan Carter, who vanished, and goes to the boy’s town Red Creek Valley, Paul discovers a lot more than he expected. Not only is there suspected murder, but all the horror fiction (and real) macabre stories that marked the 20th century, including talking to the dead.
8. The Case of the Golden Idol
One of the greatest mysteries is the stories of pirates and their treasure. Although the focus isn’t on that here, it certainly mentions a mysterious statuette, aristocracy, and evilness. The Case of the Golden Idol lets you dig into the challenge of an 18th detective who has to analyze a crime scene and connect the dots to uncover a dark conspiracy. The murders grow to 12 over 4 decades, so there are plenty of clues you must tie together to uncover the murderous plot committed by one or more perpetrators. The game lets you fill in names, locations, and actions, and note suspects, potential murder weapons, and motives.
9. Backbone
What do you think about raccoons as detectives? If you don’t find the idea strange, including the fact it’s a 2D side-scrolling adventure inspired by sci-fi, Soviet-era architecture in the heart of fictional Vancouver, and several political regimes, you’ll love Backbone. It also includes several philosophical motifs and teachings, and as detective Howard, you will investigate multiple cases, and encounter scary things such as strong language, violence, depression, horror, and more. Although these are only implied, it is not a children-friendly game. You’ll also love the doom jazz soundtrack and the dialogue, we promise you.
10. Gone Home
Gone Home is a game from 2013 that tells the story of June 7, 1995, so it has an old feel. You get home but instead of your family, you’re greeted by silence and empty space. In this interactive mystery/exploration simulator, you must check the house from top to bottom for any details that provide clues to their fate. It’s child-friendly, non-violent, has low-spec requirements, and doesn’t even have puzzles.