Best Detective Games on Steam

Steam currently has 3,382 Detective games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Detective game rankings were last updated on 3/11/2026.

Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:

1. Chants of Sennaar

In this award-winning puzzle adventure game, play as the Traveler on a quest to reunite the Peoples of the Tower. Observe, listen, and decipher ancient languages in a fascinating universe inspired by the Myth of Babel.

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Chants of Sennaar holds the #1 spot for "best Detective game on Steam" with a Player Score of 96. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 28,844 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 28,360 positive reviews and 484 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 9/5/2023
Franchise Focus Entertainment
Developer Rundisc
Publisher Focus Entertainment
Steam App Id 1931770

2. The Wolf Among Us

From the makers of the 2012 Game of the Year: The Walking Dead, comes a thriller based on the award-winning Fables comic books. As Bigby Wolf you will discover that a brutal, bloody murder is just a taste of things to come in a game series where your every decision can have enormous consequences.

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The Wolf Among Us has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 38,714 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 37,888 positive reviews and 826 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play The Wolf Among Us on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Steam Price $14.99
Release Date 10/11/2013
Franchise Telltale Games
Developer Telltale
Publisher Telltale
Steam App Id 250320

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Become Phoenix Wright and experience the thrill of battle as you fight to save your innocent clients in a court of law. Play all 14 episodes, spanning the first three games, in one gorgeous collection.

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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 42,470 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 41,435 positive reviews and 1,035 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $29.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $29.99
Release Date 4/9/2019
Developer CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Publisher CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Steam App Id 787480

4. Persona 4 Golden

A coming of age story that sets the protagonist and his friends on a journey kickstarted by a chain of serial murders.

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Persona 4 Golden has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 83,761 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 81,264 positive reviews and 2,497 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 6/13/2020
Franchise ATLUS
Developer ATLUS
Publisher SEGA
Steam App Id 1113000

5. Buy a Croquette!

March 2012, Nagano. The brave and clever high school girl, Chio Aozora, is facing a major crisis: she doesn’t have enough money to buy a croquette! Navigate through the streets and alleys of Nagano, interact with a variety of characters, solve complex puzzles, collect 380 yen, and buy a croquette!

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Buy a Croquette! has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 7,017 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 6,932 positive reviews and 85 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Buy a Croquette! on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Release Date 4/27/2024
Developer 越青
Publisher Eternal Dream
Steam App Id 2167960

6. Persona 5 Royal

Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways!

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Persona 5 Royal has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 124,463 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 120,089 positive reviews and 4,374 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $59.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $59.99
Release Date 10/21/2022
Franchise ATLUS
Developer ATLUS
Publisher SEGA
Steam App Id 1687950

7. The Case of the Golden Idol

A new kind of detective game that allows you to think and investigate freely. Discover clues surrounding 12 strange and gruesome deaths and build your own theory. Pick your suspect, deduce the motive, unmask the awful truth.

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The Case of the Golden Idol has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 10,044 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,833 positive reviews and 211 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $8.09 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $8.09
Release Date 10/13/2022
Franchise Playstack
Developer Color Gray Games
Publisher Playstack
Steam App Id 1677770

8. Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia is a 4 player online co-op psychological horror. Paranormal activity is on the rise and it’s up to you and your team to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal in order to gather as much evidence as you can.

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Phasmophobia has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 813,553 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 778,112 positive reviews and 35,441 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Phasmophobia on the Steam Deck.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 9/18/2020
Developer Kinetic Games
Publisher Kinetic Games
Steam App Id 739630

9. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!

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The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 24,697 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 23,976 positive reviews and 721 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).

Release Date 3/31/2023
Franchise SEGA
Developer SEGA
Publisher SEGA
Steam App Id 2324650

10. Cube Escape Collection

In this classic point-and-click adventure anthology you follow the path of Dale and Laura and other famous Rusty lake characters such as Mr. Crow and Mr. Owl. The series will be updated, preserved and bundled to survive the end of the Flash Games era.

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Cube Escape Collection has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Detective games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 7,411 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7,272 positive reviews and 139 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $4.99
Release Date 10/14/2020
Franchise Rusty Lake
Developer Rusty Lake
Publisher Rusty Lake
Steam App Id 1292940

More Detective Games

Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Detective games available on Steam.

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Soures & References

Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.

  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 11). Steam Store. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 11). Chants of Sennaar on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 12). The Wolf Among Us on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 3). Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 13). Persona 4 Golden on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, January 6). Buy a Croquette! on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 12). Persona 5 Royal on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 11). The Case of the Golden Idol on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 19). Phasmophobia on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, January 22). The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2026, March 11). Cube Escape Collection on Steam. Steam Store.

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