The Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console for all sorts of gaming sessions, including action games, lengthy RPGs, and even first-person shooters. Being such a portable device, it's a versatile console built for many experiences. Given the success of the Switch, it's no surprise that the system offers a variety of games for fans of mystery and puzzle games.
These games span a variety of subjects, themes, and tones, but they all have one thing in common: getting to the bottom of a twisting mystery. Here are some of the best mystery games available on the Switch, ideal for curling up with and immersing yourself in.
Updated September 26, 2022 by Jacqueline Zalace: Mystery games are still just as popular, so we've updated this list with even more additions that have been released on the Nintendo Switch.
14/14 AI: The Somnium Files
AI: The Somnium Files is a mystery visual novel that's also a point-and-click adventure game with branching paths and great characters. You control Kaname Date, a detective with a unique power tasked with solving a series of grueling murders.
This game features great music and excellent writing, with fully voiced dialogue and cutscenes, making it an immersive experience. There's also a flow chart in the menu that lets you jump back in time to complete story paths that you haven't seen yet, making it easier to reach the game's multiple endings.
13/14 Famicom Detective Club
The Famicom Detective Club series is actually a set of two games, both available on the Nintendo Switch. These were originally released for Nintendo's older systems, the Famicom Disk System and the SNES, as well as the Game Boy Advance. Remade and given a modernized look for the Switch, this is the first time these detective games are available worldwide.
In these games, you control a young man who solves mysteries by scouring for clues and asking characters various questions. They offer splendid soundtracks and Japanese voice acting, as well and mysteries loaded with twists and turns at every corner.
12/14 Steins;Gate Series
The Steins;Gate franchise has spawned visual novels, anime adaptations, movies, comics, and more. It's a franchise loved by many, and the games are available on the Switch for anyone curious or looking for a mystery to sink their teeth into.
Steins;Gate is a visual novel with branching paths and a science fiction backdrop, following eccentric college student Okabe and his friends as they acquire the means to travel through time and change the past. You can alter the course of the story using Okabe's cell phone in-game, along with various decisions you'll be forced to make.
11/14 Gnosia
Bursting with stylish designs and color, Gnosia is a unique mystery visual novel game where you interact with NPCs aboard a spaceship. In Gnosia, players must find out which of the crew is an alien, known as the Gnosia, that will kill the rest of them.
Gnosia uses a unique time-loop structure that shakes up who the Gnosia is in each iteration. Players can also become the Gnosia and work to keep suspicion off of them. As the rounds go on, you learn more and more about the characters involved and their backstories.
10/14 L.A. Noire
Coming from legendary publisher Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire is a detective game set in Los Angeles during the 1940s. Players can explore this game's unique and vast open-world by walking around in it or even driving to get places.
The story of L.A. Noire takes place over the course of multiple chapters throughout which you control Detective Cole, looking for evidence and following leads to uncover a twisting conspiracy. The game also features a branching storyline, adding to its replay value.
9/14 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
When it comes to mystery games, Ace Attorney is one of those series that many people have heard of. If you haven't tried them and the upcoming release has piqued your interest, you might want to take some time to play the older entries in the series. The first three games of the series are available on multiple platforms, including the Switch, as a combined collection. These titles combine elements of mystery-solving with logic puzzles, visual novel elements, and point-and-click adventure games.
Each game in the Ace Attorney Trilogy offers around five cases to solve. These games are loved for their over-the-top antics, quirky characters, and hilarious writing. Despite the comedy, however, they offer somber moments when the plot calls for it.
8/14 Thimbleweed Park
Inspired by the adventure games that came before it, players control this title by selecting objects and people in various environments and interacting with them using possible commands. This lets you talk to characters and pick up and use items.
Thimbleweed Park follows two FBI agents as they investigate a mysterious murder in a small town. Aside from collecting evidence and key items, you also get to interact with various suspects and key players in the crime, uncovering clues as you put the truth together.
7/14 Layton's Mystery Journey
The Professor Layton series is well known for its charming stories, interesting characters, and fantastic puzzles. Professor Layton's adventures span many titles. However, Layton's Mystery Journey is a bit different in that it follows the adventures of Layton's daughter, Katrielle Layton.
In this game, players solve mysteries and puzzles as they work to find Katrielle's father, who has gone missing. This game is distinct from the Professor Layton games in part because instead of having a continuous story, the game features twelve cases that you must work through, similar to chapters.
6/14 Return of the Obra Dinn
If you haven't heard of Return of the Obra Dinn, then you've probably heard of Papers, Please, which was developed by the same person. This game follows the story of a ship, the Obra Dinn, that went missing for five years and has suddenly reappeared. Players are tasked with investigating the ghost ship to piece together the mystery of its disappearance and determine what happened to those who were on board.
The game offers a unique style with its monochromatic color scheme, reminiscent of older, classic video games. You're also given a unique item that lets you witness the moments before a passenger's death, aiding you in your journey to crack the case.
5/14 The Darkside Detective
Another fantastic point-and-click adventure game, The Darkside Detective takes place in a city with a supernatural twist. The city has a reflection of itself, called the Darkside, where ghosts reside. Players control a detective in charge of investigating the Darkside and solve the mysterious cases linked to it.
Aside from being a great mystery game, The Darkside Detective is full of pop culture references and sharp, hilarious writing. It offers thrilling mysteries to sink your teeth into while keeping you laughing with its fantastic humor.
4/14 Danganronpa Series
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Danganronpa is an iconic series involving murder and trials. There are three games in this series, following three different groups of students who must face each other in a murderous game. The game is separated by trials, where you must decide exactly who the killer is, as well as how they did it.
This isn't a typical detective mystery, but each trial will leave you thinking hard about what is going on. In addition to the mystery of each trial, you will need to uncover the mystery behind the murder game that you are playing.
3/14 Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is an RPG that places you in the shoes of a detective who has no memory of who he is. Over the course of the game, you will need to figure our your own identity, while solving mysteries.
This game does not follow a linear path like other mystery games. You will be able to explore and encounter a wide variety of characters that you can talk with. There are complex dialogue trees that make each playthrough a unique experience.
2/14 Paradise Killer
Don't let the colorful graphics of Paradise Killer fool you, this is a complex game involving an island that 'regenerates every few millennia'.
The game focuses on a murder that took place, and as Lady Love Dies, you will need to gather evidence and figure out what is going on. Paradise Island is vast, and the open-world gameplay lets you explore to your heart's content.
1/14 Night In The Woods
Lastly, we have Night in the Woods. In this game, you become Mae Borowski, a college dropout who moved back to her hometown. While here, you can explore and meet residents.
There is no brutal murder in Night in the Woods. Instead, you will need to solve the mystery of disappearances, as well as figure out why you are having nightmares. After beating the game, you will be left thinking about life.
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