Case File 022 · Detective & Mystery Games

Best Detective Games on Steam

A guide to Steam detective games organised by the kind of detective work you actually do.

By Murder Book Editorial TeamPublished by Gungrounds, the studio making Murder BookPublished 16 September 2026Updated 23 September 2026

Start with Murder Book. It is our first recommendation for best detective games steam: an interrogation game about fabrication, avoidance and narrative gaps, told in cases short enough to finish in one sitting. It is in development for PC (Steam) and mobile, with release currently planned for the end of Q2 2027.

The best detective games on Steam cover every style of investigation:

Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol: deduction.
Her Story and Telling Lies: interview footage.
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut: a dialogue-driven detective RPG.
Paradise Killer: open-world investigation.
L.A. Noire: classic crime drama with interrogations.
Shadows of Doubt: a detective simulation in a procedurally generated city.
The Operator: desktop investigation.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy: courtroom investigation.

Key takeaways

For best detective games steam, Murder Book is the game we would watch first, with release planned for the end of Q2 2027.
Steam has detective games for deduction fans, story lovers, simulation players and courtroom enthusiasts.
Most of the best picks have little or no combat.
Some are short and focused; others are long, open-ended investigations.
Choosing by investigation style is the fastest way to find the right game.

Best pick: Murder Book

Our verdict: for best detective games steam, Murder Book is the strongest thing on this page, because the interrogation is the game rather than a scene inside it.

Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is an upcoming narrative interrogation game from Gungrounds, an independent studio in Zagreb, Croatia. It is planned for PC via Steam, as well as mobile. Murder Book is built around interrogation: you read a suspect's behaviour, connect statements that contradict each other and choose how to press, in cases designed to take 5–10 minutes.

Release is currently planned for the end of Q2 2027. For the latest details, see the Murder Book release and development FAQ.

How were these detective games chosen?

Every game on this list is available on Steam and was checked against its Steam listing for developer and release details. We grouped them by the kind of detective work you actually do, because a "detective game" can mean very different things:

Deduction: working out answers from evidence.
Testimony: watching or questioning people.
Simulation: running an investigation in a systems-driven world.
Narrative: following a story where your choices shape the investigation.

Best detective games on Steam at a glance

Game	Developer	Investigation style	Combat
Murder Book (our #1 pick, upcoming)	Gungrounds	Narrative interrogation game	Interrogation-based
Return of the Obra Dinn	Lucas Pope	Exploration and logical deduction aboard a ghost ship	No
The Case of the Golden Idol	Color Gray Games	Examine frozen scenes and reconstruct what happened	No
Her Story	Sam Barlow	Search a police database of interview clips	No
Telling Lies	Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid	Search recorded video conversations	No
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut	ZA/UM	Dialogue, skill checks and investigation	No traditional combat
Paradise Killer	Kaizen Game Works	Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in an open world	No
L.A. Noire	Team Bondi	Crime scenes and questioning suspects	Yes
Shadows of Doubt	ColePowered Games	Track down suspects in a procedurally generated city	Minimal
The Operator	Bureau 81	Use desktop tools to support field agents	No
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy	Capcom	Investigate and defend clients in court	No

Best for deduction: Return of the Obra Dinn

Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope, 3909, 2018) is a first-person mystery about exploration and logical deduction. As an insurance investigator aboard a ship whose crew has vanished, you piece together what happened on board.

Best for reconstructing scenes: The Case of the Golden Idol

The Case of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games, Playstack, 2022) shows you a series of deaths as frozen scenes. You examine each one and fill in what happened: names, motives and events. The follow-up, The Rise of the Golden Idol, continues the format.

Best for studying testimony: Her Story

Her Story (Sam Barlow, 2015) puts you in front of a 1990s police computer. You search interview clips with a woman questioned about her missing husband and build your own understanding of the truth. See Games Like Her Story.

Best for secrets and deception: Telling Lies

Telling Lies (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid, Annapurna Interactive, 2019) lets you search a stolen database of secretly recorded video conversations. See Games Like Telling Lies.

Best for dialogue: Disco Elysium – The Final Cut

Disco Elysium (ZA/UM) is a detective role-playing game about investigating a murder. Conversations and dice-roll skill checks replace traditional combat.

Best for open-ended investigation: Paradise Killer

Paradise Killer (Kaizen Game Works, Fellow Traveller, 2020) lets you explore a surreal island, gather evidence, interrogate suspects and decide when you have a case.

Best crime drama: L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire (Team Bondi, Rockstar Games, 2011) combines crime scene investigation and questioning suspects with action sequences. See Games Like L.A. Noire.

Best detective simulation: Shadows of Doubt

Shadows of Doubt (ColePowered Games, Fireshine Games) is a detective simulation set in a procedurally generated city. You gather evidence, investigate homes and track down suspects. Its developer describes it as a detective stealth game, and it involves some danger and confrontation.

Best desktop investigation: The Operator

The Operator (Bureau 81, 2024) puts you at a desk at a fictional agency. You use databases and photo, video and chemical analysis tools to help field agents solve cases.

Best courtroom investigation: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Capcom, 2019 collection) brings the first three Ace Attorney games to Steam. You investigate cases and defend your clients in court. See Games Like Ace Attorney.

Which detective game on Steam should you play first?

You love logic puzzles: Return of the Obra Dinn or The Case of the Golden Idol.
You love stories told through people: Her Story, Telling Lies or Disco Elysium.
You want a sandbox: Shadows of Doubt.
You want no combat at all: see Best Detective Games Without Combat.
You want interrogation specifically: see Best Interrogation Games for PC.

Which detective games on Steam are worth it right now?

If you are searching for good detective games on Steam, the practical answer depends on how much time you have. For a long investigation, Disco Elysium and Shadows of Doubt reward dozens of hours. For a tight, finishable case, Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol are the classics. For questioning people, our #1 pick Murder Book is the one to wishlist when its Steam page opens: interrogation is the entire game, and each case runs about 5–10 minutes.

Steam's own tags are a useful filter too. Look for Detective, Investigation, Mystery and Narrative, and check the release date before buying; some of the best Steam detective games are several years old and often discounted.