The Best Detective Games for Nintendo Switch

Update : Loco Motive added at rank #46.
1

The Rise of the Golden Idol (2024)

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84
Review score
Logo of The Rise of the Golden Idol Screenshot of The Rise of the Golden Idol Screenshot of The Rise of the Golden Idol Screenshot of The Rise of the Golden Idol

Nintendo Switch j IOS iPhone Android PC Windows Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X Mac OS

The Award-winning detective saga returns in this standalone sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol. Uncover the truth behind 20 strange cases of crime, death and depravity in the 1970s. The world has changed dramatically - the sins of humanity have not.


  • detective
  • mystery
  • crime
  • puzzle
  • conspiracy
  • point-and-click
  • investigation
  • pixel
  • narrative

2

Hypnospace Outlaw (2019)

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100
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS Linux

Hypnospace Outlaw is a unique game that takes you to the world of the early internet circa 1999. As an assigned moderator of the Hypnospace community, you have to investigate unapproved commerce, strike down images and links with copyright infringement and page through personal blogs and projects. You will explore a web browser as well as a customizable desktop with programs and documents, while having to scan for references and redirects.

Buy

What we like:
  • Unique game setting in the early internet
  • Investigative detective work
  • Engaging storyline
  • Eye-searing kitsch comedy
  • Built with consistent world elements
What could be improved:
  • Limited color palette
  • Grainy pixelated artwork

  • detective
  • alternate
  • conspiracy
  • simulation
  • parody
  • funny
  • online
  • puzzle
  • 1990s

3

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (2021)

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90
Review score
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Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch stadia Mac OS PC Windows Playstation 4

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut is a groundbreaking role playing game. You’re a detective with a unique skill system at your disposal and a whole city to carve your path across. Interrogate unforgettable characters, crack murders or take bribes. Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.

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  • rpg
  • detective
  • political
  • dice
  • isometric
  • skill
  • crime

4

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (2024)

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86
Review score
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Android) (IOS iPhone Xbox Series X Xbox One Mac OS Linux Nintendo Switch PC Windows Xbox Series X/s

Solving crime is no walk in the pond. You are a down-on-his-luck detective who also happens to be a duck. Use your powers of de-duck-tion to inspect evidence, fill in the blanks, and bust the case wide open, in a narrative mystery adventure where nothing is quite as it seems.


  • detective
  • mystery
  • noir
  • sausage
  • investigation
  • short
  • point-and-click
  • cute
  • puzzle
  • isometric

5

Chicken Police (2020)

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92
Review score
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PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch IOS iPhone stadia Playstation 5 Mac OS

Chicken Police - Paint it RED! is an off-kilter adventure game and visual novel that takes you to the city of Clawville as private detective Sonny Featherland and his partner, Marty MacChicken investigate a case. Follow them as they meet the denizens of the seedy underbelly, interrogate suspects and investigate crime scenes in this hard-boiled noir.

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What we like:
  • Smoothly running game
  • Well-made
  • Excellent story supported by good voice acting
  • No-longer weird seeing animal heads on human bodies
What could be improved:
  • Initial weirdness of seeing animal heads on human bodies
  • Minimal action with only occasional minigames

  • detective
  • visual-novel
  • noir
  • mystery
  • point-and-click

6

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective (2023)

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86
Review score
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Nintendo Switch Android PC Windows Playstation 4 Xbox One IOS iPhone

In Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, you're a ghost solving your own murder mystery before sunrise. With time manipulation, object possession, and mind-bending puzzles, you'll uncover a story full of twists and turns. This HD remaster offers an upgraded visual experience, new music arrangements, and a gallery of artwork, making it the ultimate version of this classic adventure.


What we like:
  • Engaging story with satisfying twists
  • Endearing, unique characters
  • Fantastic art style and graphic upgrades
  • Fun voice acting
  • Intriguing puzzle-solving mechanics
What could be improved:
  • Puzzles can be frustrating and require trial-and-error
  • Unhelpful hint system
  • Lack of bonus content

  • puzzle
  • mystery
  • detective
  • cult
  • adventure
  • narrative
  • supernatural
  • classic
  • assassin

7

Inspector Waffles (2021)

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89
Review score
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Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch PC Windows

Join Inspector Waffles, a jaded and witty feline detective as he attempts to solve the murder of Fluffy, beloved owner of Fluffy Box Furniture. Interrogate suspects, investigate leads and combine inventory items in the charming pixel art world of Cat Town. Enjoy sharp writing, a likeable cast of characters and enjoyable puzzles as you try to solve the case by any means necessary!

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What we like:
  • Sharp writing
  • Likeable cast of characters
  • Charming pixel art presentation
  • Enjoyable puzzles
  • Clever hint system
What could be improved:
  • Short game length
  • Can't just drag objects onto characters during conversations

  • detective
  • pixel
  • point-and-click
  • mystery
  • noir
  • dog
  • cats
  • crime
  • investigation
  • narration
  • classic
  • funny
  • old-school
  • thriller

8

BROK the InvestiGator (2022)

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86
Review score
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PC Windows Playstation 5 Playstation 4 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch Linux Mac OS

BROK the InvestiGator is an adventure game set in a futuristic cyberpunk city where humans have been replaced by animals and robots. Join Brok, a former boxer turned private detective, as he attempts to uncover a sinister plot while struggling with parenthood and providing for his deceased wife's son. Experience the fusion of point-and-click adventure and beat 'em up gameplay styles as you explore your surroundings, talk to NPCs and solve puzzles.


What we like:
  • Fully voiced cast
  • Seamless fusion of point-and-click and beat 'em up genres
  • Relatable story with heartfelt moments
  • Sherlock Holmes­-esque interrogation sequences
  • Multiple endings for replayability
What could be improved:
  • Some puzzles are too simple to work out
  • Some sequences drag on too long serving little purpose outside of padding out the runtime

  • point-and-click
  • detective
  • beat-em-up
  • cyberpunk
  • dystopian
  • adventure
  • soundtrack
  • choices
  • investigation
  • futuristic
  • fight
  • mystery
  • cartoony
  • puzzle
  • post-apocalyptic

9

The Case of the Golden Idol (2022)

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92
Review score
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IOS iPhone Playstation 5 j Mac OS Nintendo Switch PC Windows Android Xbox Series X Xbox One

In The Case of the Golden Idol, you take on the role of a detective tasked to investigate a string of cases related to a mysterious golden idol. You must piece together evidence from the frozen tableau at each crime scene and solve puzzles in order to explain what happened.


What we like:
  • Innovative puzzles
  • Elegant execution
  • Trial-and-error approach and pure deduction available
  • Sherlockian texture that plays out in imagination
  • Captivating 18th century thriller
What could be improved:
  • Rudimentary artwork
  • Requires feats of deduction that may be difficult for some players

  • detective
  • mystery
  • conspiracy
  • point-and-click
  • crime
  • investigation
  • pixel
  • fiction
  • historical
  • thriller
  • narrative
  • puzzle

10

The Vanishing (2022)

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81
Review score
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j Nintendo Switch PC Windows

The Vanishing is first person horror game. Explore an abandoned town where shadows whisper and secrets lie buried deep. Uncover the truth behind a vengeful spirit awakened from an ancient slumber. Solve puzzles, face your fears, and survive a mystery that claimed so many before you. Can you escape?


  • supernatural
  • detective
  • horror
  • narrative
  • mystery
  • puzzle
  • open-world
  • adventure
  • first-person
  • post-apocalyptic
  • crime

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