Thevisual novelmedium is one of the mostunderrated corners of gaming. For decades, these games have been giving players who are willing to read and get immersed in a story some of the best-written tales in gaming. While the 2000s and early 2010s were desolate in terms of English translations for the genre, in recent years, many classic titles have been brought to Western shores for gamers to experience.
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With the amount of visual novels now available on platforms like Steam, gamers can find themselves practically spoiled for choice. If you are new to the visual novel genre or are a veteran who wants to make your next purchase, here are fantastic visual novels that are available on Steam.
10Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen
War and Romance
July 10, 2025
OpenCritic Rating
Topping off this list is the remake of the first Utawarerumono game, Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen. While most visual novels take place in the modern day, the Utawarerumono series takes place in its own unique fantasy world which is on the brink of war. The amnesiac protagonist must navigate his way through this world while naturally getting into 2000s eroge situations.
Although Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen is fantastic and has earned its cultural status amongst visual novel fans, it ranks at the bottom of this list due to the SRPG battles the game has every few hours. There are people who would argue that the addition of gameplay makes the game not a pure visual novel. While it would feel wrong not to include Utawarerumono on this list; it will be placed near the bottom to respect those opinions, every game from this point on will be a pure visual novel.
For this same reason, genre-debated games like the Ace Attorney franchise will not be included in this list.
9The Silver Case
Surreal and Eye-Catching
July 17, 2025
Grasshopper Manufacture
ASCII ENTERTAINMENT
OpenCritic Score
While Suda51’s claim to fame in the public consciousness is the No More Heroes franchise, this acclaimed director has been releasing games with the shared theme of ‘Kill the Past’ for decades now. The first of these games was 1999’sThe Silver Case. This unique game sees the player investigating a strange series of crimes in Tokyo and uncovering a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
The unique writing style of Suda51’s catalog is on full display here. Characters will speak in bizarre ways or go on full tangents about completely unrelated topics. While this style of writing may turn off some people, it adds a lot to the atmosphere of The Silver Case. If you want a deep and bizarre experience, then consider borrowing 50000 Yen from a friend and picking up The Silver Case.
8Slay the Princess
Will you Slay or Run?
July 05, 2025
Black Tabby Games
The visual novel genre isn’t just a gateway for great romance and mystery stories; there are also plenty of horror tales to be found for those who love to read. One of the standout horror titles of 2023 was Black Tabby Games’ Slay the Princess. This title sends the player through a constant loop where they must do what the title says and slay the girl in the cabin.
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Although it is difficult to speak about this game without spoiling it with its unique art style, excellent (albeit unreliable) narrator, and a very unique story which twists the damsel-in-distress trope in a way that will keep the player on the edge of their seat, it is very easy to recommend Slay the Princess to anyone who is a fan of horror visual novels or just uniquely designed games.
It Will Make You Cry
July 13, 2025
Visual Arts
When discussing visual novels as a genre, the name Key will naturally come up in conversation. Ever since the release of Kanon in 1999, this studio has become known for putting out some of the best visual novels in the industry. Out of all the games in their catalog,Clannadis easily the most well-known. This drama about a boy meeting a girl halfway up the hill to school and the several tales that follow, has touched the hearts of readers for decades.
If you want to experience one of the most heartwarming stories in visual novel history, pick and read through Clannad and experience this big dango family. Just make sure you bring a box of tissues. This game can get quite heavy near the end of each route, especially if you’re reading through the After Story segment.
6Steins;Gate
A Grand Science Adventure
August 25, 2025
The urban sci-fi subgenre has been able to flourish in the gaming scene via visual novels. From more interactive games like AI the Somnium Files to traditional VNs like Mages’ Science Adventure series. The most famous game in the Science Adventure series is easilySteins;Gate, which tells the tale of a (self-proclaimed) mad scientist who gains the ability to send text messages back in time via his microwave.
There are very few time travel tales that feel as well written and interesting as the one Steins;Gate tells. Seeing the consequences of Okabe’s actions unfold and the horrible loop he finds himself in during the second half is pure tragedy, and you cannot help but keep reading to see how he fixes it. Just make sure you buy the original version of the game and not Steins;Gate Elite, which replaces the original art with screenshots of the Steins;Gate anime.
5428 Shibuya Scramble
A Very Hectic Day
August 10, 2025
Shibuya is one of the largest wards of Tokyo, which makes it the perfect location for many video games. One game that puts the city into center focus is the 2008 Wii visual novel 428 Shibuya Scramble, this VN has a very unique visual style as it is entirely composed of photographs and the occasional piece of FMV footage. Nearly every time the player advances the game’s text, they’ll be met with a new image. One cannot help but admire how many hundreds of hours it must have taken to take all of these perfectly staged photos in one of the busiest cities in the world.
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Aside from being a breathtaking visual experience, 428 Shibuya also features a compelling story where the player must navigate five different characters to the end of the day, unknowingly making decisions in one story which may lead another character down a bad ending. This creates a thrilling experience where the player is constantly hopping back and forth between stories to find the right combination of choices. Gamers who want a visually impressive thriller to read should pick up 428 Shibuya Scramble immediately. Just be careful about which phones you pick up.
Stories of the Shinsengumi
July 13, 2025
Idea Factory
While the most famous games in the visual novel genre often involve playing a male and pursuing romance with various girls, there is a healthy market for the opposite premise: Otome games where you’re a girl falling head over heels for attractive men. One of the most well-known Otome games is Hakuouki, a game about the Bakumatsu Periodsamurai corpknown as the Shinsengumi. The twist? In this world, the Shinsengumi’s captains were vampires.
Ever since its original release for the PSP, Hakuouki has been adapted into multiple mediums (not the least of which being its music adaptation) and remade for several consoles. Perhaps the strangest of these remakes is the Steam version, which adds several new routes the player can go down, but at the cost of splitting the story across two separate games. Despite that strangeness, Hakuouki is a game that anyone who enjoys cute boys, samurai, and vampires will want to play.
3The House in Fata Morgana
Beauty in Tragedy
June 02, 2025
Novectacle
MangaGamer
Next up on the list is a title that is not only the highest-rated English-translated VN, but one of the highest-rated games of all time:The House in Fata Morgana. While many visual novels go for a bright and colorful art style, Fata Morgana goes for a darker, almost-painted style that gives the game a very unique look amongst others in the genre.
The House in Fata Morgana is one of the heaviest reading experiences on this list. From the outset, the player is told that each story within will lead to tragedy. However, keep faith that at the end of the road, there will be hope. In recent years, the thematic messages surrounding some late-game spoilers have become particularly potent. The House in Fata Morgana has more than earned acclaim as one of the highest-rated visual novels of all time, and a high placement on this list.
2Umineko When They Cry
A Magical Mystery
June 27, 2025
07th Expansion
Next up on the list is a game that is very well known in visual novel-centric communities but niche outside of them: Umineko When They Cry. This magical mystery will put the reader through the wringer as they attempt to theorize alongside the protagonist how the murders at the Rokenjima mansion could have possibly happened without a literal witch being involved.
The mystery of Umineko embraces and subverts nearly every single trope of thedetective mystery genre. Even readers who are already fans of mysteries may learn something new about the genre. If you are getting into Umineko, just ensure you know what you’re getting into. All eight episodes combined form one of the largest pieces of literature ever written. This experience will take any gamer at least a month to read through, but it is well worth the time and effort to go through.
1Fate/Stay Night
Type-Moon’s Claim to Fame
August 14, 2025
Placing first on this list is Type-Moon’s Fate/Stay Night. This 2004 visual novel spawned a myriad of spinoffs ranging from light novels to gacha games over the past twenty years, but English-speaking players would only get an official translation of the original game in 2024. The wait was well worth it though, as many people got to experience firsthand exactly why this series blew up in the first place.
While Fate/Stay Night wasn’t the first visual novel released by Type-Moon, it was the one to make the studio a household name. With its three fantastic routes that will have the player on the edge of their seat from start to finish, iconic characters who each have a world of depth, and one of the best visual novel soundtracks of all time, Fate/Stay Night more than earns its placement at the top of this list. Plus, no other game on this list has Illya in it.
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