Visual Novel

Visual novels are a medium using the narrative style of Literature, but in a digital format that could technically be considered a Video Game. Visual novels put emphasis on the plot and on characterization, rather than on action scenes. They are effectively a digital version of the Choose Your Own Adventure books, with music, pictures, and occasionally even voice acting or movies. However, unlike most Choose Your Own Adventure books, they usually branch off into distinct storylines early on, and have a lot less choice points.

The level of gameplay can vary, leading to difficulty in defining the boundaries of the medium. On the far video game end exist games such as the Ace Attorney series, with Kinetic Novels (visual novels completely devoid of interaction) and Linear Visual Novels on the far literary end such as When They Cry. Because they are treated as games, the fact that many of them tell well-written, compelling stories can be easily overlooked. Games like Hotel Dusk, Jake Hunter, and the Ace Attorney series are bringing this style of gameplay into markets outside of Japan, where they are much more recognized.

Visual novels that are also eroge tend to tie every storyline to a specific romanceable character, a habit which has carried over to most of the rest of the medium.

Because the market for Dating Sims is virtually non-existent outside of Japan, people tend to assume that any Visual Novel that is a Romance Game should be called a Dating Sim, when they are actually quite different. (It doesn't help that most Visual Novel-style Eroge are marketed as "Dating Sims" when they are translated for the US market.) Using well-known examples, the Ace Attorney series has very much a Visual Novel style of gameplay, while the DOA Xtreme series is probably the game closest to a true Dating Sim with mass-market appeal in the US.

Most Japanese visual novels never get an official release outside of Japan, though this is beginning to change with companies such as MangaGamer and JAST licensing more and more visual novels. Still, the bulk of visual novels are translated by dedicated fans if they are translated at all. Many of the novels on this list have an existing Fan Translation, partial or full.

There are also a small but growing number of English-developed visual novels, generally created by indies and not sold through mainstream channels.

VNDB is a database dedicated to visual novels, in the vein of IMDB. It also lists any existing fan translation a novel may have.

See Visual Novel Tropes.

Games in this medium:
By Genre: +By Interactivity: +Major VN Developers:
 * Fantasy Visual Novels
 * Horror Visual Novels
 * Science Fiction Visual Novels
 * Kinetic Novel
 * Linear Visual Novel
 * Alice Soft
 * Key Visual Arts
 * Nasuverse (Type-Moon)
 * Nitroplus
 * When They Cry (07th_expansion)


 * Eleven Eyes
 * 428 FUusa Sareta Shibuya De
 * Ace Attorney
 * Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
 * Apollo Justice Ace Attorney
 * Ace Attorney Investigations Miles Edgeworth
 * Again (1984)
 * AIR
 * Air Pressure
 * Akai Ito
 * Akane-Iro Ni Somaru Saka
 * Angelus (1988)
 * Animamundi Dark Alchemist
 * Ankokujo / Rukteu Dark Castle (1984)
 * Aoi Shiro
 * A Profile
 * Atlach Nacha
 * Baldr Sky
 * Ballad of an Evening Butterfly
 * Beat Blades Haruka
 * Bionic Heart
 * Bliss Stage Love Is Your Weapon
 * BLUE Series
 * Triangle Blue
 * Brass Restoration
 * Broken Hearted
 * Burning Point (1989)
 * Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch (fan translated in October 2010)
 * Clannad
 * Chaos Head
 * Steins Gate
 * Chaos Gateway
 * Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
 * Cinders
 * Come See Me Tonight
 * Corpse Party
 * Crescendo Eien Dato Omotte Ita Ano Koro
 * Crimsoness
 * Critical Point
 * Cross Channel
 * Culpa Innata
 * Da Capo
 * Da Capo II
 * Dangan Ronpa
 * Date Warp
 * Deardrops
 * Demonbane
 * Desire
 * Digital a Love Story
 * Analogue a Hate Story
 * Disgaea Infinite
 * Divi Dead
 * D Nd Poisoned
 * Doki Doki Majo Shinpan
 * Don't Take It Personally Babe It Just Aint Your Story
 * Edelweiss
 * Ef a Fairy Tale of The Two
 * Eien no Aselia
 * El Dorado Denki (1985)
 * Elven Relations
 * Facade
 * Fading Hearts
 * Family Project ~Kazoku Keikaku~
 * Fantasia Otome Game Series
 * Fatal Hearts
 * Fate/hollow ataraxia
 * Fate/stay night
 * Final Approach
 * Fortune Arterial
 * Full Metal Daemon Muramasa
 * Fullmetal Alchemist Bluebirds Illusion
 * Gadget
 * Galaxy Angel gameverse
 * Gakuen Heaven
 * Gore Screaming Show
 * G-Senjou no Maou
 * Hanachirasu
 * Hanamachi Monogatari
 * Happiness
 * Hatoful Boyfriend
 * Heileen
 * Heileen 2: The Hands Of Fate
 * Higanbana no Saku Yoru Ni (a manga running simultaneously with a VN adaptation)
 * Hiiro no Kakera
 * Hitomi
 * Hokutono Ken (Fist of the North Star) (1986)
 * Hoshizora E Kakaru Hashi
 * Hoshizora no Memoria
 * Hotel Dusk Room 215
 * Last Window
 * Houkago no Kamishibaibu
 * Infinity series (not to be confused with the tabletop game)
 * Twelve Riven
 * Code 18
 * Ever 17
 * Never 7
 * Remember 11
 * I/O
 * Root Double Before Crime After Days
 * Infinite Game Works
 * Inyouchuu
 * Jake Hunter
 * JESUS (1987)
 * JESUS II (1991)
 * Jisei, a detective story written in English in 2010, and its 2011 sequel Kansei
 * Joshiryou Panic (1983)
 * Kana Little Sister
 * Kanon
 * Kara no Shoujo
 * Karuizawa Yuukai Annai (1985)
 * Katahane
 * Katawa Shoujo
 * Kira Kira
 * Kita e (which got adapted into Diamond Daydreams)
 * Koenchu! The Tale of the Voice Actress
 * Koi to Senkyo To Chocolate
 * Koihime Musou
 * Lime-iro Senkitan
 * Lime Iro Ryukitan X
 * Limit Panic
 * Little Busters!
 * Lilylicious
 * Loren the Amazon Princess
 * Lovely Asuka (1983)
 * Lucky Dog 1 (Boys Love)
 * Lux Pain
 * Madou Souhei Kleinhasa
 * Mahou Tsukai no Yoru
 * Maiden Panic
 * Maji De Watashi Ni Koi Shinasai
 * Mashiro-iro Symphony
 * Metropolitan Blues
 * Misty Blue (1990)
 * Moonlight Walks
 * Morenatsu
 * Muv Luv
 * My Candy Love
 * My Girlfriend Is the President
 * My Little Investigations
 * Nanatsuiro Drops
 * Narcissu
 * Neko Kawaigari
 * Neptunia
 * Hyperdimension Neptunia
 * Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk 2


 * Nocturnal Illusion
 * OMGWTFOTL
 * One Kagayaku Kisetsu E
 * Ookami Kakushi
 * Oretachi Ni Tsubasa wa Nai
 * Other Age: Second Encounter
 * Otome wa Boku Ni Koishiteru
 * Phantom of Inferno
 * Pinky Distortion (a reverse harem story, only available in English on iOS)
 * Pirates In Love (English version released on iOS in July 2011.)
 * Planetarian
 * (P)lanets
 * Plumbers Don't Wear Ties [a Western example, centering on the amorous quest of the titular tradesman (not an uncommon premise in the world of adult entertainment) for many years held the dubious honour of having the lowest score (3%) the UK version of PC Gamer ever gave to a game.]
 * Policenauts
 * Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983)
 * Princess Lover
 * Princess Waltz
 * Private Nurse
 * Project NA
 * Quartett!
 * Radical Dreamers
 * Rance
 * RE Alistair
 * Rewrite
 * Ribbon of Green
 * Rise and Fall
 * Rose Guns Days, an upcoming game by 07th Expansion, the group behind the When They Cry games listed below.
 * Rumbling Hearts
 * Saya no Uta
 * School Days
 * Seiko no Adventure (1983)
 * Seinarukana
 * Silver Chaos
 * Silver Chaos 2 Artificial Mermaid
 * Shall We Date? (a group of reverse harem games available in English for iOS)
 * Sharin no Kuni
 * The Shin Megami Tensei series is one of the most famous Visual Novels available in the US.
 * Devil Survivor
 * Devil Survivor 2
 * Persona 3 and its PSP remake
 * Persona 4 and its Playstation Vita port
 * ''Shojokyuu ~Kurige No Shiofuki Shoujotachi~
 * Shuffle!
 * Shukufuku no Campanella
 * Snatcher
 * Snow Sakura
 * Soranica Ele
 * Songs of Araiah
 * Sono Hanabira Ni Kuchizuke Wo
 * Soul Link
 * Strawberry Panic
 * Sugars Delight
 * Suika
 * Swan Song
 * Symphonic Rain
 * Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
 * Tayutama
 * Tears to Tiara
 * The Flower Shop: Summer in Fairbrook (A western visual novel with simulation gameplay. The iPhone / iPod Touch edition is strictly a visual novel.)
 * The Flower Shop: Winter in Fairbrook (A Gender Flip follow-up game.)
 * The King of Dragon Pass
 * The Old Village Story (1988)
 * The Stolen Diamond Ring (Created by Nekomura Games in spring 2010)
 * Time Hollow
 * To Heart
 * To Heart 2, and the Gaiden Game, To Heart 2: Another Days.
 * Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series and Substories: the flagship games of the franchise are pure Dating Sims, but those Gaiden Games are Visual Novels. There are three entries per series:
 * Nijiiro no Seishun (1997),
 * Irodori no Love Song (1998),
 * Tabidachi no Uta (1999) for the Drama Series;
 * Dancing Summer Vacation (2000),
 * Leaping School Festival (2001),
 * Memories Ringing On (2001) for the Substories
 * True Remembrance
 * True Tears (not to be confused with the anime)
 * Tsukihime
 * Twilight Cherry
 * Twinkle Crusaders
 * Under the Moon
 * Uta no Princesama
 * Utawarerumono
 * Vera Blanc
 * When They Cry (A series of murder mystery games)
 * Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Localized by MangaGamer as "Higurashi When They Cry")
 * Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
 * Wanko To Kurasou
 * What A Beautiful Steampunk series:
 * Sekien no Inganock
 * Shikkoku no Sharnoth
 * Hikari no Valusia
 * Shiei no Sona-nyl
 * Wingman (1983)
 * Wingman2 (1986)
 * Wingman Special (1987)
 * Winter Shard
 * W Wish
 * Yami to Boushi To Hon no Tabibito
 * Yarudora
 * Double Cast
 * Kisetsu O Dakishimete
 * Sampaguita
 * Yukiwari No Hana
 * Scandal
 * Blood the Last Vampire
 * Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na
 * Yo Jin Bo
 * Yosuga no Sora
 * The You Testament
 * Youju Senki AD 2048
 * X Note
 * Yume Miru Kusuri - A Drug That Makes You Dream
 * YU-NO is a rare hybrid of visual novel and [[Interactive Fiction interactive fiction.
 * Zanjibaru
 * Zarth (1983)
 * Zero Escape
 * 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
 * Virtue's Last Reward

Other examples of Visual Novels:

 * LemmaSoft is an English community dedicated to making visual novels, mostly freeware.
 * Code Geass got a Visual Novel spinoff game called Lost Colors.
 * Max Payne has all story cutscenes presented as a Film Noir-style visual novel. It's even lampshaded at one point, to hilarious effect.