Mystery and trial games, mixed, bring a unique experience that we can classify as very close to thriller and suspense. A good example of the aforementioned is the Danganronpa saga, a franchise taking place in a haunted elementary school – in the case of Happy Havoc – the first iteration of the saga, and on an island – in the case of Goodbye Despair – the second release.  

Finding Games Like Danganronpa is a challenge since there are only a few games with its features and total madness. As such, we’ve listed a series of titles that share some similar aspects with the Japanese franchise and that we assume will be to your liking.

• Release Date: July 26, 2012

• Developer: Spike Chunsoft

• Publisher: Spike Chunsoft

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

• Metascore: 83

Danganronpa is a mystery adventure game with over five games to its credit. It is characterized by a visual novel style where the succession of images builds the action, sequences, events, and plot. 

Danganronpa is a wordplay between the Japanese words Dangan – bullet – and Ronpa – refute. As such, the plot puts a series of high school students inside a death game where they are forced to kill each other to escape and obtain their freedom. Moreover, students must participate in a trial to determine whether they are guilty.

In Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, you control Hajime Hinata, a student trapped on Jabberwock island with fifteen other students. Danganronpa 2 is divided into three stages, Daily Life, where you can freely explore the island and interact with other participants, Deadly Life, where you must gather evidence after discovering a crime scene to expose the culprit; and School Trial, where you determine the identity of the alleged culprit. 

Dialogues, investigation, and nonstop debates are the core of the saga. During trials, you must use all the information and clues you get to argue your case, find weaknesses in the discussions, and refute the opponent’s logic through "True Bullets."

The Danganronpa universe, which includes manga and anime, has influenced many other similar sagas, like the Zero Escape series, the Phantom Detective Ghost Trick, or the Corpse Party series, a Japanese horror game, sharing visual aspects and anime style. 

If you are a fan of Dangaronpa and want to check out another thrilling mystery, keep reading this article. We are sharing more games like Danganronpa you probably will adore!

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair - Anniversary Edition US Xbox Live CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys. 

There are six main games sharing features and characteristics with the Danganronpa series. Below we discuss them for you to know everything about them and decide which one to play.

• Release Date: February 7, 2012

• Developer: Capcom | Digital Works Entertainment

• Publisher: Capcom

• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch

• Metascore: 80

When discussing lawyers, trials, clues, crime scenes, solving puzzles, and mysteries, the King of the Hill is the Ace Attorney series. Beyond Ace Attorney memes that abound on the Internet, the title is a visual novel series with over ten games in its catalog. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, in particular, contains the three first games of the franchise:  Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice for All, and Trials and Tribulations.

In Ace Attorney games, you control an attorney in law that must defend their clients to be declared innocent. All the games of the franchise are based on the Japanese legal system. As such, you must follow its rules and establish your case by examining crime scenes, collecting clues, talking with clients and witnesses to gather more information, and fighting in court to win the case.

In the first game on this list, you control Phoenix Wright, a professional lawyer with a wide game in the courtyard. 

The Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series are visual novels that put the court of law in the center of the conflict. Both games share a similar anime art style and the way you collect clues and evidence to support your case. Danganronpa fans will love this game!

Key Features:

• A total of 14 episodes allow you to show your detective and attorney abilities.

• Great visuals that remind us of the best anime.

• Several systems allow you to collect evidence and investigate crime scenes to present your case. 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys. 

• Release Date: September 15, 2016

• Developer: P-Studio

• Publisher: Atlus | Atlus USA | Deep Silver | Sega

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

• Metascore: 95

Persona 5 Royal is already one of the greatest role-playing video games ever, winning multiple awards and obtaining excellent cross-reviews. But what does Persona 5 have to do with Danganronpa? 

First, in Persona 5, you play as a new private school student in modern Japan called Ren Amamiya. Here is when you discover your supernatural skills to summon powerful creatures known as “Personas.” Together with other characters with similar powers, you delve into a mysterious story that leads you through different neighborhoods of Tokyo and parallel scenarios extracted from another dimension. Moving between both worlds, you must solve puzzles to save particular people from bad experiences or bad judgment. 

This is the second aspect Danganronpa and Persona 5 share: your vocation to save unjustly accused people. Defending them involves exploring multiple locations, interacting with college students, navigating the city, and participating in turn-based battles with incredible visuals. 

The third point is that in both games, you make friends and take care of everyday school life. Do not stop paying attention to your relationships since solving mysteries depends on information and clues you get from NPCs and friends!

Danganronpa and Persona 5 are great games that share ambiance, school environments, and dark secrets. Finally, Persona 5 has turned this franchise into one of the most popular series ever.

Key Features:

• Impressive anime-style visuals with great animations and sequences.

• A complex battle system that allows you to combat as you prefer.

• Hundreds of quests will take you across all of modern Tokyo.  

Persona 5 Royal Global Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: November 16, 2021

• Developer: Frogwares

• Publisher: Frogwares

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4

• Metascore: 77

The most famous detective of all time cannot be missed from this list. Sherlock Holmes returns in glory and majesty, full of shiny colors and outstanding graphics. The Londoner Detective introduces us to one of the most expansive games of the franchise that brings us face-to-face with a sci-fi murder mystery. 

Chapter One is an “origin story” that places our favorite detective on the Mediterranean island of Cordona. In this context, you must deploy all your intelligence and investigation skills to find clues and unravel what is happening on the island and your childhood home. 

While Chapter One doesn't compel you to engage in criminal activities like the gameplay of Danganronpa, it's noteworthy that the significance of uncovering clues and thoroughly investigating the crime scene bridges the two titles.

Many fans of the detective will enjoy this open-world title and the hours of fun it offers while wandering around its gaming world. Of course, in Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One, you are not a real lawyer like you’re in Danganronpa, but still, you will develop your detective skills like never before. 

Key Features:

• A great game that honors the game of the skilled detective.

• An origin story with unique puzzles and mysteries to solve. 

• An open-world scenario with numerous decisions to make.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: August 19, 2021

• Developer: Luis António

• Publisher: Annapurna Interactive | Netflix

• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS, Android

• Metascore: 76

As you can see in the image above, Twelve Minutes is played from a zenithal perspective; thus, you witness all the events and the narrative as an omnipresent being.  

We can define Twelve Minutes as an adventure and mysterious game with role features and multiple endings. The game takes place in a small department where you, a husband as the main protagonist, and your wife live peacefully until some strange events occur. You have twelve minutes to solve a mystery in this small space by pointing and clicking objects and home appliances.

If you can’t solve the mystery, the twelve-minute cycle restarts. The same happens if you cannot prove the innocence of your wife related to a past murder or if you die or leave the apartment. 

Twelve Minutes is a deep and immersive story that will keep you with all your senses alert to break the time loop. Just like in Danganronpa, you will have to be aware of everything happening in rooms inside the apartment and everything you talk about with your wife. Words will lead to the true ending: you want to continue with your life. 

Twelve Minutes boasts unique gameplay that the most exquisite and demanding gamers will enjoy.

Key Features:

• A strange mystery requiring you to use all your imagination.

• An infinite time loop allows you to review all the events of your life.

• An intimate life flow with interesting and profound dialogues. 

Twelve Minutes Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys. 

• Release Date: August 23, 2019

• Developer: Sam Barlow | Furious Bee

• Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

• Platforms: Windows, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

• Metascore: 84

Telling Lies is likely the title on this list that comes closest to the Danganronpa series in terms of narration and visualization. Even though Telling Lies is a narrative and visual storytelling video game featuring real people, the general idea behind it is the same. 

In Telling Lies, you see and hear four people participating in video calls. By studying their faces, arguments, and any other information you can track, you should be able to solve the main mystery. 

Video calls cover two years of conversations through short sequences that have been stored in a hard drive in possession of the National Security Agency. Watching these videos, you must use special keywords to find information and understand the general timeline of events and participant interactions. 

Let’s be honest. Telling Lies is a drama and a thriller; thus, it will keep you on the edge of your seat during all the mystery. Although Danganronpa uses a more sophisticated, stylized, and not-realistic gaming style, it still boasts a thriller sense that reminds us of other games like Ghost Trick Phantom Detective and Zero Escape, with its nine people forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game.

Key Features:

• Hundreds of private conversations for you to tie up loose ends.

• Investigative gameplay and a non-linear storyline.

• Four characters and actors provide you with unique pieces of information.

Telling Lies Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: October 18, 2018

• Developer: Lucas Pope

• Publisher: Lucas Pope

• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

• Metascore: 89

Return of the Obra Dinn is the first title on this list with a monochromatic visual style and minimalist shapes and gameplay. But what does a title like Return of the Obra Dinn share with a game like Danganronpa? Mainly its investigation and puzzle-solving gameplay. 

The game occurs in 1807 in a vessel where all the crew has disappeared. The merchant ship was missing for five years. Now that it has returned, it’s your mission to discover what happened in the vessel by reconstructing the events and determining the fates of the sixty souls aboard.

Was it a serial killer who killed all the crew? Was it a mysterious disease that ended the lives of passengers? Where were the passengers when they found their fate? Are some of the passengers still alive?

With the information you get aboard and from souls, you’ll be able to reconstruct the stories of any crew member. In a nutshell, Return of the Obra Dinn is a giant puzzle with multiple pieces. It’s your mission to find how they relate and their similarities.

Key Features:

• A unique visual style similar to cel-shading and monochromatic. 

• Memento Mortem is a practical device to help you hear the moments before death.

• Multiple puzzles to solve to discover what happened during the journey. 

Return of the Obra Dinn Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

We know the loved Danganronpa saga is many people's favorite. This series has taken a lot of other franchises and adventure games, such as the Professor Layton series or Corpse Party games. Still, the final result is a game full of intrigue, thriller, investigation, murders, trials, and exciting visuals. If you like this genre, you should play the games we’ve mentioned without hesitation!