From Batman to Agatha Christie, detective video games are quite a diverse bunch, but these ten have one thing in common: they're the best.

With the Batman: Arkham series getting an exciting continuation in the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the franchise that began as a "Batman the detective" series is going in more fantastical directions. Still, for fans of the detective aspect of those games, there are plenty out there to enjoy.

Video games are uniquely suited for providing a detective experience, since they allow players to become the investigator, rather than just passively watching a detective story. So when it comes to detective games, which do IMDb rank as the best?

Mystery novelist Agatha Christie has seen a renewed interest in the film world thanks to Kenneth Branagh's adaptations, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. Fans of those films have a great game to check out in the 2006 computer game Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express.

Related: 10 Agatha Christie Novels Yet To Receive Film Adaptations

Featuring the voice of David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, the man who played him on TV for decades, the game actually introduces a new character to the story as the playable character, who in this version investigates on Poirot's behalf. Even if you know the original story, this one has a different ending than one ever before depicted, giving even huge Christie fans a fun new experience with this classic of hers.

Game developer Lucas Pope got his industry start working on some of studio Naughty Dog's best video games, like Uncharted, but left in 2011 and two years later gave the world the incredibly unique Papers, Please. In 2018, he released his next indie game, Return of the Obra Dinn.

In this game, players are tasked with figuring out how each member of an abandoned ship died, as well as who each dead body is in the first place, thanks to brief, magic-induced flashbacks and deductive reasoning. The thrill of deducing something is so rewarding. Obra Dinn's deceptively-simple art style also helps put more emphasis on the voice-acting and story; it really makes you feel like a detective.

Like Return of the Obra Dinn, 2017's What Remains of Edith Finch is an investigation-based game which adds in supernatural elements, and where players have to witness flashbacks to deaths that occurred before the game's story began. In Edith Finch, however, all deaths are from one family over several generations, and are attributed to a curse.

While mainstream titles attract players with gorgeously polished action gameplay, Edith Finch uses exploration and uncovering secrets as the main appeal for players, which is what makes the detective genre particularly suited to indie games in particular. The flashbacks also contain some of the saddest video game deaths, and one or two might even make the player cry.

Although published by Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire was actually developed by Australian studio Team Bondi, and took seven years to go from concept to completed game. While the game's troubled development actually contributed to Team Bondi's closure, the result of that long development was one of the most detailed detective games ever created.

Players take on the role of LAPD detective Cole Phelps in 1947, as he deals with corruption and violence straight out of the noir movies which inspired the game. L.A. Noire's best asset is its actors, as the game employed unique motion-capture software to gather facial nuances, so that players could read those expressions and make deductions from them. It's clear that the underrated L.A. Noire deserves a sequel.

Another game which pushed the motion-capture technology of its time, Heavy Rain is a dark interactive drama featuring four different protagonists and their involvement in the search for a boy kidnapped by a serial killer. With a branching narrative, this is one game where the player could fail, adding to the stakes and realism of its story.

Although most of the important story moments are dictated by simple choices and some events are unavoidable, the game still manages to make players feel as if they are in control the entire time. Also, anyone who enjoys the main game has to check out "The Taxidermist", originally released as DLC and with its own experience that acts like the main game in miniature.

When Telltale Games closed in 2018, it meant none of their planned games or sequels would ever come out, including the follow-up to 2013's The Wolf Among Us. However, those who loved that game can be thankful that a new studio operating with the "Telltale" name is delivering the sequel in 2023.

Related: 10 Best Episodic Video Games, Ranked By Metacritic

The original features a wolfman sheriff in a modern but fairytale-filled world investigating a series of murders. Carrying the Telltale signature, its art style is basic and its mechanics limited, but the studio delivers a mystery that keeps players engaged and constantly questioning who could be the guilty party in a city filled with strange creatures.

After releasing two games in the early 2000s, the Max Payne series went on hiatus until Rockstar Games revived the series with its third installment, Max Payne 3, in 2012. Even though that entry is the lowest-rated of the three, the series as a whole is still one of the best investigation-based ones ever.

Related: The 10 Best Rockstar Games, According To IMDb

If L.A. Noire is classic noir, then Max Payne is its modern equivalent, with police corruption, coverups, and interior monologues galore, except in this case transplanted to the then-modern New York City streets. In its prime, Max Payne was an innovator for its use of slow-motion, graphics, and comic-book panels for its cutscenes, so even if it seems dated by today's standards, it's justly remembered with fondness.

Not only does the Batman: Arkham series contain four of the best Batman video games of all time, but it also commands an impressive average even when factoring in the much-lower-rated Arkham Origins. Batman is a draw for fans everywhere, and few outings of him have been as detective-focused as these games.

Some lean into the detection aspect more than others, and one of the reasons why Batman: Arkham City is so highly regarded is likely because of the mysteries which players are tasked with figuring out through the course of that game; when games leaned less into that, like Arkham Knight and Origins, they were less beloved by the gaming public.

Disco Elysium is a throwback role-playing game which places players in the role of an amnesiac detective investigating a murder mystery while slowly uncovering his memories. If that wasn't noir enough, it also takes place in the after-world of a war, just as noir films were heavily influenced by World War II.

For traditional RPG fans, this might not be the best choice, since it eschews combat in favor of having mechanics focused around character interactions. Disco Elysium utilizes its RPG elements and more open-ended nature to really engage with the detective genre and give players freedom in a way few games in the genre have been able to do before it.

Detroit: Become Human asks plenty of questions regarding the nature of humanity and the potential ethical future of AI development, but nestled in there is a detective story where the detective begins to question his purpose. This is Connor, one of the three playable characters and an android investigator.

Connor's perspective is the one most closely aligned with the in-game humans, and his mission of hunting down rogue androids places him at the center of intrigue around why these machines are deviating from programming. It's quite similar to Blade Runner in that respect, but that's to its benefit.

NEXT: 10 Obscure Sci-Fi Video Games From The 2000s That Are Still Worth Playing

Ryan Ten is a list writer for Screen Rant and self-published author on Amazon. He is passionate about movies, TV shows, comics, and video games that have a compelling story to tell.