Visual novels are a great way to enjoy an interactive novel with great characters and stories. What's even better is when great visual novels can be played on mobile as players can experience the stories and read wherever they are, whenever they like. It's a great way to make the time fly by on long flights or morning travels.

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Visual novels are usually played primarily to experience a fantastic story, but there are also often themes of romance and player choices. Sometimes the story can change based on choices the player makes, and sometimes characters can become lovers or soulmates. They make the stories more engrossing, and the player becomes more attached as a result. What better way to experience these great stories than being able to play them anywhere?

12 Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Apple Store Rating: 4.3

Dream Daddy is a great visual novel where players have to choose between seven different fathers to date. There's definitely a very niche audience for this but behind the questionable setup, there is an abundance of fantastic characters, some great interactions, and an interesting story.

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It might be hard to persuade someone to play a game with such a title but hey, if it's what players are into then why not? Apart from the strong cast and often hilarious dialogue, players can also change the appearance of their own character which is a pretty rare feature for visual novels.

11 Jekyll & Hyde: Detective Story

Apple Store Rating: 4.8

With a gorgeously gothic art design, Jekyll & Hyde: Detective Story is one of the most unique visual novels available for mobile devices. Everyone knows the classic tale of Jekyll & Hyde, but Detective Story dives deeper into the psyche of Dr. Jekyll and it pits players with solving a greater mystery.

It's not just a visual novel, it's an immersive story where players have to solve puzzles and crack codes, all whilst exploring the desolate streets of Victorian London. For fans of crime and mysteries, this is not a visual novel to skip.

10 Hakuoki

Apple Store Rating: 4.3

This is a port of a PSP title featuring stellar voice actors and beautiful illustrations. It's an otome game, which means it's mainly geared toward women, or anyone interested in romancing some very handsome Edo Era Japanese men.

Hakuoki started its own series when it was released in 2008 and has become very popular among fans, although not quite stretching into the mainstream. The story involves a lost father, bloodthirsty monsters, and a handful of ninja assassins.

9 Moe! Ninja Girls

Apple Store Rating: 4.6

The ending of this story changes based on the choices players make throughout, making for a gripping read! In Moe! Ninja Girls, players assume the character of a genius ninja who is hiding their true identity. Players set up a ninja-finding club at school in an attempt to find other ninjas.

It may sound a bit ridiculous; however, the beauty of Moe! Ninja Girls comes not in its ludicrous ninja premise but more in the everyday interactions with the girls, school life, and club activities. It all becomes wholesome and engaging, and the silly premise shouldn't put players off.

8 Tears Of Themis

Apple Store Rating: 4.6

Tears of Themis has much more player interaction and gameplay than typical visual novels, but the large bulk of the content is still visual novel, dialogue-based. It's a blend between visual novels and gacha games, which makes sense as it's by the developers of Genshin Impact.

The story involves a string of crime cases slowly coming together and forming a larger picture, and players have to take command of the case and choose outcomes, combating evil or succumbing to the darkness. It's got a great story with some amazing characters and is definitely worth checking out, especially for gacha fans.

7 The Letter

Apple Store Rating: 4.4

The Letter is a horror anime-style visual novel with branching narratives which makes for an exhilarating experience. Players control a group of seven characters who all find themselves in a definitely-not-mysterious mansion where they essentially become cursed.

It's not worth explaining any further than that because it would ruin the experience of actually playing through the novel. Players should expect the unexpected in a non-chronological playthrough where characters can die, romances can blossom and friendships can be broken. It's a very solid horror visual novel.

6 Ayakashi: Romance Reborn

Apple Store Rating: 4.6

Ayakashi: Romance Reborn is an interesting title because whilst it is a visual novel at heart, it's also an otome card-based romance-action title with added gacha elements. It's difficult for a game to pull all these genres off and successfully merge them together, however Ayakshi: Romance Reborn does exactly that.

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The story involves an attack on a city by Wraith scourges which the player and their companions have to defeat. The mystery runs deeper than just one attack and players have to figure out what's causing all the chaos and create a solution to dispel the beasts for good.

5 Mysterious Forum And 7 Rumors

Apple Store Rating: 4.9

This is a great, albeit short visual novel that takes only 2 hours to complete but is well worth the read. Exclusively developed for smartphone users, Mysterious Forum and 7 Rumors is a horror and coming-of-age visual novel about the Newspaper Club at a school (classic anime setup), and the secret of the forum it manages.

Essentially, the rumors posted in the forum become reality and the group is tasked with figuring out what's causing it and putting an end to the mystery. It's presented mostly through chat-box dialogue which creates a unique atmosphere and helps to immerse the player in the narrative.

4 Samantha Browne

Apple Store Rating: 4.3

Whilst Samantha Browne is technically defined as an interactive story, it's still a visual novel at heart, with slightly more interaction than the average entry. The story follows an introverted college student who wants to make some food in the communal kitchen but doesn't want to interact with anyone.

The truth is Samantha Browne is more than just a visual novel, it's an exploration of social anxiety and loneliness, which are topics not often covered in games. Players have to choose the right words to help Samantha leave her dorm room and overcome her troubles.

3 Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Apple Store Rating: 4.6

A classic visual novel series at this point, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is the first title in the Danganronpa series and features an incredible story of an elite academy where the students must kill someone if they ever wish to leave.

It's a dark premise, but it's satisfying to tackle the mystery in an attempt to take down whoever is pulling the strings and figure out just what exactly is going on. For fans of anime-style visual novels, players can't find many visual novels better than this.

2 Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Apple Store Rating: 4.9

Paranormasight is a 2023 horror-mystery-adventure visual novel published by Square Enix and features some really awesome artwork. It's set in Japan in the Showa era and involves some curses and supernatural occurrences. The story is lengthy and well worth the money and the gameplay is surprisingly deep for a visual novel.

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Paranormasight follows Shogo Okiie, an office worker who is investigating the local ghost story "Honjo Seven Mysteries". Detectives get pulled into the investigation and things swiftly spiral out of control as it becomes apparent that the supernatural definitely exists. It's a fantastic premise and a great visual novel that has some of the best atmosphere ever.

1 Ace Attorney

Apple Store Rating: 4.6

There are multiple Ace Attorney games available on mobile and this entry essentially includes all of them because they're all great, but if players have to pick one then it should definitely be the Ace Attorney Trilogy, the collection of the first three Phoenix Wright games in one package. They're all fantastic entries and will have players jumping up and shouting "Objection!" in no time.

The Ace Attorney series follows the character of Phoenix Wright, an esteemed lawyer, as he investigates cases and solves them in the courtroom. It's satisfying being able to solve each intriguing mystery and the series is only elevated by its excellent writing and superb characters. A staple visual novel series on any platform, Ace Attorney is still the best by far on mobile as well.

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