Sometimes, nothing feels better than judging others and determining the consequences of their actions — or making choices that will affect the community at large. Whether playing as an actual judge, ruling over a kingdom, or just being in a position where every choice has consequences, game developers have done a great job creating games that put players in the power seat.
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Some of these games are puzzlers, others are visual novels, and some are wildly different with more nebulous genres! Players who wish to judge others and make hard choices based on the evidence in front of them have some great games available (and detailed below).
6 Papers, Please
Judge Passports And Decide Who Enters
Papers, Please
Papers, Please puts players in a position where they must look at the evidence given and judge whether someone is telling the truth, or secretly lying in order to do some real harm to the community the player is in charge of protecting. In Papers, Please there are very real consequences for missing subtle details and making the wrong judgement.
If it weren't for the dire consequences of incorrect decisions, Papers, Please would be a very relaxing strategy game for players that want to play as a judge because it requires looking at evidence and making a final decision based on what is found. While all the evidence is in the form of a passport that could be real or fake, Papers, Please still requires a lot of deductive reasoning, and in the end the player has the final say, just as a courtroom judge would.
5 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Iconic Lawyer Puzzle Game
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Almost every gamer in existence has heard of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, since the series features the best lawyer games ever made. In the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, players need to use all the reasoning and puzzle-solving deductive skills that they have under their belt as they play as one of the most iconic lawyers in all of gaming.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy gives players plenty of chances to judge the motives and personalities of witnesses as they cross-examine and catch suspects in lies. While they won't take on the role of courtroom judge, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is also a great way for players to scratch the itch of wanting to play a courtroom sim.
4 Reigns: Her Majesty
Rule As Queen And Judge Subjects
Reigns: Her Majesty
- Released
- December 6, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Nerial
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
Reigns: Her Majesty puts players in a seat of power above that of even a judge; a monarch! Reigns puts players on a throne, where they ultimately play as judge, jury, and executioner in this casual life sim. They will be presented with decision after decision and be forced to make their choice, with every decision affecting the kingdom they are to rule over.
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While Reigns is not a slice of life game by any means, it can still be quite immersive, despite its 2D art style and the simplicity of its mechanics. Players will really feal like a monarch ruling over their kingdom, ensuring it is safe and sound under their watch and that justice and peace are secure (unless they don't want it to be).
3 Aviary Attorney
Phoenix Wright With Animals
Aviary Attorney
- Released
- December 22, 2015
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS
- Developer
- Sketchy Logic
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Publisher
- Sketchy Logic
Players familiar with the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games will feel right at home with Aviary Attorney. Despite being criminally underrated, Aviary Attorney is one of the best visual novels on Steam. It has a fantastic story, excellent puzzle-based game play, and an incredibly unique and captivating look.
Similar to its inspirations, Aviary Attorney is a story-based puzzle game where the player takes on the role of a lawyer. Aviary Attorney places the player in the courtroom and does a great job of immersing them into the world (even if the world is full of sentient animals instead of people). There are plenty of opportunities to judge suspects, witnesses, and others while moving through the story and trying to determine who's guilty — and who's being framed.
2 We. The Revolution
Revolutionary Tribunal Judge
We. The Revolution
We. The Revolution is one of the best political sims on Steam, and it takes itself as gritty and seriously as the subject matter demands. We. The Revolution has the player play as a judge for the Revolutionary Tribunal, which means the player must listen to interrogations, the jury, and their own gut instincts to determine the guilt of those being prosecuted.
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The stakes couldn't be any higher in We. The Revolution, and having good judgment is absolutely crucial to delivering justice; a wrong judgment could mean an innocent person dies. Players will need to hear out the facts of the cases they preside over and determine the guilt of the party, then decide whether to send them to prison — or even the guillotine. We. The Revolution is one of the best judge games available because of the depth of its mechanics and its somber setting, both of which it takes very seriously.
1 You Are The Judge!
Courtroom Judge Simulator RPG
- Release Date: Oct 2, 2023
- Developer: Steel Games
- Publisher: Steel Games
- Genre: Indie Strategy RPG
While there are many games that allow the player to play as a lawyer in a courtroom, or a judge in another setting, there are very few games like You are the Judge, where players can play as an actual courtroom judge in an immersive RPG sim.
You are the Judge has everything that players fascinated with the courtroom could want. Players will need to see evidence, hear witnesses, and even investigate crime scenes in order to determine the guilt of the parties involved. You are the Judge also incorporates some RPG elements and almost plays like a life sim, since players will also browse social media and manage their personal life in other ways beyond the courtroom.
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