Best Games To Play If You Loved LA Noir

The brilliant world of L.A. Noire shaped an entire generation of gamers all around the world. The graphics and design efforts that went into creating the facial movements of characters alone were revolutionary for its time. But as many years have gone by since its release, games have gotten more and more evolved throughout the years.

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While nothing can bring back the feeling of playing with the good old L.A. Noire, some games get considerably close to it. Games that involve making choices that revolve around crimes and detective work are highly sought-after, and fans everywhere are trying to find the next best thing. Thankfully, there are many games like L.A. Noire for those missing the murder, arson, scotch, and crime-filled fifties.

Updated on August 21, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: L.A. Noire was one of the ground-breaking experiences by Rockstar Games that combined the open-world elements of its Grand Theft Auto series with semi-linear story missions revolving around homicide cases, as players take the role of a detective.

Not only was the premise of the game something new in the triple-A industry, but it also delivered a bunch of unique gameplay mechanics that were indeed revolutionary. Unfortunately, L.A. Noire never received a sequel, but there are still games that share some similarities with Team Bondi's beloved detective adventure.

19 Twelve Minutes

Discover The Mistakes Of The Past In The Middle Of Chaos

Twelve Minutes is a narrative-driven game about a couple that seems to have a happy life initially, but it doesn't take long until their home turns into a chaotic scene. The players need to make decisions and find clues to help the story move forward before reaching any of those sad endings.

It is one of those games that the player might need to restart over and over again to finally find the hidden clues. Each playthrough will help the player pay attention to the details to finally manage to uncover the entire plot. The game will go back and forth in time, as the player finds more evidence about the couple's past.

18 Chinatown Detective Agency

Travel Around The World, Find Clues, And Solve Cases

For those who like the anthology nature of L.A. Noire, where each case is different from the previous one, then Chinatown Detective Agency could be a perfect option to play. This pixelated 2D game is about a veteran police agent who now runs a personal detective agency.

Each mission revolves around a new client with a new case. Chinatown Detective Agency is more about solving puzzles and finding clues than combat. The player may need to visit multiple places around the world to solve a case or may have to disguise as someone else and infiltrate private properties. It is all about finding a way to get what is needed to solve the cases.

17 Sleeping Dogs

Infiltrating The Hong Kong Crime Families As An Under-Cover Agent

Similar to L.A. Noire, Sleeping Dogs is also one of the beloved triple-A games that never received a sequel. The game follows the story of a police officer in Hong Kong who is tasked with infiltrating a crime family to reveal the identity of its bosses and apprehend them before it's too late.

Sleeping Dogs is not an anthology, but it has the same open-world nature of L.A. Noire as well as a whole bunch of action-packed missions. The game also offers a neat melee combat system, which was quite popular and satisfying at the time.

16 Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy)

An Interactive Adventure That Focuses On Uncovering A Supernatural Mystery

David Cage may be a problematic figure in the gaming community for many reasons, but there's no denying that his games have something unique and alluring that makes them a blast to play through, even if the narratives don't make a lot of sense. If nothing else, a playthrough of a Quantic Dream game is bound to be engaging in its own way, even if the reasons for the same aren't what the developer intended.

A great example of this is Indigo Prophecy, also known as Fahrenheit. The game features a compelling story that can venture into the nonsensical at times but doesn't get too egregious. Players have to uncover a mystery while ensuring that their sanity remains intact, making it imperative for them to go through certain sequences as smoothly as possible to ensure that their acts are bearing fruit.

15 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Documents The Modern Ace Attorney Story With All Its Investigative And Courtroom Shenanigans

• Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

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  Adventure

  Visual Novel

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  Released

  April 12, 2007

  Developer(s)

  Capcom

  Platform(s)

  Nintendo DS, iOS, Android, Nintendo 3DS

  Genre(s)

  Adventure, Visual Novel

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• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

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  Released

  October 24, 2013

  Developer(s)

  Capcom

  Platform(s)

  Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS

  Genre(s)

  Visual Novel, Adventure

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• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit Of Justice

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  Science Fiction

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  Released

  June 9, 2016

  Developer(s)

  Capcom

  Platform(s)

  Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows

  Genre(s)

  Visual Novel, Science Fiction

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The announcement of the Apollo Justice trilogy was celebrated by many fans of the genre. The three games in this series are all pretty great in their own right, even if some people feel that Apollo Justice changes a few things and introduces boring cases that can be harder to get through.

The best game in the series is undoubtedly Spirit of Justice, a game that develops Apollo's character quite a bit and has some unique moments that fans of the series will absolutely adore. It combines the best of Ace Attorney's past and future to make for a great time that fans can't get enough of.

14 Judgment

An RGG Game With Detective Elements

A spinoff of the Yakuza series with a new protagonist at the helm, Judgment players control a detective named Takayuki Yagami who's hot on the heels of a serial killer. The investigation sections can be slightly rough at times but still do a great job of letting players solve cases and follow up on leads.

Of course, the best parts of this game are the high-budget cutscenes and a combat system that's as engaging and fast-paced as it gets. Judgment is a perfect recommendation for fans of L.A. Noire who want to check out a game with better and more engaging hand-to-hand combat.

13 The Danganronpa Series

Detective Work Combined With Intense Class Trials And Brief Moments Of Levity

Danganronpa is one of the weirdest and most entertaining mystery games that fans can check out if they love this genre. All three games focus on a bunch of high schoolers with ultimate talents who end up being trapped in a ruthless killing game that is about as twisted as most people would expect.

All three games in the series are pretty great in their own right, although the final title's ending elicited a ton of mixed reception from fans. Regardless, there's no denying that Danganronpa's cases are quite brilliant, with the Class Trials being some of the most engaging segments in these games.

12 AI: The Somnium Files

A Detective Game Based In A Futuristic Version Of Tokyo

A unique detective game that focuses on a futuristic depiction of Tokyo, the concept present in AI: The Somnium Files is pretty intriguing indeed. This game boasts a wealth of interesting characters and features a unique mechanic where players enter the memories of certain PoIs to figure out the mystery behind a serial killer on the loose.

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The plot is one of this game's strongest points. AI: The Somnium Files may not be a game for everyone, but it's still worth checking out for fans of unique mystery games that will keep them hooked from start to end.

11 Pentiment

A Unique Mystery Game Spanning Multiple Generations

Pentiment is a unique mystery game that spans multiple generations and has multiple answers to its central mystery. While this approach was met with a divisive reception, there's no denying that Obsidian's attempt at such a unique title paid dividends in every way, with fans loving the central narrative and how it seamlessly connected several generations.

It helped that Pentiment's visual design was striking and brilliantly conveyed how times were changing, with each generation feeling quite distinct and memorable. Fans of mystery games who want to experience something new and exciting can't go wrong with this excellent title that more people should check out for themselves.

10 The Wolf Among Us

Control Fabletown's Sheriff And Solve A Dark Mystery

Given that The Wolf Among Us is a Telltale game, most people shouldn't expect the investigation segments to be too challenging. Players are gently led through each sequence, and it's pretty obvious what they will need to interact with to push the story forward. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing — what The Wolf Among Us lacks in detective work is more than made up for with its gritty aesthetic, engrossing narrative, and a great setting that brings characters from regular fairytales into the real world.

The story of Bigby as he uncovers a chilling mystery that threatens to rock Fabletown to its very core makes for a great time in every way. Many fans are thrilled that a sequel is finally coming out for this noir mystery, with the problems that Telltale faced making fans worry if the story would end on a tantalizing cliffhanger. Thankfully, this wasn't the case, and finally, getting a satisfying conclusion to this story will make this wait pretty worthwhile.