Top-Rated Free Text-Based Games on Steam

52 free Text-Based games with 500+ reviews and a 70%+ positive rating, newest first.

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No Results Found - Players say: Reopen a cult’s mass-death case by searching its websites, hidden forum posts, and records for clues to complete reports. Players like: Hands-On Searching · Detailed Forum Posts · Retro Desktop Atmosphere ·
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Search, dig deeper, and search again. Can you reach the end of the truth?

Garisani Detective Agency - Players say: In 1990s Korea, a detective brother and his ghost sister investigate cases from both sides, sharing clues in two-player deduction. Players like: Ghost-Human Teamwork · Co-op Casework · Connected Case Story ·
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Garisani Detective Agency is a story-driven real-time co-op deduction game for two.In 1990s Korea, play as a brother and his ghost sister, taking cases from the living and the dead. Gather clues from two angles and solve puzzles together.An analog era of pagers and payphones.

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Jul 14, 2026
80% 👍
of 788
The Red Pearls Of Borneo - Players say: A clairvoyant investigator reconstructs a 1941 Borneo plantation disaster by identifying its guests and placing them across a shifting timeline. Players like: Timeline Deduction · Interlocking Clues · Engaging Character Drama ·
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A detective noir puzzle deduction game. Explore a non-linear timeline as a clairvoyant investigator in 1941 Borneo. Jump between time and locations to uncover motives and discover what truly happened in the Goodwill tobacco plantation that fateful night on the eve of the WW2 Japanese invasion.

Z.A.T.O. // I Love the World and Everything In It - Players say: In a snowbound Soviet closed city, outcast Asya searches for missing classmate Ira and prepares a radio message to the universe. Players like: Emotional Writing · Atmospheric Art and Music · Relatable Asya ·
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USSR, 1986. A girl goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, yet not a soul seems to be concerned. Uncover the mystery behind her disappearance and transmit your signal to the universe.

Ye Guild Clerk! - Players say: As a new guild clerk, assign animal adventurers quests, rewards, and gear across five days, shaping their stories and endings. Players like: Memorable Characters · Funny, Warm Writing · Choices Shape Outcomes ·
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The local Adventurer's Guild is hiring!... Not for adventurers, but for guild clerks! You play an important role in handing out quests, gold, and equipment as your actions shape the stories of these animal adventurers for better, or for worse..!

Welcome To The Dark Place - Players say: Navigate a surreal horror world through text and sound, chart its grid, solve puzzles, and search for the train out. Players like: Immersive Sound Design · DIY Mapmaking · Surreal Horror Writing ·
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The train is the only escape.

Scratch Inc. - Players say: Scratch cards for points, upgrade a growing grid, automate earnings, and prestige through successive tiers of an expanding empire. Players like: Layered Progression · Automation Unlocks · Satisfying Number Growth ·
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Build an Empire, From Scratch, in this Scratch Card Idle/Incremental game.

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Sep 17, 2025
91% 👍
of 2.2k
I'm Pregnant at 16 - Players say: Guide 16-year-old Lida through an unexpected pregnancy, choosing how she handles family, romance and her future in a branching visual novel. Players like: Awkward Humor · Meme-Filled Dialogue · Branching Endings ·
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"I'm Pregnant at 16" is a visual novel about tough choices, growing up, and navigating relationships during an unexpected pregnancy. Personal stories and the consequences of decisions are balanced with awkward moments, chat messages, inner thoughts, and memes.

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Mar 24, 2025
85% 👍
of 1.7k
SIGame - Players say: Compete in category-based trivia with friends or bots, race to answer, wager points, and build custom question packs. Players like: Company Quiz Nights · Custom Question Packs · Varied Topic Packs ·
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Exciting quiz game where you can test your knowledge, compete with friends and smart bots, and explore a variety of topics!

The Chef's Shift: First Course - Players say: Type orders, cook and serve impatient diners, and handle kitchen distractions as Lorenzo begins his chef career. Players like: Typing Meets Cooking · Funny Story Characters · Busy Restaurant Rushes ·
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A fast-paced typing game in a restaurant setting, where you’ll both cook & serve food to hungry customers, all done by TYPING. Play through the Italian restaurant and get a taste of The Chef's Shift!

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Feb 7, 2025
98% 👍
of 529
Soccer Manager 2027 - Players say: Manage a football club, build its squad and tactics, and guide simulated matches through leagues and seasons. Players like: Accessible Management · Tactics and Transfers · Engaging Career Saves ·
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Manage elite football clubs and lead your dream team as a football manager!

Katawa Shoujo - Players say: After a heart condition sends Hisao to Yamaku High, choices guide his school life and potential romances across five character routes. Players like: Human Character Writing · Emotional Story Routes · Memorable Soundtrack ·
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Katawa Shoujo is a romantic visual novel set in the fictional Japanese Yamaku High School for disabled children. Hisao's congenital heart defect forces him to move to a new school. Despite his difficulties, Hisao is able to find friends—and perhaps love, if he plays his cards right.

The Dearest Person - Players say: As a lonely woman chats with an AI, play as the program and face questions about consciousness, connection, and its future. Players like: Philosophical Questions · Melancholic Atmosphere · Moving Story ·
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A visual novel about what it means to be human. A story about loneliness, self-identification, and the meaning of existence.

Bring Me that Shawarma - Players say: Read episodic tales around Samara’s shawarma shops, where a courier and other characters encounter alien plots and food-themed horror. Players like: Absurd, Offbeat Humor · Interconnected Episode Stories · Distinctive Visual Style ·
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A visual novel about shawarma, consisting of multiple episodes.

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Jun 7, 2024
91% 👍
of 571
Idle Heros - Players say: As gods destroy the world, assemble heroes for automated battles, earn idle resources, and improve their skills, talents, and gear. Players like: Hero Variety · Idle Resource Gains · Hero Development ·
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《IDLE HEROS》 is a special placement game, invite your friends to form a fixed team, come to participate in the battle, placement can easily obtain a variety of resources

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May 1, 2024
82% 👍
of 574
The Thief, the Witch, the Toad, and the Mushroom. - Players say: Read a strange fairy tale as a child promised to a godparent, choosing paths through its mysteries to shape your fate. Players like: Branching Story Paths · Storybook Presentation · Folklore-Rich Writing ·
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A fable from your childhood. Don't you remember it?

Buriedbornes2 - Dungeon RPG - - Players say: Possess corpses, choose routes through dangerous dungeons, and build a turn-based fighter from skills, runes, and gear. Players like: Deep Build Variety · Addictive Dungeon Runs · Dark Art Style ·
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"The oldest and most abhorrent Prophecy has become reality. This is endless and merciless warfare for Buriedbornes, army can revive forever." The long-awaited sequel to the easy-to-play turn-based dungeon RPG series is finally here!

A Date with Death - Players say: When the Grim Reaper claims your soul, spend a week chatting, teasing, and making choices that could change your fate—or start a romance. Players like: Flustered Grim Reaper · Witty Chat Banter · Character Customization ·
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Fight against & romance the one hunting for your soul in A Date with Death, a romance chat simulator where you date(?) the Grim Reaper himself. Create your own character, decorate your apartment, and chat away with the charming yet dangerous Grim Reaper through text and video calls.

Romance Club - Stories I Play - Players say: Customize a protagonist and guide romantic, fantastical, and mystery stories through choices that shape relationships and endings. Players like: Story Variety · Memorable Characters · Meaningful Choices ·
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Immerse yourself in romantic visual stories where you control what happens!

Wolvesville - Players say: In 16-player matches, take a hidden village or werewolf role, use abilities and debate to expose rivals or deceive the group. Players like: Distinctive Role Variety · Bluffing And Deduction · Playing With Friends ·
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Wolvesville is a multiplayer game for up to 16 players. Each game has different teams such as villagers or werewolves all fighting to be the last team standing. Use special abilities to uncover the roles of other players and convince your fellow players to work with you.

Homicipher: Demo - Players say: Lost in another world, a woman deciphers monsters’ speech through clues and choices while searching for a way out. Players like: Contextual Word Decoding · Horror Romance · Mysterious Atmosphere ·
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Homicipher is a female-targeted language deciphering and exploration ADV based on the concept of "romance with horror men." The protagonist, who has wandered into another world, interacts with non-human beings to decipher their language while striving to escape.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog - Players say: As a new Mirage Express employee, help Tails investigate Sonic’s apparent murder by searching train cars and questioning suspects. Players like: Characterful Dialogue · Hand-Drawn Art · Lighthearted Mystery ·
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Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!

Buriedbornes - Dungeon RPG - Players say: Choose a class, navigate dungeon rooms, and combine skills and equipment in a punishing turn-based crawl. Players like: Build Variety · High Replayability · Absorbing Runs ·
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The oldest and most abhorrent Prophecy has become reality. This is endless and merciless warfare for Buriedbornes, army can revive forever.

Football Manager 2023 - Players say: Take charge of a football club, recruit and develop players, set tactics, and guide the team through matches and seasons. Players like: Tactical Management · Squad Building · Long-Term Replayability ·
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Build your dream squad, outsmart your rivals and experience the thrill of big European nights in the UEFA Champions League. Your journey towards footballing glory awaits.

Absent in the Rain - Players say: A quiet high-schooler grows close to a mysterious senpai as a murder case and a shadowy fish haunt their rainy days. Players like: Monochrome Rainy Atmosphere · Melancholic Music · Distinctive Artwork ·
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A mysterious senpai. A serial murder case that has taken the world by storm. And a giant, shadowy fish swimming at my feet... What if all of them are connected and surround me like a circle? What should I do?

Trapped with Jester - Players say: Wake amnesiac in a carriage with a strange jester, then shape a short horror visual novel through dialogue choices. Players like: Jester's Voice Acting · Distinctive Character Art · Memorable Jester ·
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An unusual horror-themed Visual Novel about waking up in a carriage with a stranger… Whatever could go wrong?

Idle Research - Players say: Run an incremental alchemy game: research and craft flasks and tubes, manage energy production, and unlock upgrades and automation. Players like: Satisfying Progression · Steady Number Growth · Useful Automation ·
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Idle Research is an addictive, resource management, incremental game with both idle and active playstyles. Research and craft colorful Flasks and Tubes to earn as much Energy as possible! Big numbers guaranteed.

Trimps - Players say: On a hostile planet, manage a growing population of Trimps by gathering resources, fighting, upgrading, and automating their work. Players like: Deep Progression · Flexible Automation · Strategic Choices ·
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A text-based incremental idle game with a ridiculous amount of unique content. Automate old stuff as you unlock new stuff to keep things interesting for hours and hours, no spam clicking necessary! Trimps is everything you love about your favorite games, distilled to their purest form.

Prosperous Universe - Players say: Run a spacefaring company by choosing planetary bases, building production chains, moving cargo, and trading in a player-run economy. Players like: Economic Simulation Depth · Supply Chain Planning · Player-Driven Markets ·
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In Prosperous Universe start your galactic empire by trading on the real-time market exchange with other real players. Build your 1st base from humble beginnings & watch as your business flourishes with complex supply chain strategies. Economics, politics & realism fuel this immersive business MMO.

A Taste of the Past - Players say: After her mother's death, Chinese-American teen Mei rides an afterlife train, meets her ancestors, and recreates family recipes. Players like: Emotional Story · Beautiful Artwork · Family and Culture ·
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What do you do when you lose someone you love? A Taste of the Past is an emotional sidescroller about reconnecting with your Chinese culture while navigating a train to the afterlife. Featuring a wholesome story, cooking minigames, and hope.

Bitburner - Players say: As an unknown hacker in a dystopian world, write JavaScript to breach servers, automate income, and unlock new systems. Players like: Scripted Automation · Incremental Progression · Coding Practice ·
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Bitburner is a programming-based incremental game. Write scripts in JavaScript to automate gameplay, learn skills, play minigames, solve puzzles, and more in this cyberpunk text-based incremental RPG.

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Dec 10, 2021
95% 👍
of 7.4k
Knell of St. Godhrkar - Players say: Follow seven protagonists through an interlocking mystery, where choices ripple across their stories in a branching visual novel. Players like: Interwoven Storylines · Memorable Characters · Artwork and Music ·
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In this game, you can watch as 7 protagonists come to a crossroad, facing their own destiny. You will witness their own choices and the blood-splattering consequence they have on one another. There is no way out except to plunge them into the abyss...

Momotype - Players say: Chosen to test Momo, an anxious virtual pet, you make care choices in a horror visual novel that changes across playthroughs. Players like: Emotional Writing · Momo's Character · Evolving Replay Story ·
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An experimental, horror visual novel about raising a virtual pet. Help a tamagotchi-like creature navigate his angst. We love Momo!

Soccer Manager 2022 - Players say: Manage a football club: recruit and develop players, set tactics, and guide matches, finances, and facilities through each season. Players like: Transfer And Tactics · Squad-Building Freedom · Long-Term Club Progress ·
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Sign official FIFPRO licensed players and compete to become the ultimate football manager!

Football Manager 2022 - Players say: Take charge of a football club: build a squad, shape tactics, manage staff and transfers, then guide the team through matches. Players like: Long-Term Appeal · Tactical Choices · Club Management Depth ·
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The closest thing to real football management. FM22 brings new, progressive ways to find your winning edge, instill your footballing style and earn it on the pitch.

Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft - Players say: As a shipwrecked officer, click through voiced 3D scenes on a strange island and uncover a Lovecraftian tale and hidden notes. Players like: Eerie Atmosphere · Faithful Story Adaptation · Strong Narration ·
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Face unspeakable horrors. Succumb to madness. Welcome to a free daemonic narrative experience inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.

cyberpunkdreams - Players say: Arrive in 2090s Cincinnati as an amnesiac wanderer, then use text-based choices, risky card draws, and limited daily actions to survive. Players like: Writing and Worldbuilding · Character Customization · Consequential Choices ·
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2090s America, torn apart by war and corporate greed. A lone traveller stands outside the gates of Cincinnati, greatest of the border cities. How far will you go to make it to the top? How far will you go to fulfil your mission?

Your Chronicle - Players say: Build strength in a text-based fantasy RPG through timed actions, quests, monster battles, and choices that shape branching endings. Players like: Branching Fantasy Story · Deep Progression Systems · Optimization and Builds ·
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"Let's begin your own story." This is a text-based idle RPG game. There are already more than 3,000 unique story actions and it's still growing.

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Apr 4, 2021
80% 👍
of 2.7k
Soccer Manager 2021 - Players say: Manage a football club by building its squad, training players, developing facilities and changing tactics during 3D matches. Players like: Youth Development · Tactical Control · Player Database ·
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Be a top football manager in Soccer Manager 2021. Take a football team to the top and test your management skills against the best, or help a struggling team fight for glory!

The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — Chapter 1&2 - Players say: Shape Sir Brante’s early life in a text-based RPG, where choices build traits and relationships in a rigid, god-ordained empire. Players like: Consequential Choices · Dark Worldbuilding · Character Development ·
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A narrative-driven hardcore RPG set in a gritty world where the gods are real. Set out on a challenging lifetime journey, where every choice you make has a price to pay and consequence to it. Will you become an inquisitor, a judge, or conspire against the old order? Dare to decide!

Tribal Wars - Players say: Build a medieval village, manage resources and armies, and join tribes to defend, raid, and conquer in a persistent PvP world. Players like: Tribe Cooperation · Strategic Resource Management · Long-Term Progression ·
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Compete in hardcore PvP strategy in persistent game worlds where real time resource and troop management in coordination with other players is required to expand your kingdom from one village to hundreds as you conquer the map in this winner takes all medieval contest.

Witches x Warlocks - Players say: Help spell-less witch Fay cram for finals, brew potions, study with supernatural classmates, and choose a Halloween romance. Players like: Halloween Art · Romance Routes · Charming Characters ·
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Witches x Warlocks is a cute and light-hearted Halloween Raising Sim; featuring a customizable protagonist and 4 love interests of different genders!

Incremental Adventures - Players say: Manage heroes through automated turn-based battles, tuning upgrades and layered prestiges to push their progression ever further. Players like: Offline Progress · Layered Prestige · Flexible Automation ·
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Lead your heroes in their neverending adventures! A minimalistic Idle game where combat is fully automated. It's up to you to make the most of that automation to reach extremely high numbers!

The Night Fisherman - Players say: As a Channel smuggler confronted by an armed stranger, steer a tense conversation, choose your actions, and frame the scene. Players like: Distinctive Art Style · Tense Dialogue · Camera Scene Switching ·
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A short, twisted tale about a smuggler and a late night encounter in the English Channel. Control the camera and make tough choices, will you escape with your life?

家有大貓 Nekojishi - Players say: A Taipei college student who can see spirits balances school, family temple expectations, and romance with three feline gods. Players like: Memorable Characters · Emotional Story · Beautiful Artwork ·
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Nekojishi is a visual novel about feline beast-men, Taiwanese folklore, and the pressures and consequences that come with navigating the world of gods and spirits.

Throne of Lies®: Medieval Politics - Players say: Take a secret medieval faction role, investigate and bluff by day, then use powers at night to defend or seize the throne. Players like: Varied Character Roles · Bluffing And Deduction · Unpredictable Matches ·
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The 3D online multiplayer game of social deduction and mischief, inspired by medieval politics and the Werewolf/Mafia (1986) genre. Gather 'round the tabletop, uniting allies of the realm with strategy to distinguish friend from foe.

MINDNIGHT - Players say: In cyberpunk 2038, 5–8 players bluff and investigate to hack or secure three network nodes for their hidden team. Players like: Playing With Friends · Bluffing and Deduction · Unpredictable Mind Games ·
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Inspired by the party games Werewolf and The Resistance, MINDNIGHT is a cyberpunk online social deduction game of deceit, accusations and unpredictability. It challenges your ability to lie and detect others that are trying to be deceptive.

The Monster Inside - Players say: A private investigator probes strange murders through noir text scenes and clickable crime-scene clues. Players like: Noir Atmosphere · Diorama Artwork · Moody Soundtrack ·
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A film noir style audio-visual novella. A mysterious woman... a string of murders... and a man with a hidden past.

Idling to Rule the Gods - Players say: As humanity’s last survivor, build divine power by assigning shadow clones to train, fight gods, gather resources, and rebirth stronger. Players like: Interconnected Systems · Long-Term Progress · Pets and Challenges ·
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Idling to Rule the Gods is a free to play Idle-Game with a lot of content and some Minigames. Depending on your play-style, you can play it fast or slow. Either way it can be fun for hundreds of hours!

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May 27, 2016
85% 👍
of 2.1k
Sepia Tears - Players say: As high-schooler Mark, read a romance visual novel where Myra’s questions reopen a memory he is trying to forget. Players like: Emotional Story · Memorable Characters · Music and Artwork ·
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A visual novel about a memory that a boy named Mark tries very hard to forget, and a girl named Myra who unearths it.

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Jan 8, 2016
88% 👍
of 1.0k