A curated list of my favorite visual novels for Android. This is not an official Awesome list, but just my visual novel recommendation chart.
A visual novel, often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of interactivity.
I'm sure you're aware of the global events that have been unfolding since 2020, which have affected everyone, including myself. It all started with endless doomscrolling through depressing news, developing various neuroses and uncontrolled aggression, eventually leading to a severe panic disorder. I underwent treatment at a clinic for some time, took potent drugs, and attended consultations for my mental health. Despite trying various medications, relaxation techniques, and contemporary methods from specialized literature, nothing helped me as much as visual novels did. Yes, I'm serious.
VNs offer a truly unique experience where you can deeply connect with your character even more than in virtual reality. This is a highly personal and indescribable experience that is challenging to put into words. It's important to note that I don't view visual novels as dating sims or anything alike. Rather, I consider them a distinct art form that effectively promotes mental health and encourages innovative thinking. Moreover, top visual novel titles can make an equally strong impression as the best movies, TV series, or books. As you know, the problem of poor content is growing every year, but visual novels offer a refreshing addition to the world of entertainment.
The items in the list are arranged based on the impact they had on me, from the strongest to the weakest. Please note that this selection only features visual novels that I've completed at least one ending for. It's normal if your opinions differ from mine. As I am still a beginner in this field, the list may be relatively short, but it can still take at least six months to read all of the picks presented here.
- STEINS;GATE - A group of friends discover a way to change the past through text messages, but their experiments spiral out of control as they become embroiled in a conspiracy involving SERN and a time traveler from a dystopian future.
15+In-house - ATRI -My Dear Moments- - A disillusioned young man, aided by a mysterious debt collector and a sentient robot girl, searches for his grandmother's lost treasure in a flooded world.
15+KiriKiri - The House in Fata Morgana + A Requiem for Innocence - You wake up in a mansion with no memories and a jade-eyed maid offers to take you through the mansion's tragedies to help you find yourself in this multi-story game.
17+KiriKiri - Love, Money, Rock'n'Roll - Set in 1980s Japan, a young man attending an elite school becomes embroiled in a complex web of events and relationships, including political intrigue, while searching for love.
12+Unity - Ever 17: The Out of Infinity - Seven individuals are trapped in an underwater theme park and must find a way to escape within 119 hours while questioning the legitimacy of their predicament.
15+VNDS - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni + Kai - A new student moves to a peaceful rural village and befriends his classmates, but discovers a dark history of murder and paranoia surrounding the annual local festival.
17+NScripter - Umineko no Naku Koro ni + Chiru - A wealthy family gathers on a secluded island to discuss inheritance, but a typhoon strands them and they are soon plagued by mysterious murders.
17+NScripter - CLANNAD - A high school student with a troubled past meets a strange girl on his way to school and begins to help her, leading to a change in his life's direction.
15+RealLive - GINKA - A high schooler returns to his childhood island, seeking his long-lost friend, only to encounter her mysterious doppelganger who hasn't aged in five years.
12+KiriKiri - Stella of The End - A wandering courier protects an android girl who seeks humanity while navigating a post-apocalyptic world threatened by giant machines.
12+Artemis - Katawa Shoujo - After discovering an anonymous love letter, a high school student suddenly collapses and is diagnosed with a rare heart condition, leading him to enroll in a school for disabled students.
18+Ren'Py - Everlasting Summer - After fainting on a bus, Semyon awakens in a Soviet summer camp where he must participate in the daily activities of youth and meet girls, while seeking a way to return to reality.
16+Ren'Py - WILL: A Wonderful World - In this story, people write their troubles on a note and pray to a god who can alter their fate, but what if the reader is the god who receives these notes?
16+Unity - Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo - In a society where special Duties are imposed upon lawbreakers, a student hopes to become part of the Special Elite and encounters girls bound by various Duties, leading to a series of odd discoveries about his past and the truth behind the Land of the Spinning Wheel.
18+KiriKiri - A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986 - In this modern romance set in Hong Kong during the 1980s, a young professional woman is torn between traditional values and a newfound attraction to a free-spirited entrepreneur.
18+Ren'Py - Fate/Stay Night - In a great ritual, seven Masters and their Servants fight to obtain the Holy Grail, which can grant any wish, but only one can win. One high school student finds himself competing and summoning his own Servant.
18+KiriKiri
This is a list of visual novels that I plan to read or am currently reading. Many of them have yet to be checked by me.
- Little Busters! - After losing his parents, a depressed boy finds hope and happiness with a group of four children who play with him and help him overcome his grief.
12+RealLive - Tiny Bunny INCOMPLETE - In a Siberian forest, Anton faces terrifying events and is forced to make a choice to stay alive or stay human as he tries to survive and find answers to the mysterious disappearance of children in his new village.
18+Ren'Py - Guilty Parade INCOMPLETE - After waking up without memories and surrounded by hostile soldiers, the male protagonist must investigate a crime to earn the Commander's help, but the mysteries he uncovers may put him at odds with his new elite squad.
16+Ren'Py - Post a title you want to recommend to me here. It should be playable on Android.
How do you choose the next visual novel that you will read?
I use several methods:
- vn-russian.ru list
- ruvn.org list with specific filtering
- VK groups like НВН, Визуальные новеллы для Android, Энтузиасты Team, Творческий уголок переводчиков
- My vndb.org queries
- Anivisual.net list with specific filtering
- Tips from my friends
Why are only visual novels for Android listed here?
I strongly believe that a visual novel cannot be considered awesome if it cannot be run on Android. In this day and age, Android is the most popular operating system. Older VNs should be able to run successfully using emulators, and new ones should be developed with Android support right from the start. Visual novel developers who artificially limit the range of supported platforms show a lack of respect towards their readers. Personally, I'm not comfortable reading VNs while sitting at the computer after a long day of work.
Why is my favorite visual novel not on this list yet?
I only read visual novels that can be played on Android. Additionally, I prefer to read works in my native language, Russian. I have also come across titles that I cannot recommend for various reasons, and therefore, have not included them in my list.
Thank you for your interest in contributing! If you have any suggestions for the visual novels that I should read next, please feel free to submit a pull request with edits to the Next in Line section. Please keep in mind that I only read visual novels on Android and prefer those that are translated into Russian.
Use this ChatGPT query to shorten descriptions of visual novels:
Please summarize and rephrase this visual novel description into a short, concise sentence that does not include the words "visual novel" or the game's title. The summary should be one sentence, 35 words or less, and 175 characters or less. You may exclude names and named entities if desired.
[Original vndb.org description]