2024 has had quite a few English visual novel releases, including some particularly high-profile ones. The NookGaming team has read quite a few of them between us and wants to highlight some of the ones that stood out as Top Visual Novels of 2024 and mention a few that we’re looking forward to with an anticipated 2025 release.
As always with GOTY lists (or VNOTY in this case), these choices are subjective, and only based on the visual novels we have personally played. It may later be updated to add in a few more titles, particularly for the later releases of 2024 that we haven’t completed yet.
Feel free to let us know your choices for the best visual novels of 2024 by pinging us on Twitter or our Discord.
Top Visual Novels of 2024
5 – Irotoridori no Sekai – The Colorful World
Finally getting its official English release in 2024, The Colorful World is the tale of a healing amnesiac “sorcerer”, a “witch” living in his head, and the various universes and lives they cross paths with as they search for love and the source of a vague cry for help. It makes for a peculiar experience thanks to a cast and setting that lives up to its kaleidoscopic title.
The Colorful World toes the line between typical and unconventional, with plenty to say on life and love as it builds to its final route. It offers plenty of goofiness, but it also has more than enough emotion, ambition, humanity, and interesting ideas to keep things going as you come to know the characters and worlds presented within.
-Rob
Please check out our full review of Irotoridori no Sekai – The Colorful World and our walkthrough/guide. You can find the store page here.
4 – Siren’s Call: Escape Velocity
Siren’s Call: Escape Velocity is a coming of age story about that classic American tradition of leaving home for college. Except unlike protagonist Oliver, most students don’t do so after having spent the summer of their senior battling extradimensional monstrosities with their friends. Still, with the final boss defeated, it’s time to say goodbye and move on. But the sleepy seaside town of Siren’s Call that Oliver calls home has a strange gravity. Can Oliver reach escape velocity?
While Siren’s Call presents an intriguing slow-burn mystery that effectively uses the possibilities of the visual novel medium to unnerve and disorient the reader, what elevates it to being one of the top visual novels of the year are its thoughtfully written characters and strong thematic core. Come for the thrill and atmosphere and stay for the heart.
-Wes
Please check out our full review of Siren’s Call: Escape Velocity. You can find the store page here.
3 – Fate/Stay Night Remastered
Fate/Stay Night hardly needs an introduction. The 2004 visual novel was the starting point for the Fate series, which is now a massive multimedia IP. The release of Fate/Stay Night Remastered provides the best, most accessible version of the historic visual novel. It’s an excellent entry point for the series, as well as just being a wonderfully put together story in its own right. It’s fascinating to see the first appearances of characters like Saber and Rin, who have achieved an astounding level of prominence and popularity in the last two decades.
Fate/Stay Night Remastered did have a bit of a bumpy launch on PC, with some truly bizarre bugs rendering the story largely incomprehensible. With those issues fixed though, it’s only natural that one of the most beloved visual novels of all time claims a place on this year’s list.
-Daniel
Please check out our full review of Fate/Stay Night Remastered and our walkthrough/guide. You can find the store page here.
2 – The Shell Part II: Purgatorio
In my review I described The Shell Part II: Purgatorio as the emotional equivalent of being skinned alive, and compared the feeling it left me with to the despair of a child confronting their mother’s mortality. So, obviously, it’s my favourite visual novel of the year. To recall my playthrough of The Shell Part II is to invite a feeling of malignant dread. The only other game I played this year that I can say that of is Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream, though in a very different context.
Goofs aside, The Shell Part II: Purgatorio is the best visual novel I’ve experienced. It is a haunting, beautiful, human story told in an uncompromising, brutal manner. You absolutely must experience it for yourself, just make sure you clear out a few weeks for the dreadful malaise that follows.
-Daniel
Please check out our full review of The Shell Part II: Purgatorio. You can find the store page here.
1 – Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-
Sometimes a story is so good that you don’t want to put it down, and that was Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- for me. Adapting and adding to the Arcueid and Ciel’s routes from the original Tsukihime, this remake mixes a suspenseful mystery, characters written with nuance, elements of horror, and exciting combat scenes with a touch of romance. It adds to the writing with its use of art, music, and voice acting, which are of a high enough quality that people have referred to it as an AAA visual novel.
Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- follows Shiki with his eyes that can see the lines of death as he gets involved with vampires and those that hunt them, but also introduces us to the Tohno family and drops some clues about the mystery surrounding them. It was such a good read that I can’t wait until the remaining routes are adapted in the next remake, Tsukihime -The other side of red garden-.
-Thomas
Please check out our full review of Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- and our walkthrough/guide. You can find the store page here.
Honorable Mention – Tales From Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch
Tales From Toyotoki was “the little visual novel that could” for me in 2024. This little doujinsoft title is about a ragtag band of young people from different backgrounds and worlds trying to make it through life in a small and rural town while dealing with hardships both fantastical and very down-to-earth. The combination of Okinawan-inspired folklore with broadly familiar elements like witches gives it a distinct feel as it tells a story that still manages to be accessible and relatable.
Tales From Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch is a labor of love on the part of its creators at Fragaria that manifests as a lovely and fulfilling little story of youth, fantasy, and a sprinkling of mystery and romance, all with some neat little twists and genuinely heartfelt moments.
-Rob
Please check out our full review of Tales From Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch. You can find the store page here.
Honorable Mention – The Restless Sheep & The Lone Wolf -A Tale of Cutthroat Lovers-
The Restless Sheep & The Lone Wolf is a thrilling story about an insomniac hitman and an unimposing young woman finding love in the criminal underbelly of Japan’s famous redlight district Kabukicho. With most of the cast members finding themselves entangled in a rumour concerning the biggest mafia group in the city ward, there’s a lot of blood and violence to be enjoyed as you immerse yourself in their dark yet fascinating reality.
The visual novel as a whole plays with the concept of two killers getting together and working towards a “happy ending” characteristic of most love stories. Yet because of the nature of its setting, the game ends up presenting a rather peculiar kind of romance that’s weirdly charming not because of how envious their situation is, but because of how despite their absurdly hopeless situation, they continue to struggle and fight tooth and nail to keep their desire for a tomorrow going. It’s a pretty refreshing change from your usual lovey-dovey kind of visual novel. If you’re brave enough to consume content that’s both violent and cruel, I recommend checking it out.
-John
Please check out our full review of The Restless Sheep & The Lone Wolf -A Tale of Cutthroat Lovers- and our walkthrough/guide. You can find the store page here.
Upcoming Visual Novels of 2025
While we certainly hope for some more announcements over the year, a good number of potential Top Visual Novels of 2025 have already been revealed. Here is our list of some of the upcoming visual novels that we’re looking forward to.
As a warning, inclusion in this list is not a confirmation that these visual novels will be released in 2025. These are not just based on announced release windows but also estimates and discussions with publishers where possible. Visual novels can be unfortunately prone to delays and sudden release date changes.
Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT!
Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! (perhaps better known as Tenshi☆Souzou RE-BOOT!) by Yuzusoft was supposed to be released in 2024, but it was blocked from two attempts at a Steam release. NekoNyan and Hikari Field decided to release it on other storefronts in January 2025.
The story follows a somewhat lazy but average student, who happens to have been a Demon Lord from another world in his past life. With visitors from another world, memories from a past life, and plenty of chaos, there should be a lot of laughs. While some titles are better than others, Yuzusoft always delivers a great experience, and it looks like this will be no different.
With Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! not being on Steam (unless something unexpected happens), you’ll want to keep an eye on other storefronts for any further news on this, or of course our weekly Nook News updates.
-Thomas
Criminal Border 3rd Offence (Liminal Border Part III)
Criminal Border 3rd Offence (also known as Liminal Border Part III) is the third entry in Purple Software’s episodic crime drama visual novel. The series follows the misadventures of Ninomae Itsuki, a young man who gets dragged into the criminal underworld after he accidentally creates a digital aphrodisiac.
The first entry in the Criminal Border series got a nod in last year’s honorable mentions, and the second installment was another stellar entry. Criminal Border 3rd Offence is slated for 2025, and with all of the excitement and intrigue built by the first two episodes it’s set up to astound. Somehow I just know the 3rd entry is going to blow me away.
-Daniel
You can find the store page here.
The Shell Part III: Paradiso
The Shell Part III: Paradiso is a remaster of the final entry in the Kara no Shoujo series. The series follows the private detective Reiji Tokisaka as he investigates a string of gruesome murders in post-war Tokyo. The series’ first entry grabbed the number two spot on last year’s list, and its sequel has earned the spot once again. Perhaps The Shell Part III can make the hat-trick.
After the trauma of The Shell Part II, waiting for the series’ third entry feels a bit like waiting for my execution. Still though, Innocent Grey have proven their incredible narrative talents to be twice over now, and so I am eagerly anticipating another miserable flagellation from The Shell Part III: Paradiso.
-Daniel
You can find the store page here.
Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka
Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka tells the story of an engagement between Junichi and Yuuhi, who reunite at high school but end up hating each other after an incident. Ordered by their parents to go on dates and try to restore their relationship, it sounds like it should have some interesting situations to read about.
There are six character routes with some fairly quirky sounding characters included, along with the typical childhood friend and younger sister heroines. I’m keen to read a longer title by feng after enjoying the Special Place trilogy and I’ve heard good things about Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka. It’s even been adapted into an anime, manga, and light novel, so I’m hoping that’s because the source material itself was so good.
-Thomas
You can find the store page here.
…And More
There are plenty more great upcoming titles. Some of them we’ve mentioned on our previous lists, but they’ve been delayed or later in releasing than expected. Check our our previous lists for more details, but here are a few highlights:
- Yume to Iro de Dekiteiru
- LoveSick Darlings
- Dracu Riot
- Love Love Love, Burning in my Heart!
What did you think of these choices? Are these what you would you choose for the Top Visual Novels of 2023? What are you looking forward to in 2024? As always, feel free to let us know your choices on Twitter, or our Discord.
Want to see our choices for the other years? Check out the full list here:
Top Visual Novels of 2024 / Upcoming Visual Novels of 2025
Top Visual Novels of 2023 / Upcoming Visual Novels of 2024
Top Visual Novels of 2022 / Upcoming Visual Novels of 2023
Top Visual Novels of 2021 / Upcoming Visual Novels of 2022
Top Visual Novels Of 2020 / Upcoming Visual Novels Of 2021
Top Visual Novels Of 2019 / Upcoming Visual Novels Of 2020
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
