View source for Visual novel

{{short description|Type of interactive fiction video game}}
{{Distinguish|graphic novel|light novel|illustrated fiction}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{VG Adventure}}
A '''visual novel''' ('''VN''') is a form of digital [[interactive fiction]]. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of [[video game]]s, but are not always labeled as such themselves.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Lebowitz | first1 = Josiah | last2 = Klug | first2 = Chris | author-link2 = Chris Klug (game designer) | title = Interactive storytelling for video games: a player-centered approach to creating memorable characters and stories | chapter = Japanese Visual Novel Games | year = 2011 | publisher = [[Focal Press]] | location = Burlington, MA | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA194 | pages = 192–4 | access-date = 10 November 2012 | isbn = 978-0-240-81717-0 | quote = Visual novels (or sound novels, as they’re sometimes called) are a popular game genre in Japan.}}</ref> They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of [[interactivity]]. The format is more likely referred to as a '''visual''' '''novel game'''.

Visual novels originated in and are especially prevalent in [[Japan]],<ref>{{Cite journal |author=七邊信重 |date=2006 |title=文化創造の条件 -2つのゲーム「場」の文化生産論的考察から- |journal=早稲田大学大学院文学研究科紀要. 第1分冊, 哲学東洋哲学心理学社会学教育学 |publisher=早稲田大学大学院文学研究科 |volume=51 |pages=65–73 |hdl=2065/27549}}</ref> where they made up nearly 70% of the [[PC game]] titles released in 2006.<ref>{{cite web| date = 8 February 2006| url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressrelease.php?id=1510| title = AMN and Anime Advanced Announce Anime Game Demo Downloads| publisher = Hirameki International Group Inc.| access-date = 1 December 2006}}</ref> In Japanese, a distinction is often made between visual novels (NVL, from "novel"), which consist primarily of narration and have very few interactive elements, and [[adventure game]]s (AVG or ADV, from "adventure"), which incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction is normally lost outside Japan, as both visual novels and ADV-style adventure games are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans.

Visual novels are rarely produced exclusively for dedicated [[video game console]]s, but the more popular games have occasionally been [[Porting|ported]] from PC (or a hardware equivalent) to systems such as the [[Sega Saturn]], [[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation Portable]], or [[Xbox 360]]. The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into [[light novel]]s, [[manga]], or [[anime]], and are sometimes succeeded or complemented by video games such as [[role-playing game]]s or [[action game]]s set in the same universe. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia is small, though a number of [[List of anime based on video games|anime based on visual novels]] are popular among anime fans in the Western world; examples include [[Clannad (visual novel)|''Clannad'']], ''[[Danganronpa]]'', ''[[Steins;Gate]]'', and ''[[Fate/stay night]]''.

==Structure==
Visual novels are distinguished from other game types by their generally minimal gameplay. Typically the majority of player interaction is limited to clicking to keep the text, graphics and sound moving as if they were turning a page (many recent games offer "play" or "fast-forward" toggles that make this unnecessary), while making narrative choices along the way. Another main characteristic of visual novels is their strong emphasis on the prose, as the narration in visual novels is delivered through text. This characteristic makes playing visual novels similar to reading a book.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lebowitz |first1=Josiah |last2=Klug |first2=Chris |title=Interactive storytelling for video games : a player-centered approach to creating memorable characters and stories |date=2011 |publisher=Focal Press |location=Burlington, MA |isbn=978-0-240-81717-0 |pages=192–195 }}</ref>

Most visual novels have multiple storylines and more than one ending; the mechanic in these cases typically consists of intermittent multiple-choice decision points, where the player selects a direction in which to take the game. For example, in a [[dating sim]]ulator-themed visual novel, the player is prompted to pick different characters to date which, in turn, leads to a different ending. This style of gameplay is similar to story-driven [[interactive fiction]], or the shorter and less detailed real-life [[gamebook]] books.<ref name="klug_194-7"/> 

Some visual novels do not limit themselves into merely interactive fictions, but also incorporate other elements into them. An example of this approach is ''[[Symphonic Rain]]'', where the player is required to play a musical instrument of some sort, and attain a good score in order to advance. Usually such an element is related as a [[plot device]] in the game.

Fan-created novel games are reasonably popular; there are a number of free game engines and construction kits aimed at making them easy to construct, most notably [[KiriKiri]], [[NScripter]], and [[Ren'Py]].

Many visual novels use [[Seiyū|voice actors]] to provide voices for the [[non-player character]]s in the game. Often, the protagonist (that is, the [[player character]]) is left unvoiced, even when the rest of the characters are fully voiced. This choice is meant to aid the player in identifying with the protagonist and to avoid having to record large amounts of dialogue, as the main character typically has the most speaking lines due to the branching nature of visual novels.

===Narrative branches===
[[Nonlinear gameplay|Non-linear]] branching storylines are a common trend in visual novels, which frequently use multiple branching storylines to achieve [[multiple endings|multiple different endings]], allowing non-linear freedom of choice along the way, similar to a [[Choose Your Own Adventure|choose-your-own-adventure]] novel. Decision points within a visual novel often present players with the option of altering the course of events during the game, leading to many different possible outcomes.<ref>[http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-First-Free-Visual-Novel-Engine-Released-30725.shtml The First Free Visual Novel Engine Released], [[Softpedia]]</ref>{{bsn|date=June 2024}} An acclaimed example is ''[[Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward]]'', where nearly every action and dialogue choice can lead to entirely new branching paths and endings. Each path only reveals certain aspects of the overall storyline and it is only after uncovering all the possible different paths and outcomes, through multiple playthroughs, that every component comes together to form a coherent, well-written story.

The digital medium in visual novels allow for significant improvements, such as being able to fully explore multiple aspects and perspectives of a story. Another improvement is having hidden decision points that are automatically determined based on the player's past decisions. In ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', for example, the way the [[player character]] behaved towards [[non-player character]]s during the course of the game affects the way they react to the player character in later scenes, such as whether or not they choose to help in life-or-death situations. This would be far more difficult to track with physical books. More importantly, visual novels do not face the same length restrictions as a physical book. For example, the total word count of the English [[fan translation]] of ''Fate/stay night'', taking all the branching paths into account, exceeds that of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' by almost 80%. This significant increase in length allows visual novels to tell stories as long and complex as those often found in traditional novels, while still maintaining a branching path structure, and allowing them to focus on complex stories with mature themes and consistent plots in a way which ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' books were unable to do due to their physical limitations.

Many visual novels often revolve almost entirely around character interactions and [[Dialog tree|dialogue choices]] usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as the player character would say them. Such titles revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels as well as dating [[simulation]]s, such as ''Tokimeki Memorial'', and some [[role-playing video game]]s, such as ''[[Persona (series)|Persona]]'', often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship, and future conversations, with a non-player character. These games often feature a [[Persistent world|day-night cycle]] with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Defining Dialogue Systems|author=Brent Ellison|date=8 July 2008|website=[[Gamasutra]]|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/defining-dialogue-systems|access-date=30 March 2011}}</ref>

It is not uncommon for visual novels to have morality systems. A well-known example is the 2005 title ''[[School Days (visual novel)|School Days]]'', an animated visual novel that [[Kotaku]] describes as going well beyond the usual "black and white choice systems" (referring to video games such as ''[[Mass Effect]]'', ''[[Fallout 3]]'' and ''[[BioShock]]'') where you "pick a side and stick with it" while leaving "the expansive middle area between unexplored". ''School Days'' instead encourages players to explore the grey, neutral middle-ground in order to view the more interesting, "bad" endings,<ref>{{cite web|last=Eisenbeis|first=Richard|title=How A Visual Novel Made Me Question Morality Systems in Games|url=http://kotaku.com/5938370/how-a-visual-novel-made-me-question-morality-systems-in-games|website=[[Kotaku]]|access-date=28 August 2012|date=28 August 2012}}</ref> e. g. an ending where a character dies or the main protagonist does not advance towards the flow of the story.

====Kinetic novels====
{{redirect|Kinetic novel|the brand|KineticNovel}}
'''Kinetic novels''' are visual novels with non-branching plots, similar to a conventional novel or a graphic novel in multimedia form. Examples of kinetic novels include ''[[Higurashi When They Cry]]'', ''[[Muv-Luv Alternative]]'', and ''[[Digital: A Love Story]]''.<ref name="klug_194-7">{{cite book|title=Interactive Storytelling for Video Games: A Player-Centered Approach to Creating Memorable Characters and Stories|date=March 2011|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|location=Burlington, MA|isbn=978-0-240-81717-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUrarEcvaO8C&pg=PA194|author=Chris Klug|author2=Josiah Lebowitz |access-date=20 February 2012|pages=194–7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Estrada|first=Marcus|date=2017-12-18|title=Review: SeaBed|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/2017/12/18/review-seabed/282385/|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Hardcore Gamer|language=en-US|quote=This is a kinetic novel meaning there are no dialogue or story choices to make throughout a playthrough.}}</ref> The term was first used by the publisher [[Key (company)|Key]] for their title ''[[Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet]]''.

===RPG hybrids===
There are [[role-playing video game]]s that feature visual novel-style elements. A well-known example in the West is [[Mistwalker]]'s ''[[Lost Odyssey]]'', an RPG that features a series of visual novel-style flashback sequences called "A Thousand Years of Dreams".<ref name="1up_novel">{{cite web |author=Ray Barnholt |title=The Weird World of Japanese "Novel" Games |url=http://www.1up.com/features/weird-world-japanese-games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018074932/http://www.1up.com/features/weird-world-japanese-games |archive-date=18 October 2012 |access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref> These sequences were penned by an award-winning [[Japanese literature|Japanese short story]] writer, Kiyoshi Shigematsu.<ref name="develop">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.developmag.com/news/29489/Lost-Odyssey-translator-mystified-by-Microsofts-efforts|title=Harvard's Rubin on translating 360 epic Lost Odyssey into English|last=Fear|first=Ed|date=17 March 2008|magazine=Develop|access-date=30 January 2009|archive-date=24 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724105415/http://www.develop-online.net/news/29489/Lost-Odyssey-translator-mystified-by-Microsofts-efforts|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another title is the [[Arc System Works]] [[fighting game]] series ''[[BlazBlue]]'', which plays off of a complex fantasy setting where a one-hundred-year period is reset indefinitely with many variables. The many branching storylines in Story Mode can serve as stand-alone stories, but players must consider them together along with Arcade Mode stories to be able to fully understand the universe.

Another successful example is [[Sega]]'s ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' series, which combined [[tactical role-playing game]] combat with visual novel elements, introducing a [[Real-time game|real-time]] [[Nonlinear gameplay#Branching storylines|branching choice]] system where, during an event or conversation, the player must choose an action or dialogue choice within a time limit, or to not respond at all within that time. The player's choice, or lack thereof, affects the [[player character]]'s relationship with other characters and in turn the characters' performance in battle, the direction of the storyline, and the ending. Later games in the series added several variations, including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation, and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the [[analog stick]] depending on the situation.<ref name="rpgamer_sakura">{{cite web|title=Sakura Wars ~So Long My Love~ Interview|publisher=RPGamer|year=2010|url=http://www.rpgamer.com/games/sakura/sakura5/sakura5int.html|access-date=30 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511131711/http://www.rpgamer.com/games/sakura/sakura5/sakura5int.html|archive-date=11 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The success of ''Sakura Wars'' led to a wave of games that combine role-playing and visual novel elements, including ''[[Thousand Arms]]'', ''[[Riviera: The Promised Land]]'', and ''[[Luminous Arc (video game)|Luminous Arc]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sakura Wars Comes to America, But is it Too Late to Matter?|author=Jeremy Parish|date=8 May 2009|website=[[1UP.com]]|url=http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8988084|access-date=18 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718064655/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8988084|archive-date=18 July 2012}}</ref>

==Style==
[[File:Cameliagirls1 0.55a.png|thumb|Visual novels are commonly characterized with dialog boxes and [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]s denoting the speaker. This is a recreation of the usual screen layout of a visual novel, generated by the [[Ren'Py]] game engine.|alt=Wikipe-tan, an unofficial mascot of Wikipedia is seen telling the player "I heard Watanabe-san was going to make his own visual novel so that we would have some free images to use on Wikipedia! That's the kind of guy who keeps the Internet alive, don't you think?"]]
Despite using the narrative style of [[literature]], visual novels have evolved a style somewhat different from print novels. In general, visual novels are more likely to be narrated in the first person than the third, and typically present events from the point of view of only one character.

In the typical visual novel, the graphics comprise a set of generic backgrounds (normally just one for each location in the game), with character {{nihongo|[[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]]|立ち絵 |tachi-e}} superimposed onto these; the perspective is usually first-person, with the protagonist remaining unseen. At certain key moments in the plot, special ''event CG'' [[computer graphics]] are displayed instead; these are more detailed images, drawn specially for that scene rather than being composed from predefined elements, which often use more cinematic camera angles and include the protagonist. These event CGs can usually be viewed at any time once they have been "unlocked" by finding them in-game; this provides a motivation to replay the game and try making different decisions, as it is normally impossible to view all special events on a single play-through.

Up until the 1990s, the majority of visual novels utilized [[pixel art]]. This was particularly common on the [[NEC PC-9801]] format, which showcased what is considered to be some of the best pixel art in the [[history of video games]], with a popular example being ''[[Policenauts]]'' in 1994.<ref name=Retro/> There have also been visual novels that use live-action stills or video footage, such as several ''Sound Novel'' games by [[Chunsoft]]. The most successful example is ''[[Machi (video game)|Machi]]'', one of the most celebrated games in Japan, where it was voted No. 5 in a 2006 ''[[Famitsu]]'' reader poll of top 100 games of all time. The game resembled a live-action television drama, but allowing players to explore multiple character perspectives and affect the outcomes. Another successful example is ''[[428: Shibuya Scramble]]'', which received a perfect score of 40 out of 40 from ''[[Famitsu]]'' magazine.<ref name="1up_novel"/>

==History==
{{See|Adventure game#History of Japanese adventure games|Bishōjo game#History|Otome game#History}}
The history of visual novels dates back to ''[[The Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'' (1983). It featured non-linear elements, which include traveling between different areas in a generally [[open world]], a branching dialogue conversation system where the story develops through entering commands and receiving responses from other characters, and making choices that determine the dialogues and order of events as well as alternate outcomes, though there is only one true culprit while the others are [[red herring]]s. It also features a phone that could be used to dial any number to contact several [[non-player character]]s.<ref name="Retro-85">{{cite web|title=Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=85|author=John Szczepaniak|date=February 2011|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kGAOBLrWIr4/TUgMtkSB28I/AAAAAAAACyk/oj3PBRY70HM/s1600/DSC01599.JPG|access-date=16 March 2011}} Reprinted at {{cite web|title=Retro Gamer 85|author=John Szczepaniak|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/02/retro-gamer-85.html|access-date=16 March 2011}}.</ref> The game was well received in Japan for its well-told storyline and surprising [[twist ending]], and for allowing multiple ways to achieve objectives.<ref name=Retro>{{cite web|author=John Szczepaniak|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers2.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=2|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=16 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110216032650/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers3.htm|archive-date=16 February 2011}} Reprinted from {{Cite journal|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009}}.</ref> Shortly after, in 1988, [[Snatcher (video game)|''Snatcher'']] appeared, developed by Hideo Kojima and released for the PC-8801 and MSX2 in 1988, in which a cyberpunk detective hunts down a serial killer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visualnovel.com|title=Visual Novel|website=Visual Novel|date=June 7, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327051326/http://www.visualnovel.com/|archive-date=March 27, 2022|url-status=live|language=en-US}}</ref> Another more non-linear early example was ''Mirrors'', released by Soft Studio Wing for the PC-8801 and [[FM Towns]] computers in 1990; it featured a branching narrative, multiple endings, and [[Red Book (CD standard)|audio CD]] music.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Szczepaniak|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/JPNcomputers/Japanesecomputers4.htm|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|page=4|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=16 March 2011}} Reprinted from {{Cite journal|title=Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier|journal=[[Retro Gamer]]|issue=67|year=2009}}.</ref>

A common feature used in visual novels is having multiple protagonists giving different perspectives on the story. ''[[Eve Burst Error|EVE Burst Error]]'' (1995), developed by [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]] and C's Ware, introduced a unique twist to the system by allowing the player to switch between both protagonists at any time during the game, instead of finishing one protagonist's scenario before playing the other. ''EVE Burst Error'' often requires the player to have both protagonists co-operate with each other at various points during the game, with choices in one scenario affecting the other.<ref>{{cite web|title=EVE Burst Error|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/evebursterror/Eve_Burst_Error.html|work=RPGFan|access-date=3 September 2011|author=Commodore Wheeler|archive-date=14 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214022935/http://rpgfan.com/reviews/evebursterror/Eve_Burst_Error.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

An important milestone in the history of visual novels was ''[[YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World]]'' (1996), which was developed by Hiroyuki Kanno and is [[ELF Corporation|ELF]]'s most famous visual novel.<ref name="hg101">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/yu-no/|title=Yu-No|last=Sorlie|first=Audun|year=2011|website=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=16 August 2012}}</ref> It featured non-linear storytelling, with a science fiction plot revolving around [[time travel]] and [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universes]]. The player travels between parallel worlds using a Reflector device, which employs a limited number of stones to mark a certain position as a returning location, so that if the player decides to retrace their steps, they can go to an alternate universe to the time they have used a Reflector stone. The game also implemented an original system called Automatic Diverge Mapping System (ADMS), which displays a screen that the player can check at any time to see the direction in which they are heading along the branching plot lines.<ref>{{cite web|title=YU-NO|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/yuno/Yuno.html|work=RPGFan|access-date=3 September 2011|author=WooJin Lee|archive-date=13 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813135508/http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/yuno/Yuno.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''YU-NO'' revolutionized the visual novel industry, particularly with its ADMS system.<ref name="hg101"/> Audiences soon began demanding large-scope plotlines and musical scores of similar quality and ambition to that of ''YU-NO'', and that responded by hiring talent. According to [[Gamasutra]]: "The genre became an all-new arena for young artists and musicians once again, with companies willing to take chances on fresh blood; the market thrived with the excitement and the risks that were being taken, and became a hotbed of creativity".<ref name=Gamasutra>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/memorial-composer-ryu-umemoto|title=Memorial: Composer Ryu Umemoto|last=Sorlie|first=Audun|date=25 September 2012|website=[[Gamasutra]]|access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref> The branching timeline system was influential, opening "the door for visual novels to become more elaborate and have a greater range of narrative arcs, without requiring the player to replay the game over and over again".<ref>{{cite web |last1=S. |first1=Matt |title=Review: YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (Nintendo Switch) |url=http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2019/10/review-yu-no-girl-who-chants-love-at.html |website=Digitally Downloaded |date=4 October 2019 |access-date=27 December 2019 |archive-date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108223833/http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2019/10/review-yu-no-girl-who-chants-love-at.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to ''[[Nintendo Life]]'', "the modern visual novel genre would simply not exist without" ''YU-NO''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Review: YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-no_a_girl_who_chants_love_at_the_bound_of_this_world |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=27 December 2019 |date=3 October 2019}}</ref> Branching timeline systems similar to ''YU-NO'' also later appeared in [[role-playing video games]] such as ''[[Radiant Historia]]'' (2010)<ref name=Radiant-Historia>[http://www.1up.com/previews/radiant-historia-distinct-chrono-trigger Radiant Historia Gives Off a Distinct Chrono Trigger Vibe] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121210102047/http://www.1up.com/previews/radiant-historia-distinct-chrono-trigger |date=10 December 2012 }}, [[1UP.com|1UP]]</ref><ref>[http://www.destructoid.com/to-those-of-you-that-asked-about-radiant-historia-191310.phtml To those of you that asked about Radiant Historia], [[Destructoid]]</ref> and the [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] version of ''[[Tactics Ogre]]'' (2010).<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/psp/tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together/review/tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together-review/a-2011021515943267079/g-20100722113014352012 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together], [[GamesRadar]], 15 February 2011</ref>

[[Chunsoft]] sound novels such as ''[[Machi (video game)|Machi]]'' (1998) and ''[[428: Shibuya Scramble]]'' (2008) developed the multiple-perspective concept further. They allow the player to alternate between the perspectives of several or more different characters, making choices with one character that have consequences for other characters.<ref name="1up_novel"/><ref name="destructoid428">{{cite web|title=428 – The greatest experiment in non-linear story telling|url=http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/ParaParaKing/428-the-greatest-experiment-in-non-linear-story-telling-158147.phtml|website=[[Destructoid]]|access-date=27 August 2012|date=17 December 2009}}</ref> ''428'' in particular features up to 85 different possible endings.<ref name="destructoid428"/> Another popular visual novel featuring multiple perspectives is ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' (2004).<ref name="klug_194-7"/>

==Content and genres==
{{see also|Adventure game|Bishōjo game|Dating sim|Otome game}}
Many visual novels are centered on [[Drama film|drama]], particularly themes involving [[Romantic love|romance]] or family, but visual novels centered on [[science fiction]], [[fantasy fiction]], [[erotic fiction]] and [[horror fiction]] are not uncommon.

===Dōjinshi games (dōjin soft)===
{{Main|Dōjin soft}}
[[Dōjinshi]] ({{Lang|ja|同人誌}}, often transliterated as ''doujinshi'') is the Japanese term for self-published (fan-made) works. This includes (but is not limited to) ''[[dōjin soft|dōjin games]]'' ({{Lang|ja|同人ゲーム}}), also sometimes called ''dōjin soft (''{{Lang|ja|同人ソフト}}). These visual novel-style games are created as [[Fan labor|fan-made works]] based on pre-existing ''[[fandom]]s'' (usually [[anime and manga fandom|anime and manga]], but also for TV shows or even other pre-existing games and visual novels). Dōjinshi games are often based on romance (or ''[[shipping (fandom)|shipping]]'') between two characters, known as an ''[[otome game]]'' ({{Lang|ja|乙女ゲーム}}) or ''[[dating sim]]''; sometimes becoming sexual (or ''[[hentai]]''), known as an ''[[eroge]]'' ({{Lang|ja|エロゲ}}, a portmanteau of '''ero'''tic '''ga'''me ({{Lang|ja|エロチックゲーム}})).

===Erotic content===
{{see also|Eroge|Sexual content in video games}}

Many visual novels also qualify as [[eroge]], an abbreviation of 'erotic game'. These games feature sexually explicit imagery that is accessed by completing certain routes in the game, most often depicting the game's protagonist having sex with one of the game's other characters. Like other pornographic media in Japan, scenes depicting genitalia are censored in their original Japanese releases, only becoming uncensored if the game is licensed outside Japan with all art assets intact. Certain eroge titles receive re-releases which exclude explicit content in order to be sold to a younger audience, such as ports to consoles or handheld systems where sexually explicit content is not allowed, and storylines referring to aforementioned sex scenes are often omitted from adaptations into other media, unless that media is also pornographic in nature, such as a [[hentai]] anime.

Traditionally, PC-based visual novels have contained risque scenes even if the overall focus is not erotic (similar to the "[[Sex in film|obligatory sex scene]]" in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[action film]]s). However, the vast majority of console ports do not contain adult material, and a number of recent PC games have also been targeted at the all-age market; for example, all of [[Key (company)|Key]]'s titles come in censored versions, although the content might still not be appropriate for children, and three have never contained erotic content at all. Also, all of [[KID]]'s titles are made with general audiences in mind.

However, some of these games are later re-released with the addition of [[erotic]] scenes, or have a sequel with such. For example, ''[[Little Busters!]]'' was first released as an all-ages visual novel, but a version with erotic scenes titled ''[[Little Busters!|Little Busters! Ecstasy]]'' came out later, and though ''[[Clannad (video game)|Clannad]]'' is also all-ages, its spinoff ''[[Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life]]'' is not.

Often, the beginning of the eroge will be dedicated to introducing the characters and developing the protagonist's relationship with them, before the protagonist sexually interacts with other characters, for example, [[Lump of Sugar]] games such as ''[[Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity]]'' and ''Everlasting Summer'' do this. The effect it has on the reader is the H-scenes (sex scenes) will have a stronger emotional impact for the two (or possibly more) characters.

Some of Japan's earliest adventure games were erotic [[bishōjo game]]s developed by [[Koei]].<ref name=Pesimo/> In 1982, they released ''[[Night Life (video game)|Night Life]]'', the first commercial [[Adult video game|erotic computer game]].<ref name=Retro/> It was a [[Graphic adventure game|graphic adventure]],<ref name=Jones>{{cite journal|last1=Jones|first1=Matthew T.|date=December 2005|title=The Impact of Telepresence on Cultural Transmission through Bishoujo Games|journal=PsychNology Journal|volume=3|issue=3|pages=292–311|url=http://www.psychnology.org/File/PNJ3(3)/PSYCHNOLOGY_JOURNAL_3_3_JONES.pdf|issn=1720-7525|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501201728/http://www.psychnology.org/File/PNJ3%283%29/PSYCHNOLOGY_JOURNAL_3_3_JONES.pdf|archive-date=1 May 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> with sexually explicit images.<ref name=Retro/> That same year, they released another erotic title, ''Danchi Tsuma no Yūwaku'' (''Seduction of the Condominium Wife''), which was an early adventure game with colour graphics, owing to the eight-color palette of the [[NEC PC-8001]] computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company.<ref name=Pesimo>{{cite book|author=Pesimo, Rudyard Contretas|chapter='Asianizing' Animation in Asia: Digital Content Identity Construction Within the Animation Landscapes of Japan and Thailand|title=Reflections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity – The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows|year=2007|publisher=The Nippon Foundation|pages=124–160|chapter-url=http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf|url-status=dead|url=http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904050744/http://www.apimal.org/blogcms/media/13/File/Pesimo.pdf|archive-date=4 September 2011}}</ref> Other now-famous companies such as [[Enix]], [[Square (video game company)|Square]] and [[Nihon Falcom]] also produced similar erotic games in the early 1980s before they became famous for their [[role-playing video game]]s. While some early erotic games integrate the erotic content into a thoughtful and nuanced storylines, others often used it as a simplistic vehicle for fetishism, pleasure, an aid of the lightheaded themes that encourage stress relief or to portray nuances of sexuality.<ref name=Retro/> The Japanese game ''Pai Touch!'' involves the protagonist gaining the ability to change the size of girls' breasts, and the adventures that ensue in trying to choose which girl to use the power on the most.

Another subgenre is called {{nihongo|"nukige"|抜きゲー}}, in which sexual gratification of the player is the main focus of the game.<ref>{{Cite book|author=宮本直毅|date=2013-01-26|script-title=ja:エロゲー文化研究概論|publisher=総合科学出版|isbn=978-4-88181-829-9|chapter=泣きゲーのうねり}}</ref>

===Science fiction===
In 1986, [[Square (video game company)|Square]] released the science fiction adventure game ''[[Suishō no Dragon]]'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES console]]. The game featured several innovations, including the use of [[Computer animation|animation]] in many of the scenes rather than still images,<ref name=Square-Enix>{{cite web |url=http://www.square-enix.com/jp/archive/suisho_no_dragon/ |title=水晶の龍 – SQUARE ENIX |publisher=Square Enix Japan |access-date=26 May 2008}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.square-enix.com%2Fjp%2Farchive%2Fsuisho_no_dragon%2F Translation])</ref> and an interface resembling that of a [[point-and-click]] interface for a console, like ''[[The Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'', but making use of visual icons rather than text-based ones to represent various actions. Like the NES version of ''Portopia Serial Murder Case'', it featured a cursor that could be moved around the screen using the [[D-pad]] to examine the scenery, though the cursor in ''Suishō no Dragon'' was also used to click on the action icons.<ref name=Square-Enix/><ref name=itmedia-dragon>{{cite web |url=http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0608/22/news023.html |title=やーきゅーうー、すーるなら!? 「水晶の龍（ドラゴン）」 |publisher=ITMedia |date=22 August 2006 |access-date=26 May 2008}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgamez.itmedia.co.jp%2Fgames%2Farticles%2F0608%2F22%2Fnews023.html Translation])</ref>

[[Hideo Kojima]] (of ''[[Metal Gear (series)|Metal Gear]]'' fame) was inspired by ''The Portopia Serial Murder Case'' to enter the video game industry,<ref name=Kasavin>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6120427/p-2.html | title="Everything is Possible": Inside the Minds of Gaming's Master Storytellers | access-date=15 August 2007 | last=Kasavin | first=Greg | date=21 March 2005 | work=[[GameSpot]] | publisher=[[CNET Networks]] |page=2}}</ref> and later produced his own [[adventure game]]s. After completing the [[stealth game]] ''[[Metal Gear (video game)|Metal Gear]]'', his first [[graphic adventure]] was released by [[Konami]] the following year: ''[[Snatcher (video game)|Snatcher]]'' (1988), an ambitious [[cyberpunk]] detective novel, graphic adventure, that was highly regarded at the time for pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling, cinematic [[cut scene]]s, and mature content.<ref name=1UP-Kojima>[http://www.1up.com/features/retroactive-metal-gear Retroactive: Kojima's Productions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626222742/http://www.1up.com/features/retroactive-metal-gear?pager.offset=0 |date=26 June 2016 }}, [[1UP.com|1UP]]</ref> It also featured a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] science fiction setting, an [[amnesia]]c protagonist, and some [[light gun shooter]] segments. It was praised for its graphics, soundtrack, high quality writing comparable to a novel, voice acting comparable to a film or [[radio drama]], and in-game computer database with optional documents that flesh out the game world. The [[Sega CD]] version of ''Snatcher'' was for a long time the only major visual novel game to be released in America, where it, despite low sales, gained a [[cult following]].<ref name=Kalata-Policenauts/>

Following ''[[Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake]]'', Kojima produced his next graphic adventure, ''[[Policenauts]]'' (1994), a point-and-click adventure notable for being an early example of extensive voice recording in video games.<ref name=IGN-Kojima>{{cite web|title=Kojima's Legacy: We reflect on the influence of Hideo Kojima's 20 years in gaming|author=Mark Ryan Sallee|website=[[IGN]]|url=http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/715/715932p1.html|access-date=20 August 2009}}</ref> It also featured a [[hard science fiction]] setting, a theme revolving around space exploration, a plot inspired by the ancient [[Japanese literature|Japanese tale]] of ''[[Urashima Taro]]'', and some occasional [[Full motion video based game|full-motion video]] cut scenes. The gameplay was largely similar to ''Snatcher'', but with the addition of a point-and-click interface and some [[first-person shooter]] segments. ''Policenauts'' also introduced summary screens, which act to refresh the player's memory of the plot upon reloading a [[saved game]] (save), an element Kojima would later use in ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]''. The [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] version of ''Policenauts'' could also read the [[memory card]] and give some [[easter egg]] dialogues if a save file of Konami's [[dating sim]] ''[[Tokimeki Memorial (video game)|Tokimeki Memorial]]'' is present, a technique Kojima would also later use in ''Metal Gear Solid''.<ref name=Kalata-Policenauts>Kurt Kalata, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/policenauts/policenauts.htm Policenauts], Hardcore Gaming 101</ref> From 1997 to 1999, Kojima developed the three ''[[Tokimeki Memorial (series)|Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series]]'' titles, which were adaptations of ''Tokimeki Memorial'' in a visual novel adventure game format.<ref>[http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/088/088501p1.html Hideo Kojima Speaks], [[IGN]]</ref> Other acclaimed examples of science fiction visual novels include [[ELF Corporation|ELF]]'s ''[[YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world|Yu-No]]'' (1996) and [[5pb.]]'s ''[[Chaos;Head]]'' (2008) and ''[[Steins;Gate]]'' (2009).

===Nakige and utsuge===
{{anchor|Nakige and utsuge}}{{anchor|Nakige}}
Popular subgenres of visual novels include the {{Nihongo3|crying game|泣きゲー|nakige}}, which still usually has a happy ending, and the {{Nihongo3|depressing game|鬱ゲー|utsuge}}, which may not. The genres are somewhat fluid and were largely pioneered in parallel during the late 1990s through the early 2000s by the works of [[Key (company)|Key]] co-founder, scenario writer, lyricist, and composer [[Jun Maeda]]; and through the works of {{ill|Hirohiko Yoshida|ja|吉田博彦}} through his affiliated company [[Âge]], particularly [[Kimi ga Nozomu Eien]] and its successors, notably [[Muv-Luv]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The visual novel medium proves its worth on the battlefield of narrative arts|url=https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2011/11/the-visual-novel-medium-proves-its-worth-on-the-battlefield-of-narrative-arts-16068|access-date=2020-11-16|website=The Johns Hopkins News-Letter}}</ref> The ultimate goal of nakige and utsuge are emotional connection with the characters, through exploration of their personalities and evolving interrelationships through the drama of the game's storyline, and to emotionally resonate with the player; repeated playthroughs across a rich cast of characters offers a multi-layered narrative. Games from publisher Key often follow a similar formula: a comedic first half, with a heart-warming romantic middle, followed by a tragic separation, and finally (though not always) an emotional reunion. This formula was influenced primarily by [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]]'s ''[[YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World]]'' (1996) and [[Leaf (company)|Leaf's]] ''[[To Heart]]'' (1997), and was further developed in ''[[One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e]]'' (1998) by [[Tactics (company)|Tactics]]. After ''One'' was complete, the development team quit Tactics to form [[Key (company)|Key]] where they developed their first title ''[[Kanon (video game)|Kanon]]'', also based upon this formula. According to Satoshi Todome in his book, ''A History of Adult Games'', ''Kanon'' was "heavily hyped [and] had gamers impatient until its release. It was only one game released by Key so far, and yet [it] had already sent major shockwaves around the industry. And yet another game [''Air''], two years later, sent even more shockwaves. ''[[Air (video game)|Air]]'' was equally hyped and well received."<ref name="history-of-adult-games">{{Cite web|last=Todome|first=Satoshi|url=http://www.kyo-kan.net/column/eroge/eroge3.html|title=A History of Adult Games, chapter 3|access-date=22 November 2007|language=ja}}</ref>

Key's "crying game" formula used successfully in ''One'' and ''Kanon'' was later adopted by other visual novel companies to create their own "crying games". Examples of this include: ''[[Kana: Little Sister]]'' (1999) by Digital Object, the ''[[Memories Off]]'' series (1999 onwards) by [[KID]], ''[[D.C.: Da Capo]]'' (2002) by [[Circus (company)|Circus]], ''[[Wind: A Breath of Heart]]'' (2002) by [[Minori (company)|Minori]], and ''[[Snow (visual novel)|Snow]]'' (2003) by Studio Mebius (under [[Visual Art's]]).

One of the most acclaimed visual novels of this subgenre was Key's ''[[Clannad (video game)|Clannad]]'', written by Jun Maeda, [[Yūichi Suzumoto]], and Kai and Tōya Okano. Released in 2004, its story revolved around the central theme of the value of having a family.<ref name="pre-Clannad">{{cite book|title=pre-Clannad|publisher=[[SoftBank|SoftBank Creative]]|isbn=4-7973-2723-5|date=15 April 2004|language=ja}}</ref> It was voted the best [[bishōjo game]] of all time in a poll held by ''[[Dengeki G's Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gs.dengeki.com/ranking/index.html|title=Dengeki G's Magazine top fifty bishōjo games|publisher=[[ASCII Media Works]]|access-date=3 June 2009|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704113955/http://gs.dengeki.com/ranking/index.html|archive-date=4 July 2008}}</ref> It served as the basis for a media franchise, with successful adaptations into a [[light novel]], [[manga]], [[Clannad (film)|animated film]], and acclaimed [[List of Clannad episodes|anime series]].

In 2008, several of Key's visual novels were voted in the ''[[Dengeki]]'' poll of the ten most tear-inducing games of all time, including ''Clannad'' at No. 2, ''Kanon'' at No. 4, ''Air'' at No. 7, and ''[[Little Busters!]]'' at No. 10.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 October 2008 |title=【アンケート結果発表】感動して泣いてしまったゲームはありますか？ |url=http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/113/113442/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419012624/http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/113/113442/ |archive-date=19 April 2012 |access-date=7 May 2012 |work=[[Dengeki]] |publisher=[[ASCII Media Works]]}}</ref> In 2011, several visual novels were also voted in ''[[Famitsu]]'''s poll of 20 most tear-inducing games of all time, with ''Clannad'' at No. 4, ''[[Steins;Gate]]'' at No. 6, ''Air'' at No. 7, ''Little Busters!'' at No. 10, and ''[[428: Shibuya Scramble]]'' at No. 14.<ref>{{cite web|last=Romano|first=Sal|url=http://gematsu.com/2011/12/famitsus-top-20-list-of-tear-inducing-games|title=Famitsu's top 20 list of tear-inducing games|date=29 December 2011|access-date=24 February 2012}}</ref>

===Horror===
After developing ''The Portopia Serial Murder Case'', [[Chunsoft]] released [[Otogiriso]] in 1992. [[Koichi Nakamura]] conceived the title after showing his work on the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' role-playing video games to a girl he was dating. On finding she did not enjoy them, he was encouraged to make a video game that he described as "for people who haven't played games before."{{sfn|Parish|2018}} Influenced by the early [[survival horror]] game ''[[Sweet Home (video game)|Sweet Home]]'', he developed it into a horror-themed interactive story. Chunsoft's next release, ''[[Kamaitachi no Yoru]]'', was also a best seller and would prove to be highly influential.

''[[Higurashi When They Cry|Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' (''When They Cry'') was a 2002 [[Survival horror|horror-themed]] visual novel by [[07th Expansion]], influenced by the "crying game" subgenre. [[Ryukishi07]] of 07th Expansion mentioned in 2004 how he was influenced by [[Key (company)|Key]]'s works and ''[[Tsukihime]]'' during the planning of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''.<ref name="hidev01">{{cite web|url=http://sai-zen-sen.jp/works/extras/faust07higurashi/01/01.html|title=騎士07ロンクインタビュー|publisher=Faust|date=24 May 2005|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319041416/http://sai-zen-sen.jp/works/extras/faust07higurashi/01/01.html|archive-date=19 March 2017|access-date=2 May 2018}}</ref> He played their games, as well as other visual novels, as a reference and analyzed them to try to determine why they were so popular. He decided that the secret was that the stories would start with ordinary, enjoyable days, but then a sudden event would occur leading the player to cry from shock. He used a similar model as the basis for ''Higurashi'' but instead of leading the player to cry, Ryukishi07 wanted to scare the player with the addition of horror elements.<ref name="Ryukishi07-blog04">{{Cite web|url=http://naderika.com/Cgi/log_cbbs/logcbbs.cgi?mode=red2&namber=399&no=1|title=Key's Essence is Actually...(Bitter Smile)|author=[[Ryukishi07]]|publisher=[[07th Expansion]]|date=9 July 2004|access-date=15 May 2009|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714145857/http://naderika.com/Cgi/log_cbbs/logcbbs.cgi?mode=red2&namber=399&no=1|archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> Other examples of horror-themed visual novels include: ''[[Animamundi: Dark Alchemist]]'', ''[[Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni]]'', ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'', ''[[Ookami Kakushi]]'', ''[[Imabikisou]], [[Saya no Uta]]'', ''[[Doki Doki Literature Club!]]'', and ''[[Corpse Party]]''.

==Visual novels in the Western world==
<!-- Concerns have been raised on the talk page about specific mention of commercial games that were fan-translated without the creators' permission. Please don't add them back without further discussion. -->
Prior to the year 2000, few Japanese visual novels were translated into other languages. As with the visual novel genre in general, a majority of titles released for the PC have been [[eroge]], with [[Hirameki]]'s now-discontinued [[AnimePlay]] series a notable exception. As of 2014, [[JAST USA]] and [[MangaGamer]] are the two most prolific publishers of translated visual novels for the PC; both primarily release eroge, but have begun to diversify into the all-ages market in recent years, with titles such as ''[[Steins;Gate]]'' and ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' respectively. In addition to official commercial translations, a vibrant [[fan translation]] scene exists, which has translated many free visual novels (such as ''[[Narcissu]]'' and ''[[True Remembrance]]'') and a few commercial works (such as ''[[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]]'' and ''[[Policenauts]]'') into English. Fan translations of Japanese visual novels into languages other than English such as Chinese, French, German, and Russian are commonplace as well.

English translations of Japanese visual novels on video game consoles were rare until the release of the [[Nintendo DS]], though some games with visual novel elements had been published in the Western world before then, such as [[Hideo Kojima]]'s ''[[Snatcher (video game)|Snatcher]]''. Following the success of mystery titles for the Nintendo DS such as [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' series (which began on the [[Game Boy Advance]] in 2001), Cing's ''[[Hotel Dusk: Room 215|Hotel Dusk]]'' series (beginning in 2006),<ref name=Kalata-Snatcher>Kurt Kalata, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/snatcher/snatcher.htm Snatcher], Hardcore Gaming 101</ref> and [[Level-5 (video game company)|Level-5]]'s ''[[Professor Layton]]'' series (beginning in 2007),<ref name=Attorney-Layton/> Japanese visual novels have been published in other countries more frequently. The success of these games has sparked a resurgence in the [[adventure game]] genre outside Japan.<ref name=Kalata-Snatcher/><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=OLPB&s_site=theolympian&f_site=theolympian&f_sitename=Olympian%2C+The+%28WA%29&p_multi=OLPB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=117221BC67C30BF0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Gameplay of the Week – Two new engaging DS adventures hit the spot], ''[[The Olympian]]''</ref><ref>Kurt Kalata, Sotenga, Jason Withrow, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/phoenixwright/phoenixwright.htm Phoenix Wright], Hardcore Gaming 101</ref>

[[GameSpot]] has credited ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]'' in particular for revitalizing the adventure game genre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/phoenixwright/review.html|title=Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=27 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919192925/http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/phoenixwright/review.html|archive-date=19 September 2011}}</ref> The success of the ''Ace Attorney'' series was followed soon after by the even greater success of [[Level-5 (video game company)|Level-5]]'s ''Professor Layton'' in 2007. Both have since become some of the best selling adventure game franchises, with ''Ace Attorney'' selling over 3.9&nbsp;million units worldwide and ''Professor Layton'' selling over 9.5&nbsp;million units worldwide by 2010.<ref name=Attorney-Layton>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101023093809/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/31090/Layton_Series_Hits_95M_Ace_Attorney_39M.php Layton Series Hits 9.5M, Ace Attorney 3.9M], [[Gamasutra]]</ref> Their success has led to an increase in Japanese visual novels being localized for release outside Japan, including: [[KID]]'s ''[[Ever 17: The Out of Infinity]]'' (2002), Cing's ''[[Another Code]]'' series (2005 onwards), [[Marvelous Entertainment]]'s ''[[Lux-Pain]]'' (2008), [[Chunsoft]]'s ''[[999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors]]'' (2010), and Capcom's ''[[Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective]]'' (2010). In more recent years, several modern Western narrative adventure games have drawn comparisons to visual novels, including [[Telltale Games]] titles such as ''[[The Walking Dead (video game series)|The Walking Dead]]'' (2012),<ref>{{cite news |title=Walking Further: Delving into Visual Novels |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/walking-further-delving-into-visual-novels |work=[[USgamer]] |date=3 July 2013 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Dontnod Entertainment]]'s ''[[Life Is Strange (video game)|Life Is Strange]]'' (2015); the latter's creative director cited visual novels such as ''[[Danganronpa]]'' (2010) as an influence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Life Is Strange Director Talks About The Theme Of "Identity" And Visual Novels |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2015/02/05/life-strange-director-talks-theme-identity-visual-novels/ |work=Siliconera |date=5 February 2015}}</ref>

Additionally, there have been some visual novels developed mainly in English, and intended for an English-speaking audience; one of the earliest commercially available examples on a mainstream platform is 2004's ''[[Sprung (video game)|Sprung]]'', and in more recent times, the availability of the genre has increased, with notable examples being ''[[Doki Doki Literature Club!]]'' and ''[[VA-11 HALL-A]]''. Other languages have been the focus in visual novels, including Spanish, French, Russian and Mandarin, which have seen increased success due to the popularity of the genre.

==List of best-selling visual novels==
{{Dynamic list}}
Sales data for visual novels is frequently unavailable; the sales listed below can be significantly outdated as some of the sources are over a decade old, and series qualified for an entry could be missing. These lists should be referenced carefully.

Free visual novels do not appear in these lists due to the unreliability of download numbers and for consistency with other best-selling lists.

===Series===
{{See also|List of best-selling Japanese role-playing game franchises||List of best-selling manga|List of highest-grossing media franchises}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Visual novel series that have sold over 100,000 copies
|-
! Series
! Debut
! Creator(s)
! Sales{{when|date=April 2025}}
! class="unsortable" | Note(s)/ref(s)
|-
| ''[[Ace Attorney]]''
| 2001
| [[Capcom]] / [[Shu Takumi]]
| align="right" | 13,000,000
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Game Series Sales |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/finance/salesdata.html |website=Investor Relations |publisher=[[Capcom]] |date= 18 June 2022 |access-date=18 June 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Nekopara]]''
| 2014
| Neko Works / Sayori
| align="right" | 6,500,000
| <ref>{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=Thomas |title=Nook News – 12/30/24 Everyone Loves Catgirls |url=https://www.nookgaming.com/nook-news-12-30-24-people-love-catgirls/ |website=NookGaming |date=30 December 2024 |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Danganronpa]]''
| 2010
| [[Spike (company)|Spike]] (Spike Chunsoft) / [[Kazutaka Kodaka]]
| align="right" | 5,000,000
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Spike Chunsoft, Inc. Invites You to Camp and the Ultimate Class Reunion, Announces a Global Sales Milestone |url=https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/spike-chunsoft-inc-invites-you-to-camp-and-to-the-ultimate-class-reunion/ |website=Spike Chunsoft|date=19 October 2021 |access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' (''Sakura Taisen'')
| 1996
| [[Sega AM1|Sega CS2 R&D]] / [[Red Entertainment]]
| align="right" | 4,718,113
| {{efn|''[[Sakura Wars]]'' series:
*Up until 2010 – {{nowrap|4.5 million}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Gantayat|first=Anoop|title=Sakura Wars Becomes a Browser Game|url=http://andriasang.com/comrof/sakura_taisen_browser_game/|work=Andriasang|access-date=January 31, 2012|date=November 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225032739/http://andriasang.com/comrof/sakura_taisen_browser_game/|archive-date=2012-12-25}}</ref>
*2013–2018 – 39,687 (Japan)<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*''[[Shin Sakura Taisen]]'' (2019) – 178,426 (Japan)<ref name="ShinSalesC">{{cite web|url=https://dengekionline.com/articles/24189/|script-title=ja:【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】『龍が如く7』が16.1万本（1月13日～19日）|language=ja|website=[[ASCII Media Works|Dengeki Online]]|date=January 23, 2020|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125092243/https://dengekionline.com/articles/24189/|archive-date=January 25, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Tokimeki Memorial (series)|Tokimeki Memorial]]''
| 1994
| [[Konami]] / [[Koji Igarashi]]
| align="right" | 3,714,704
| {{efn|''Tokimeki Memorial'' series:
*3{{nbsp}}million+<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sato |first1=Yukiyoshi Ike |title=Tokimeki Memorial 3 scheduled for a December release |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tokimeki-memorial-3-scheduled-for-a-december-release/1100-2809499/ |access-date=30 December 2019 |work=[[GameSpot]] |date=17 May 2006}}</ref>
*August 2006 to 2019 (Japan) {{ndash}} 714,703<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Otogirisō#Release_and_reception|Sound Novel]]''
| 1992
| [[Chunsoft]] ([[Spike Chunsoft]])
| align="right" | 2,709,907
| {{efn|''Sound Novel'' series:
*''[[Otogirisō]]'' (1992) {{ndash}} 400,000+<ref>{{cite news |title=業界に一石を投じたジャンル"サウンドノベル"を今一度振り返る |url=https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0607/26/news062_2.html |access-date=29 December 2019 |work=ねとらぼ |publisher=[[:ja:ITmedia|ITmedia]] |date=26 July 2006 |language=ja}}</ref>
*''[[Kamaitachi no Yoru]]'' (''Banshee's Last Cry'') {{ndash}} 1,941,758
**''Kamaitachi no Yoru'' (1994 to April 2002) {{ndash}} 1.25{{nbsp}}million<ref>{{cite news |title=チュンソフト、怖さの中の美しさを描く「かまいたちの夜2」。ゲーム業界外のクリエイターが集結 |url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20020403/chun.htm |access-date=29 December 2019 |work=[[:ja:Impress Watch|Impress Watch]] |publisher=[[:ja:インプレス|Impress Corporation]] |date=3 April 2002}}</ref>
**June 2002 to 2019 (consoles) {{ndash}} 691,758 (Japan)<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*''[[Machi (video game)|Machi]]'' (1998) {{ndash}} 164,866<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*''[[428: Shibuya Scramble]]'' (2008) {{ndash}} 203,283{{efn|See ''{{Section link|428: Shibuya Scramble|Reception}}''}}
}}
|-
| ''[[Tantei Jingūji Saburō]]'' (''Jake Hunter'')
| 1987
| [[Data East]]
| align="right" | 2,346,841
| {{efn|''Tantei Jingūji Saburō'' series
*{{As of|2007|5}} {{ndash}} 2.22{{nbsp}}million<ref>{{cite magazine |title=生誕20周年の長寿シリーズ最新作『探偵 神宮寺三郎DS いにしえの記憶』 |url=https://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/2007/05/07/104,1178523760,71261,0,0.html |access-date=1 January 2020 |magazine=[[Famitsu]] |date=16 May 2007}}</ref>
*July 2007 to 2019 (Japan) {{ndash}} 126,841<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Fate/stay night|Fate]]''
| 2004
| [[Type-Moon]] / [[Kinoko Nasu]]
| align="right" | 2,096,148
| {{efn|''Fate'' series (Japan)
*''[[Fate/stay night]]'' {{ndash}} 751,488{{efn|See ''{{Section link|Fate/stay night|Reception}}''}}
*''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'' {{ndash}} 247,474
** [[Personal computer|PC]] {{ndash}} 154,015<ref name="Amazon">{{cite web|url=http://astore.amazon.co.jp/wikimania-22/listmania/R3LNPFBF0EGY5M/249-7991717-8843508|title=Amazon store with ranking list for highest selling bishōjo games of 2005|publisher=[[Amazon.com|Amazon.co.jp]]|access-date=17 May 2008|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221021518/http://astore.amazon.co.jp/gp/listmania.html?tag=wikimania-22&linkCode=sb1&camp=663&creative=3415&listid=R3LNPFBF0EGY5M|archive-date=21 December 2007}}</ref>
** [[PS Vita]] {{ndash}} 93,459<ref name="gamedatalibrary">{{cite web |title=Game Search |url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search |website=Game Data Library |publisher=[[Famitsu]] |date=8 December 2019 |access-date=29 December 2019}}</ref>
*''Fate'' spin-off titles ([[Video game console|consoles]]) {{ndash}} 1,097,186<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Sakura Spirit|Sakura]]''
| 2014
| [[Winged Cloud]]
| align="right" | 1,566,022
| {{efn|''Sakura'' series:
*''Sakura Agent'', ''Sakura Dungeon'', ''Sakura Gamer'', ''Sakura Magical Girls'' {{ndash}} 206,022
*Other titles {{ndash}} 1.36{{nbsp}}million<ref>{{cite web |title=Winged Cloud |url=https://steamspy.com/dev/Winged+Cloud |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Zero Escape]]''
| 2009
| [[Spike Chunsoft|Chunsoft]] / [[Kotaro Uchikoshi]]
| align="right" | 1,290,213
| {{efn|''[[Zero Escape]]'' series:
*Japan (consoles) {{ndash}} 90,213<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*Steam (PC) {{ndash}} 1,200,000+<ref>{{cite web |title=Zero Escape |url=https://steamspy.com/search.php?s=Zero+Escape |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=29 November 2022}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Steins;Gate]]''
| 2009
| [[5pb.]] / [[Nitroplus]]
| align="right" | 1,244,545
| {{efn|''Steins;Gate'' series:
*2009{{ndash}}2015 (Japan) {{ndash}} 1{{nbsp}}million+<ref>{{cite web |last=Ressler |first=Karen |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-12-10/steins-gate-0-game-sells-over-100000-copies-on-1st-day/.96351 |title=Steins;Gate 0 Game Sells Over 100,000 Copies on 1st Day |date=10 December 2015 |access-date=1 April 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211131239/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-12-10/steins-gate-0-game-sells-over-100000-copies-on-1st-day/.96351 |archive-date=11 December 2015 }}</ref>

*''[[Steins;Gate 0]]'' ([[PS4]]) (Japan) {{ndash}} 4,087 (April 2018)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2018/04/18/this-week-in-sales-the-snack-world-serves-up-its-new-improved-switch-version/ |title=This Week in Sales: The Snack World Serves Up Its New And Improved Switch Version |author=Sato |date=18 April 2018 |website=Siliconera |publisher=[[Curse, Inc.]] |access-date=18 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418151026/http://www.siliconera.com/2018/04/18/this-week-in-sales-the-snack-world-serves-up-its-new-improved-switch-version/ |archive-date=18 April 2018 }}</ref>
*''Steins;Gate 0'' (Steam) {{ndash}} 50,000+<ref>{{cite web |title=STEINS;GATE 0 |url=https://steamspy.com/app/825630 |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=29 December 2019}}</ref>
*''[[Steins;Gate Elite]]'' (Japan) {{ndash}} 30,442<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20180926065/ |title=「STEINS;GATE ELITE」や「ゼノブレイド2 黄金の国イーラ」などの新作が登場の「週間販売ランキング＋」 |language=ja |date=26 September 2018 |website=[[4Gamer.net]] |publisher=Aetas, Inc. |access-date=27 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926143751/https://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20180926065/ |archive-date=26 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Rance (series)|Rance]]''
| 1989
| [[AliceSoft]]
| align="right" | 1,159,193
| {{efn|''[[Rance (series)|Rance]]'' series:
*Japan {{ndash}} 1,000,000 (Data of all series until Rance 03 –Fall of Leazas–)
*''Rance X'' (PC) {{ndash}} 159,193 (2018)<ref name="Alicesoft.jp">{{cite web |title=AliceSoft |url=https://www.alicesoft.com/rance10 |access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Higurashi: When They Cry]]''
| 2002
| [[07th Expansion]] / [[Ryukishi07]]
| align="right" | 1,109,018
| {{efn|''[[Higurashi When They Cry]]'' series:
*Japan (consoles) {{ndash}} 908,391{{efn|See ''{{Section link|Higurashi When They Cry|Reception}}''}}
*Steam (PC) {{ndash}} 200,627+
**''Ch.1'' {{ndash}} 100,000+<ref name="Higurashi">{{cite web |title=Higurashi |url=https://steamspy.com/search.php?s=Higurashi |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=29 December 2019}}</ref>
**''Ch.2'' {{ndash}} 28,301+{{Citation needed|reason=Previously used ArsTechnica source which despite misleading headline noted that all figures are only estimates|date=May 2024}}
**''Ch.3'' {{ndash}} 20,000+<ref name="Higurashi"/>
**''Ch.4'' {{ndash}} 12,326+{{Citation needed|reason=Previously used ArsTechnica source which despite misleading headline noted that all figures are only estimates|date=May 2024}}
**''Ch.5'' and ''Ch.6'' {{ndash}} 40,000+<ref name="Higurashi"/>
}}
|-
| [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion video games|''Shinseiki Evangelion'' (''Neon Genesis Evangelion'')]]
| 1996
| [[Sega AM2]] / [[Gainax Network Systems]]
| align="right" | 1,040,972
| {{efn|''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' series (Japan)
*''1st Impression'' and ''2nd Impression'' ([[Sega Saturn]]) {{ndash}} {{formatnum:{{#expr:(206097+191555)+387382}}|}}<ref name="SaturnSales">{{cite web |access-date=July 14, 2009 |url=http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/sat.php|title=Sega Saturn Japanese Ranking|website=Japan Game Charts|publisher=[[Famitsu]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924030552/http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/sat.php|archive-date=September 24, 2009|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
*''[[Girlfriend of Steel]]'' and ''[[Girlfriend of Steel 2]]'' {{ndash}} 255,938<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Muv-Luv]]''
| 2003
| [[âge]]
| align="right" | 800,000
| {{efn|''[[Muv-Luv]]'' series
*Worldwide {{ndash}} 800,000 (Total cumulative of series)<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202110/06236347.html |title=エイベックスがアニメ制作とゲーム開発を完全内製化。『マブラヴ』シリーズのテレビアニメ＆ゲーム最新作を同時にグローバル展開することを発表 |language=ja |date=6 October 2021 |magazine=[[Famitsu]]}}</ref>
*Japan {{ndash}} 500,000 (Total cumulative of series until 2015)<ref>{{cite web |title=Muv Luv Kickstarter ending|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-11-03/muv-luv-kickstarter-ends-with-over-usd1.2-million/.94962 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref>
**''[[Muv-Luv Alternative]]'' (PC) {{ndash}} 62,546 (2006)<ref name="PC-News"/>
**Consoles {{ndash}} 72,906<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*Steam (PC) overseas {{ndash}} 5,256{{Citation needed|reason=Previously used ArsTechnica source which despite misleading headline noted that all figures are only estimates|date=May 2024}}
}}
|-
| ''[[Da Capo (video game)|D.C Da Capo]]''
| 2002
| [[Circus (company)|Circus]]
| align="right" | 800,000
| {{efn|''[[Da Capo (video game)|D.C Da Capo]]'' series:
*Japan {{ndash}} 800,000 (Total cumulative of all games until Da Capo 5)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000003567.000032953.html |title=「D.C. ～ダ・カーポ～」シリーズの最新ナンバリングタイトル「D.C.5 ～ダ・カーポ5～」ティザーサイト公開のお知らせ |language=ja |date=29 July 2022 |website=PR Times}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Dōkyūsei (video game series)|Dōkyūsei]]''
| 1992
| [[ELF Corporation]]
| align="right" | 722,662
| {{efn|[[Dōkyūsei (video game series)|''Dōkyūsei'' series]] (Japan)
*''[[Dōkyūsei (video game)|Dōkyūsei]]'' ([[PC Engine]]) {{ndash}} 107,594<ref>{{cite web |title=PC Engine |url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/games-by-platform/pc-engine |website=Game Data Library |publisher=[[Famitsu]] |access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref>
*[[Sega Saturn]] {{ndash}} 615,068<ref name="SaturnSales"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[The Death Trap]]''
| 1984
| [[Squaresoft]] / [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]]
| align="right" | 600,000
| {{efn|''The Death Trap'' series:
*''[[The Death Trap]]'' {{ndash}} 500,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Hironobu Sakaguchi : 'The Lost Art of Telling a Story' |url=http://www.gameblog.fr/blogs/cutscene/p_94908_hironobu-sakaguchi-the-lost-art-of-telling-a-story |website=[[:fr:Gameblog|Gameblog]] |access-date=29 December 2019 |language=fr |date=4 September 2013}}</ref>
*''[[Will: The Death Trap II]]'' {{ndash}} 100,000<ref name="paper">{{cite web| first = Daiji | last = Fujii | title = Entrepreneurial choices of strategic options in Japan's RPG development | publisher = Faculty of Economics, [[Okayama University]] | date = January 2006 | url = http://www.e.okayama-u.ac.jp/~dfujii/Option.pdf | access-date = 26 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930074121/http://www.e.okayama-u.ac.jp/~dfujii/Option.pdf |archive-date = 30 September 2007 |page = 11 |quote = To solve this problem programmatically, the team employed a postgraduate student from Keio University—one of the best private universities, located in Tokyo and Yokohama—and Japan’s first animated PC game, Will, was released in 1985.  One hundred thousand copies of Will were sold, which was a major commercial success at the time.}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[To Heart]]''
| 1997
| [[Leaf (Japanese company)|Leaf]]
| align="right" | 584,263
| {{efn|''[[To Heart]]'' series (Japan)
*Consoles {{ndash}} 473,870<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*''[[To Heart 2|To Heart 2 X Rated]]'' (PC) {{ndash}} 110,393 (2006)<ref name="Amazon"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Eve Burst Error|EVE]]''
| 1995
| [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]] / C's Ware
| align="right" | 575,873
| {{efn|{{ill|EVE (series)|lt=''EVE'' series|ja|EVEシリーズ}}
*''[[Eve Burst Error|EVE: Burst Error]]'' {{ndash}} 350,000<ref>{{cite web |title=EVE The 1st. burst error |url=http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/game/eve/detaills |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091110030739/http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/game/eve/detaills |website=[[Kadokawa Games]] |publisher=[[Kadokawa Corporation]] |access-date=30 December 2019 |archive-date=10 November 2009}}</ref>
*{{ill|EVE: The Lost One|ja|EVE The Lost One|italic=y}} (Sega Saturn) {{ndash}} 145,071 (Japan)<ref name="SaturnSales"/>
*Later ''EVE'' titles (consoles) {{ndash}} 80,802 (Japan)<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Clannad (video game)|Clannad]]''
| 2004
| [[Key (company)|Key]] / [[Jun Maeda]]
| align="right" | 468,278
| {{efn|''Clannad'' series:
*''Clannad'' {{ndash}} 365,757+
**Windows (Japan) {{ndash}} 100,560<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astore.amazon.co.jp/wikimania-22/listmania/R1EG2LAMROXE3Z/249-7991717-8843508|title=売上ランキング (2004年 Hゲーム)|trans-title=Sales Ranking (2004 H-games)|work=Wiki-Mania Store|access-date=February 10, 2012|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629180325/http://astore.amazon.co.jp/wikimania-22/listmania/R1EG2LAMROXE3Z/249-7991717-8843508|archive-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref>
**PS2, PSP, X360 (Japan) {{ndash}} 105,197<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
**PS3, PSV, PS4 (worldwide) {{ndash}} 60,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Clannad |url=https://gamstat.com/games/Clannad/ |website=Gamstat |date=10 May 2020 |access-date=14 May 2020 |archive-date=25 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625063730/https://gamstat.com/games/Clannad/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
**Steam (overseas) {{ndash}} 100,000+<ref>{{cite web |title=Clannad |url=https://steamspy.com/app/324160 |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=29 December 2019}}</ref>
*''Hikari Mimamoru Sakamichi de'' (''On the Hillside Path that Light Watches Over'') {{ndash}} 28,984<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*''[[Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (consoles) {{ndash}} 73,537
**[[PS2]] {{ndash}} 49,226<ref name="Amazon"/>
**[[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] and [[Xbox 360]] {{ndash}} 24,311<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!|Majikoi!]]''
| 2009
| {{ill|Minato Soft|ja|みなとそふと}}
| align="right" | 400,000
| {{efn|''[[Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!|Majikoi!]]' series:
*Japan {{ndash}} 400,000 (Total series sales until Majikoi A-5)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/minatosoft/status/792007709914648577 |title=『真剣で私に恋しなさい！Ａ』登場キャタクターのキャストサイン色紙をプレゼント |language=ja |website=Twitter |access-date=2016-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007010800/https://twitter.com/minatosoft/status/792007709914648577 |archive-date=2022-10-07 |url-status=live}}</ref>
**''[[Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!]]'' (PS3) {{ndash}} 12,565 (2012)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=ファミ通ゲーム白書2013 補完データ編（分冊版）』 |magazine=[[Famitsu]] |date=31 May 2013}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Welcome to Pia Carrot]]''
| 1996
| [[Cocktail Soft]]
| align="right" | 320,696
| {{efn|''[[Pia Carrot]]'' series (Japan)
*Consoles {{ndash}} 284,186<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
*PC (2006) {{ndash}} 36,510<ref name="PC-News">{{cite news |title=Eroge Sales Rankings Year 2006 |url=http://zepy.momotato.com/2007/03/01/eroge-sales-rankings-year-2006/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325225757/http://zepy.momotato.com/2007/03/01/eroge-sales-rankings-year-2006/ |archive-date=2007-03-25  |access-date=30 December 2019 |work=[[:ja:PC NEWS|PC News]] |date=25 March 2007}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Hatoful Boyfriend]]''
| 2011
| [[PigeoNation Inc.]] / [[Hato Moa]]
| align="right" | 317,015
| {{efn|''[[Hatoful Boyfriend]]'':
*Steam {{ndash}} 309,725{{Citation needed|reason=Previously used ArsTechnica source which despite misleading headline noted that all figures are only estimates|date=May 2024}}
*DLsite English {{ndash}} 7,290<ref>{{cite web |title=DLsite English: Total Ranking |url=http://www.dlsite.com/eng/ranking/total |publisher=DLsite |access-date=1 August 2014}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Kidou Senkan Nadesico]]'' (''Martian Successor Nadesico'')
| 1997
| [[Sega]]
| align="right" | 284,255
| {{efn|''[[Kidou Senkan Nadesico]]'' series (Japan)
*''Yappari Saigo ha 'Ai ga Katsu'?'' {{ndash}} 138,161<ref name="SaturnSales"/>
*''The Blank of Three Year'' and ''The Mission'' {{ndash}} 146,094<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}

|-
| ''[[List of Cardcaptor Sakura video games|Cardcaptor Sakura ~Sakura to Card to O-Tomodachi~]]''
| 1999
| [[MTO (video game company)|MTO]]
| align="right" | 193,745
| <ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
|-
| ''[[Dies irae (visual novel)|Dies irae]]''
| 2007
| Light
| align="right" | 100,000
| <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2017/05/24/feature-crunchyroll-interviews-dies-ire-producer-hattori-michisato |title=FEATURE: Crunchyroll Interviews "Dies irae" Producer Hattori Michisato |date=2017-05-24 |newspaper=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=2017-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526105304/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2017/05/24/feature-crunchyroll-interviews-dies-ire-producer-hattori-michisato |archive-date=2017-05-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

===Standalone===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Standalone visual novels that have sold over 100,000 copies
|-
! Title
! Release
! Developer(s)
! Sales{{when|date=April 2025}}
! class="unsortable" | Note(s)/ref(s)
|-
| ''[[Senren * Banka]]''
| 2016
| Yuzusoft
| align="right" | 700,000+
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Nook News – 9/30/24 - Tokyo Game Show 2024 Rundown |url=https://www.nookgaming.com/nook-news-9-30-24-tokyo-game-show-2024-rundown/ |website=NookGaming |date=October 2024 |access-date=1 October 2024}}</ref>

|-
| ''[[The Portopia Serial Murder Case]]''
| 1983
| [[Yuji Horii]] / [[Chunsoft]]
| align="right" | 700,000
| <ref name="itmedia">{{cite web | url=http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0509/06/news029.html | script-title=ja:「ポートピア連続殺人事件」の舞台を巡る | access-date=16 August 2007 | author=Gameman | date=6 September 2005 | website=ITmedia +D Games | publisher=ITmedia | page=1 | language=ja | title={title} | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219032450/http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0509/06/news029.html | archive-date=19 February 2013 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fgamez.itmedia.co.jp%2Fgames%2Farticles%2F0509%2F06%2Fnews029.html Translation])</ref>

|-
| ''[[Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!]]''
| 2021
| [[Team Salvato]]
| align="right" | 500,000
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespress.com/Psychological-Horror-Narrative-Doki-Doki-Literature-Club-Plus-Recruits|title=Psychological Horror Narrative Doki Doki Literature Club Plus Recruits 500,000 New Club Members After Two Weeks|date=July 20, 2021|location=[[Boulder, Colorado]]|access-date=March 18, 2022|publisher=Games Press}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Digimon Survive]]''
| 2022
| Hyde
| align="right" | 500,000
| <ref name="Survive">{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/12/digimon-survive-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-500000|title=Digimon Survive shipments and digital sales top 500,000|author=Romano, Sal|website=Gematsu|date=December 2, 2022|access-date=December 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128190526/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/12/digimon-survive-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-500000|archive-date=28 November 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[VA-11 HALL-A]]''
| 2016
| Sukeban Games
| align="right" | 500,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action |url=https://steamspy.com/app/447530 |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=30 December 2019}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[ATRI -My Dear Moments-]]''
| 2020
| Frontwing & Makura
| align="right" | 400,000+
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Nook News – 8/19/24 - Tango Gameworks Returns! |url=https://www.nookgaming.com/nook-news-8-19-24-tango-gameworks-returns/ |website=NookGaming |date=19 August 2024 |access-date=19 August 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{ill|Nonomura Byōin no Hitobito|ja|野々村病院の人々|italic=y}} (''Mystery of Nonomura Hospital'')
| 1996
| [[ELF Corporation]]
| align="right" | 400,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=DMMアダルト [シルキーズ 野々村病院の人々] PCゲーム |url=http://www.dmm.co.jp/digital/pcgame/elf/nonomura.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190541/http://www.dmm.co.jp/digital/pcgame/elf/nonomura.html |website=[[DMM.com]] |publisher=[[Hokuto Corporation]] |access-date=30 December 2019 |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World]]''
| 1996
| [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]] / [[ELF Corporation]]
| align="right" | 380,820
| {{efn|See ''{{Section link|YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World|Reception}}''}}
|-
| ''[[Policenauts]]''
| 1994
| [[Hideo Kojima]] / [[Konami]]
| align="right" | 341,483
| <ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
|-
| ''[[Kanon (video game)|Kanon]]''
| 1999
| [[Key (company)|Key]] / [[Naoki Hisaya]]
| align="right" | 317,512
| {{efn|''Kanon'':
*Up until 2006 {{ndash}} 300,000+<ref name="nttpub">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821161159/http://eg.nttpub.co.jp/pickup/20060221spe01_01.html|url=http://eg.nttpub.co.jp/pickup/20060221spe01_01.html|title=Clannad|publisher=NTT Publishing|archive-date=21 August 2007|access-date=16 February 2012|language=ja}}</ref>
*[[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] (Japan) {{ndash}} 14,762<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Air (video game)|Air]]''
| 2000
| [[Key (company)|Key]] / [[Jun Maeda]]
| align="right" | 308,382
| {{efn|''Air'':
*Up until 2006 {{ndash}} 300,000+<ref name="nttpub"/>
*PSP and [[PS Vita]] (Japan) {{ndash}} 8,382<ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
}}
|-
| ''[[Sabbat of the Witch]]''
| 2015
| [[Yuzusoft]]
| align="right" | 300,000+
| <ref name="NookNews122324">{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=Thomas |title=Nook News – 12/23/24 Tenshi Souzou Gets a Release Date! |url=https://www.nookgaming.com/nook-news-12-23-24-tenshi-souzou-gets-a-release-date/ |website=NookGaming |date=23 December 2024 |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>

|-
| ''[[Tsukihime#Remake|Tsukihime –A piece of blue glass moon-]]''
| 2021
| [[Type-Moon]]
| align="right" | 240,000
| {{efn|''Tsukimhime'':
* Sales prior to September 2021 {{ndash}} 240,000+<ref>{{cite web |title="Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-" has exceeded 240,000 domestic cumulative shipments and download sales! |url=https://twitter.com/TM_TSUKIHIME/status/1441325891489972225 |website=Twitter |access-date=13 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Hotel Dusk: Room 215]]''
| 2007
| [[Cing]]
| align="right" | 213,208
| <ref>{{cite web |date=14 April 2008 |title=Top 500 Japanese Games Of 2007 |url=http://www.gemaga.com/2008/04/13/top-500-japanese-games-of-2007 |publisher=Play-Asia.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414221837/http://www.gemaga.com/2008/04/13/top-500-japanese-games-of-2007 |archive-date=14 April 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=7 July 2016}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Café Stella and the Reaper’s Butterflies]]''
| 2019
| [[Yuzusoft]]
| align="right" | 200,000+
| <ref name="NookNews122324"></ref>
|-
| ''[[J.B. Harold Murder Club]]''
| 1986
| [[Riverhillsoft]]
| align="right" | 200,000
| <ref name="itunes_requiem">{{cite web |date=26 January 2011 |title=Manhattan Requiem |url=https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/id399354708?affId=2049622 |accessdate=6 February 2012 |publisher=[[iTunes Store]]}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Monster Prom]]''
| 2018
| Beautiful Glitch
| align="right" | 200,000
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Monster Prom |url=https://steamspy.com/app/743450 |website=[[Steam Spy]] |access-date=30 December 2019}}</ref>
|-
| {{ill|Can Can Bunny: Premiere|ja|きゃんきゃんバニー・プルミエール|italic=y}}
| 1992
| [[Cocktail Soft]] / [[KID]]
| align="right" | 159,502
| <ref name="SaturnSales"/>
|-
| ''[[:ja:慟哭 そして…|Doukoku Soshite...]]''
| 1997
| [[Data East]]
| align="right" | 131,085
| <ref name="gamedatalibrary"/>
|-
| ''[[Witch on the Holy Night]]''
| 2022
| [[Type-Moon]]
| align="right" | 110,000
| {{efn|''Tsukimhime'':
* First Week Sales {{ndash}} 110,000+<ref>{{cite web |title=Witch on the Holy Night has sold more than 110K units (digital and physical combined) worldwide on PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch™. |url=https://twitter.com/mahoyo_game_en/status/1602455807144099841 |website=Twitter |publisher=Witch on the Holy Night - English}}</ref>
}}
|-
| ''[[Desire (video game)|Desire]]''
| 1994
| [[Hiroyuki Kanno (game designer)|Hiroyuki Kanno]] / {{ill|C's Ware|ja|シーズウェア}}
| align="right" | 102,187
| <ref name="SaturnSales"/>
|-
| ''[[One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e]]''
| 1998
| [[Tactics (company)|Tactics]]
| align="right" | 100,000
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dmm.co.jp/mono/anime/-/detail/=/cid=n_668tcld70061/|script-title=ja:ONE～輝く季節へ～ OVA EPISODE 1 on sale|language=ja|website=[[DMM.com]]|access-date=November 21, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624032408/https://www.dmm.co.jp/mono/anime/-/detail/=/cid=n_668tcld70061/|archive-date=June 24, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[The House in Fata Morgana]]''
| 2012
| Novectacle
| align="right" | 100,000
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://novect.fanbox.cc/posts/7021628 |title=Steam10万本突破！/ 100k Copies on Steam! |last=Hanada |first=Keika |date=November 22, 2023 |website=NOVECT [[Pixiv|pixivFANBOX]] |access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[Hypertext fiction]]
* [[List of video games based on anime or manga]]
* [[List of visual novel engines]]
* [[Motion comic]]
* [[The Visual Novel Database]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Visual novels}}
*[https://vndb.org/ Visual Novel Database]
*[https://www.gematsu.com/genres/visual-novel Gematsu Visual Novel Coverage]
*[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/search?q=visual+novel Anime News Network Visual Novel Coverage]
*[https://www.siliconera.com/?s=visual+novel Siliconera Visual Novel Coverage]
*[https://www.nookgaming.com/category/visual-novel NookGaming Visual Novel Coverage]
*[https://www.heypoorplayer.com/?s=visual+novel Hey Poor Player Visual Novel Coverage]
*[https://moe-gameaward.com/ Moe Game Awards]
*[https://www.famitsu.com/ Famitsu]

{{Dating sims and visual novels}}
{{VideoGameGenre}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Visual Novel}}
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Interactive fiction]]
[[Category:Video game genres]]
[[Category:Visual novels| ]]
[[Category:Wasei-eigo]]