If you’ve spent a lot of time playing romance visual novels, then you know that they’re all over the place – both in quality and literally in where they’re being published. Finding lots of visual novels is not difficult, but finding the best romance visual novels – ones worth your time to play and that you don’t want to miss – can be quite difficult. Publishers and visual novel creators want to push as many of them out as possible, especially because it’s a popular game niche. So that you don’t have to play thousands of unsatisfying games to try to find the gems, we’re going to share our list of some of the best romance novels of 2024. “Best of” anything type lists are always subjective, and we’ve likely missed some great ones, but hopefully you’ll find this collection helpful. They’ve all been released in the past twelve months and are available right now.
UsoNatsu – The Summer Romance Bloomed from a Lie
Aside from just having a really long title, UsoNatsu – The Summer Romance Bloomed from a Lie isn’t your typical romance VN. You’re along for the ride as two young girls discover themselves and fall in love with each other. There are some dark themes to this game, but it’s usually broken up with slapstick comedy to lighten the mood. All of the characters are fully voiced and it’s a lesbian love triangle story you don’t want to miss.
Clover Day’s Plus
Clover Day’s Plus had some problems with its launch but those are all in the past. It’s been fully updated to take care of all the bugs, so you’re left with a great romance game that spans over ten years. You play as an adopted son who was brought to Japan without even knowing the language. Your character made friends and grew up. Now he’s returned and things are very different. His friends have matured and now it’s his one desire to bring them back into his life.
Nukitashi
Nukitashi is a game that takes place on a fictional island where sex is mandatory and enforced by the law. If you don’t participate then you go to jail and it’s that simple. It makes for a great romance setting where love is almost forbidden, and sex is the law of the land. They take sex and add a great sense of humor to it. You’ll see lots of sex toys, but they’re there for hilarious jokes that can have your eyes watering from laughter. If you’re into a lighthearted romance VN then this is the one to check out.
Sugar Sweet Temptation
Sugar Sweet Temptation has a very common plot that might make you want to avoid it. It opens up as your character awakens from an accident without any of his memories. He’s an amnesiac and taken in by gorgeous girls who want him for themselves and use their baking skills to try and make it happen. Of course, the game is on this list because it subverts that plot and takes it to places you never would have considered before. They do a great job of telling an entertaining story with plenty of romance.
Onigokko! Fandisc
Onigokko! Fandisc is a sequel to the original Onigokko! from JAST. It has a unique storyline that you’ll have to follow before you get to the actual romance gameplay. You take on the role of Keisuke Urabe, who happens to be related to a famous thief. When someone claiming to be that thief, shows up, Keisuke and his younger sister have to move to Miyajima Academy where they find plenty of cute girls to take their minds off the matter of their relative. It’s a lot of fun and the artwork is some of the best that you can find.
With Eyes of Ice
With Eyes of Ice is a romance game that you get to play as a flashback and it’s a great way to get through the storyline. You play as Greta Egillsdottir, a girl from a farming village who happens to have three men vying for her affections. She decides to leave and ends up on a distant fishing island where things go very poorly. She ends up close to dying in Iceland and starts recalling her love life. That’s when you get to play through the narrative and make decisions that can change the outcome of the game.
My Little Sister’s Special Place
Just going by the title of My Little Sister’s Special Place, you’re going to think that this game goes into some directions, and you’d be right. You play as Youhei who lives with his younger sister, Yukana. The twist is that Yukana is in love with her brother and wants to be more than just siblings. As the two of them end up alone, they certainly grow closer to each other. Don’t worry, though. It doesn’t get gross. It turns into a lighthearted story that you’ll want to play multiple times.
Conclusion: Try New Romance Games
There are lots of romance VNs and you’ll always be able to find one that you haven’t played before. That doesn’t mean they’re worth it, though. This is a list of the best romance visual novels that you can play right now. They’ve all been released in the last year, and they have lots of positive ratings on their platforms. The stories are all unique and that always makes a big difference. Some of them even go through the trouble of making you think you’re going in one direction, just to send you careening into a different one. Each game has plenty of replay to them, so you can spend a lot of time immersing yourself in the stories and just having a good time. Check out the ones that appeal to you, then check out the ones you’re iffy about. You might just be surprised at how much you end up liking them. Even if you’re not usually a fan of romance VNs, these games have something to offer you that you’ll enjoy. Many of them are also still being updated, so there’s more in store for the stories after you finish playing them for the first time.