The best dating sims are here for anyone looking to find some romance in their video game experience. With adventures of all kinds to explore that have dating sim elements, you can find everything from the best visual novels that spin memorable stories packed full of potential suitors, to management games that will turn you into cupid, and even a dungeon crawler.
Our selection speaks to the wide variety of experiences to be found in the sub-genre across all platforms. Happily, lots of new games are coming all the time, too, with dating sim elements in the likes of upcoming indie game, Neverway, and upcoming horror game, Grave Seasons.
With lots of options out there to explore and try out, there's sure to be something here to capture your heart. So whether you're a big fan of dating sims and you want to see what makes our selection, or you're looking for some recommendations, read on below as we take you through our pick of the best dating sims.
10. Doki Doki Literature Club
Developer: Team Salvato
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Doki Doki Literature Club is one of the most popular dating sims out there and one of the best anime games, too. But be warned: it's not for the faint of heart. The story starts innocent enough, with four potential love interests, a high school club, and lots of poetry. There's the sweet girl, the quiet one, the tsundere… But things are not as they seem.
Doki Doki Literature Club has a great storyline and interesting characters, but the best thing about it is the unexpected twists. This game will turn surprisingly dark when you least expect it, hence the reason it starts with the warning that it's not suitable for "children and those who are easily disturbed." If you think you can handle it (be sure to check trigger warnings beforehand), then this is a dating sim you don't want to miss.
9. Love, Ghostie
Developer: Janbeh Games, LLC
Platforms: PC
One of the best games in 2024 in terms of dating sims has to be this adorable management game where you play as a ghost matchmaker! It turns out that ghosts become love experts when they die, and after you pass away, you're put in charge of haunting a massive manner house. Your mission is simple: pair up residents in the house by sending gifts and organizing the house schedule (that also includes time for romantic dates).
There are multiple pairings to unlock as you progress the game, upgrades to your ghostly powers to purchase, and a series of hats to collect as well. What more could you want? Oh, and like with all the best dating sims, after you complete each couple's story, you get a special CG (computer graphic) to collect. It's cozy, cute, and a great pick for management-focused dating sim players. Read our Love, Ghostie indie spotlight for more details on this gem!
8. Hustle Cat
Developer: Date Nightio
Platform: PC
Hustle Cat sees you take on the role of Avery Grey, who's just gotten a new job a local cat café. But this isn't your average cat café, as it turns out. There's more to the staff than meets the eye, and something mysterious is happening there that begins to affect you.
With a variety of different characters to date and routes to experience, Hustle Cat is well worth checking out - especially if you're fond of felines. It's also allows you to customize and choose the pronouns of your character, and you're free to date any one of the cast depending on the choices you make.
7. Date Everything
Developer: Sassy Chap Games
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch
Date Everything does what it says on the tin, because you really can date just about anything you can see. Using a pair of special Dateviator glasses, you can essentially transform everyday household items into dateable characters that all have their own distinct personalities and styles that creatively embody on the furniture or belongings they are.
With a huge cast of acting talent who bring the characters to life, you can get to know and choose to romance everything from a mirror to refrigerator and even a door. There's so much to discover in the house, with lots of nooks and crannies hiding potential dateables, and with an overarching mystery to unpick, you can spend hours finding your perfect date. For more, check out our Date Everything review.
6. Hatoful Boyfriend
Developer: Mediatonic
Platforms: PC
In Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hope and White Wings, you play a human girl who has eight different love interests to choose from. Oh, and they're all pigeons.
Not only is Hatoful Boyfriend one of the funniest and most bizarre dating sims out there, it is also celebrated for its variety of endings and character depth. Like Doki Doki Literature Club, Hatoful Boyfriend's silly exterior hides a much deeper and fascinating storyline. This is also a unique chance to learn a thing or two about pigeon breeds, so make sure you don't miss it. While it was originally available on PS4 and iOS, it has since been delisted from the platforms, but you can still pick it up on Steam.
5. Boyfriend Dungeon
Developer: Kitfox Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
What if your weapons in a dungeon crawler could transform into incredibly hot people that you could date? Boyfriend Dungeon asks and answers that important question, giving you a chance to run through dungeons with a selection of weapons and date those weapons.
You can also choose not to date anyone and just hang out with a cool cat, which is a very solid option. Each character has their own story to for you to explore, and the various dungeons you explore will you see you face some inner demons in moving ways. If you're looking for something with a combat twist that's more original than most, Kitfox's dating sim is worth considering. For more details, read our indie spotlight for Boyfriend Dungeon.
4. Olympia Soiree
Developer: Otomate
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
On Tenguu Island colour is the most important thing, in fact what colour someone is determines their status. However, you play as an anomaly. Since you come from a mysterious island, you have the ability to choose your own colour based on who you decide to marry. However, finding love isn't easy, especially since there are multiple people who want to use you for political means and you have the weight of your mother's history weighing you down as well.
There are six love interests here for you to romance. Each have a happy ending as well as a series of bad ones to unlock. They are also equally well written and fit in perfectly with the rich world building on display in Olympia Soiree. Olympia Soiree is stunning, romantic and has a protagonist who is also strong in her own right, truly, this is one of the best Switch games for dating sims fans.
3. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Developer: Game Grumps
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Imagine you're a single dad who just moved to a new neighborhood with his teenage daughter. You are looking for love, and surprise: your new town happens to be full of hot, (mostly) single dads! There's a Teacher Dad, a Fitness Dad, a Goth Dad… Seven daddies to match your own desires, and they all come with several different endings.
One of the things that sets Dream Daddy apart is the character creation. There's a broad range of customization options to help you design the dreamiest of daddies. If that's not enough reason to play Dream Daddy, then check out the dad jokes and the minigames. I hope you're into mini golf and fishing!
2. Monster Prom
Developer: Beautiful Glitch
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Yet another classic among dating simulator connoisseurs. In Monster Prom, you go on a high schooler's most important mission: scoring a date for the prom! It’s only different from reality in two ways: everyone is a monster, and you might actually succeed.
Monster Prom is colorful, cartoonish, and far more than a click-through adventure. You have to try your hardest if you want to score a date, and even then, there's a high chance of rejection. As dating sims are usually single-player only, one of Monster Prom's best features is the multiplayer option. In fact, Monster Prom is easily the best multiplayer game in the genre.
1. Code Realize - Guardian of Rebirth
Developer: Otomate / Idea Factory
Platforms: Switch, PS4, PS5 (Bouquet of Rainbows version)
Originally released on the PS Vita before finding a home on the Switch, Code Realize is a visual novel with dating sim elements that's perfect for anyone who's looking for a memorable adventure with a side of romance. Set in a steampunk alternate take on Victorian London, you take on the role of Cardia, a young woman who, for reasons unknown, is poisonous to the touch.
As she sets out in search of answers, you're drawn into a journey full of mystery as you try to uncover her own origin and better understand her affliction. Along the way, she's joined by a cast of characters with their own backstories and motivations who are also romanceable, with various routes to make your way through. If you enjoy Guardians of Rebirth, there are also lots of additional Code Realize follow-ups that flesh out the cast's stories and give you more romance, too.
Looking for more games to try? Check out our pick of the best RPGs, best sim games, and best short games you can play right now.
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