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Top 10 · Detective

The 10 best DOS detective games

The 10 best DOS detective games, as the players of dos.games rate them. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis leads the list, ahead of Circle of Blood and Polda.

Every game on the list plays in your browser, with nothing to install. The order comes from players' ratings and real play time, so it moves as people play.

Updated How the lists are ranked

  • 23DOS detective games in the archive
  • 10 of 10Play in your browser
  • 3.5Score of #1, out of 5

  3. 3. Polda

    1998 · SleepTeam · Adventure

    3.51 rating

    Guide detective Pankrac through a strange kidnapping case in SleepTeam's 1998 MS-DOS adventure Polda, solving inventory puzzles and talking to suspects.

    Play now: PoldaAbout the game
Ranks 11–20

More great DOS detective games

  1. The Last Express — playable in the browserBrøderbund · Adventure · 1997Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open The Last Express
  2. Sam & Max Hit the Road — playable in the browserLucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC · Adventure · 1993Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Sam & Max Hit the Road
  3. Police Quest 3: The Kindred — playable in the browserSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1991Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Police Quest 3: The Kindred
  4. Teenagent — playable in the browserMetropolis Software House · Adventure · 1995Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Teenagent
  5. Conspiracy (Enhanced CD) — playable in the browserVirgin Games · Adventure · 1994Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Conspiracy (Enhanced CD)
  6. Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (SCI Remake) — playable in the browserSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1992Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (SCI Remake)
  7. Police Quest 2: The Vengeance — playable in the browserSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1988Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Police Quest 2: The Vengeance
  8. Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? — playable in the browserBrøderbund Software, Inc. · Educational · 1989Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
  9. Police Quest 4: Open Season — playable in the browserSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1993Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Police Quest 4: Open Season
  10. The Legacy: Realm of Terror — playable in the browserMicroProse · Role-playing (RPG) · 1992Not played yet
    3.2
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.2

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open The Legacy: Realm of Terror
Keep exploring

More top lists by theme

See them all in the catalogue
Questions

Frequently asked

How Best DOS Games are ranked
What is the best DOS detective game?

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992, LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC) is the best DOS detective game by our players' ratings, ahead of Circle of Blood and Polda. The ranking follows players' ratings and real play time, so it changes as people play.

Can I play these DOS detective games online?

Yes. 10 of the games on this list play free in your browser on dos.games, with no download and no emulator to set up. Press Play on any of them; your progress can be saved.

How many DOS detective games are there on dos.games?

23. This list ranks the best 10 in full and the next ones below them; the catalogue has every one, with filters for year, studio and more.

Which year had the most great DOS detective games?

1993. 3 of the games on this list came out that year: Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Alone In The Dark 2 and Black Sect.

How is this list ranked?

With the same score as our Best DOS Games ranking: players' ratings, pulled toward the archive's own rating while a game has few of them, plus a small bonus for the games people actually keep playing. No editor and no sponsor decides a place.