12 GREAT Visual Novels for Newcomers - BEST VNs to Start With!

No mention of fate or tsukihime😔

A few days ago I upgraded my storage space on my vita and wanted to try 10 VNs to fit the Bubble Folder, and is was helpful. I already was aware of some anime ones like Psycho pass Child child steins gate.

school days

For beginner Visual Novels, I suggest Majikoi. A nice school slice of life with martial arts and interesting characters. You'll not get bored with it. The series already have EN fan translations available. Ever17 is also nice for beginners. It's about a group of people trapped in an aquarium and things happened. It's the oldest visual novel here.

Then after you've played some more, then I suggest digging deeper into hell. Try the Muvluv series, Extra is bad, Unlimited is meh, Alternative is awesome. Play it in that order. Extra is your usual shallow romance bs. Unlimited has some mecha action meat on it but still focused on the romance. Alternative is when things get more serious. Barely any romance, just pure drama, action, and deaths.

Then if you're already in VN hell, you can get access to the more serious ones like G Senjou no Maou/The Devil on G-String and Comyu. G Senjou no Maou is where you're the adopted son of a yakuza boss who made a persona of being the good kid on the outside but is actually a ruthless and cold businessman handling the administrative side of things and meets a musician girl. Comyu or Coμ is about 5 random strangers bonding together to summon a dragon to fight another group's monster to the death. Once the monster dies, the whole group also dies.

There are tons of good VNs out there. Just find one that you seem interested in. Read the synopsis first.

Utawarerumono was great, but they have a sad track record of really disappointing endings IMO.
The plot twist in the first one was an OK idea, but the execution was seriously kinda meh.

And the second one's (I count Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth duology as a single title, since they are supposed to be played one after another) ending dragged on for WAY too long. I think the sequel had like three or four endings, and by the time I got through them, I was so done with the narrative, that any positive feelings I had towards the story were completely gone.

And that's really sad, because in both cases everything prior to the ending, I absolutely adore. The original fantasy setting, the cast, the jokes, the drama, the atmosphere... If only they didn't screw up the endings :(

I'm currently on playstation 4, can i get some recommendations for visual novals (love story games were choices matter)

Your title should say best "anime" visual novels...

my first visual novel was "Find Love or die trying" the next was Doki Doki literature club big contrast from the former lol

Aoi Mukou best girl

1st VN Season of Sakura Most beloved VNs Devil on G string and Sharin no Kuni Most fun Mainstrem VNs Rewrite and Little busters. VN that has a special place in my Heart Da Capo 2. Not listing Muv Luv Alternative since its more of a Kinetic Novel than a VN. thogh there are ton of more that were memorable like Hoshizora no Memoria, Dracu riot, and the Metioned Sabat of the Witch

Doki Doki is a interesting choice thogh if someone picks that up as his 1st and think this is the "normal" he/she has a non insignificant chance to never touch VNs again....

Nice video. My first VIsual Novel was ''The House in Fata Morgana''.

Why are you recommending saya no uta that shit is nightmare fuel

These are all the leader VNs,an underrated one,literally 7 years old; "her tears were my light" the game definitely deserves a wayy larger audience. For a 1 and a half hour VN,you will enjoy every bit of it.(the game for short;the universe is gay. You'll get it later. Its themed around space and time)

Everything is too much "manga" for me...

Saying Saya no Uta is a good first vn is just the worst take ever. First of all it is super niche because of all the themes included in it, and I can't remember mc less likeable in any vn I read(also I hate titular Saya because of how evil her actions are)

Almost All anime garbage

Is there good non-japanese novels, such as recent Citizen Sleeper?

Ddlc💀

My first was DDLC....and the last one too...
P.S Yes, Monika is the best







JUST MONIKA

Danganronpa is the best place for complete VN newbies to start because it's fast paced and has great mainstream appeal. After that, i would let them read Steins;Gate because it's more demanding but leads to an amazing payoff if you do the investment of time. If they get trough Steins;Gate and end up loving it, it's time to finally, seemingly casually mention Muv-Luv. Because that is my favorite work of fiction ever created but it's so intensely otaku that it's impossible to recommend to inocent civilians without first preparing them mentally. 🙂

My first one was Professor Layton

My first VN was Katawa Shoujo and 2nd If my heart had wings. Both of them were really good.

I don't really think Saya no Uta is a good title to introduce anyone to VNs, don't get me wrong is a great game but it could give a wrong impression to new people, instead I'd recommend something like Famicom Investigation Club or World End Syndrome.

I been a gamer my whole life. I'm 38. Never have I entered the genre of VN. Recently my very 1st VN is Doki Doki. I was amazed at the game and myself that I was engaged and not bored

My first? Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

I learned japanese to play baldr sky in 2017, best decision of my life

My first visual novel was DDLC, though my first "major" VN I played (which happened to be after DDLC) was Steins;Gate. Fantastic time, though it does take a while to speed up and get good. My first playthrough I had no idea the phone had such a major impact on progression, so for anyone else who's played through it, you can probably guess which ending I got :)

All titles mid, you fell off.

Sub to tony zaret

You're fuxking insane labeling Saya no Uta as "beginner friendly" it takes a hardened fan to play.

My first visual novel was If My Heart Had Wings on the Nintendo Switch. I’ve always loved anime with stories about people pursuing their passions (The Pet Girl of Sakura-sou, Remake Our Life! and Your lie in April being great examples), so when I saw If My Heart Had Wings it seemed like a story I would really enjoy, it being about a group of friends building a glider and taking to the skies.
I ended up really loving it, and it’s had a special place in my heart ever since, being the game that introduced me to the world of visual novels :)

the first two Zero Escape games are really good

I once played a game I just remember the good feeling, and I think is was called A New Dawn or maybe a new day. Can't seem to find it

"These are his words, not mine!" LOL

Katawa shoujo was my first visual novel and i agree with you it is such a heartwarming game with a lot to love about it, but my favorite has to be little busters that visual novel changed my opinion on visual novels and made me want more

personal favorite: 😇💀🦋

Just bought Saya no Uta and played until the pet part(for those who know) and all I can say is, don't just don't buy it. The game is fucked up it may seem ordinary at first(as normal as it can be for its unusual plot) but believe me it's not. It gets progressively worst as you keep playing it.

Recommending Says is an absolute goat move.

My first visual novel was none other than Type-Moon’s glorious emotional roller coaster known as Tsukihime.

I can’t not recommend anything created by type moon, they are the GODS of VNs.

My first visual novel was Everlasting Summer (which is very popular in Russia and other post-USSR countries), but my first Japanese visual novel was The Song of Saya. This was an amazing experience, it's a great VN with an awesome plot. But my most favorite visual novel is definitely Umineko: When They Cry. It's one of the longest VNs in history, but it's a brilliant masterpiece deserving every minute dedicated to it!

My first VN was Doki Doki Literature Club and it was something I wasn't expecting. Since then, I've gotten a few more VNs such as Punchline, Sucker For Love, Persona 4, and Zanki Zero. All are worth a look!

My first VN was actually Ace Attourney but I never realized it was classified as such when I played it. So to me, my first VN was Doki Doki, at least in terms of sparking my interest in VNs in general. Great list!

A VN that nobody talked about is 428: Shibuya Scramble. It's a very odd format for its time that just somehow work.... using still live action footage instead of anime. Player will play multiple very likeable characters to unveil the full story, fill with twist and turns along with some very clever writing.

First was Steins gate and was amazed at how good it was. Loved Danganrompa series. Tried a few of the Otome games. Surprisingly PyschPass was my least favorite as I just couldn’t get into it.

Subscribed because you named some amazing vns. I personally like action and mystery and am looking forward to suggestions that for that.

Played house of fata morgana and nothing has topped that for me. Raging loop and the Utawaremono series are close seconds.

🐻🧑‍🎓🔪🔪
It’s the Danganronpa series for me! XD and also various random VNs on mobile before that. Currently playing Collar x Malice and Ace Attorney Justice For All 😆

Doki Doki literature club was the most saccharine "twist" to ever try to consider itself edgy. So much so that it wasn't an even Doki Doki nor edgy, but it sure tried hard...but did it really?