The best dating games in 2024

The best dating games offer the perfect blend of steamy romance and interesting storytelling all wrapped up in a slick visual style that helps keep you engaged. A genre that focuses entirely on telling romantic tales, there are loads of different titles out there to cater to your own personal tastes and preferences.

These range from a dedicated dating sim like Cupid Parasite, which sees a romantic story unfold through amusing visual-novel style scenes that can change substantially depending on your own choices, to more experimental genre hybrids such as Boyfriend Dungeon. 

Given the vast number of dating games on offer, you’re likely to find yourself wondering which is going to be the best option for you, be you a genre veteran or new to the scene. While plenty of the best RPGs, like Persona 5 Royal and Baldur’s Gate 3, feature some elements found in dating games, we’ve chosen to highlight some specialist titles as well as top picks for all the major platforms too.

Although a handful of entries on this list do feature the option for same-sex romance, be sure to visit our guide to the best LGBTQ+ dating sim games for a more detailed breakdown of some other inclusive picks.

Best dating games 2024

Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance is our number one choice for the best dating game overall. Following awkward teenager Stella as she navigates complex relationships in her senior year of high school, it's an extremely relaxing experience that's absolutely dripping with late-90s nostalgia. Set in the remote supernatural town of Ladle, the big twist here is that every single one of your three romance options is some kind of strange cryptid. Choosing between the charismatic dinosaur Robert Raptorson, the moth-like fairy Day Lilly and the mysterious Sasquatch Taylor Tall-Toe certainly isn’t easy, as each path offers its own surprising twists and turns.

Although the story is often quite funny, Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance stands apart thanks to its incredibly earnest presentation. The premise might be a little ridiculous, but this is still a fully-fledged romance story with multiple endings that is elevated by complex and compelling writing. The hand-drawn art direction is also absolutely stunning throughout, with an impressive number of unlockable stills to commemorate each memorable moment. Although it originally launched as a PC exclusive via Steam and Itch, you can now find the game on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

If you’re searching for the best dating game on Nintendo Switch, then look no further than Cupid Parasite. Playing as the goddess of love, Cupid, who has gone undercover disguised as a human advisor at a top matchmaking company, it’s your job to try and find partners for the infamous Parasite 5 - five awkward men who have been deemed completely undatable. These five are of course your romance options and, while they might all seem pretty uniquely awful at first, the delightfully tongue-in-cheek writing means that it’s hard not to become attached as you begin to spend more time with each of them.

Every path is littered with memorable scenes and funny moments. While you’re only able to date three of the five on your first playthrough, the other two (not to mention an additional secret route) can be unlocked depending on your choices. In addition to the absolutely incredible anime art, punchy big-band music, and slick user interface, a handy flowchart screen tracks your overall progress and offers a convenient way to return to key moments and make sure that you see the entire story.

Fans of more text-heavy dating games will appreciate the more understated presentation of Code Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~, which is our choice for the best dating game on PlayStation. A compilation of Code: Realize − Guardian of Rebirth and Code: Realize − Future Blessings which were originally released for the PS Vita, Code Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ is a captivating visual novel that tells an ambitious steampunk alternate history story. 

Set in 1800s England, you play as Cardia - a mysterious young woman who has been trapped in a dilapidated mansion by her genius scientist father. Cardia is the victim of a tragic condition that causes a single touch of her skin to instantly kill any living creature. Forced out of her isolation by the British army, who want to capture her for some kind of sinister testing, she is quickly rescued by the legendary thief Arsène Lupin and finds herself at the center of a sinister conspiracy. Joined by Herlock Sholmès, Van Helsing, and a whole host of other literary and historical figures, it definitely has one of the most interesting settings on this list.

There are multiple routes to discover in the first game, with a huge range of endings and a vast number of special scenes to unlock. The sequel then serves as a neat little follow-up, offering some additional context and some extra routes that take place after the events of the main game. Code Realize ~Bouquet of Rainbows~ can be played on PS5 through PS4 backwards compatibility, but is also available on Nintendo Switch.

Boyfriend Dungeon is comfortably the best dating game on Xbox. A roguelike dungeon crawler where you date the magical personifications of your own weapons, it combines fast-paced action with a surprisingly thoughtful story. The game sees you spending your cash taking your weapons out for dates in between runs in a procedurally generated dungeon where you can make the money back. 

There are nine dateable weapons to choose from as you progress through the story, ranging from the cute K-pop idol Seven (the human version of a powerful laser sword) to the artist Valeria (a deadly dagger). The romance options are all fantastically inclusive, reflecting a broad spectrum of gender identities and sexualities. Even so, the game doesn’t shy away from tackling some heavy themes at times, including depression and abuse.

While the dungeon crawling segments are 3D and played from a top-down perspective, narrative sections take on a more traditional visual novel appearance with attractive character art and backgrounds that are sure to satisfy those who are more interested in the story. In addition to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, the game is also available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

We consider Tears of Themis to be the best mobile dating game thanks to its fair monetization system and impressive graphics. A free-to-play title from miHoYo, the developers of the hugely popular Genshin Impact, Tears of Themis is an absorbing legal drama set in the near future. As a rookie defense attorney, it’s up to you to collect evidence and uncover the truth behind a series of crimes in order to prove your clients innocent.

In addition to point-and-click crime scene investigations that take place in gorgeous 3D environments, you get to duke it out in high-speed courtroom logic battles that challenge you to use your collected evidence in order to prove your case. The game’s romance and dating elements come through cute side episodes which also provide tons of additional backstory about the main cast and allow you to unlock charming animated scenes.

Tears of Themis is divided into multiple chapters, some of which need to be obtained through a gacha system using in-game currency. It is worth noting that this currency can be bought with real money but, while the inability to play everything at once might be a turn-off for some, we found that the game was actually very fair with its free pulls. If you’re willing to invest the extra time grinding, then you should be able to see most of your desired routes for free without too much hassle.

Found on Nintendo Switch and PC, Sucker for Love: First Date is our recommendation if you’re after the best comedy dating game. It’s a short and amusing adventure in which you accidentally summon Ln'eta, an adorable anthropomorphic tentacle creature who just might be an all-powerful evil god. In exchange for a kiss, she challenges you to complete a string of sinister rituals found within the pages of a neon-pink Necronomicon. Hilarious scenarios ensue as you struggle with the implications of trying to placate a malevolent ancient being and a whole cast of additional supernatural characters.

While there are multiple possible endings to uncover, you progress through each of the dateable characters in a wholly linear order which might be a little disappointing for those who prefer dating games with a little more freedom. Still, the frequent examples of laugh-out-loud funny writing and the occasional bout of genuine horror more than make up for it.

Monster Prom: XXL is easily the best multiplayer dating game. Spicing things up by introducing a competitive element, the game sees you enroll at a supernatural high school filled with monster students and race to find a prom date against up to four other players. With a strict time limit of just three weeks, you need to carefully split your time between the different locations of the school collecting key items and responding to hundreds of possible scenarios that affect your overall character stats. These stats then determine your level of success in finding a prom date with your desired character when the game ends.

It’s an absolute blast to play with friends in the local multiplayer mode, taking turns tackling each scenario and laughing at the quirky writing. The game is also no slouch when it comes to visuals, with superb character designs and plenty of well-drawn still scenes to unlock. While the original game can be purchased standalone on PC, Monster Prom: XXL is the version available on consoles and contains both the game and its Second Term expansion which adds even more scenarios and two more dateable characters to woo.

Best dating games: FAQs

How we made our best dating games list

We made our best dating games list through first-hand experience playing all of the titles featured. This list was originally created by our most experienced dating game player, who has tried their hand at a wide range of titles in the genre across a variety of platforms. In order to create this list, we carefully considered the kinds of popular platforms that players are most likely to be looking for a dating game on, such as Nintendo Switch or mobile, to try and ensure that there was something for everyone.

We also took a few popular subgenres into consideration, including comedy dating games and multiplayer dating games. This list will also be kept up to date as new dating games are released, with new entries for those that we consider to be the best, to ensure that it remains relevant and up to date in the years to come. With plenty of upcoming dating games on the horizon, be sure to check back in from time to time for some fresh recommendations.

For some other superb games to play, see our guides to the best single-player games and the best digital board games.