Get that finger at the ready; it’s time to check out the best point and click adventure games of all time!
This one is for the puzzlenauts out there, the ones that thrive off a good mystery and leave no stone unturned.
Or no stone unclicked, in this case…
For decades now, point and click adventure games have been keeping players of all ages and gaming abilities occupied on flights, on the toilet, and on the sofa after a hard days work.
If anything, I think they’ve made me smarter, and that’s the story I’m sticking to.
So, if you fancy yourself as a wannabe Sherlock, then dive into our list below.
The game is afoot!
Table of Contents
10. Myst (1993)
Myst kickstarts this list of the best point and click adventure games, a classic game that needs no real introduction.
No matter what platform this game arrives on, it never fails to impress and spark intrigue.
From an Apple Macintosh legend to one of the best 3DO games ever released, MYST is just one of those titles that we’ll never get bored of.
The main premise of Myst see’s gamers heading out on a mysterious journey on the island of Myst (that terrible joke never gets boring either). Complete puzzles and search for clues to find out about your past.
As the name of this article might suggest, plays move their way through the game using a point and click interface, clicking on everything in sight with the hope of uncovering secrets.
And the nice thing about this game is that there are zero time pressures. You go at your own pace and play with no stress whatsoever.
There are no bad guys to kill you either; it’s just a relaxing adventure title that promotes collecting items rather than large kill counts.
In other words, the perfect snoozy-Sunday game!
9. The Longest Journey (1999)
The Longest Journey sees players travelling to the future, 2209 to be exact. You’re an artist dreaming of a white dragon, which apparently has nothing to do with drug use.
Yeah, right.
After talking to the dragon in your dreams, players can move between the real world and a magical dream world.
Definitely doesn’t sound like something you’d hallucinate…
This LucasArts game is one of many that you’ll discover in our list of point and click adventure games below. I think it’s safe to say that they owned the genre as a whole.
And the LucasArts name on a point and click game means epic puzzles, NPCs with a story to tell, and intriguing visuals that will leave you scrutinising every element of the screen.
As with many games in the genre, you’ll be looking out on pre-rendered backgrounds that are very cleverly put together. Thankfully, you can re-read every conversation you’ve ever had in a handy diary, useful considering you’ll be looking behind a characters ear at a stunning building every time they talk!
8. The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
The Secret of Monkey Island takes the 8th spot in the best point and click adventure games.
And guess what… it’s another LucasArts game.
Like pretty much every other LucasArts game at the time, it was impossible for your character to die in this game. Monkey Island is all about exploration and adventure, not worrying about death around every corner.
Some might argue that that takes any real difficulty or tension out of the game, but they shouldn’t worry. There’s enough puzzling action to make this game last for a heck of a long time.
And it’s an absolute classic to boot!
It’s good to talk, which is why you should chat with every NPC you find in this game. Immerse yourself in the Treasure Island-style setting and use all the commands at your disposal.
Just make sure to run away from anyone with a hook for a hand; they’ll bring nothing but trouble!
7. Batman: The Telltale Series (2016)
Batman: The Telltale Series recently featured in our list of the best Batman games and is a true tour de force. It’s a must have for fans of the comic book series who really want to step into all aspects of Bruce Wayne’s life.
Players get to see both sides of Bruce, following both the businessman and the Batman into very different types of scenarios.
Encounter a vast supporting cast, from Catwoman to Carmine Falcone, with good and bad guys alike monitoring Batman’s movements.
This game feels like stepping into an original comic and dictating the actions as though you were drawing it there and then.
Now I know how Sketch kind of feels in ComixZone!
For fans of Heavy Rain, it feels very similar. We’re talking long cinematic clips with players making choices that will affect the story via clicking dialogue options.
There’s also a cool feature where you have to investigate crime scenes, dragging and clicking items as you join them up and try to solve mysteries while dressed as the world’s most famous bat.
Sorry, Count Duckula, but it’s just true!
6. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993)
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers takes the next slot on our list of the best point and click adventure games.
Bookstore owners don’t often get thrust into the limelight in video games. Still, Gabriel Knight is a shadow hunter designated to fight evil.
I suppose that always helps, right?
If you had the kind of nightmares that this guy has, you’d spend all your time skulking around New Orleans trying to find out the secret of your past too.
Join Gabriel as he investigates a murder in the hope of finding content for his book, only to become embroiled in a world that captivates his morbid curiosity.
As if he needs any more trouble in his life!
Use verb commands to interact with everything and everyone you see. Interrogate NPCs and find clues as you get your hands dirty in a world of crime.
Sounds good, right!
5. LucasArts Entertainment Sam & Max Hit The Road (1993)
Any game with the cautionary sign ‘naked bunny with attitude’ needs to be checked out. That’s why LucasArts Entertainment Sam & Max Hit the Road scores so highly in this list!
The freelance police are heading out on another mission, this time to find Bruno the Bigfoot and what he’s done with Trixie, the girl with the giraffe-neck.
Direct Sam (and Max by proxy) anywhere on the screen. Click objects to interact with them as you scurry across the United States, unlocking new pieces of the map every time you solve a mystery.
Use items from your inventory, start conversations about objects you find along the way, and dive into a weird and wacky world that feels a little like the Conker’s Bad Fur Day of point and click adventure games.
I’m a big fan of the mini games included in this title too. I mean, ‘Wak-a-Rat’ and a game where you have to jump over interstate road signs are worth paying for on their own!
4. Grim Fandango (1998)
Grim Fandango takes the 4th spot in our list of the best point and click adventure games, yet another LucasArts game and one of the weirdest on this list.
Still, I’m pretty weird and I think I’m cool, so that makes this game cool too… right?
If you loved Coco, then this adventure through the land of the dead will be right up your street. Manny Calvera is a little more hardcore than any of the characters in Coco, though; definitely not one for the kids to play!
Speak to interesting characters, complete puzzles, and search for items that will help you to progress.
This point and click game has a very strong mafian feel to it, with Manny looking like the suavest skeleton around.
Oh, and like all the other LucasArts games (and because Manny is already dead), he can’t die. If something can be interacted with, he’ll look at it, leaving you to click to your heart’s content!
3. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis needs no introduction. As the winner of the best point and click games on Steam, this title is still the closest thing you can get to being Indy in real life!
The level of detail in this LucasArts game is phenomenal… I’m starting to think this should have just been the best LucasArts point and click adventure games, aren’t you?
So what’s Indiana up to this time?
Well, the game is set in 1939, which means you just know there’s going to be lots of Nazi-bashing action heading your way.
Your point and click mission is to prevent them from finding a weapon that will destroy the world.
No pressure, then.
With 200 locations ro explore and lots of fights on the ground, in cars, and even in the air, there’s plenty of action for you to sink your teeth into!
2. Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars (1996)
Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars remains one of the best games that I got from the old 12 Days of Christmas event Apple used to do back in the day.
It was essentially Carmen Sandiego mixed with The Curious Village, one of the best Professor Layton titles that I still go back to and play regularly.
Shadow of the Templars often goes by the title ‘The Circle of Blood’, but I like this title way more. No matter what it’s called in your region, it still features George Stobart and his near-death experience in Paris.
Move characters around by clicking on the screen or moving your mouse. I just click everything like my life depends on it in this game.
I can’t walk through my house now without lifting up books, moving the cat, opening cupboards, or checking under the sofa for clues.
Team up with Nicole, a French journalist as you move through 11 levels trying to figure out who laid the bomb that almost killed George and what their game is!
1. Maniac Mansion: Day Of The Tentacle (1993)
The results are in, and the best point and click adventure game is Day of the Tentacle.
A LucasArts title in the top spot; who would’ve guessed it!
For everyone who loved Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle serves as the epic sequel to what I still consider to be one of the greatest games of all time.
Which, if you think about it, makes Day of the Tentacle the double-greatest game of all time.
This point and click adventure game is colourful, wacky, full of crazy characters, and features the command bar that we’ve come to associate with many LucasArts games, especially the Monkey Island series.
Control three players throughout the game through different eras. Some actions in one era will affect the later eras; you’re literally altering history!
For instance, you can hide an item in one century and have another character find it 5 centuries later. The item might have become damaged and unusable though, leading you to go back and rethink your options.
What did you think of Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
