Are we in a point-and-click renaissance?

Point-and-click games come in all shapes and sizes. Some fall into the mystery category, for example, placing players in the shoes of a grizzled detective, while others are light and whimsical, with hidden treasures dotted throughout vibrant scenes.

Whatever your subgenre of choice is, chances are that you’ve noticed the P&C genre picking up steam again, with some great point-and-click games popping up from indie developers. Here’s a breakdown of whether we’re currently in a point-and-click renaissance, looking at the best point-and-click games from recent years as a reference.

What are point-and-click games?

The definition of a true point-and-click game varies, but generally, it refers to a game where the player must solve puzzles and advance a story by using just their mouse, often involving themes of adventure or mystery.

The subgenres that often bleed into the P&C circle are walking simulators, interactive fiction, and visual novels, with hidden object games often popping up as well. These are all similar to point-and-click titles – and sometimes, a game can fall into several of these categories – but they’re not identical by any means.

Despite the name, point-and-click mobile games or console titles do exist. The genre lends itself naturally to a PC format, but it’s possible to find some good point-and-click games that don’t require a mouse if you’re willing to dig a little deeper.

Are point-and-click games coming back?

While they might not be taking the crown of most popular gaming genre any time soon based on live player counts, yes, arguably, point-and-click games are making a slow but steady comeback, mainly thanks to the rising interest in cozy gaming and creepy-cute titles. The top point-and-click games often fall into these two categories.

The cozy gaming boom is often tied to 2020, when people were searching for ways to keep occupied while at home and looking for an escape from the real world. Cozy games offer a safe, pleasant withdrawal from reality, with titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stardew Valley, and Coffee Talk being popular picks.

The creepy-cute subgenre can be thought of as an offshoot of cozy gaming, with titles like Cozy Grove, Spiritfarer, and Cult of the Lamb standing out. These titles have soft, charming aesthetics, but also elements of horror or heavy topics.

While these subgenres are peppered with farming games, life simulators, and management titles, there’s one more category that makes an exceptionally frequent appearance – point-and-click games.

If you’ve been looking for point-and-click games online, chances are that you’ve stumbled across a myriad of titles in this particular duo of niches.

Games like The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show and Slay the Princess are pristine examples here. Both are recent indie darlings that’ve developed cult followings and made a dent in the social media space, and they follow the point-and-click format, with the former leaning into puzzles more and the latter into the visual novel format.

New releases like The Drifter and, arguably, Blue Prince, show that there’s a real desire for story-driven P&C titles with solid puzzles in 2025. The indie world is carrying the genre, and it’s likely that we’ll see even more modern point-and-click games popping up in the coming months.

If you’re hunting for solid P&C games to explore, it’s worth looking at sites like Itch.io to find new and exciting titles to support. Countless indie developers upload their games on this site, and there are plenty of exceptional point-and-click titles to enjoy.

Why did point-and-click games lose popularity?

Point-and-click games lost a lot of steam after the genre originally gained popularity. Initially, P&C games were made with limited tools and on older systems, but as the gaming industry developed further, the genre got somewhat pushed to the side.

As consoles got more and more popular, the idea of having to navigate a game with a cursor became less appealing to players.

There are plenty of point-and-click adventure games that work perfectly on consoles nowadays, but that wasn’t always the case. There have been noticeable improvements made to the P&C formula for console, handheld, and mobile players in the last handful of years, particularly with controls and interactive elements.

Thankfully, the point-and-click gaming world seems to be on an upward trajectory. These games aren’t topping the charts by any means, but the combination of cozy gaming, creepy-cute titles, and unbelievably talented indie developers means that 2025 could possibly be the most promising year for the genre yet.