The Darkest Files

Historical detective game about prosecuting Nazi-era crimes in postwar Germany

Paintbucket Games · Released Mar 25, 2025

Adventure Indie Simulation

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 96% of 757
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 100% of 14 in 30 days
Playing now: 2; right now
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update: 7 months ago; Jan 30, 2026

Free demo available, 0 playing it now: get the demo.

Metacritic: 80/100 (critic reviews)

What is The Darkest Files?

In this first-person investigative adventure, you play Esther Katz, a prosecutor on Fritz Bauer's team in 1956 Germany. Across two cases, you interview witnesses, compare conflicting accounts, reconstruct events from evidence, and bring charges to court. Your findings can lead to different endings.

For you if...

+you enjoy weighing uncertain testimony before making accusations
+you value a serious story about historical accountability

Not for you if...

−you want fast-paced action instead of procedural investigations
−you prefer lighthearted mysteries to Nazi-era subject matter

What players say

96% of 757 reviews are positive · 100% of 14 in the last 30 days

Players praise the writing, voice acting, visual style, and handling of the historical subject matter. Common complaints include the short length and repetitive clue searches; some players report crashes or bugs that force them to reload.

Screenshots and trailer

The Darkest Files system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 10
Processor: x64
Graphics: Dedicated graphics card - Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or equivalent (Onboard/integrated graphics not supported)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Storage: 5 GB available space
DirectX: Version 11