5 Best Point & Click Adventure Games of All Time, Ranked 

The best way to unwind after a long day of battling fellow gamers in fast-action RPGs is by putting on a point-and-click adventure game. Here, you don't have to worry about brutal survival missions that often have you on edge for the most part of your experience. Point-and-click adventure games typically involve character interactions and puzzle-solving that lead to the game's story progression.

These games mostly focus on narrative, making for an interesting and engaging experience. After years of incredible productions, the point-and-click genre has become well-established within the gaming community. Between old classics and modern releases, we can find amazing titles that contributed to the genre's fanbase growth. We have selected the best of these for our list of the five best point-and-click adventure games of all time.

5. Emily Is Away

Let's start our list with one of Kyle Seeley's masterpieces; a 2015 point-and-click saga dubbed Emily Is Away. The game is set in the early 2000s, giving us a brilliant throwback to a fondly remembered era. It features the story of the protagonist's long-term relationship with a girl named Emily. A devotion that runs through the course of five years, from the high school senior year all the way through college. The game takes you through the ups and downs of this relationship through a message exchange system where you and Emily can exchange chats.

Throughout the game, you have the option to switch avatars according to whatever is popular in that era. Talk about school life, parties, and your classmates. You can plan and choose to attend events or forgo them according to the conversation you and Emily have. This is the first entry in a three-series title that stands on its own as the most remarkable of the trio. It is certainly among the best point-and-click games ever made, and any fan of the genre should have Emily Is Away on their must-play list.

4. Blade Runner

From one of the most amazing classic movies to a banger video game, let's take a look at Blade Runner. This game adaptation of the most beloved sci-fi movie in history was always bound to be a success. Although the game came almost 15 years after the movie, the franchise still had lots of fans who embraced it wholeheartedly. It accurately depicted the movie's cyberpunk anesthetics, something that made this title even more captivating. It also offers a whole other story you would enjoy following. 

Here you play as detective Ray McCoy, an elite agent tasked with hunting down and taking down a gang of dangerous replicants. The game mostly entails investigative activities as opposed to combat and puzzles. You will spend most of your time gathering evidence and questioning witnesses to gather as much intel as possible to piece together information. For a 1997 game, Blade Runner is an impressive release and can still hold its own today against modern titles.

3. Thimbleweed Park

Thimbleweed Park is an incredible adventure said to be the spiritual successor of the '90s The Secret of Monkey Island. You play as either of two FBI agents, Reyes or Ray, who are sent to a peculiar town for an assignment. This particular town is named Thimbleweed Park, where you must investigate a recent murder. Your findings lead you to various people of interest, including some close relatives of the deceased. As the game progresses and you unlock more events in the game's story, you also get three additional playable characters.

Uncover all the town's secrets by all means possible, using all the tools available. Thimbleweed Park features a tremendous story with various twists and turns you may not see coming. It also features an expansive runtime that keeps you engaged for a good while. The story unfolds in the form of different chapters where you must accomplish a number of set goals to move on to the next chapter. They may include puzzles, some of which require you to use multiple characters to solve.

2. Machinarium

Become a hero and save the world in a puzzle-solving adventure dubbed Machinarium. You play as Josef, a determined robot that strives to save the city from a heinous bomb plot. Through solving puzzles, Josef can accomplish the set objectives and progress through different adventures. The game's design and soundtrack are amazing displays of the developers' efforts. However, the most interesting yet limiting feature is its difficulty element, where you can only access the items within the robot's range. 

The Machinarium world consists of an all-robots population, which includes an evil gang called The Black Cap Brotherhood gang. These are the game's main villains, whom you must defeat to save the city's ruler as well as your girlfriend, Berta. Among various mini-games, adventurous quests, and puzzles to solve, there is a lot to appreciate in this title. Machinarium is a must-play title for those with an appreciation for artsy visuals.

1. Twelve Minutes

Moving to a point-and-click adventure that made waves in the gaming community when it first launched, we have Twelve Minutes. The list would be incomplete without this 2021 release, whose cast features a  good number of well-known actors; the likes of Daisy Ridley and James McAvoy. The game takes place in a tiny apartment, featuring a top-down view that lets you watch every character in the building. You and several others are stuck in a 12-minute time loop that you must beat in order to escape before time runs out. The game requires you to repeatedly play through each loop until you solve a mystery. 

You can interact with and move the things you can see in order to prevent the same situation from happening again. For instance, as you play the husband in the apartment who witnesses a cop accidentally killing the wife. You can wait for the time loop to reset and get things back to normal. After that, you can try doing things differently to prevent the same events. The tension and adrenaline the game gives out due to the time factor make it a worthwhile experience. 

Which game from the list above do you think is the best point-and-click adventure game of all time? Share your pick with us in the comments below or over on our socials here!