Games like Defective Detectives
Games like Defective Detectives include Tangle Tower, Carto, Chants of Sennaar, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, and No Case Should Remain Unsolved. We matched them by the tags players give Defective Detectives on Steam (Exploration, Visual Novel, Puzzle, Point & Click, and Casual): closest matches first, and among equally close ones the better-known games.

Tangle Tower
Shared: Exploration · Puzzle · Point & Click

Carto
Shared: Exploration · Puzzle · Cute

Chants of Sennaar
Shared: Puzzle · Point & Click · Adventure

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Shared: Exploration · Puzzle · Cute

No Case Should Remain Unsolved
Shared: Puzzle · Visual Novel · Point & Click

Slime Rancher
Shared: Exploration · Cute · Adventure

Unpacking
Shared: Casual · Cute · Puzzle

There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
Shared: Puzzle · Point & Click · Casual

Botanicula
Shared: Exploration · Point & Click · Casual

The Wolf Among Us
Shared: Visual Novel · Detective · Adventure

TOEM: A Photo Adventure
Shared: Puzzle · Exploration · Cute

Detective Grimoire
Shared: Exploration · Point & Click · Puzzle

Murders on the Yangtze River
Shared: Puzzle · Exploration · Detective

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Shared: Visual Novel · Detective · Puzzle

Big Walk
Shared: Exploration · Puzzle · Casual

Otaku's Adventure
Shared: Visual Novel · Funny · Puzzle

Donut County
Shared: Casual · Puzzle · Cute

The Mermaid Mask
Shared: Puzzle · Point & Click · Visual Novel

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
Shared: Point & Click · Detective · Visual Novel

OneShot
Shared: Puzzle · Cute · Story Rich

A Short Hike
Shared: Exploration · Cute · Relaxing

DAVE THE DIVER
Shared: Exploration · Casual · Relaxing

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Shared: Visual Novel · Detective · Puzzle

A Little to the Left
Shared: Puzzle · Casual · Cute