What I’d Recommend for Absolute Beginners
I’m putting this at the top, because I know that there are people who don’t want to think through a big list and just want straight up recs from someone.
If lots of sexual content sounds fun, play the first VN on this list (https://vndb.org/v?f=80PB&s=34w) that looks hot. If you’re too lazy to scroll through the list, play Yami no Koe.
If you absolutely need no sexual content at all, play the All Ages version of Kanon.
If you need something plot focussed, do Midori no Umi, but be warned that the prologue is the toughest part.
More than anything, if you have something you really want to read, just read it, no matter the difficulty. Reading hard stuff as an absolute beginner won’t kill you, but your comprehension will likely be low. The most likely situation is that you’ll just drop it once you find yourself in lookup hell.
The only rule is to read something voiced and text hookable. I cannot stress this enough.
“Is my Japanese good enough yet to read a visual novel?”
If you have basic grammar down (think Tae Kim or Genki) and you know at least 1000 words, I think you’re reasonably ready. If this is the first big thing you read, it’s going to be tough. Be forewarned, and go into it expecting initially rough going. You will feel lost and overwhelmed. This goes away, but perhaps not until after your first finished VN.
On Sexual Content
A lot of VNs have explicit sexual content that goes beyond what you’d see in an R rated movie. Take this into account when choosing what to play. It wouldn’t be good to start playing Yami no Koe or Nukitashi in front of your grandmother, for instance. Use https://vndb.org/ to find out whether something features explicit sexual content.
Assume every VN mentioned has explicit sexual content unless specified otherwise.
On Text Hooking and Dual Language Support
It is absolutely essential (until you get past the beginner stage) that what you read has text hooker support. If what you’re considering reading very early on will not work with a text hooker, I’d recommend dropping it. The one exception is things where you have access to a complete Japanese script to consult. This is (one of the many reasons) why Nekopara isn’t suggested here. Nekopara is a bitch to get working with a text hooker.
Specifically, I recommend Textractor (https://github.com/Artikash/Textractor), which, as far as I know, is the most up-to-date text hooker.
For doing lookups, I recommend using Yomichan (https://foosoft.net/projects/yomichan/).
The benefits of Yomichan are as follows:
Use the following guide to set it up: https://learnjapanese.moe/yomichan/
I have mixed feelings about dual language support VNs (that is VNs with both English and Japanese scripts you can switch between). English translations are not meant for helping people learn the language. They exist as a product in their own right. They will rarely be literal representations of the Japanese text. However, they can help you overcome particularly difficult sections. There’s the additional problem that a lot of the popular things with dual language support kind of a suck, and I hate the idea of the people choosing them simply because of the dual language support. Every advanced learner I’ve talked to takes a hardline stance against dual language VNs.
Don’t “Push Through” Bad VNs to Get Good
There’s a common sentiment I see that it’s a good idea to read the easiest possible thing, even if it sucks, as your first VN. Don’t do this.
You are likely to burn out. VNs are long as all hell.
In addition, there are so many good VNs that you shouldn’t need to resort to this.
Don’t play Hanahira just because you were told by someone that it’s the easiest VN. It sucks, and it’s definitely not the easiest VN.
On VN Genres
VNs, as a medium, are very romance orientated. Most VNs you’ll pickup are going to have romantic elements deeply embedded in. You are going to have a hard time finding VNs that aren’t like this. Not every fictional genre is covered by VNs. If your favorite type of story is hard boiled mysteries or isekai, you may find yourself disappointed.
Buying VNs
The VN industry is kind of crashing a bit at the moment, though you probably wouldn’t guess it looking at the English side of things. I think it’s really important to purchase VNs if you have the means. It’s simpler than you’d think too. Check the VNDB page for the VN, find the newest release with “download” in the name for PC, and then navigate to the DMM or DLSite page in the links.
The prices look insane. They’re probably not as bad as you think. First, sales are kind of plentiful and rather intense. The 500 yen sales are great. Second, there are often big bundles during sales. There was a point where you could get Dies Irae, KKK, Gunjou, Paradise Lost, and Vermilion for 10, 000 yen. That’s a really good deal.
Steam is not a good place to get Japanese VNs.
More than anything else, I want to caution people away from Steam because it's convenient. It's very easy to go on Steam and just buy the first visual novel you see there that looks relatively easy, because everybody already uses Steam.
The problem is that Steam has a very limited selection, and it's not exactly a selection of the best and brightest either. Most of the visual novels on Steam are kind of shovelware. I go over in the post a bunch that are really good, but I stand by my belief that you can get better VNs elsewhere.
I'm a big believer in compelling content. When your selection is greatly limited, as it is on Steam, you start choosing not the best visual novel that's going to keep you most engaged, but the visual novel that looks alright or that maybe you've heard of before or has that big anime, instead of choosing something you love that will keep you engaged.
Over all else though, Steam kind of sucks for VNs, even for the ones they have. Japanese text support is rare. Those that are supported often don't work well with texthookers. It's a pain in the ass, basically. Also, Steam has a history of mistreating Japanese VN developers.
On a side note, I'd like to encourage people to look past the sexually explicit content and skip it if it makes them uncomfortable. It makes up a very small fraction of plot focussed VNs that feature it. In addition, there's something to be said for the artistic freedom that author's get when they're told to write something super long (as VNs are) where there are already guarenteed sales because of the sex parts (so they can do whatever they want, and they'll still make the money). I think it's important to note that a vast majority of visual novels are written by single writers, and you get some cool auteur projects out of this. All I'm saying is that you're not getting a Muramasa, or an Oretsuba, or a Subahibi, or a Cross Channel, or a Sakura no Uta, or a Musicus without sex scenes because these are long, weirdly self indulgent works written by people with wayyy too much creative freedom.
Some incredible VNs that aren't on Steam (in Japanese, at least) that are absolute mindblowers: Subahibi, Muramasa, Oretsuba, Baldr Sky, White Album 2
Miscellaneous
I like to know how long any VN I read is. JPDB (discussed at the bottom) is the best resource for character counts. If I’m reading something long, sometimes I like to have a Youtube Let’s Play of the VN so I can follow along using that.
If you’re already a VN reader before starting Japanese, it may be best to gradually cut out English translations completely. I think it’s hard to have time to read in Japanese and find time to read in English too. When you’re reading, for instance, an English VN and a Japanese VN simultaneously, it’s very easy for the English VN to gradually take precedence.
First VN Recs for Absolute Beginners
This section is for you if you haven’t a VN or novel before.
The ideal first VN is something that is fast-paced and uses straightforward sentences. Nothing matters more than this for a very first VN. You will need to look up very common words as well as less common words, so there is no real need to shy away from stuff with a large or obscure vocabulary, in theory. What matters is the fast pace and the short, simple sentences.
Nukige (VNs with very high sexual content) fit the bill better than almost anything else, to be completely frank. Because of this, the absolute beginner list is weird. Note that just choosing something off this list (https://vndb.org/v?f=80PB&s=34w) that looks hot might give you better mileage here.
Don’t be shocked if everything you try is insanely hard. It’s going to be like that for the first few months. There is no such thing as too hard, barring things are consistently and completely incomprehensible to you.
Nukiges (high on sex but very easy)
Yami no Koe 1+2+0 (https://vndb.org/v3334)
I recommend these because they are
1. Really easy
2. 99% voiced
3. Very simple gameplay to break up reading
4. The pacing is absurdly fast
However, these are very sexual content heavy
This is the quintessential absolute beginner rec.
Mindead Blood (https://vndb.org/v1060)
if you liked yami no koe, but want something with more plot
Dasaku (https://vndb.org/v14922)
This is an extremely screwed up guro nukige.
It’s here for a few reasons:
1. Easy text with repetitive word use
2. Short sentences
3. Insanely fast paced
4. You can bond with it’s weird cult following
Non-Nukiges
Lamune (https://vndb.org/v1506)
I haven’t played this extensively, but I’ve been assured this is incredibly easy. Still a pure VN, so expect it to be rougher. In general, moeges with low amounts of reference comedy or weird dialect stuff should be fine.
Midori no Umi (https://vndb.org/v7238) and Leyline (https://vndb.org/v10016)
I have limited experience with these, but Chronopolize says they’re good for beginners. Midori no Umi’s Prologue is significantly tougher than the rest of the VN. Arguably a bit tougher than any of the above.
Saiaku Naru Saiyaku Ningen ni Sasagu (https://vndb.org/v23077)
I've been informed this is a solid rec with good pacing and easy language. It is, however, quite long.
Beginners
This section is for people that have read a VN or a few LNs before.
This is a broad category, actually, maybe even comprising most VNs. What you’re looking for is something relatively low on reference comedy, word play, fight scenes, dialect, slang, internal monologue, and technical discussions.
Stuff with simple vocabulary is going to go a lot more smoothly. However, you of course aren’t limited to just stuff with simple vocabulary. I’ve split the list in half, one for stuff with simple vocab where you won’t have to do a ton of lookups, and one where lots of lookups are expected.
Look-up Light
Aokana (https://vndb.org/v12849)
VN focussed on cute girls with a little bit of aerial sports mixed in. The text isn’t too rough.
Clannad (https://vndb.org/v4)
Clannad is great, but super long. I actually really like the slice of life in Clannad, which I found very cozy.
Leyline (https://vndb.org/v10016)
These have very simple text, while still keeping a plot focus. These get recommended a lot because of that. Personally, I bounced off the artstyle pretty hard for some reason. You have to do all three, by the way. They’re one long story.
Making Lovers (https://vndb.org/v21552)
I’m going off reputation here, to be honest. People have told me the text is easy, and a lot of English moege readers are really passionate about it.
Flyable Heart (https://vndb.org/v1179)
This ends up on these lists a lot because the text is simple, the art is nice, and the story ends up being compelling once you get further in. This is actually a rather long VN and the plot takes awhile to get going, so I wouldn’t recommend it to absolute beginners.
Nanairo Reincarnation (https://vndb.org/v15473)
Excellent VN that’s more than meets the eye.
Anything by Yuzusoft (I like Dracuriot)
People who like Yuzusoft VNs love Yuzusoft VNs. People who don’t really don’t. Basically every Yuzusoft VN is the same, so choose the one that looks cutest.
If you don't mind guro, anything written by Ban'ya
A lot of other guro VNs are also rather easy. I’m not sure why this is, honestly, but if you like these kinds of VNs, you should have a good time. I’d recommend absolutely raiding Black Cyc and Cyclet’s catalogues. Specifically, read Extravaganza. I’ve been informed that Extravaganza is basically as easy as a plot VN has ever gotten. Be warned: bugs.
More Look-up Heavy
Eustia (https://vndb.org/v3770)
Dark fantasy story where you'll probably have to look up a whole bunch, but should be able to follow along reasonably well
Baldr Sky (https://vndb.org/v1306)
Awesome gameplay combined with relatively easy text; lots of sci fi words. You need to read both Dive1 and Dive2.
Shingakkou (https://vndb.org/v3660)
Highest rated Boy's Love VN; fairly easy; nice horror vibes
Gore Screaming Show (https://vndb.org/v933)
Campy horror and cool characters; not much in the way of gore unless you do bad ends
Tsukihime Remake (https://vndb.org/v17909)
Much easier than other Nasu. Emulate the Switch version and use this guide to texthook (https://t.co/R8k9YChhME)
On Hard VNs
There are a bunch of VNs that have a reputation for being super insanely hard. The good news is that (with very few exceptions), these are mostly pretty doable. The stuff that is super hard, you’ll get completely crushed early on. You’ll know if you’re reading something insanely tough, unless you’re an absolute beginner, in which case stick to nukiges or moeges with minimal gag comedy, please.
Things like Muramasa and Dies Irae are challenging in that they have big vocabs and some weird references. Don’t read these super early, but if you really want to read them after 5-6 VNs read, go for it. You’ll have to look up a bunch of stuff and you’ll miss a few things, but you’ll still have a good time.
In terms of stuff that is IMHO actually rough:
All the Railsoft VNs are seriously tough. I haven’t read any of them to completion so I can’t attest to how doable these really are, but from what I’ve seen, they’d be challenging to parse without a very good understanding of the language.
Oretsuba is literally unreadable if you’re reliant on a text hooker or are frequently looking things up.
Other VN Difficulty Guides
Chronopolize chart (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18vCgQHhBNBeRJdcTcyUi2Atq-nAapQW--33qrwl5Yfw/edit#gid=0)
Very good list. Chrono has read a lot of stuff and there’s a wide selection here. Don’t be afraid to read stuff reasonably higher up in difficulty score (5-7) after 2-3 VNs in Japanese: a lot of stuff is higher up for broader vocab, which can pretty easily dealt with through Yomichan if your grammar comprehension is good.
Jamal chart (https://anacreondjt.gitlab.io/vn-chart/)
Warning: the site this is hosted on has added two giant banner videos. Scroll past them and you get to the chart itself.
I actually like this chart quite a bit. My main disagreements are some small things, like I think Oretsuba maybe belongs higher up and I think the Baldrs are ranked a little too hard. Also, if you do Corpse Party off this list, make sure to do a hookable version.
r/visualnovels chart (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KnyyDt7jimEz-dgeMSKymRaT2r3QKBPm9AzqZ6oUWAs/pub)
I have mixed feelings on this one. I think this is good for general beginner recommendations, but it’s a little rough for an absolute beginner. Basically, if you’ve read a few VNs in Japanese already, I’d look here for recommendations, because a lot of the stuff recommended is really, really good. There’s a bias towards quality here, so some stuff that’s harder made it onto the list just for being really good.
Clephas Chuunige List (https://forums.fuwanovel.net/blogs/entry/2164-clephas-guide-to-a-fun-untranslated-chuunige-life/)
I’d take this as a list of cool chuuni suggestions roughly in order of difficulty over anything else. I don’t think slowly crawling down the list, reading a VN in each category, is necessary to prep for the stuff later on in the list.
JPDB (https://jpdb.io/)
The difficulty rankings here use a machine learning algorithm (which actually uses Chronopolize’s difficulty ranking as part of the input data), which makes them somewhat unreliable, but the ratings tend to be roughly right.
If you want to contact me about this guide, you can hit me up on Discord. I’m most active on the Moe Way server. Link here: https://learnjapanese.moe/
The Moe Way is also good for asking general Japanese questions when you come across hard sentences.
Another good resource for asking questions is the Visual Novels server’s #learn-japanese channel, which I swore by when I was starting out: https://discord.gg/y9zYwds