The Nancy Drew PC Adventure Series is the main series of the Nancy Drew computer games. It is the most prominent Nancy Drew game series, being made by Her Interactive for over 20 years.
Overview[]
The series is split into two different parts: Format 1 (Original Series) and Format 2 (Revival Series). This is because of the multiple differences between the Formats, and the four-year hiatus between the release of Sea of Darkness and Midnight in Salem.
Games are discontinued as they become outdated and unable to operate on many people's computers, and physical copies of the more popular games are discontinued when Her Interactive is unable to produce more; however, all of the games (besides the original first) are available for download from Her's website and many other game services.
See Interfaces for the changes in interface.
Original Series (1998 - 2015)[]
The original series began in 1998, and ended in 2015, before Her Interactive took a four-year hiatus with Midnight in Salem.
Games made beginning with Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon until Shadow at the Water's Edge had two discs - one for installation, and one for gameplay. Starting with The White Wolf of Icicle Creek, a disc did not need to be in at all in order to play a game once it was installed. Starting with The Captive Curse, the games went back to one disc.
Although the games were originally produced and released exclusively for PCs, Trail of the Twister and every game beyond that also operate on Mac. Her Interactive also has an article on their website, to help with installing older Nancy Drew games to Mac. Midnight in Salem and every game beyond that have the potential to be made available for tablets, consoles, and virtual reality platforms. Ghost of Thornton Hall is also available on tablets.
The first three games were released one year each. From 2001-2014, two games each were released one the same year. In 2015, only one game was released before the hiatus.
Certain qualities in this series include:
- Lani Minella voicing Nancy in all thirty-two games.
- Released mainly to the PC market (later Macs), with a few games being ported to other mediums, such as Game Boys and Wiis.
- Her Interactive using their own game-building program, created in the late 1990s.
- Games having a varying length and quality, with a handful of locations and 3-5 suspects.
Physical copies are still available on Her Interactive's website for the following games:
- The Captive Curse (2011)
- Alibi in Ashes (2011)
- The Shattered Medallion (2014)
Revival Series (2019 - present)[]
In 2015, Her Interactive delayed the release of Midnight in Salem indefinitely to revamp the game series. After a four-year delay, the company (with new partners Mi'pu'mi Games and Toy Box Entertainment), Her Interactive launched Midnight in Salem in December 2019. Five years later, Her Interactive released Mystery of the Seven Keys in May 2024, now working with Room 8 Studio, Solid Bash, and Emerald Light Pictures instead.
Qualities noted in these new games include:
- Her Interactive now producing the series with separate different developers.
- Brittany Cox voicing Nancy Drew.
- Being made with the Unity game engine.
- Having potentially longer gameplay with more locations and suspects.
- Potentially expanding the games to include mobile devices, consoles, and virtual reality.
| # | Game title | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Midnight in Salem | December 3, 2019 |
| 34 | Mystery of the Seven Keys | May 7, 2024 |
Opening Pictures[]
Official Game Logos[]
Mostly taken directly from Steam's library files. Does not include the original Secrets Can Kill and Stay Tuned for Danger games since they are not available on Steam.
