# Danganronpa (ダンガンロンパ)
**Danganronpa** (ダンガンロンパ) is a Japanese murder-mystery video game series developed and published by [Spike Chunsoft](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-chunsoft) in which talented high school students, trapped in a closed space, are forced into a killing game: a murder occurs, the survivors investigate, and the culprit is identified in a courtroom-style debate called a class trial.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) The first title, *Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc* (ダンガンロンパ 希望の学園と絶望の高校生), was released in Japan for the [PlayStation Portable](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-portable) on November 25, 2010, and the series has since grown to five titles across three mainline games, one side story, and one spin-off.[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/) • [1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) As of December 10, 2025, the series had surpassed 10 million units shipped worldwide.[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First release | *Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc*, Japan, PSP, November 25, 2010[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/) |
| Series size | Five titles: three mainline entries, one gaiden (side story), and one spin-off[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) |
| Sales | Over 10 million units shipped worldwide across the five titles as of December 10, 2025[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/) |
| Core loop | Investigation phase (gathering testimony and evidence) followed by class trials (debate with opponents over the culprit's identity)[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) |
| Premise | Super-elite high school students gathered from across the country carry out a killing game (コロシアイ) in a closed space[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) |
| Presentation | Locations rendered in 3D, against the typical visual novel design choice of limiting interaction with the environment[3](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/167913/Lauri_Rinne.pdf) |
| Next installment | *Danganronpa 2x2*, a remaster of *Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair* with a new scenario, delayed to early 2027[4](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/danganronpa-2x2-remaster-will-include-a-slayhem-alternate-story-mode-with-20-percent-more-content-and-a-3d-world-map-but-its-been-delayed-to-2027/) |
## Gameplay and structure
Each game alternates between two phases. In the investigation phase the player explores the closed setting, collects testimony and evidence, and deepens relationships with classmates; in the class trial phase the player engages in a back-and-forth debate with other characters, using the collected evidence to pin down who the killer is in a given chapter.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) • [5](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/79768831) Commentators commonly describe the trial gameplay as [Ace Attorney](https://www.edgepedia.org/ace-attorney)-esque, while the death-game premise invites comparison with the [Zero Escape](https://www.edgepedia.org/zero-escape) series.[5](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/79768831) • [6](https://kotaku.com/this-game-is-half-zero-escape-half-ace-attorney-1186890778)
Unlike many visual novels, which keep the player on a text path, Danganronpa renders its locations in 3D and lets the player move from one area to another, a design choice noted in academic writing on the genre as going against typical visual novel practice.[3](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/167913/Lauri_Rinne.pdf) The series also differs from branching-narrative titles such as Zero Escape and [Steins;Gate](https://www.edgepedia.org/steins-gate), which offer many endings; Danganronpa instead features a complete running story throughout each game, with that story treated as being as important as the individual murder cases.[7](https://steamcommunity.com/app/787480/discussions/0/1647665620936230598/) • [8](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/763296-danganronpa-2-goodbye-despair/70152466)
## Releases
The five titles, with their Japanese release dates, are:[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/)
1. *Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc* (ダンガンロンパ 希望の学園と絶望の高校生), November 25, 2010, PSP.
2. *Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair* (スーパーダンガンロンパ２ さよなら絶望学園), July 26, 2012, PSP.
3. *[Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls](https://www.edgepedia.org/danganronpa-another-episode-ultra-despair-girls)* (絶対絶望少女 ダンガンロンパ Another Episode), September 25, 2014, PS Vita; a gaiden title.
4. *New Danganronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing* (ニューダンガンロンパＶ３ みんなのコロシアイ新学期), January 12, 2017, PS4 and PS Vita.
5. *Happy Danganronpa S: Ultra Super High School Level Southern Island Dice Camp* (ハッピーダンガンロンパＳ 超高校級の南国サイコロ合宿), November 4, 2021, [Nintendo Switch](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-switch); a spin-off.
The games have since been ported widely, with the mainline titles available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, iOS, and Android, among other platforms.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/)
**Danganronpa 2x2.** Spike Chunsoft announced a remaster of *Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair* titled *Danganronpa 2x2*, which will include both a brand-new scenario and a freshly revamped version of the original scenario.[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/) The alternate story mode, described by the publisher as containing 20 percent more content, also adds a 3D world map. Originally scheduled for 2026, the game has been shifted to early 2027 and is planned for [Nintendo Switch 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-switch-2), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.[4](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/danganronpa-2x2-remaster-will-include-a-slayhem-alternate-story-mode-with-20-percent-more-content-and-a-3d-world-map-but-its-been-delayed-to-2027/) • [2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/)
## Reception and franchise expansion
The originality of the first game's scenario and its plot twists drew wide praise from players, according to Spike Chunsoft, and the series became a commercial hit both in Japan and overseas.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) Cumulative shipments passed 8.5 million units by the time of the 15th-anniversary announcement and reached 10 million by December 2025.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/) • [2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/)
The franchise has expanded beyond games into TV anime, manga, novels, a stage play, and commercially successful licensed character goods.[2](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/) 2025 marked the series' 15th anniversary, which Spike Chunsoft marked with a renewed portal site, a dedicated anniversary website, merchandise collaborations including a ROUND1 collaboration event from September to December 2025 and new Nendoroid figures, and a large fan-participation event in Tokyo in November 2025.[1](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/)
## Place in the visual novel genre
Danganronpa sits in a frequently compared trio of Japanese mystery series alongside *Ace Attorney* and *Zero Escape*. A Kotaku headline called it "half Zero Escape, half Ace Attorney," and player discussion frames it as combining the premise of the former with the gameplay of the latter: investigating crime scenes, collecting evidence, and using it in trials to identify the killer.[6](https://kotaku.com/this-game-is-half-zero-escape-half-ace-attorney-1186890778) • [5](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/79768831) All three franchises, along with the broader adventure-mystery tradition, trace a design lineage that academic writing on the genre connects back to *The Portopia Serial Murder Case*, in allowing players to explore the game world by moving between areas.[3](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/167913/Lauri_Rinne.pdf) The series' deductive gameplay has even been used outside entertainment: the TurnaboutLLM benchmark evaluates the reasoning abilities of large language models using the interactive gameplay of Ace Attorney and Danganronpa.[9](https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.15712)
## References
1. [2025年は、「ダンガンロンパ」生誕15周年！ 記念施策を多数準備中！, Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.](https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/news/45095/)
2. [Danganronpa Series Surpasses 10 Million Units Shipped Worldwide, Spike Chunsoft, Inc.](https://www.spike-chunsoft.com/news/danganronpa-series-surpasses-10-million-units-shipped-worldwide/)
3. [Lauri Rinne, Xamk thesis on visual novel design history](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/167913/Lauri_Rinne.pdf)
4. [Danganronpa 2x2 remaster delayed to 2027, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/danganronpa-2x2-remaster-will-include-a-slayhem-alternate-story-mode-with-20-percent-more-content-and-a-3d-world-map-but-its-been-delayed-to-2027/)
5. [How similar is Danganronpa to Zero Escape?, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/79768831)
6. [This Game Is Half Zero Escape, Half Ace Attorney, Kotaku](https://kotaku.com/this-game-is-half-zero-escape-half-ace-attorney-1186890778)
7. [Which is better: Ace Attorney or Danganronpa?, Steam Community](https://steamcommunity.com/app/787480/discussions/0/1647665620936230598/)
8. [How does this compare to the Ace Attorney series?, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/763296-danganronpa-2-goodbye-despair/70152466)
9. [TurnaboutLLM: A Deductive Reasoning Benchmark from Detective Games, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.15712)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Japanese RPG and adventure franchises › Japanese adventure and visual novel franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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