Popular visual novel (VN) plots generally fall into several established subgenres, often utilizing specific narrative structures like time loops or "killing games."

1. Sci-Fi & Time Travel

These plots typically center on a high-stakes scientific mystery or disaster that requires manipulating time.

Steins;Gate: A self-proclaimed "mad scientist" accidentally discovers a way to send messages into the past, triggering a series of events that threaten the future.

Muv-Luv Alternative: A protagonist is thrown into a parallel world where humanity is on the brink of extinction by aliens, using his knowledge of a previous "timeline" to change the outcome.

Zero Escape Series (999, Virtue's Last Reward): Characters are trapped in a facility and forced to play a deadly game that involves complex scientific theories and timeline branching.

2. Mystery & Killing Games

These plots focus on a group of people trapped in a confined location who must solve murders to survive.

Danganronpa Series: Students are locked in a school and forced to kill one another; the plot revolves around "Class Trials" to find the culprit.

Umineko When They Cry: A wealthy family is trapped on an island during a typhoon and murdered one by one, sparking a supernatural meta-debate between a protagonist and a witch over whether the killings were committed by magic or human means.

Ace Attorney: Players take on the role of a defense attorney, investigating crime scenes and cross-examining witnesses to find the truth.

3. Psychological Horror & Surrealism

These stories often use the visual novel medium to subvert player expectations through "fourth wall" breaks or meta-narratives.

Doki Doki Literature Club!: Initially presented as a standard school romance, the plot devolves into psychological horror as a character gains self-awareness and begins manipulating the game's files.

The House in Fata Morgana: A gothic suspense tale where an amnesiac protagonist travels through different historical eras of a cursed mansion to regain their identity.

Saya no Uta (Song of Saya): After a brain injury, a man perceives the world as a hellscape of gore and rot, finding solace only in a girl who appears normal to him but is actually a monstrous creature.

4. Fantasy & Urban Supernatural

These plots often involve secret wars or hidden magical societies living alongside normal humans.

Fate/stay night: Seven mages summon legendary heroes (Servants) to fight in a "Holy Grail War" for the chance to have a wish granted.

Tsukihime: A protagonist with the ability to see "lines of death" on objects and people becomes entangled with ancient vampires and secret organizations.

5. Romance & Drama (Nakige/Utsuge)

These plots focus on emotional depth, often designed to make the player cry (nakige) or feel depressed (utsuge).

Clannad: A delinquent student meets a group of girls and helps them overcome their personal struggles, eventually exploring themes of family and adulthood.

White Album 2: A realistic and tragic love triangle focused on the complicated relationships between three members of a high school light music club.