The developer Aelie’s Escape Games series has been running since 2014, and all five installments center on the simple idea: you got tied up, and you need to get away. The gameplay is as simple and effective as the storyline—mostly text-based with some puzzle elements in choosing what to untie and when. There’s a little bit of kidnapping, some princesses, lots of rope and ball gags.
Mistress Shayla’s advice: “In BDSM, we get to live out our darkest, most taboo fantasies in a space without stigma or shame. When we’re able to be honest with another human about these, it helps us be more authentic and confident in our ‘vanilla’ lives. Even though I have played with hundreds of people, it always feels really special being trusted with people’s inner world. Plus, BDSM feels like really fun, kinky problem solving.”
More kidnapping, yay! Didnapper 2 is part turn-based combat, part escape game, and part bondage art gallery with, notably, no nudity. You guide some cuties through a perilous land and Pokémon-style combat while they engage in girl-on-girl tying up. It’s a whimsical expansion on typical kidnapping plots and might get your carnal creativity flowing.
This is the most stereotypically NSFW game I’ve included on this list, kind of one-note with the big boobs and disembodied penis, but there is a character named Ashley who is “on the brink of homelessness, though she isn’t too eager to let anyone know about her struggles.” I thought that was funny.
Besides, every horndog needs to have its day, and you might be into the whole disembodied penis thing.
A blend of explicit visual novel, dating sim, and training sim, Harem Hotel wants you to pretend that you’ve inherited your grandfather’s sex tourism hotel. Pretty weird, grandpa, but OK! There’s an elf maid, an android, and a couple of other characters to defile. You can download for free on itch.io, though the game is also compatible with Android devices.
Mistress Shayla’s advice: “People aren’t fetish dispensers! Video game characters are one-faceted, but real humans contain multitudes. Approaching a human you’ve only just met to fulfill all your kinky fantasies is unacceptable. Understand that scenes and relationships take time, energy, and effort.”
Escalation! is a 3D animated visual novel that shows (erotically!!!) a boyfriend and girlfriend getting closer through BDSM. In a huge win for video games, one Steam commenter writes that this game has “the most positive male and female role models ever encountered in a video game.”
Indeed, you too might want to drip candle wax over your partner’s censored penis after watching Saki, the video game girlfriend, do it herself. But really, I feel that this game provides an opportunity to imagine yourself as both the dominant or the submissive instead of one or the other, which is a welcome change of pace. Like Didnapper 2, this game shows slinky ropes but no full-on nudity, so it’s also another gentle way to get revved up with BDSM,
Mistress Shayla’s advice: “BDSM isn’t always about sex! Most kinksters will tell you that BDSM scratches an emotional itch in addition to or instead of a physical one. Some people mix sex with their kink, and for others, sex is out of the equation entirely. Both of those viewpoints are valid.”
Sick of getting tied up? Power on your Oculus headset and get stomped on instead. The VR-compatible Dominatrix Simulator, which its creators say in its itch.io description can also be played on Windows with a keyboard, lets you pretend one of three giant monster girls are punishing you.
Playing in VR adds sort of a tertiary color element to this game—you’re half in the virtual world and half in the real as you take advantage of the game’s physical “pose recognition” and feedback. As is always welcome in NSFW games, you can alter the game’s dialogue to refer to whatever gender, pronouns, and anatomy you prefer. And unlike the other games on this list, Dominatrix Simulator doesn’t involve romantic relationships or context. That might make it a good option for solo-reflection and play.
Mistress Shayla’s advice: “The best place to start [with BDSM] is to look within and ask why. Why do the activities in the game turn me on? Do I like humiliation? Do I feel more free when I’m all tied up? Maybe I’m craving the emotional intimacy of being vulnerable with another person, or feeling proud that they want to be in a vulnerable position with me?
Once you’ve explored your own motivations, you can meet others in person or online. Fetlife.com is a great place to find events and classes in your area. I recommend going to your local ‘munch,’ a very casual, nonsexual gathering, normally at a coffee shop or a restaurant. There, you can meet others like you in a no-pressure environment.” And though monster girls are formidable, keep in mind that “jumping right into being a leather-clad Domme’s full-time, live-in slave is not going to happen. A good kinky scene or relationship means both partners’ needs are being fulfilled.”
“The world of BDSM is so broad and encompasses so many things,” Mistress Shayla said.
You might find all the things you need from BDSM in games like those included in this slideshow, but if you want more and have only ever experienced BDSM in games, “Go to as many classes and parties as you can, try online classes, join discussion groups and Discord channels,” Mistress Shayla said. “Learning how other people play can help you discover things about yourself that a video game could never teach you.”
