Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure game franchise developed by Capcom. With storytelling fashioned after legal dramas, the first entry in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, was released in 2001; since then, five further main series games as well as various spin-offs, prequels, and high-definition remasters for newer game consoles have been released. Additionally, the series has been adapted in the form of a live-action film and an anime; it is the base for manga series, drama CDs, musicals and stage plays. The player takes the roles of various defense attorneys, including Phoenix Wright, his mentor Mia Fey, as well as his understudies Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes who investigate cases and defend their clients in court. They find the truth by cross-examining witnesses and finding inconsistencies between the testimonies and the evidence they have collected. The cases last a maximum of three days; the judge determines the outcome based on evidence presented by the defense attorney and the prosecutor.
While the original Japanese versions of the games are set in Japan, the series' localizations are set in the United States (primarily Los Angeles) though retaining Japanese cultural elements. In the spin-off series Ace Attorney Investigations, the player takes the role of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and in the prequel series, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, they play Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo.
The series was created by the writer and director Shu Takumi. He wanted the series to end after the third game, but it continued with Takeshi Yamazaki taking over as writer and director starting with Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (2009). Takumi has since returned to write and direct some spin-off titles. The series has been well received, with reviewers liking the characters, story, and the finding of contradictions; it has also performed well commercially, with Capcom regarding it as one of their strongest intellectual properties. The series has been credited with helping to popularize visual novels in the Western world. As of June 30, 2026, the game series has sold 15 million copies worldwide.
Games
The Ace Attorney series launched in Japan with the Game Boy Advance game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2001, and has been published in the West since the release of a Nintendo DS port in 2005. The series currently consists of six main series games and five spin-offs.
Main series Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is the first entry in the series. It was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 in Japan; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, Nexon Mobile in 2007, Microsoft Windows in 2008, and the Wii and iOS in 2009. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 in Japan; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2006, Microsoft Windows in 2008, the Wii in 2010, and iOS through the trilogy mobile port released in Japan in 2012, and in the West in 2013. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in Japan; it has also been released for Microsoft Windows in 2006, the Nintendo DS in 2007, the Wii in 2010, and for iOS through the trilogy mobile port released in Japan in 2012, and in the West in 2013. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 in Japan and in 2008 in the West, for iOS and Android in 2016, and for Nintendo 3DS in 2017. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 in Japan, North America and Europe; outside of Japan, it was given a digital-only release. It was also released for iOS in 2014, and Android in 2017. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 in Japan, North America and Europe. Like Dual Destinies, it was given a digital-only release outside Japan. It was released for iOS and Android in 2017.
Spin-offs Ace Attorney Investigations series Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009 in Japan and in 2010 in the West, and for Android and iOS in 2017. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit was released in Japan for the Nintendo DS in 2011, and for Android and iOS in 2017.
The Great Ace Attorney series The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015, and for Android and iOS in 2017. The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, and for Android and iOS in 2018.
Professor Layton crossover Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a crossover between Ace Attorney and the Professor Layton series. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 in Japan and in 2014 in the West.
Compilations Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy contains the first three games in the series: Phoenix Wright, Justice for All, and Trials and Tribulations. It was released for iOS and Android in 2012 in Japan and for iOS in 2013 in the West, as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD. It was later released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014, and Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in 2019 as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Capcom removed the mobile-only version of the game from stores and replaced it with the console version on iOS and Android in 2022. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles contains both games in The Great Ace Attorney series: Adventures and 2: Resolve. It was released in July 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. This was the first time both games were made officially available outside of Japan. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy contains the fourth through sixth mainline games: Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, and Spirit of Justice. It was released in January 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection contains both games in the Ace Attorney Investigations series: Miles Edgeworth and 2: Prosecutor's Gambit. It was released in September 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. This compilation marks Prosecutor's Gambit first official release outside Japan.
Common elements Gameplay
The Ace Attorney games are visual novel adventure games in which the player controls defense attorneys and defends their clients in several different episodes. The gameplay is split into two types of sections, investigations and courtroom trials. During the investigations, the player searches the environments, gathers information and evidence, and talks to characters such as their client, witnesses, and the police. After enough evidence has been collected, the game moves on to a courtroom trial.
In the courtroom trials, the player aims to have their client declared "not guilty". They cross-examine witnesses, aiming to find lies and inconsistencies in the testimonies. They are able to go back and forth between the different statements in the testimony, and can press the witness for more details on a statement. When the player finds an inconsistency, they can present a piece of evidence that contradicts the statement. If the player is correct, the game presents a sequence that often starts with the protagonist shouting "Objection!" and pointing at the witness along with a shift in music before they begin to grill the witness with the inconsistency, which has become an iconic aspect of the series. Once enough evidence has been presented that conflicts the witnesses testimony, the witness will suffer a breakdown or occasionally would remain calm and reveal a major truth in the case. The player is penalized if they present incorrect evidence: in the first game, a number of exclamation marks are shown, with one disappearing after each mistake the player makes; in later games, a health bar that represents the judge's patience is used instead; and in 3DS games, the character's lawyer badge is used. If all exclamation marks or lawyer badges are lost, or the health bar reaches zero, the player loses the game and their client is found guilty.
Several Ace Attorney games introduce new gameplay mechanics to the series. Justice for All introduces "psyche-locks", which are shown over a witness when the player asks them about a topic they do not want to discuss; using a magatama, the player can start breaking the psyche-locks by showing the witness evidence or character profiles that proves they are hiding something. The number of psyche-locks depends on how deep the secret is; when all locks are broken, the topic becomes available, giving the player access to new information. Apollo Justice introduces the "perceive" system, where the player looks for motions or actions made by witnesses that show nervousness, similar to a tell in poker. Dual Destinies introduces the "mood matrix", through which the player can gauge the emotions of a witness, such as tones of anger when mentioning certain topics; if the player notices a contradictory emotional response during testimony, they can point out the discrepancy and press the witness for more information. Dual Destinies also introduces "revisualization", where the player reviews vital facts and forms links between evidence to reach new conclusions. Spirit of Justice introduces "divination séances", in which the player is shown the memories of victims moments before their deaths, and must find contradictions in the victim's five senses to determine what has happened. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney introduces simultaneous cross-examinations of multiple witnesses, with the player being able to see and hear reactions from the different witnesses to the testimony and using this to find contradictions. The Great Ace Attorney introduces "joint reasoning", where the player finds out the truth by pointing out when their investigative partner Herlock Sholmes takes his reasoning "further than the truth".
The Ace Attorney Investigations spin-off series splits the gameplay into investigation phases and rebuttal phases, the latter of which is similar to the courtroom trials of the main series. During the investigation phases, the player searches for evidence and talks to witnesses and suspects. Things which the player character notices in the environment are saved as thoughts; the player can use the "logic" system to connect two such thoughts to gain access to new information. At some points, the player can create hologram reproductions of the crime scene, through which they can discover new information that would otherwise be hidden. Prosecutor's Gambit introduces "Mind Chess", where the player interrogates witnesses in a timed sequence that is visualized as a game of chess, with the player aiming to destroy the other character's chess pieces. To do this, they need to build up their advantage in the discussion by alternating between speaking and listening, and then choose to go on the offensive.
Characters and setting
Ace Attorney story chronology Late 19th century Present day The protagonist of the first three games is the defense attorney Phoenix Wright, who is assisted by the spirit medium Maya Fey; in the third game, Phoenix's mentor Mia Fey is also a playable character. In the fourth game, the protagonist is the defense attorney Apollo Justice; in the fifth, Phoenix, Apollo and the new defense attorney Athena Cykes are all protagonists; and in the sixth, Phoenix and Apollo are the main protagonists, while Athena is playable in one case. The spin-off The Great Ace Attorney is set in England near the end of the 19th century, and follows Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo. Susato Mikotoba, Naruhodo's judicial assistant, is a playable character in one chapter.