Many critics said good things about the game. Gita Jackson, a journalist that works for Kotaku said that "Doki Doki Literature Club!" was "a truly special game". She also said that "if you like horror games, especially ones that really get under your skin, please check out "Doki Doki Literature Club"." Tom Philip, who is a journalist for GQ said that the game was "one of the scariest games I have ever played."