When it comes to planning out a game night, you can never go wrong with a murder mystery game. Even in a world where virtual party games exist online, nothing quite beats having a physical board game for game night. Mystery board games are fun for everyone involved, giving guests a thrilling whodunit throughout the night to keep people engaged and on their toes. What’s more, there are numerous types of board games within this genre to choose from, whether you want a classic game of Clue to play with the whole family, or something more involved to play with friends like One Night Ultimate Werewolf.
TL;DR: These are the Best Murder Mystery Games
In this board game shopping guide, we’ve collected some of our favorite murder mystery games that are well worth picking up for your next game night. Although selected with adults in mind, each one offers a unique experience and can be played with a wide range of players so you can find one that best fits your crew and vibe! Which ones have you played?
Perspectives
Perspectives provides the player group with a series of clue cards full of visual information that they must use working together to solve a mystery. What elevates this above the dozens of other games using a similar concept is that all the players have different information - different perspectives - on the crime scene and they're not allowed to show each other their cards. Not only does this create a unique game where players need to communicate verbally what's going on in their clues, but it fosters a genuinie emergent sense of cooperation where everyone has a role to play in resolving the murder.
Awkward Guests 2: The Berwick Cases
In this ingenious two-player game, one player is sleuthing one murder while having answers to another, while their opponent is the opposite way round, thus allowing each player to fulfil both roles at once. Clues are resolved by placing a pool of dice on matching spaces on an invesgitation board, allowing players to slowly piece together the answers they need on this faster, deeper take on a similar concept to the well-known Clue board game. Every game is a thrilling race to try and solve the puzzle before your opponent does, and, unlike many murder mystery games, the variable setup gives this plenty of replayability.
Medical Mysteries: NYC Emergency Room
Rather than solving a suspicious death, this game asks your group to work together to prevent one, casting you as medical professionals who must diagnose and treat one of four patients before they succumb to their illnesses. The game gives you all the biology you need to solve the cases, letting you play out your own episode of House on the tabletop, while providing enthralling mysteries with a clever theme. But don't wait too long: the patient's prognoses will change as time passes, ensuring you've got to run the right tests at the right time.
Clue
One of the most well known board games in general, Clue is a classic murder mystery game that can be played with up to 6 players. Each player is a suspect as you gather information to try and unravel the mystery behind who killed Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion, along with pinpointing where he was killed and with what weapon. A classic detective game for the whole fam and one of the best family board games you can buy.
There are a lot of different versions of this game available in 2025, including an Advent calendar version you play all month long.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Werewolf is a beloved game that's great for big groups, but One Night Ultimate Werewolf takes it in a thrilling, fast-paced direction with no moderator, no elimination, and no downtime. Play a quick round with up to 10 people and solve the mystery of who’s the Werewolf over the course of one night.
If you're looking for more party games like this, you can check out our guide to the best board games for large groups.
Mysterium
This game takes solving a murder mystery to a new level, as one player takes on the role of a restless ghost who assists the rest of the players, who take on the role of psychics, to help figure out who their killer is. It can be played with up to 7 players and will take you just over 40 minutes to play through. It's the perfect mix of mystery and horror board game.
Exit: The Game - Dead Man on The Orient Express
Exit: The Game brings the Escape Room setup into your own home. With this story, you'll need to step into your Agatha Christie shoes to solve the case before the train reaches its destination. It can only be played once, though, as you'll need to dig into the case materials in the box to write down notes, fold, and cut different materials.
If you're interested in this type of game, we've researched a variety of other escape room board games you may also like.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective - The Thames Murders & Other Cases
In a similar vein of classic detectives and stories, the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective – The Thames Murders & Other Cases game is another way to step into those shoes to solve a case. This one in particular features 10 detailed mysteries in total to solve around Victorian London, so you can keep the murder mystery game nights going for a while or play completely solo. The Sherlock Holmes board game series are a bit more challenging than a classic whodunit – best for ages 12+ – but many adults find it hard too!
If you find yourself really enjoying the theme of this game, we recommend you also check out our guide to the Sherlock Holmes books in order. Arthur Conan Doyles original stories are what started it all.
Hunt a Killer - Death at The Dive Bar
For true crime fans, this game is one to add to your collection. Hunt a Killer – Death at the Dive Bar is an immersive puzzle game that can be played with 1 or more players and involves you solving the death of a local bar owner named Nick Webster. It'll take you about 45-60 minutes to work through as well.
As a brand, Hunt a Killer has a ton of different options to choose from. So if you don't like this particular mystery, you can check out the website for everything currently available.
University Games Murder Mystery Party Case Files: Underwood Cellars
For those who want an even more in-depth murder mystery to solve, the Underwood Cellars Murder Mystery Party Case Files will take you about 2 hours or longer to get through. While playing, you'll need to figure out what happened to famed Napa winemaker Cary Underwood, whose body was recently found after disappearing 20 years ago.
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
Unlike a few of the games listed above, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong will only take you a quick 20 minutes. Similar to Werewolf, this is a game where you and a group of people try to narrow down who commited the murder. Players take on the role of Murderer, Accomplice, Forensic Scientist, Witness, and Investigators, with each having an interesting part to play in the mystery.
MicroMacro: Crime City
Not only is this game filled with 16 different cases to solve, but solving them has an interesting Where's Waldo element as well. You'll need a keen eye to track everything down, but a magnifying glass is included with the box so you can get in close to investigate every detail. You can play with up to four people and it’ll take you between 15-45 minutes to complete.
Rear Window
Based on Hitchcock’s famous thriller movie of the same name, this riffs on Mysterium’s structure. One player is the director, who draws a random selection of people to live in four apartments and some associated characteristics for them. They then have to use a limited selection of images to try and communicate to the other players, without words, who it is that lives in which apartment. Except this game has a colossal potential twist: sometimes, but not always, there’s also a murder to solve. In this instance the game is no longer a cosy cooperative affair as the director can win if the murder stays secret, while the other players gain a team victory if they can work it out. It’s an intriguing twist that makes every game a tightrope worthy of the master of suspense himself.
Cryptic Killers: Murder of a Millionaire
Cryptic Killers is an enormously popular series of murder mystery cases that you can either solve solo or cooperatively. Murder of a Millionaire was the first in the franchise, leveraging a cunning range of visual and text clues, alongside frustrating red herrings, to present you with the case of Chloe, a lottery winner found dead in the park. You’ll need to solve logic puzzles as well as interweave vital details from the reams of included props to work out which of the game’s suspects has an alibi, and which are guilty. As well as being a great mystery, the pack contents encourage you into the lives of its characters, creating a compelling narrative alongside a fun case to solve.
Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game
Detective sells itself on some bold claims. Firstly, that it’s a highly realistic simulacrum of real police work, casting you in the shoes of genuine modern-day detectives presented with reams of evidence from its online case files. Second, that it’s a long-term campaign in which information in early cases can often become relevant again in much later ones, creating an engrossing, branching narrative to enjoy. While only actual police detectives can comment on the first claim it certainly mixes murder mystery and board game mechanics to present you with complex cases to work through, and it delivers handsomely on its second claim, drawing you in to a story worthy of top drawer TV drama.
Matt Thrower is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in tabletop games. He's also been published in The Guardian, Dicebreaker and Senet Magazine as well as being the author and co-author of several books on board games. You can reach him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.
