Murder Mystery Games: Party Kits, Case Files or Clue?

"Murder mystery game" can mean a free online case, a printable kit you download, or a game in a box. This guide covers the boxed games you can buy, which come in three formats, and the right one depends on how many people you have. A party kit casts each guest as a suspect for a dinner party of 6 to 20. A case file game hands you a box of evidence to solve alone, as a couple or with a small team. A board game like Clue is a family game for 2 to 6 that you can play again and again. Pick the format first, then the box.

The Short Version

For a dinner party of 6 to 8, the classic Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine is the cheapest way in at about $20. For a bigger or unpredictable guest list, Murder at the Pizzeria plays with any 6 to 14 guests and picks the killer on the night, so no-shows do not break it. For a night in with one or two other people, Hunt A Killer: Death at the Dive Bar is the easy start and Cryptic Killers is the hard one. For kids and families, Clue is still the answer. I built this guide from the makers' listings and the Amazon listings, not from hosting these games myself.

Which Format Fits Your Night

Every case file and most party kits are one solve per group: once the killer is revealed, that story is spent. Two kits here can change the killer: Murder at the Pizzeria chooses the murderer on the night, and each suspect's story changes if they are guilty, while Masters of Mystery's app can make a different character the killer next time. Players who have done either before still know the cast and setting, so they replay best with a new group. Clue deals a new solution every game, so it is the one you can play every week. If you only want one night of fun for free, online cases and printable kits exist too, but they leave the props, printing and timing to you.

The Picks at a Glance

Prices are Amazon listing prices at my last check and change often.

How Much Work Is Hosting?

Party kits put the work on the host. With A Taste for Wine you send the invitations, hand out the character booklets, cook (the box includes a shopping list, menus and recipes) and run the evening. Masters of Mystery moves most of that into a companion app: it sends invitations and roles, manages RSVPs and privately assigns the killer. Case files need no host at all: open the box and start reading. Clue needs nothing but a table.

The Guest List Problem

A Taste for Wine is listed for 6 to 8 players with eight character booklets, so it absorbs one or two cancellations, but with fewer than six guests you are outside its player count. Murder at the Pizzeria is built around this: its listing says the murderer is chosen on the night, any 6 to 14 guests can play, and the host can play too. Masters of Mystery handles it in the app, which casts 4 to 20 players and assigns the killer privately.

How Hard Are the Case Files?

Difficulty is the real difference between case files. Hunt A Killer rates Death at the Dive Bar 1 of 5, for 45 to 60 minutes. Cryptic Killers rates Murder at the Movie Theater 3 of 5, for about 2 hours, and adds an online police database you must search. Underwood Cellars gives no difficulty rating; its evidence is photos, newspaper articles and case documents, with hints and the solution online.

Each Box in Detail

1. Murder Mystery Party: A Taste for Wine, Best Classic Dinner Party Kit

A body is found at a California vineyard during its annual wine tasting, and every guest plays a suspect. The box has 8 character booklets, 8 invitations, 8 name tags, crime scene clues and a party planning booklet, plus an online introduction, summary and solution. The listing gives 6 to 8 players, ages 18 and up, beginner level. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if you might end up with fewer than six guests, or more than eight.

2. Murder at the Pizzeria, Best for a Flexible Guest List

This kit plays with any mix of 6 to 14 guests, and every character is a suspect. The murderer is chosen on the night, so a late cancellation does not matter, and the host can play too. Each suspect has a different story if guilty, with clues that point to the answer rather than a guess. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if you want a long track record: it has only a few dozen ratings on Amazon so far.

3. Masters of Mystery 1920s Speakeasy, Best for Big Groups

Set at a 1923 New York mansion party, this kit runs 4 to 20 players with a companion app that casts characters, sends invitations and roles, assigns the killer in private and plays detective recordings between rounds. The listing gives 1.5 to 3 hours per game and says a different character can be the killer next time, so the same box can be replayed with a new group. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if your group would rather not have phones out at the table.

4. Hunt A Killer: Death at the Dive Bar, Best First Case File

A small-town bar owner's fall was ruled an accident; one of his employees thinks otherwise. You work through forensic files and eliminate suspects, alone or as a team. Hunt A Killer rates it 1 of 5 for difficulty, ages 14 and up, and 45 to 60 minutes in one sitting. With more than 9,800 ratings it is the most reviewed box here. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if you have solved case files before; it is built for beginners.

5. Murder Mystery Party Case Files: Underwood Cellars, Best Middle Ground

From the maker of A Taste for Wine: a winemaker missing for 20 years turns out to have been murdered. The box holds suspect and crime scene photos, newspaper articles and other evidence, with hints and the solution online. It is for 1 or more players, ages 14 and up, and you work from motive, means and opportunity. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if you want a set difficulty rating; the listing does not give one.

6. Cryptic Killers: Murder at the Movie Theater, Best Hard Case

A murder in a port town on Fidalgo Island, with 27 pieces of physical evidence (police reports, phone records, CCTV stills, a coroner's report, a map) and an online police file system you have to search as well. The maker rates it 3 of 5 and estimates about 2 hours. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if nobody in your group wants to work at a laptop mid-game.

7. Clue, Best for Families

The reimagined Clue keeps the classic race to name who killed Boddy Black, where and with what, with a new cast (Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mayor Green, Chef White, Solicitor Peacock, Professor Plum), metal weapon tokens and Clue cards that force an opponent to reveal a card. It plays 2 to 6, ages 8 and up, and a new solution is dealt every game, so it never runs out of mysteries. Check the price on Amazon.

Skip it if you want adults in character and costume; that is a party kit's job.

How I Chose

I started from the three formats people mean when they search for a murder mystery game, then picked the boxes that cover each group size, using the Amazon listings for players, ages, contents and difficulty, and the number of owner ratings as a check on track record. Prices and ratings come from Amazon listings checked for this guide. For party games without the murder, see my social deduction party games and party games for dinner parties; for whodunits the kids can join, see family mystery board games; for more case and board games for grown-ups, see mystery board games for adults. More in Party games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people do you need for a murder mystery game?

It depends on the format. Party kits need a full cast: A Taste for Wine is 6 to 8, Murder at the Pizzeria 6 to 14, Masters of Mystery 4 to 20. Case files work with 1 or more. Clue plays 2 to 6.

Can you play a murder mystery game twice?

A case file, and a fixed-story kit like A Taste for Wine, is solved once the killer is revealed. Two kits can change the killer: Murder at the Pizzeria chooses the murderer on the night, and Masters of Mystery's app can pick a different killer next time; both replay best with a new group. Clue deals a new solution every game.

Are murder mystery games good for kids?

Most party kits and case files here are rated 14 or 18 and up. For children, Clue (ages 8 and up) is the safe pick.

What do you need besides the box?

For a party kit: food, drinks and guests willing to dress up. For Hunt A Killer, Underwood Cellars and Cryptic Killers: a phone or laptop for the online hints, solutions or police files.

The Verdict

Hosting six to eight friends? Buy A Taste for Wine. Not sure who will show? Murder at the Pizzeria. A big group? Masters of Mystery. A night in for one to four? Start with Hunt A Killer: Death at the Dive Bar and move up to Cryptic Killers. Kids at the table? Clue.