8 Best Mystery Board Games
Have you ever dreamt about being a private investigator or a detective? If you love solving crimes and mysteries, then these mystery boards are exactly what you need.
What better way to spend a fun night with your family and friends than playing some board games? These board games are so entertaining, and they definitely get your mind working.
More than that, those board games can be a great way to develop your skills in strategic thinking and deductive reasoning. Plus, they encourage gamers to have fun and enjoyable conversations with their friends during entertaining game nights.
In this guide, we will mention the 8 Best Mystery Board Games that you can play with your beloved ones to have a fun game night that is full of mystery and suspense.
Deluxe 221B Baker Street Board Game
Players : 2+
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 30-60 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2016
If you’re a fan of mysteries and Sherlock Holmes, this is the perfect board game for your collection. 221B Baker Street is where the world’s most famous fictional detective character lived with his best friend and investigative companion, Dr. Watson.
What makes this board game so unique is that it doesn’t just focus on one case. In the Deluxe 221B Baker Street Board Game, players travel through the streets and alleys of Victorian London, picking up clues while attempting to solve 200 intriguing Sherlock Holmes Adventures written especially for this game.
You use your wits to find all the clues and figure out what happened in order to solve the case. The cases are represented by cards that include all the information needed to solve them, for example, probable suspects and the list of possible locations involved.
The player choices determine the type of game you’ll play. You can choose to be competitive or cooperative, depending on your preferences for social interactions with others in this fun activity.
You and your friends can work together to solve the cases. And everyone can even get a chance at playing the Holmes role. Or you can compete against your friends and see who can solve the most cases. And If you want to play this game alone, this game can be played solo as well.
Pros
The Deluxe edition has added 20 new cases
More fun and intense when there are more players
Clues vary in depth and relevance
It can be played cooperative, competitive, and even solo
Cons
It might not be a good fit for children
Some cases require highly complex investigation
Final Thoughts
The adventure of Sherlock Holmes is now available as a board game. Deluxe 221B Baker Street is a mystery board game that is filled with fun. In this game, you and your friends will take the role of Sherlock Holmes and try to solve a series of cases one by one. If you’re a fan of the famous Sherlock Holmes, then this classic mystery board game is perfect for your collection.
Scotland Yard: Family Game
Players: 2-6
Ages: 8+
Game Time: 45 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2013
If you’re looking for a challenge, catch me if you can type games, then Scotland Yard may be the perfect option. In this game, you are one of the greatest detectives in London, and you are on the hunt for a criminal mastermind named Mister X.
You have to travel through different countries by land, water, or even underground. You’ll need all your skills if you want to apprehend this criminal and finish your task.
To playgame, The first step is for everyone to decide who will play the role of Mr.X. The gameplay has a total of thirteen (13) rounds, and in each round, Mister X takes the first move. The other players will take turns after Mister X has finished his turn.
The goal for the detectives is to catch Mister X either by finishing the move on Mr. X’s currently located station or by blocking all other stations where he could go.
This may sound easy to accomplish, but note that Mister X has a variety of special moves that may make it hard for players to know where he’s going. He can be invisible in some rounds and secretly record his destination, so there won’t be any clues about where he is.
The game is over, and Mister X wins if he manages to travel across London within the 13 rounds without being caught.
The game Scotland Yard is a great way to test your deductive skills and logical thinking. It also tests your ability to think about the correlation between different clues and circumstances in order to come up with a valid conclusion.
Pros
Suitable for children from 8 years old and above
Engaging and interesting
A great family game
Cons
Board has a small font, which might be a bit of a nuisance.
Final Thoughts
If you always want to take the role of the famous investigator who is looking for a dangerous criminal, then Scotland Yard is your best choice. This deduction game is a great choice for the whole family to have a fun game night or if you want to break the routine and add some action for your next party.
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Players: 3-6
Ages: 12+
Game Time: 60 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2010
Betrayal at House on the Hill from the Avalon Hill brand is a great game for fans of suspenseful, scary, and mystery games.
The game allows its players to build their own haunted house, room by room and tile by tile. They can then start finding ways of escaping from it alive.
The game is a cross between an interactive storyline and a strategy board game. It’s designed for 3-6 players, and each player has a role to play.
In this cooperative game, you’ll need to work together with your fellow players if you want to survive and escape from this haunted house.
During the game, the players must watch out for the Traitor, who will be betraying and bluffing the whole team and hampering any strategy they may have. So in this game, the players’ goal is to get out of the house and defeat a traitor before the game ends.
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a game with 50 different blood-curdling scenarios. The game is a fresh story and experience every time you play it, as players design their own house.
Pros
High replayability value
Gamers can come up with unique scenarios for every gameplay
Great Game components and artwork
Cooperative game
Cons
Long gameplay when there are many players.
Final Thoughts
Betrayal at House on the Hill is the perfect board game for fans of suspense and adventure. It will transport you to a mystery, spooky, horror-filled world where players work together to solve mysteries and escape from a haunted house.
Unsolved Case Files: Cold Case Murder Mystery Board Game
Players: 1+
Ages: 14+
Game Time: 30-120 Minutes
Complexity: High
Release Year: 2020
Unsolved Case Files is the best murder mystery board game for those who have a dream to become cold case detectives. In this game, you are on a mission to find out who killed Harmony Ashcroft on May 8, 1998.
Cold cases can be frustrating because you must start from scratch and use only the investigators’ original chronicles of crime.
This crime board game is made up of three objectives. For the first objective, players must prove the convicted man’s innocence, then they have to disprove a key suspect’s alibi, and lastly, identify clues that will put the criminal behind bars. To crack the case, you have to solve these three mysteries in order then the case will be solved.
There are over 50 documents and photos in this game that are your job to scrutinize and investigate. Also, you need to read and analyze the newspaper articles, suspect interrogations, evidence reports, and witness statements.
After you think the case is solved, check the online answer keys to make sure your answer is correct. Unsolved Case Files is an engaging pastime game for solo gamers, couples, and a family during gatherings. The game is more of a cooperative than competitive experience, and there’s no minimum or a maximum number of players.
Pros
Entertaining enough for family bonding time
Inspires plenty of discussions
A challenging and rewarding experience
It can be both a competitive and cooperative game
It can be played solo
Cons
It can only be played once
Final Thoughts
If you love solving mysteries and crimes, then this is the perfect game for your collection. Unsolved Case Files has no limit on the number of players, making it a great murder mystery party game. Anyone who loves a good mystery and wants to be involved in solving one will enjoy this game.
Clue Game
Players: 2-6
Ages: 8+
Game Time: 30 minutes
Complexity: Low
Release Year: 2017
For those who are into classic mystery board games, there is no better choice than Hasbro’s Clue Game. This game has been tried and tested for decades; it is one of the most well-known board games that are perfect for ages from 8 years old and above.
Who murdered Mr. Boddy? That’s the question you have to answer in this game. There are tons of clues and factors that you have to connect in order to find out who committed this crime.
You must find out who killed the victim in this mansion, what weapon he used, and where the crime scene is. In this classic whodunit game, you have six suspects, and you need to determine who is the murderer between them.
The players are given their weapons, character, and location cards before starting the investigation. The top card from every card type is secretly placed on the board middle. Those cards are confidential as they include the identity of the criminal.
In order to identify these cards, players must make accusations against other characters to uncover their cards.
Logic and deductive reasoning are the keys to success in this game. It is also a game of memory where you need to remember which card belongs with whom. If you want to discover all of the cards in the secret files, this is the only way. The first person to identify who committed this crime and what weapon was used, and where this happened wins.
Pros
Encourage strategic and deductive skills
Great artwork
Light-hearted
Replay-ability
Family board game
Cons
You’ll need between four and six people in order to play.
Final Thoughts
The Clue Game is an excellent choice for those who are looking to spice up their Board game night with some Mystery. It is an easy-to-learn board game, so if you want to introduce a friend to mystery board games, this game will be a good choice.
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures Board Game
Players: 1-8
Ages: 12+
Game Time: 90 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2017
If you’re a Holmes enthusiast and love playing detective, this game will be perfect for your taste. In the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective game, you will have to use your investigative skills and deductive reasoning skills in order to solve the case.
This game is unlike any other mystery board game that you’ve played before. The time it takes to solve each case is around 90 minutes, so don’t expect you’ll finish in one sitting. Since 10 cases are given to the gamers, they will have to rest before proceeding through them all.
The goal of a detective is to simply arrive at the major conclusion by solving all mysteries along the way. The investigator must put the puzzle pieces together by deciphering clues and connecting them with other evidence.
You can use your wit to get ahead in this game. Also, you can find clues through reading newspapers, interviewing suspects, and other ways of getting information that will help with your goal. You also need to be mentally prepared in order for you to succeed at this game.
It’s time to put your mind to the test with a new map of the streets of London and the Whitechapel district, new newspapers for every case, and ten new casebooks.
Pros
Easy to set up
You can play it solo or with groups
Improves strategic thinking and
Encourages teamwork between players
Available in many various versions
Cons
It can be a bit boring for those who are not fond of reading.
Quite a long gameplay if played by one or two people only.
Final Thoughts
If you are a mystery fan and you’re looking for a new game to play with your friends and family this holiday season, then look no further than the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective board game. This game can take up to 8 players, so there is a place for everyone to join the fun.
Mysterium Board Game: Base Game
Players: 2-7
Ages: 10+
Game Time: 45 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2015
If you love playing murder mystery board games that require psychic investigations, then Mysterium is a fantastic choice. The goal of this card game is to find out who among the suspects is behind the death of the ghost residing in the haunted mansion in Warwick Manor.
You have to find out who committed the crime, where it happened, and what kind of weapon was used. In this game, one player takes on the role of a ghost, while the rest of the players play as mediums or psychic investigators who will help the ghost remember what happened in regards to his or her murder.
The spirit communes with mediums through cards that represent dreamlike visions and can help to lead to the murderer. Since it is a cooperative game, all the players must work together to solve this crime mystery if they want to win the game.
The whole team will win the game when a majority of mediums successfully identify the culprit, what weapon was used for this crime, and where the crime was committed. Otherwise, the ghost will weaken and disappear then everyone will be defeated.
Pros
Beautiful artwork
A fun and interesting storyline
Has high replayability
High-quality game components
Cooperative board game
Cons
It may not be best for solo play or a small group of people.
Long set-up time.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a fun and engaging game that is full of suspense and mystery to play with your family and friends, Mysterium can be the perfect fit.
It only has 45 minutes of playtime, which is a perfect duration for a family game night. Families who love playing board games altogether will enjoy this game.
Exit: The House of Riddles Board Game
Players: 1-4
Ages: 10+
Game Time: 60-120 minutes
Complexity: Medium
Release Year: 2019
The popularity of escape rooms is undeniable. These immersive puzzles have become popular all across the world. Companies like Thames & Kosmos seek out ways for these experiences on smaller scales too. One example would definitely include EXIT: The House Of Riddles.
This tabletop game is designed to bring the fun of an escape room to your house. It is an immersive, challenging experience that takes players through different rooms filled with clues and obstacles.
House of Riddles board game is like no other game you’ve played before. You and up to three other players will venture through different rooms, solving puzzles as you go that allow for progress in the story.
The adventure begins with starting a timer and reading the first page of the rule book. In this game, you had to rely not only on logic solving but also on listening for clues.
In this game, you are one of the investigators who is called to a haunted house to help solve a crime, never wanting to turn down an Unsolved mystery. But once you all arrive, Suddenly, you hear screams and see that the entrance has shut behind you; you all are locked in. You have to examine the clues, solve the crime and escape the house before time runs out. You are in a race with time, so Can you crack The case and escape?
Pros
Pretty simple
A few particularly clever puzzles
Engaging and fun storyline
Cooperative game
Cons
It is a game that can be played once
Final Thoughts
If you enjoy escape room games, then the Exit: The House of Riddles Board Game is your best choice. You can play it solo or create a team with up to three of your friends. It is a mind-game that will have you on your toes while trying to escape room after room before you are trapped in this house forever.
