The best Detective board games 🕵️♂️ 2024
We have selected the best detective board games for you 🕵️♂️. The offer ranges from simple variants that can be solved in a few minutes to extra difficult ones that can take several hours. There is something for everyone is Sherlock Holmes among you.
Jump to the list: The best detective games
What are detective or deduction board games?
Detective board games, or "deduction games," are games in which players must draw conclusions based on available premises. These games are quite diverse and include several different types of logical reasoning. Cat-and-mouse games such as Scotland Yard are a type of deduction game in which players use a series of observations and truthful feedback to narrow down the possibilities and catch a constantly moving opponent in the correct position. Elimination games such as Clue expect players to reach the correct conclusion after narrowing down possibilities from a large list. Signal-based games such as Werewolf allow for a series of observations and player-driven feedback (which may not be truthful) to draw the correct conclusion from 2-3 main choices. Finally, this category includes induction games such as Zendo, where players must deduce a general rule from nearly infinite possibilities.
Social Deduction Games
Social deduction games are a related subcategory that is proving increasingly popular and includes games with hidden roles and bluffs such as The Resistance and [Werewolves Full Moon Night](%2Werewolves-Full Moon Night).
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Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | War-games | Murder/Mystery/Deduction | Escape-Room
list of best detective board games 🕵️
In this list you will find the best detective games to buy 2024:
MicroMacro: Crime City
MicroMacro: Crime City is a unique detective game that immerses players into a detailed and expansive cityscape to solve intriguing crimes. The game centers around a large, detailed map of a city where various crimes have occurred. Players become detectives tasked with unraveling these mysteries using the clues scattered across the city.
Nominated for 20 awards and won 11.
⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 2021
More details for MicroMacro: Crime City- 1 - 4 Players
- 15 - 45 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Immediately playable
Dixit: Quest
Dive into the world of artistic storytelling with Dixit: Quest, an expansion that elevates the captivating gameplay of Dixit to new heights. In this imaginative game, players use beautifully illustrated cards to spin enchanting tales and embark on a journey of creative discovery.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Dixit: Quest- 3 - 6 Players
- 30 Minutes
- 8+ years old
- Immediately playable
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*MicroMacro: Crime City – Full House
MicroMacro: Crime City – Full House is a captivating detective game that expands upon the original MicroMacro: Crime City. Players become sleuths, examining a giant city map (75 x 110 cm) filled with intricate details to solve various crimes. This edition includes 16 new cases, each offering a unique story and set of challenges that require players to scrutinize the map to uncover hidden information and trace suspects' movements.
Nominated for 4 awards.
More details for MicroMacro: Crime City – Full House- 1 - 4 Players
- 15 - 45 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Immediately playable
Dixit 3: Journey
More details for Dixit 3: JourneyDixit 3: Journey expands the enchanting world of Dixit with 84 new cards, each adorned with evocative and surreal artwork that stirs the imagination and fuels storytelling. As an expansion to the beloved Dixit game, it enhances the experience by offering a fresh array of visually stunning cards that players can use to inspire their tales, adding depth and variety to the game's creative narrative play.
- 3 - 6 Players
- 30 Minutes
- 8+ years old
- Immediately playable
MicroMacro: Crime City – All In
More details for MicroMacro: Crime City – All InMicroMacro: Crime City – All In is the latest installment in the MicroMacro: Crime City series, offering players a new district of the black-and-white, crime-ridden metropolis known as Crime City to explore. This edition comes with a fresh, large city map that connects seamlessly with the maps from previous games, presenting 16 new and more complex crime cases for players to solve.
- 1 - 4 Players
- 15 - 45 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Immediately playable
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
More details for Deception: Murder in Hong KongDeception: Murder in Hong Kong offers a riveting game of deduction and deception designed for 4-12 players, providing an immersive experience in approximately 20 minutes.
- 4 - 12 Players
- 20 Minutes
- 14+ years old
- Easy to learn
Detective Club
Detective Club is a social deduction and party game that involves both cooperation and deception. Players are drawn into rounds of intrigue, where one player secretly passes clues to their accomplice to reveal a secret word, while others, acting as detectives, try to unveil the conspiracy. Creativity and persuasion play crucial roles as players discuss and defend their choices to avoid suspicion.
Nominated for 6 awards and won 3.
More details for Detective Club- 4 - 8 Players
- 45 Minutes
- 8+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Detective Club
MicroMacro: Crime City – Showdown
- 1 - 4 Players
- 15 - 45 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Immediately playable
Mysterium: Secrets & Lies
- 2 - 7 Players
- 42 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Easy to learn
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*Video reviews for Mysterium: Secrets & Lies
Deception: Undercover Allies
- 4 - 14 Players
- 14+ years old
- Easy to learn
When I Dream
When I Dream is a whimsical and imaginative board game that delves into the world of dreams, blending elements of storytelling, deduction, and teamwork in a playful setting.
Nominated for 6 awards and won 2.
More details for When I Dream- 4 - 10 Players
- 20 - 40 Minutes
- 8+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for When I Dream
Chronicles of Crime
Embark on a thrilling cooperative adventure with Chronicles of Crime, a unique blend of crime investigation, board game excitement, and a touch of Virtual Reality. Picture yourself at the heart of criminal investigations, where the seamless integration of an app with physical components creates an immersive experience.
Nominated for 17 awards and won 5.
More details for Chronicles of Crime- 1 - 4 Players
- 60 - 90 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Easy to learn
Video reviews for Chronicles of Crime
Chronicles of Crime: 1900
- 1 - 4 Players
- 60 - 90 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Easy to learn
Witness
More details for WitnessWitness is a unique cooperative board game designed for exactly four players, based on the intriguing universe of the Belgian comic series Blake and Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs. The game revolves around solving mysteries through a clever yet challenging communication system where players can only share information in a very restricted manner.
- 4 Players
- 15 Minutes
- 13+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Witness
Chronicles of Crime: 1400
Chronicles of Crime: 1400 invites players into the heart of medieval Paris, where they embody Abelard Lavel, a knight with a prophetic gift for solving crimes. As a standalone game in the Chronicles of Crime series, it combines familiar investigative gameplay with new elements to create a unique, narrative-driven experience. Players utilize Vision Cards to gain insights into crimes, relying on both futuristic and historical scenes to guide their investigation.
Nominated for 2 awards.
More details for Chronicles of Crime: 1400- 1 - 4 Players
- 60 - 90 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Easy to learn
Chronicles of Crime: Noir
Nominated for 1 award and won 1.
More details for Chronicles of Crime: Noir- 1 - 4 Players
- 60 - 90 Minutes
- 14+ years old
- Easy to learn
Video reviews for Chronicles of Crime: Noir
Mysterium
Mysterium is a cooperative mystery-solving game set in the 1920s, where players take on the roles of mediums trying to solve a murder at a Scottish mansion, guided by a ghost who communicates through visions.
Nominated for 14 awards and won 6.
More details for Mysterium- 2 - 7 Players
- 42 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Easy to learn
Mysterium Park
Mysterium Park beckons with its mysterious aura, set against the backdrop of a 1950s US fairground with a dark twist. The disappearance of the park’s director has left behind a haunting presence, prompting a group of psychics to uncover the truth before the carnival disappears. This cooperative game engages players with visions provided by the ghost, requiring interpretation to eliminate suspects and locations, leading to the revelation of the director’s fate.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 2.
More details for Mysterium Park- 2 - 6 Players
- 30 - 45 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Immediately playable
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures
More details for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End AdventuresSherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a captivating standalone expansion to the renowned detective game Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. This expansion brings updated graphics and adds ten new cases set in Victorian-era London for players to solve. It includes essential detective tools such as a "London Directory," a map of London, and newspaper archives to aid in the investigation.
- 1 - 8 Players
- 60 - 120 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Easy to learn
Video reviews for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Baker Street Irregulars
- 1 - 8 Players
- 90 Minutes
- 14+ years old
- Easy to learn
Video reviews for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Baker Street Irregulars
Awkward Guests: The Walton Case
Awkward Guests: The Walton Case, also known as Incómodos Invitados, is a uniquely engaging deduction board game boasting infinite replayability. The game revolves around solving the murder of Mr. Walton, with varied scenarios ensuring no two games are the same.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Awkward Guests: The Walton Case- 1 - 8 Players
- 45 - 75 Minutes
- 12+ years old
- Easy to learn
Sherlock: La copia
- 1 - 8 Players
- 60 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Immediately playable
The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow
The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow is a captivating social deduction game that takes place in the mysterious village of Miller's Hollow, known for its werewolf curse. Players are secretly assigned roles and must use strategy, bluffing, and teamwork to uncover the werewolves or deceive others.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow- 8 - 18 Players
- 30 Minutes
- 10+ years old
- Immediately playable
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition
Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition brings the classic werewolf mystery to your table, transforming your group into a 16th-century village besieged by werewolves. It's a game of social deduction and deception for 5 to 68 players, where villagers work to uncover the werewolves hiding among them, and werewolves plot to remain undiscovered while they pick off villagers one by one. With over 30 unique roles and 18 different scenarios, this game offers a dynamic and engaging experience for players of all ages and experience levels.
Nominated for 1 award.
More details for Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition- 5 - 68 Players
- 30 - 90 Minutes
- 8+ years old
- Immediately playable
Video reviews for Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition
Whitehall Mystery
More details for Whitehall MysteryWhitehall Mystery is a thrilling board game that transports players to London in October 1888, a time marked by a gruesome discovery near the future site of Scotland Yard. This game unfolds against the backdrop of a macabre treasure hunt by an unknown murderer, scattering the remains of a victim across Whitehall.
- 2 - 4 Players
- 45 - 60 Minutes
- 13+ years old
- Easy to learn
The Sherlock Files: Vol III – Puzzling Plots
- 1 - 8 Players
- 60 Minutes
- 14+ years old
- Immediately playable
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
Embark on a captivating journey through Victorian London alongside the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases. This immersive and challenging game allows you to step into the shoes of a detective, matching wits with Holmes himself.
Nominated for 4 awards and won 3.
⭐️ Spiel des Jahres 1985
More details for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases- 1 - 8 Players
- 60 - 120 Minutes
- 13+ years old
- Medium difficulty
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*Video reviews for Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: The Thames Murders & Other Cases
Crime Zoom: A Deadly Writer
- 1 - 6 Players
- 60 Minutes
- 14+ years old
- Immediately playable
👍 Good price!Check for best price now at*
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