Detective and Deduction Games
Detective board games, case books and mystery puzzles compared, with how deduction games work and how to think like a detective at the table.
Detective games put you in the investigator’s chair. You choose which leads to follow, which witness to question and which location to visit, then answer the questions the case asks. Deduction games strip that down to logic: a set of clues, a grid of possibilities, and the satisfaction of crossing out every option but one.
This topic covers the games where reasoning matters more than puzzles to crack: case books such as Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, modern detective board games, illustrated search-and-find mysteries, short mystery card games and murder mystery jigsaw puzzles that end with a case to solve.
Begin with what a deduction game is to see how these games differ from escape rooms. Compare the best detective board games, the best murder mystery puzzles and the best mystery card games, and read how to think like a detective for a method that works across all of them, from your first case book to a full campaign.
Play and solve better
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How to How to Think Like a Detective: 7 Deduction Techniques for GamesHow to think like a detective at a deduction game: keep a grid, log sources, test rival theories, hunt contradictions and spend leads wisely in Consulting Detective.
How these games work
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Guide What Is a Deduction Game? Types, Examples and How to PlayWhat a deduction game is, its four families from Clue to MicroMacro: Crime City, how a game plays out, and how it differs from social deduction and escape rooms.
Games compared
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The Best Detective Board Games for Solving Cases at HomeFour detective board games compared on players, time per case and how you investigate, from Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective to MicroMacro.
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The Best Murder Mystery Puzzles: Jigsaws That Hide the CluesFour murder mystery puzzles compared, from BePuzzled's story-and-jigsaw whodunits to Odd Pieces' sealed endings and The Killer Isn't Alice.
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The Best Mystery Card Games for Quick CasesFour mystery card games compared on players, age and format, from 30 Second Mysteries to Ravnica: Clue Edition, plus why Black Stories is not on the list.
Before you pick a box
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How to choose Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Which Box to Start WithWhich Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective box to buy first: the four Space Cowboys boxes compared, cases per box, players, age, scoring, and solo or group play.
FAQ
What is a detective board game?
A game in which players investigate a case by visiting locations, reading leads and interviewing characters, then answer questions about what happened. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective and Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game are well-known examples.
What is the difference between a detective game and a deduction game?
A detective game tells a story you investigate. A deduction game can be a pure logic puzzle, where you eliminate possibilities from a set of rules or clues, with or without a story.
Are detective board games cooperative?
Most story-driven detective games are cooperative: the group shares one investigation and one score. Some classic deduction games are competitive, with each player racing to the answer.