13 Best Mystery Board Games of 2024: Ultimate Guide
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? When the night is long and the intrigue is thick, there’s nothing quite like diving headfirst into a puzzle that needs solving. That’s why we scoured the shelves to bring you the 13 best mystery-based board games out there. From haunting mansions filled with secrets to the foggy streets of Victorian London, we’ve got it all. But we didn’t just pick any games off the shelf. We looked for games that truly make you feel like a detective, where the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of solving the unsolvable are front and center. Whether you’re gathering evidence or deducing the identity of a hidden traitor among your friends, each of these games offers a unique mystery that’ll keep you guessing until the very end.
On this list:
13 Mysterium
We kicked off our mystery game nights with ‘Mysterium’. It’s like if Clue and Dixit had a baby. One of us played a ghost guiding the others, who were psychics, to solve a murder. The catch? The ghost can only communicate through dream-like cards. Trust me, it’s a blast trying to interpret your friend’s ‘dreams’.
12 Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Next up, ‘Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective’. Here, we transformed into detectives, hitting the streets of London to solve crimes. The game blew our minds with its depth. The mysteries felt real, and the challenge? Perfect. It was like being in a Sherlock novel without the deerstalker hat.
11 Clue
You can’t talk mystery without ‘Clue’. It’s the classic murder mystery game. We dove into the roles of suspects, trying to figure out who did it, with what, and where. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it’s a must for any mystery game night.
10 Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game
Then we tried ‘Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game’. We became real detectives, using an online database to solve cases. The stories were gripping, and the integration of technology made us feel like we’re in a CSI episode. It’s a game changer in mystery games.
9 Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate
Mixing Dungeons & Dragons with mystery, ‘Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate’ had us exploring a city filled with secrets. Halfway through, one of us turned traitor, and the real game began. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions with a mysterious twist.
8 Letters from Whitechapel
We dove into ‘Letters from Whitechapel’, a thrilling game of cat and mouse. One of us was Jack the Ripper, evading the rest of us, the detectives. The tension was palpable each round. It’s a masterful game of deduction and deception.
7 Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
In ‘Deception: Murder in Hong Kong’, we were investigators solving a murder, but one of us was the murderer. Figuring out who was lying was half the fun. The replayability is through the roof with this one.
6 Chronicles of Crime
We were blown away by ‘Chronicles of Crime’. Using a VR headset for crime scenes brought a new level to mystery games. We felt like true detectives, piecing together clues from different scenarios. It’s innovative and immersive.
5 Mystery of the Abbey
‘Mystery of the Abbey’ had us feeling like medieval monks solving a murder in an abbey. Think ‘The Name of the Rose’ meets board games. The guesswork and player interaction are top-notch. It’s a unique take on the mystery genre.
4 Mr. Jack
‘Mr. Jack’ pits two players against each other in a thrilling game of hide and seek. One player is Jack, the other is the detective. The chase and the strategies to hide or seek are intensely fun. It’s a quick, but deeply strategic game.
3 Obscurio
We were spellbound by ‘Obscurio’. It’s a magical mystery game where we’re wizards trying to escape a library full of traps, guided by a Grimoire. But there’s a traitor amongst us, adding a delicious layer of mystery and paranoia.
2 The Resistance
‘The Resistance’ had us on the edge of our seats. It’s a game of secret identities, deduction, and deception. Working to uncover the spies among us, while every failed mission brought us closer to losing, was exhilarating. It’s a perfect blend of mystery and social deduction.
1 EXIT: The Game
And the best for last, ‘EXIT: The Game’ series. It’s like having an escape room in your home. Each box is a new mystery, full of puzzles to solve. We were hooked, trying to beat the clock. The sense of accomplishment when we solved the final riddle was unmatched. It’s our top pick for the mystery theme because it combines puzzle-solving, teamwork, and the thrill of escape rooms all in one.
