10 great board games to play if you like Clue

In the classic mystery solving board game Clue, the players must figure out who committed a crime, where it happened, and what implement the murderer used to do the deed. This basic premise has drawn many fans over the years. It has also inspired a movie spin-off by the same name as the game, and laid the groundwork for many fantastic tabletop titles to come. In this list, we’re looking at the best board games like Clue that expand on its formula with exciting mystery solving mechanics and themes.

1. 221B Baker Street

221B Baker Street has a movement style similar to Clue, though with a bit more complexity. You and your team, if you’re playing with one, will need to not only eliminate suspects, but analyze the links between the available clues to deduce what’s going on in each case. The locations on the board set up the Victorian theme perfectly and will be familiar to anyone who has seen or read anything related to Sherlock. If you’re planning to pick this one up, I highly recommend the deluxe edition, since it includes 200 different cases.

2. Mystery at Magnolia Gardens

The world’s best amateur detective Nancy Drew aids the players in their investigation of the Mystery at Magnolia Gardens, an exciting story that makes for the perfect evening in. Someone has been poisoning the local botanical garden, and it’s up to you to examine the evidence and figure out why. In the box you’ll find a mix of character portraits, maps, and punchcards, along with an interesting lockbox. You can start anywhere, and the game is suitable for all audiences.

3. Spy Alley

Spy Alley is an intriguing game of secret roles, subtle strategy, and surprisingly high replay value. Instead of deducing who the murderer is like in Clue, it’s your job to guess the identities of the players across from you. Everyone has secret national ties, and must gather a mix of codes, keys, and disguises before returning safely to their embassy. To cover your own tracks and keep the other players doubting who you are, you’ll want to pick up everything and avoid going straight for your objectives, since that’s the fastest way to blow your cover.

4. Cat Crimes

If you’re on the hunt for a mystery solving game that’s a bit more kid-friendly than our other picks on this list, Cat Crimes is a solid choice. Gameplay centers around solving basic logic puzzles, and there’s a fun cast of potential suspects. Many of the puzzles here a quite easy, but at other times they can even stump the adults. It’s technically a single-player game, but multiple players can also work together as a team just as easily.

5. Mysterium

In Mysterium, you and your fellow psychics work collaboratively to analyze eerie clues from the beyond. One player takes on the role of the ghost and can only communicate with everyone else by using a set of abstract images that look like they come out of a strange dream. If the ghost is able to lead the other players towards the identity of their killer, everyone wins. If just one player runs out of time when guessing the combination of suspects, locations, and items, the murderer will escape.

6. Betrayal at the House on the Hill

In Betrayal at the House on the Hill, players will explore a strange, haunted mansion that’s full of doors just waiting to be opened. Everyone goes in to the house on the same team, but there’s one amongst you who will change sides before the night is up. The layout of the rooms changes every time you play, and each character has unique abilities. There are 50 different scenarios for you to investigate, and each one has a new twist to keep you on your toes.

7. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

If you’re looking for a tabletop title that’s significantly darker and more advanced than Clue, the Consulting Detective series might be a great fit. You’ll have plenty of detective work to do, and more than a few confusing leads to follow. The game’s grimy Victorian London setting is intensely atmospheric. The stories included in the box are exciting, suspenseful, and often gruesome. If you can crack just one of the cases, you’ll feel like a genius.

8. Chronicles of Crime

For a more modern take on solving crimes, you should definitely give the cooperative board game Chronicles of Crime a try. Many of the game’s physical components are tied into its app, which helps narrate and guide the story scenarios. For example, you’ll need to scan the QR codes on the evidence cards. This helps you find out more about them and check in with related entries in the police database. While there’s no movement-based gameplay like in Clue, the debates you’ll have with your crime-solving associates about who did it and why are significantly more engaging.

9. Mystery Train

What better place for a classic whodunnit than aboard a moving train? The Mystery Train board game makes the most of this exciting setting and uses all the best tropes in the detective genre to ensure that everyone has a great time. The game’s randomized mix of motive, suspect, and location cards (plus the funny character names that riff off famous literary crime solvers) often make for a comedic experience.

10. Detective: City of Angels

Fans of a vintage, noir-themed mystery will love Detective: City of Angels. One of the players will take on the role of the Chisel, and must misdirect or lie to the other players to stop them from solving the crime. There’s an in-depth suspect interrogation system, and plenty of narrative twists. The map of Los Angeles is also full of places to search for clues, though doing so can use up your actions and move the case closer towards going cold.