Murder mystery games for kids

Discover the excitement of our murder mystery games designed specifically for kids, teens, and young adults.

These interactive adventures are often a hit with kids, sometimes even more than with grown-ups!

In this guide, you’ll find helpful tips for hosting a murder mystery party for kids, along with suggestions for games tailored to different age groups.

“Love you guys. Love your games. I always had them for my teenaged daughter and her friends and they were a big hit. I was often impressed with how far young minds took their characters.”

Susan Bull, California

Games for kids

This page contains hints and tips for playing games with kids. But if you want to go straight to the games:

(The rating indicates what kind of content the game has. Our games are as much fun as each other – but some have more adult themes and content.)

Hosting a murder mystery for kids: what you need to know

Hosting a murder mystery game for kids is a bit different from hosting for adults.

Kids have their own style of play and might need a different approach to keep them engaged and entertained.

Here’s what we’ve learned about hosting these games for kids, along with some tips to ensure everyone has a blast.

(Of course, you know your kids better than we do. So some of this may not be necessary and will apply differently to 12-year-olds than 15-year-olds.)

“We had an adult for Kate and an 18-year-old for Christy, and the rest were 11 and 12 [for Way out West]. They did great and were even trying to settle the land dispute the next day at school!”

Stephanie McLaughlin, Texas

Allow time for reading and understanding

Not every kid will read the game materials you send beforehand.

Give them time at the beginning to get acquainted with the story, characters, and rules. This extra time helps everyone get on the same page.

Be ready to answer questions

Kids might be shy about asking questions in front of others. Keep an eye out for puzzled faces and be ready to answer questions individually. You might need a quick one-on-one chat with some kids to ensure they understand the game.

Keep the pace up

Kids tend to play through murder mystery games faster than adults, and they can get bored if things drag on too long.

Aim for a total time of no longer than three hours from start to finish. The introduction may need more time, but you can compensate by shortening other sections. You should probably aim for no more than two hours of actual play.

Keep debriefs short and fun

A long debrief where everyone talks about what they did might not work for kids, especially if they’re shy.

Instead, you could lead a quick discussion highlighting the best moments and then let them chat about their favorite parts in smaller groups.

Consider the age mix

Mixing kids of different ages can be tricky. A 12-year-old and a 15-year-old might approach the game (and each other!) in entirely different ways.

Be mindful of this when casting roles and consider grouping kids who are comfortable with each other.

Cast with care

Casting is crucial! Give the “showy” roles to kids who enjoy the spotlight and the quieter roles to those who might be more reserved. Characters who are supposed to be friends in the game are best cast with kids who are friends in real life.

Also, ensure that any romantic themes are appropriate for the age group and keep it light and fun.

“We had two adults assisting for A Dead Man’s Chest, and we would each take the kids off to a private room and suggest things their characters could do, so that they were never stuck.”

(Juju Vail, London)

Mixing adults and kids: tips for success

Most of our murder mystery games can happily accommodate a mix of adults and youngsters without any changes, as long as you’re careful about which characters you assign to whom.

Here’s some great advice from our customers on mixing adults and younger kids in the same murder mystery game:

“I had two grandsons who played Spellbound with us, one 13 and one 9 years old. The 9-year-old played Jason Bennett, and he did a pretty good job, from what I could tell. He started out playing with my husband. They went over the part together at the beginning of the game and then my grandson just took off and didn’t seem to need any more help, while my husband sat and watched!”

A customer

Finding the right murder mystery for kids

We offer a range of murder mystery games suitable for kids of various ages.

Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right one:

Games for kids aged 8 and up

For younger kids (and those who are young at heart), we have three party games filled with activities that don’t involve any actual murder:

Monster Mash: A spooky monster-themed party game for 8–24 kids aged 8 and up.

Pirate Island: A swashbuckling adventure for 6–32 kids aged 8 and up.

Trick or Treat: A Halloween-themed game for 8–24 kids aged 8 and up.

Games for kids aged 12 and up

Our family-friendly murder mystery games for kids aged 12 to 99 offer a variety of themes, including pirates, superheroes, Hollywood, and more. These games do contain a murder, but they’re designed to be fun and engaging without being too intense.

Our family-friendly games are here: Games rated 12+

Games for kids aged 15 and up

For older teens, we have games with more mature themes similar to what you’d find in a TV drama. These may contain references to alcohol, romantic relationships, or gambling, so they’re best suited for kids aged 15 and up.

The game descriptions explain why they’re recommended for this age group.

The games are here: Games rated 15+

“Last year we played Way Out West for my daughter’s 12th birthday. It was such a success that this year we played Hollywood Lies for her 13th birthday. Thank you for adapting the games down for the younger kids. Everyone I ran into for the next few days said their son/daughter had a wonderful time at the party. The kids even wore their name tags to school the next day. I can’t say enough nice things about your games. I only hope that you adapt another one by next year. Actually I need you to adapt two. My son wants to have a Freeform Mystery party for his birthday too.”

Jill Getchell, California