The Murder Book Casebook
The Murder Book Casebook
Explore detective games, interrogation mechanics, murder mysteries and the psychology behind unreliable stories. The Murder Book Casebook contains recommendations, explainers and development notes from the world of narrative investigation games.
Games Like These
Recommendations for players who loved a specific detective or mystery game.
View category- Games Like Her Story: Narrative Mysteries Built Around InvestigationGames for players who loved Her Story's investigation through fragments of testimony, compared by mechanic and format.
- Games Like Telling Lies: Interactive Stories About Secrets and DeceptionGames for players who loved Telling Lies' secrets, surveillance and deception, compared by how you uncover what people hide.
- Games Like L.A. Noire With Interrogation and Evidence AnalysisDetective games for L.A. Noire fans who want interrogation and evidence analysis, with a clear note on which include combat.
- Games Like Papers, Please About Spotting Lies and InconsistenciesGames for Papers, Please fans who enjoy checking claims against records and catching the details that do not match.
- Games Like Contradiction: Spot the LiarGames for Contradiction fans who want to question suspects and expose statements that cannot both be true.
- Games Like Immortality for Players Who Enjoy Piecing Together StoriesGames for Immortality fans who like assembling a hidden story from footage, scenes, audio and other fragments.
- Games Like Ace Attorney With Testimony and Contradiction MechanicsGames for Ace Attorney fans who love cross-examining testimony and presenting evidence that exposes a contradiction.
- Games Like The Case of the Golden IdolDeduction games for Golden Idol fans who enjoy observing a scene closely and proving exactly what happened.
- Games Like Return of the Obra DinnGames for Obra Dinn fans who want more patient observation, exploration and logical deduction.
- Games Like Duskwood for Mobile Mystery FansMobile-friendly mysteries for Duskwood fans, from found-phone thrillers to surveillance games, compared by how you investigate.
- Games Like The Shapeshifting DetectiveLive-action murder mysteries for fans of The Shapeshifting Detective, compared by how you question suspects and where they are set.
- Games Like Tangle Tower and Detective GrimoireCharacter-driven mysteries for fans of SFB Games' Tangle Tower and Detective Grimoire, compared by how you investigate.
- Games Like Pentiment With Historical Mystery and InvestigationHistorical mysteries and choice-driven investigations for Pentiment fans, compared by setting and how you investigate.
- Games Like Paradise KillerOpen-ended detective games for Paradise Killer fans, compared by how you investigate, how cases end and whether there is combat.
- Games Like Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and PunishmentsCase-based detective games for players who enjoyed examining evidence, questioning suspects and passing judgement in Crimes and Punishments.
- Games Like The OperatorDesk-bound investigation games for players who enjoyed solving cases through databases, files and analysis tools in The Operator.
- Games Like Scene InvestigatorsObservation-first mystery games for players who enjoyed studying reconstructed crime scenes and proving what happened in Scene Investigators.
- Games Like UnheardMystery games for players who enjoyed solving crimes by listening closely to voices and piecing together who said what in Unheard.
- Games Like GamedecDialogue-driven detective games for players who enjoyed Gamedec's non-combat investigations, deductions and choices.
- Games Like Overboard! Where You Manipulate a Murder InvestigationGames that capture Overboard!'s deception, information control and replayable crime stories, even if few let you play the killer.
Interrogation and Detective Games
The strongest games built around questioning, deduction and evidence.
View category- Best Interrogation Games for PCA curated list of PC games where questioning people and testing their stories is the heart of the gameplay.
- Best Detective Games on SteamA guide to Steam detective games organised by the kind of detective work you actually do.
- Best Detective Games for MobileDetective and mystery games with confirmed iOS and Android versions, compared by how you investigate and which stores carry them.
- Best Narrative Crime GamesStory-led crime games where your choices shape the case, whether you play the investigator, an informant or the culprit.
- Best Murder Mystery GamesWhodunnit games that give you a body, a set of suspects and a fair chance to name the killer, compared by how each one handles the accusation.
- Best Games About Catching LiesGames that make detecting deception your job, and why the best of them reward evidence over hunches.
- Best Detective Games Without CombatDetective and mystery games that are solved entirely by observation, conversation and deduction, with no combat.
- Best Dialogue-Driven Mystery GamesMystery games where talking to people is the investigation, from long detective RPGs to short replayable whodunnits.
- Best Psychological Detective GamesDetective games that make minds part of the case, with a research-based note on why behaviour alone cannot prove a lie.
- Best Police Procedural GamesGames that follow the process of police work, from patrols and crime scenes to lab analysis and running a department.
- Best Crime Investigation GamesGames that cover the full investigation loop, from gathering evidence and questioning people to committing to a conclusion.
- Best Games Where You Question SuspectsDetective games across PC, console and mobile where talking to suspects is how you solve the case.
- Best Games About Solving ContradictionsDetective games built around comparing testimony, documents and evidence to find what does not fit.
- Best Games About Analyzing EvidenceGames where studying the clues is the puzzle, grouped by the type of evidence you analyse, from scenes and documents to audio and phones.
- Best Games About Reconstructing a CrimeGames that ask you to rebuild a crime after the fact, from frozen scenes and audio recordings to fragments of interview footage.
- Best FMV Detective GamesLive-action detective games where filmed footage is either the evidence you search or the suspects you question.
- Best Choice-Based Crime GamesCrime games where your decisions about accusing, reporting and protecting people change how the story ends.
- Best Deduction Games for Mystery FansMystery and puzzle games where reasoning and elimination, not luck or reflexes, lead you to the answer.
- Best Interactive Murder Mystery GamesWhodunnits where you question suspects, test their stories and name the killer yourself, compared by format and platform.
- Best Indie Detective GamesDetective games listed as Indie on Steam, each built around a distinctive way to investigate.
Games by Player Preference
Mystery games matched to how you like to play: short sessions, no combat, story first.
View category- Detective Games You Can Play in Short SessionsDetective games whose days, cases, episodes or chapters make them easy to play in short sessions and pick up again later.
- Mystery Games You Can Finish in Under an HourMystery games with official play times of about an hour or less, plus longer games whose single cases fit one sitting.
- Crime Games for People Who Prefer Story Over ActionCrime games where conversation, records and choices drive the story instead of chases and gunfights.
- Detective Games for Casual PlayersApproachable detective games with small time commitments, friendly tones and mobile versions for players new to the genre.
- Mystery Games for True-Crime FansFictional mystery games that recreate the interviews, recordings and records true-crime fans find most absorbing.
- Games That Feel Like Interactive Crime ShowsLive-action and episodic mystery games that play like a crime series you can question, search or direct.
- Mystery Games to Play as a CoupleCo-op mysteries built for two players and single-player detective games that are easy to share with a partner.
- Games That Make You Feel Like a DetectiveDetective games that make you do the noticing, questioning and reasoning yourself, grouped by the part of the job they capture.
- Detective Games That Do Not Require Fast ReflexesMystery games you can solve at your own pace, through observation and deduction rather than quick reactions or timers.
- Mystery Games With Short CasesMystery games split into separate cases, each with its own scene, suspects and solution, compared by official case count.
- Crime Games With Dark AtmospheresCrime and detective games whose settings, subjects and moral pressure create a dark, uneasy atmosphere.
- Mystery Games With Unreliable NarratorsMystery games where the account you are given cannot be taken at face value, and working out what really happened is the game.
- Games Where Small Details MatterGames that reward close observation, where progress depends on noticing a specific detail and understanding why it matters.
- Games Where Your Choices Change the InvestigationDetective games where accusations, interrogation approaches and shared evidence change how the case ends, compared by what your choices affect.
- Detective Games With Minimal ControlsMysteries you can play with simple inputs such as typing, clicking or reading messages, with each control style taken from the game's own store page.
- Mystery Games That Make You Take NotesMystery games that leave the record-keeping to you, with advice on which names, times and statements are worth writing down.
- Detective Games for Puzzle FansDetective games matched to the kind of puzzle you enjoy, from logic-based deduction to classic puzzles set inside a murder mystery.
- Cinematic Detective GamesDetective games that use film techniques as part of play, from live-action interview footage to captured facial performances.
- Realistic Detective GamesDetective games that feel grounded in evidence and reasoning, with a clear look at where fiction still departs from real investigations.
- Upcoming Detective and Interrogation GamesDetective, deduction and interrogation games listed as coming soon on Steam, with release windows checked in September 2026.
Investigation and Psychology
Evidence-based explainers on testimony, memory, deception research and investigative reasoning.
View category- What Is a Murder Book? The Police Case File ExplainedWhat investigators mean by a murder book, what a homicide case file usually contains, and where the term shows up in crime fiction and games.
- Can You Actually Tell When Someone Is Lying?What decades of research say about how accurately people can tell lies from truths, and why behaviour alone is a weak guide.
- Why There Is No Single Reliable Sign of DeceptionWhy research has found no behaviour that reliably reveals a lie, and why nervous or evasive behaviour has many innocent explanations.
- How Investigators Find Inconsistencies in a StoryA high-level look at how investigators gather an account, test it against what is known and treat inconsistencies with care.
- What Is Cognitive Load in an Interrogation?What cognitive load means in interview research, what the cognitive approach to lie detection proposes, and where the evidence is disputed.
- Interview Versus Interrogation: What Is the Difference?How information-gathering interviews differ from accusatorial interrogations, from the PEACE model to the Reid technique and the research on confessions.
- Open-Ended Versus Leading QuestionsHow open-ended and leading questions differ, what memory research shows about suggestive wording, and why interview guidance puts open questions first.
- Why Truthful Accounts Can Still Be InconsistentWhy a truthful account can shift between tellings, what research says about details remembered later, and when inconsistency does and does not matter.
- Why Innocent People Sometimes ConfessWhat research by Saul Kassin and others shows about why innocent people confess, who is most at risk, and why false confessions are so persuasive.
- How Confirmation Bias Can Affect an InvestigationHow early beliefs can narrow an investigation into tunnel vision, what experiments show about its effects, and which safeguards are proposed.
- What Is an Investigative Timeline?What an investigative timeline is, what it records, how it helps compare accounts, and why its entries must be treated with care.
- How Investigators Compare Multiple AccountsHow investigators compare statements from different people, and why neither agreement nor disagreement settles what really happened.
- Why Memory Is Not a Perfect RecordingWhy human memory rebuilds events rather than replaying them, and what that means for honest witnesses and investigations.
- What Makes a Statement Unreliable?The many reasons a statement can be wrong, from stress and suggestion to source confusion and interview pressure, and why unreliable does not mean dishonest.
- What Is Behavioral Leakage?The origin of the idea that hidden feelings leak through nonverbal behaviour, what the research found, and why leakage is not proof of deception.
- Why People Avoid Answering Questions DirectlyThe innocent and non-innocent reasons people sidestep questions, and why avoidance alone cannot reveal guilt.
- How Repeated Questioning Can Affect MemoryRepeated questioning can bring back genuine details or plant false ones, depending on what the interviewer adds and repeats each time.
- How Stress Affects TestimonyHigh stress tends to make eyewitness memory less accurate, and visible stress in an interview is not a reliable sign of deception.
- What Is the Difference Between a Lie and a False Memory?A lie and a false memory can produce the same wrong statement, but only the liar knows it is untrue.
- How Investigators Test an AlibiInvestigators test an alibi by seeking independent corroboration, but research shows innocent people often struggle to give accurate, well-supported alibis.
Narrative and Game Design
How detective games create suspicion, hide clues fairly and turn contradictions into puzzles.
View category- What Makes a Good Detective Game?The design qualities that make detective games work, from fair clues and deduction checks to feedback and room for doubt.
- How Interrogation Becomes a Gameplay MechanicFour ways games turn questioning suspects into gameplay, with the strengths and design risks of each approach.
- How Games Use Unreliable NarratorsHow games turn untrustworthy accounts into something players search, question or create, and why an unreliable story is not always a lie.
- How Detective Games Create SuspicionThe tools detective games use to make players suspect a character, and why suspicion should prompt investigation rather than settle a case.
- How Mystery Games Hide Clues Without CheatingThe techniques mystery games use to hide clues fairly, and a simple test for telling a clever hidden clue from a cheat.
- What Makes a Satisfying Mystery Solution?Why some mystery endings feel earned and others feel like cheating, from Golden Age fair-play rules to branching detective games.
- How Dialogue Choices Create TensionThe design ingredients that make choosing a single line of dialogue feel tense, with examples from detective and crime games.
- How Games Turn Contradictions Into PuzzlesHow detective games turn inconsistent statements, evidence and documents into puzzles players have to prove.
- How Short Mystery Cases Are DesignedThe design principles behind short, self-contained mystery cases that still reward careful reasoning.
- How to Write a Believable SuspectA writer's guide to suspects who feel human, stay consistent and keep a mystery fair.
Inside Murder Book
Verified information about Murder Book, its development and the Gungrounds team.
View category- What Is Murder Book?The definitive overview of Murder Book: what it is, how it plays, who is making it and when it is planned to release.
- How Murder Book Turns Interrogation Into GameplayA step-by-step look at Murder Book's interrogation loop, from reading behaviour to choosing how to press a suspect.
- Why Murder Book Cases Are Designed for 5–10-Minute SessionsWhy Murder Book's cases are built as complete 5–10-minute stories, and what that means for how you play.
- Designing Unreliable Stories for Murder BookHow Murder Book turns unreliable suspect accounts into something players can examine, based on its press kit and development screenshots.
- Building a Detective Game Without CombatThe design questions a detective game without combat has to answer, and what Murder Book's published materials show about its approach.
- How Real Police Footage Inspired Murder BookWhat is confirmed about the real police footage and psychological interviews that inspired Murder Book, and what that does and does not mean.
- Meet the Team Behind Murder BookThe people credited on Murder Book and the independent Zagreb studio behind it.
- The Development of Murder Book: From Zagreb to ReleaseA verified timeline of Murder Book's development, updated as new milestones are confirmed.
- Why Gungrounds Is Making Murder BookThe studio history, change of direction, public funding and Cannes selection that form the verified context for Gungrounds making Murder Book.
- Murder Book Release, Steam Wishlist and Development FAQAnswers to the most common questions about Murder Book's release window, platforms, Steam wishlist and development status.