Case File 032 · Interrogation and Detective Games
Best Games Where You Question Suspects
Detective games across PC, console and mobile where talking to suspects is how you solve the case.
The best games where you question suspects let you sit across from the people involved in a crime and decide what to ask. Top choices:
- L.A. Noire: questioning suspects as an LAPD detective.
- Interrogation: You will be deceived: interrogation as a dialogue puzzle.
- The Shapeshifting Detective: question live-action suspects in a randomised murder.
- Contradiction: Spot The Liar: question villagers and catch contradictions.
- Paradise Killer: interrogate suspects on a surreal island.
- Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments: six cases of evidence and questioning.
- Tangle Tower: question suspects in a mansion.
- Pentiment: investigate murders through conversation.
Coming later, Murder Book is an upcoming game built entirely around interrogating suspects.
Key takeaways
- Questioning suspects is the most direct form of detective gameplay: the evidence comes from people.
- Some games make interrogation the whole game; others mix it with exploration or crime scenes.
- Suspects can be live-action actors, illustrated characters or 3D performances.
- Replayable options include The Shapeshifting Detective, where the killer changes each game.
- Murder Book is an upcoming game built entirely around interrogating suspects.
What does "questioning suspects" mean in a game?
For this list, a game must let you talk directly to people who might be responsible for a crime, and that questioning must matter to solving the case. That can mean choosing questions, challenging answers or deciding whom to believe. Games are included across PC, console and mobile.
This list differs from Best Interrogation Games for PC, which focuses on PC games where interrogation is the core mechanic. Here, we include any detective game with meaningful suspect questioning, even when it sits alongside exploration or puzzles.
Games where you question suspects at a glance
| Game | Developer | How questioning works | Format | Combat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Noire | Team Bondi | Question suspects between crime scene investigations | 3D open world | Yes |
| Interrogation: You will be deceived | Critique Gaming | Question suspects through dialogue puzzles while managing your team | Stylised 2D | No |
| The Shapeshifting Detective | D'Avekki Studios | Question live-action suspects and shapeshift to unlock conversations | Full-motion video | No |
| Contradiction: Spot The Liar | Baggy Cat | Question villagers and point out contradictions | Full-motion video | No |
| Paradise Killer | Kaizen Game Works | Interrogate suspects and build a case | Open-world 3D | No |
| Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments | Frogwares | Examine evidence and question suspects across six cases | 3D adventure | No |
| Tangle Tower | SFB Games | Question suspects while exploring a mansion | Point-and-click | No |
| Pentiment | Obsidian Entertainment | Investigate murders through conversations and choices | Illustrated narrative adventure | No |
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire (Team Bondi, Rockstar Games, 2011) puts you in the shoes of LAPD detective Cole Phelps. Questioning suspects is central to its detective work, alongside crime scene investigation. It also includes action sequences such as chases and gunfights. See Games Like L.A. Noire.
Interrogation: You will be deceived
Interrogation: You will be deceived (Critique Gaming, 2019) makes questioning the main event. As a detective hunting a terrorist group, you work through suspects in dialogue puzzles while managing your team. The methods on offer raise uncomfortable moral questions.
The Shapeshifting Detective
The Shapeshifting Detective (D'Avekki Studios, Wales Interactive, 2018) is a live-action murder mystery. You question suspects through a simple interface and can shapeshift into other characters to unlock private conversations. The murderer is chosen at random each game, so questioning, not memory, solves the case.
Contradiction: Spot The Liar
Contradiction: Spot The Liar (Baggy Cat, 2015) is a full-motion video mystery. You question the residents of a village and point out contradictions in their statements. See Games Like Contradiction.
Paradise Killer
Paradise Killer (Kaizen Game Works, Fellow Traveller, 2020) sets its investigation on an open-world island. You gather evidence and interrogate suspects before building your case.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Frogwares, 2014) presents six cases. As Holmes, you examine evidence, question suspects and reach conclusions, then decide the fate of the culprit.
Tangle Tower
Tangle Tower (SFB Games, 2019) is a point-and-click mystery. You explore a mansion, collect clues, question suspects and solve puzzles to identify a murderer.
Pentiment
Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios, 2022) sets its murders in 16th-century Bavaria. As the artist Andreas Maler, you investigate through conversation and choices, deciding what you believe with the evidence you have.
Which suspect-questioning game should you play?
- Pure interrogation: Interrogation: You will be deceived.
- Live-action suspects: The Shapeshifting Detective or Contradiction.
- Classic detective fiction: Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments.
- No combat, open investigation: Paradise Killer.
- Want to catch lies specifically? See Best Games About Catching Lies.
Is there an upcoming game about questioning suspects?
Murder Book: The Art of Interrogation is an upcoming narrative interrogation game from Gungrounds, an independent studio in Zagreb, Croatia. Murder Book is built around interrogating suspects. You read their behaviour with the help of an in-game casebook, pin contradicting statements to an evidence board and choose how to press, for example building trust or confronting them. Cases branch depending on what you notice, and each is designed to take 5–10 minutes.
Murder Book is in development for PC (Steam) and mobile, with release currently planned for the end of Q2 2027. Read How Murder Book Turns Interrogation Into Gameplay.