Games like Murdle: what to play when the grids run out
If you want more games like Murdle, start with the free daily puzzle, the other Murdle books or the official board game. For a longer mystery, try a case file from Unsolved Case Files or Cryptic Killers. Our boxed games are another option if you enjoy working out clues and want a story to follow over an evening, on your own or with a group.
The Murdle you probably haven't finished yet
Before changing formats, check the Murdle puzzles and games you may have missed.
G. T. Karber posts a free daily puzzle at murdle.com. You use clues to match suspects with weapons and locations on a grid. It is a useful place to start if you have only played Murdle on paper.
The books continue beyond the three numbered volumes. Merry Murdle has 25 festive puzzles and is listed by its publisher at $16 in paperback. It is one of the ideas in our stocking stuffers for puzzle lovers guide.
For a different premise, the publisher lists Murdle Heist for October 6, 2026, at $18 in paperback. Its 56 capers follow Miss Ruby as she assembles a crew of thieves and plans heists.
The official Murdle board game, The Case of the Cover-Up, turns the logic puzzles into a competitive game. Karber's board-game page introduces it and links to places to buy it. Check the edition's player count and age guidance before choosing it for a group.
Murder mystery case files like Murdle
These games move the deduction from a grid into a folder of physical evidence.
Unsolved Case Files gives you a cold case in a folder of reports, photographs and other evidence. You solve three objectives in sequence, checking answers online. Most groups of two or more take 2 to 6 hours, and the games are rated 14+. There is no set player limit, though everyone needs room to see the papers.
Choose a case file if you want to spend longer on one investigation. A Murdle book offers a collection of separate puzzles; a case file follows one crime to its solution.
Cryptic Killers also makes cold-case files, with some evidence supplied online. You might search a fictional police inbox or read phone records alongside the paper clues. Its cases take 2 to 3.5 hours for 1 to 10 players aged 14+.
Death at the Dive Bar from Hunt A Killer is a short introduction to the format. It lists 45 to 60 minutes for 1 to 5 players aged 14+, with no subscription required. Our guide to games like Hunt A Killer explains where our codebreaking adventures fit alongside case files.
If you would like to see these side by side with the rest of the category, our comparison of eleven mystery box games lists playtimes, player counts and what you actually do in each one.
At-home escape room games, for a longer puzzle adventure
Our games trade the Murdle grid for a table of printed clues. Most boxes contain two parts of one story, with 2 to 4+ hours of play for 1 to 6 players aged 14+. You will spend more time working out codes and hidden patterns, so choose one if that sounds like the part you would enjoy.
You check answers in our online companion guide, which also offers optional hints. There is no time limit. The printed materials tell one continuing story, usually across two parts, and nothing requires cutting or writing on them. You can pass the finished box to someone else.
Blackbrim: 1876, if being the detective is the point
In our Victorian detective game Blackbrim: 1876 you know who you are pursuing: Reager Skinner. The game is a manhunt through Victorian England, working as a private detective while Skinner holds a town's police force hostage, and the deduction lives in period newspapers and cipher work rather than in an alibi grid. It is for 1 to 6 players aged 14+, with 2 to 4+ hours of play across two parts. It holds 4.8 stars from 524 reviews.
The La Famiglia games, if the codes are your favorite part
In La Famiglia you help the FBI bring down a mafia organization in 1929 Chicago, and the way in runs through their coded messages. It is for 1 to 6 players aged 14+, with 2 to 4+ hours of play across two parts and a 4.8-star rating from 99 reviews. If you want to spend more time with ciphers, Codebreaker, the cipher-led third game in that storyline, is the box we would hand you. Play the trilogy in story order, starting with La Famiglia.
The Blackbrim Trilogy, for several evenings of puzzles
For the person who already owns every Murdle volume, the step up is the three-game Blackbrim Trilogy, the full Victorian storyline in one purchase. Its six parts offer 10+ hours of play for 1 to 6 players aged 14+, with a 4.9-star rating from 533 reviews.
For a Victorian story told through codes and clues, see how Blackbrim: 1876 works. It carries 4.8 stars from 524 reviews.
We played Blackbrim 1876 over two days with a family of 5, ages 10 to (well let's just say above middle aged). We had a great time, challenging it is, but everyone got involved and help solve the puzzles.
Kevin H., verified review
A shorter escape room game to try
For a standalone escape room adventure, browse EXIT: The Game from Thames & Kosmos. The Secret Lab is one option for ages 12+; check the specific edition's player count and estimated time. Standard EXIT games may require folding, marking or cutting components and are sold as single-use experiences.
Which Murdle alternative suits you?
Use the table to choose by format and play time.
| If what you want is | Get | The facts |
|---|---|---|
| More Murdle, free, today | The daily at murdle.com | $0 · a few minutes · solo |
| Murdle under the tree | Merry Murdle | $16 paperback from the publisher; 25 festive puzzles |
| The next new Murdle | Murdle Heist, listed for October 6, 2026 | $18 paperback preorder; 56 capers |
| Murdle with other people | Murdle: A Board Game (The Case of the Cover-Up) | Competitive board game; check the edition's player guidance |
| One longer cold case | Unsolved Case Files | 2 to 6 hours for most groups of two or more; no player cap |
| Evidence plus websites | Cryptic Killers | 2 to 3.5 hours; 1 to 10 players; ages 14+ |
| A short first case | Death at the Dive Bar | 45 to 60 minutes; 1 to 5 players; ages 14+ |
| A standalone escape room game | EXIT: The Secret Lab | Ages 12+; check the edition's player count and playtime |
| A longer codebreaking adventure | Blackbrim: 1876 | 2 to 4+ hrs · 1 to 6 players |
| The big gift | The Blackbrim Trilogy | 10+ hrs · 1 to 6 players |
If you are shopping for someone else entirely, our gift guide for puzzle lovers sorts all of this by who you are buying for.
Common questions
Is Murdle a book, a web game, or a board game?
Murdle is available as a free daily puzzle at murdle.com, a series of books and an official board game from Goliath called The Case of the Cover-Up.
Is there a new Murdle book coming in 2026?
The publisher lists Murdle Heist for October 6, 2026. The $18 paperback contains 56 capers about planning heists with Miss Ruby and her crew of thieves.
What is the closest thing to Murdle you can play as a group?
The official board game, if you can find it in stock. Beyond that, a cold case file like Unsolved Case Files scales to a party because everyone digs through the same evidence, and our boxed games run 1 to 6 players across a full evening. Pick by how long you want the night to be.
Are Puzzling Pursuits games whodunits like Murdle?
Our games focus on solving codes and patterns within a story. In Blackbrim you play a private detective pursuing a known criminal; in La Famiglia you help the FBI decode mafia communications. If you want another suspect-elimination grid, choose more Murdle or its official board game. Choose one of ours for a longer puzzle adventure.
Can I try a Murdle alternative for free?
Yes. Start with the daily puzzle at murdle.com. Our free Puzzle Archive also has fifteen browser puzzles with optional hints, so you can try different kinds of codebreaking before choosing a boxed game.
