Murder mystery games for kids
Looking for a murder mystery game for a children’s birthday party or family gathering?
Our downloadable party games are packed with adventure, secrets, challenges and opportunities for everyone to get involved.
Halloween is coming!
Halloween is fast approaching – and what better way to celebrate than by hosting a murder mystery party!
For children aged 8 and up, we have exciting themed adventures without any actual murder. For older children aged 12 and up, we also have family-friendly murder mystery games with more complicated plots and characters.
Planning a party for older children? Take a look at our murder mystery games for teenagers, featuring games for ages 12+ and 15+.
Party adventure games for kids aged 8+
Our three adventure games are particularly suitable for children’s birthday parties. They are designed to be lively and interactive, with characters, team challenges and plenty of opportunities for dressing up.
Unlike our murder mysteries, these games don’t involve an actual murder. They’re also shorter, making them easy to fit into a larger party.
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 / Trick or Treat
Ages 8+ | 8–24 players | About 1 hour
Monsters are gathering in Hallowshire, and every gang wants to prove that they’re the scariest! Players work together in monster gangs and compete in contests.
Monster Mash comes bundled with Trick or Treat, the Halloween version. Buy either, get both and use it at any time of the year.
Best for: Monster-themed birthday parties and Halloween celebrations.
Pirate Island
Ages 8+ | 6–32 players | About 1 hour
Ahoy, pirates! Gather your crews and set sail for Pirate Island, where everyone competes in the annual Pirate Games.
Children become pirates, hunt for treasure, tackle challenges and work with their shipmates to collect doubloons. Pirate costumes are easy to put together, and a few flags, treasure chests and nautical decorations can transform your home into a pirate hideout.
Best for: Pirate-themed birthday parties, larger groups and children who enjoy adventure.
Murder mystery games for older kids aged 12+
If your children are ready for a more involved game, our family-friendly murder mysteries are a great next step.
Unlike our 8+ adventures, these games involve an actual murder, along with secrets, clues and other mysteries. Everyone receives a character with their own information and objectives, and players decide for themselves what to do.
Here are four games we’d particularly recommend for younger players.
Way out West
Ages 12+ | 10–24 players
Head to the Wild West for a murder mystery full of cowboys, outlaws, gamblers and frontier intrigue.
Way out West is popular with families and children’s birthday parties. Its familiar setting makes costumes straightforward, while the characters and storylines give everyone plenty to do.
Best for: Children who enjoy lively roleplaying, Western adventures and plenty of interaction.
Spellbound
Ages 12+ | 13-17 players
Welcome to a magical school, where spells, rivalries and mysterious happenings are part of everyday life.
Spellbound is a natural choice for young fantasy fans. Its magical setting gives children lots of scope for costumes, imaginative play and pursuing their characters’ ambitions.
Best for: Children who enjoy magic, fantasy and school adventures.
A Dead Man’s Chest
Ages 12+ | 12–16 players
Pirates, treasure and murder combine in this swashbuckling mystery.
A Dead Man’s Chest is a good choice for children who enjoyed pirate adventures when they were younger and are now ready for a more complicated story, with secrets, plotting and intrigue.
Best for: Older children who enjoy pirates and adventure.
A Heroic Death
Ages 12+ | 8–12 players
Superheroes have secrets too!
A Heroic Death brings murder mystery into the world of superheroes, with colourful characters, hidden identities and competing ambitions.
Best for: Young superhero fans who enjoy imaginative characters and larger-than-life stories.
How to choose a murder mystery game for kids
The first thing to consider is the age of your children and the kind of experience they’ll enjoy.
Our 8+ adventures are particularly suitable for younger children. They’re relatively short, involve team activities and don’t include an actual murder.
Our 12+ murder mysteries offer more complicated characters, secrets and storylines. They can be great fun for younger players too, especially with some help from adults.
Our age ratings mainly describe the content of each game, rather than how clever or experienced players need to be. You know your children best, so check the individual game descriptions before choosing.
Group size is important too. Every game has a minimum and maximum number of players, and some are better suited to small gatherings while others can accommodate a large birthday party.
Finally, consider the theme. Pirates, monsters, magic, cowboys and superheroes all provide wonderful opportunities for dressing up and decorating your home.
Hosting a murder mystery party for kids
Hosting a murder mystery for children can be a little different from running one for adults. Here are some tips we’ve learned from customers who have successfully run our games for younger players.
(Of course, you know your kids better than we do. So some of this may not be necessary and may not apply to your kids)
Allow time for reading and understanding
Not every child will read their character information beforehand, even if you’ve sent it out in advance.
Allow some time at the beginning for everyone to understand the setting, their character and what they’re trying to achieve. Younger children may appreciate an adult reading through the information with them.
Be ready to help
Some children will jump straight into character, while others may be unsure what to do next.
Keep an eye out for anyone who seems stuck, and be prepared to offer a few suggestions. A quiet word with a player can be enough to get them involved again.
Keep the pace up
Children often play through murder mystery games faster than adults, and may lose interest if things drag on too long.
Our 8+ adventure games generally last about an hour, making them ideal as part of a larger birthday party.
For our more involved murder mysteries, we’d suggest allowing no more than about two hours of actual play for younger groups, with extra time for the introduction and conclusion. The individual game instructions will give you more guidance.
Cast the characters carefully
Think about each child’s personality when assigning characters.
Confident children may enjoy roles that put them in the spotlight, while quieter children might prefer characters with clear objectives and opportunities for smaller conversations.
It can also help to give characters who are friends in the game to children who are friends in real life.
Consider the age mix
Children of different ages may approach the same game very differently.
If you’re running a party for a mixture of younger and older children, think carefully about which roles will suit each player. Older children or adults can help younger players understand their characters and get involved.
Keep the ending short and fun
At the end of the game, allow time to discover what happened and celebrate everyone’s achievements.
You don’t need a lengthy discussion where everyone explains everything they did. For younger children, a short, lively conclusion followed by informal conversation may work much better.
Can adults play alongside children?
Absolutely! Many families have enjoyed our games with a mixture of adults and children.
Adults can take characters themselves, help younger players understand their objectives, or simply assist with running the game.
What parents say about our games
“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
“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
“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
“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
Ready to plan your party?
Whether you’re organising a pirate adventure for eight-year-olds or a Wild West murder mystery for older children, our downloadable games provide the characters, instructions and materials you need to get started.
Choose a game that suits your group size, age range and favourite theme, and get ready for a party full of adventure and surprises.
Looking for something more suitable for older players? Explore our murder mystery games for teenagers, including family-friendly mysteries for ages 12+ and more mature games for ages 15+.