Best Murder Mystery Ideas

Everyone has at least had the desire to participate in a murder mystery but maybe not the time or resources. Challenge your team to a virtual role-playing murder mystery party themese using Zoom or any other video-conferencing platform. Through puzzles, clues, and interactive games, your team members will need to work together to solve the mystery of an unexpected death. We’ll warn you now: Not everyone will have what it takes to solve the mystery in time!

Typically, your team is broken up into smaller groups and asked to work together to solve the mystery. Throughout the experience, they’ll bond with one another while thinking critically and strategically about their surroundings. For some, the murder may even be closer than they think…

Planning these experiences on your own can take a lot of work; however, it can be rewarding to see how everything unfolds. That’s why we’re here to show you the top Murder Mystery Ideas.  

Top Murder Mystery Party Ideas

Clue can be a template for a murder mystery

Everyone is familar with the board game clue so you can use this as your template for the murder mystery.  You will still need to develop clues and identify characters but by using Clue everyone will have a sense of the format of the mystery.  It is more fun if you include costumes and even include murder weapons that can be found around the house like a shoe, fork and even a roll of paper towels. 

Set the right mood

You will need to set the right mood to have a successful muder mystery.  Utilizing decorations, costumes, a killer venue or event is just the begining of how to set the right mood.  You can also be creative about the murder weapons and gameplay.  The more effort you put into setting the mood, the better the game will be received.  

Murder mystery party themes

There are lots of different murder mystery party themes to choose from but some of our favorites are centered around various locations like space, resturants or even in Hollywood.  Feel free to get creative with your murder mystery party theme and don't forget to incorporate cosutmes and weapons to go along with the theme.  

Hand out prizes to the winner

This is our favorite murder mystery party idea, to really get those compeditive juices flowing you can give prizes to the winner.  This will make sure everyone is invested in the game and participating to win.  Prizes can be as simple as a gift card or something creative that relates to your group.  You can even tie the prize in with the theme of the murder mystery.  

Ensure everyone has a drink

Before the murder mystery ensure everyone has the proper drink.  This could be party of the murdery mystery with themed cocktails.  There are lots of different options but if you don't think you can do this yourself there is always the option to have drinks provided by a bartender.

Hire professionals

If the above murder mystery ideas seem like a lot of work, most of them are.  There is another option to hire professionals to facilite the murder mystery with your group.  Elevent is happy to help and here are the top murder mysteries:

Space Crime Continuum

In this space-themed murder mystery, your team members will be split into small Task Force groups of six to eight. From there, they will interrogate the six live actor suspects and take a deeper dive into their alibis before deciding who was the murderer and what the motive was. Your team will need to think strategically and work together to get through this one.

Space Crime Continuum can host up to 120 guests for a price per group of $5,500.  Click here to learn more. 

Bingo Butcher: Murder Mystery

A host will expertly set the scene for you and your team to work through the murder of Pappy, an octogenarian grump. Unlike other murder mystery party themes, this one is comprised entirely of participant interaction. That means everyone plays an equally engaging character. Things will get confusing! Your team will need to pay attention, work through the clues, and completely immerse themselves in the experience if they want to win

Bingo Butcher: Murder Mystery can host up to 150 guests for a price of $35 per person.  Click here to learn more. 

Prohibition Speakeasy & Al Capone Murder Mystery

Make Prohibition Era favorites with options to customize with what you have at home! In those days, you got what they had in stock, so time to raid the cabinets for some inspiration! Your final cocktail may be a thriller, but stay tuned for the Al Capone Murder Mystery!  Each guest will receive a shipment with this event. 

Prohibition Speakeasy & Al Capone Murder Mystery can host up to 25 guests for a price of $125 per person.  Click here to learn more. 

Y2Kaper: A Very ’90s Mystery

If your team is mostly made up of kids from the ’90s, this murder mystery experience will bring them back to a time of French bread pizza, stable economies, and “Friends” viewing parties. Until one day, when the Y2K bug turned every computer in the world into a ticking time bomb. Teams will be split into groups of eight. Together, they’ll need to work through three rounds of live interactive theater to sabotage the launch of The Oracle. Can they do it in time?

Y2Kaper: A Very '90s Mystery can host up to 120 guests for a group price of $7,500.  Click here to learn more. 

Murder at the Art Museum

There’s a killer on the loose in the art museum, and your team will need to figure out who it is. Together, they’ll work through the clues, investigate the art pieces, and answer the questions everyone wants to know the answers to. This murder mystery is great for large groups of up to 600 team members.

Murder at the Art Museum can host up to 600 guests for a price of $45 per person.  Click here to learn more. 

Act in a Murder Mystery

For this murder mystery, everyone gets to be an actor. Each participant will receive a role to play throughout the experience, and team members will receive everything they need to successfully play the role of the detective, a suspect, or a witness. The host will guide you through the entire experience, providing you with the clues you need to solve this mystery. Keep in mind: There is a killer among you so be careful who you trust!

Act in a Murder Mystery can host up to 12 guests for a price per group of $349.  Click here to learn more. 

Murder by Team Building

We have some bad news: The game host was murdered on their way to your office. That means your team will need to work together to solve the murder and help expose the killer. Don’t worry: A different host will be there to set the scene and guide your team through all the clues. Will they be able to solve it together? Your team members will need to work together and hone their collaboration skills.

Murder by Team Building can host up to 600 guests for a price of $45 per person.  Click here to learn more. 

A Cocktail Party Murder Mystery

Your team is invited to a Patchwork Detective Agency’s cocktail hour. Together, they’ll need to solve clues, interact with the live actors, think critically about their surroundings, and work to solve the mystery. Each member of your team will receive a box full of decorations, champagne cups, name tags, and all the puzzle components they need for this cocktail party with a mysterious twist.

A Cocktail Party Murder Mystery can host up to 60 guests for a price of $136 per person.  Click here to learn more.   

Blood on the Bleachers: Murder Mystery

It’s graduation day for the class of 1992 at Ellery High School. However, before they could collect their diplomas, the principal was found dead on the bleachers. It’s up to your team members to get to the bottom of this murder mystery and figure out what could have happened. This exciting adventure can accommodate between 8 to 200 attendees and will put your team’s knowledge to the test.

Blood on the Bleachers: Murder Mystery can support up to 200 guests for a price of $35 per person.  Click here to learn more. 

Speakeasy: A Live Actor Led Murder Mystery

What started as an office social hour at a local bar turned into a mystery and murder. Set in the exciting Prohibition era, this murder mystery party theme will challenge your team members to work together to solve the murder. This exciting 80-minute virtual experience can accommodate up to 32 participants.

Speakeasy: A Live Actor Led Murder Mystery can host up to 32 guest for total price of $950 for the group.  Click here to learn more. 

Book Your Next Murder Mystery with Elevent

Don’t see one on this list that catches your eye? Make sure to check out our full list of murder mystery events.

Ready to plan an exciting murder mystery that will have your team talking for years to come? The fun part about a murder mystery is they are all different and always have a different plot to follow, meaning you can tailor them to challenge your team’s communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking skills, as well as match their collective personality types.

If you’re considering planning a murder mystery party theme for your next virtual event, we recommend going all out! That means encouraging your team to wear costumes, sending them a bottle of wine to sip throughout the experience, and providing them with decorations to set the scene. A murder mystery is only as fun as you make it, and at Elevent, we’ll handle the planning so you can join in on the fun.

Originally published at Mar 23 2022, 1:17:00 PM. Updated on Dec 1 2022.