Board Games Like Clue (but Better)!

The classic game Clue has ingrained the iconic phrase: “It’s Miss Scarlet, in the drawing room with the candlestick” – or a variation of it – so deeply in our culture that most people instantly recognize the reference. The nostalgia and enjoyment of playing Clue, with its intrigue and sleuthing elements, have made it a timeless classic. While Clue remains a classic and has stood the test of time, there are now numerous alternatives available for those seeking something a bit different. Consider adding these board game options to your collection alongside Clue to take your game nights to the next level. Discover board games like Clue, but better!

What are the Best Deduction Games like Clue?

Mysterium

By: Libellud

Players: 2-7

Time: 40 minutes

Mystery abounds in Mysterium

Mysterium is a perfect alternative to Clue, as it delves into many of the same elements. Both are set in an early 1900’s background, within a large, multi-roomed manor house, with characters coming together to solve a murder. The difference is that in Mysterium, the murder is much less recent, and so instead of the players trying to solve the murder ahead of the police, the players are mediums, communicating with the ghost of the victim.

One player is the ghost, but unfortunately, they can only communicate through somewhat muddled dreams. Mechanically, that player is able to see the clues allocated to each player, and it is their job to guide their players to find them. The ghost player can’t talk or explain their clues, which are based on handing out cards of abstract imagery. Now, the publisher of Mysterium also published Dixit, so the nature of these cards is the same – absolutely gorgeous, but often a little unusual. Mysterium is a deduction game that requires players to use logical reasoning and strategic gameplay to uncover the mystery.

While that may sound easy enough, it never is, as players will be pondering over questions like: is the ghost being literal (there’s loads of the color blue on this card, and on that one), or looking for common themes (both of these show furniture, perhaps it’s those?) or going entirely further (they both look like they come from Sherlock Holmes)? Or even – did they just not have good cards to give? As the mediums are playing cooperatively, this discussion can be had over the board, and always makes for some fascinating justifications. Mediums must beat the turn clock and figure out what happened in time to win! Mysterium is a cooperative game that challenges players’ deduction skills to solve the mystery, making it an engaging and thought-provoking experience.

If you love the murder mystery, the hidden information and the hidden components, Mysterium is a perfect replacement for Clue. Plus, for a smaller version, Mysterium Park has similar elements but at a lower player count.

Mansions of Madness

By: Fantasy Flight Games

Players: 1-5

Time: 120 minutes

From investigating Clue’s murder, to Mansions of Madness’ mythos related goings on…

Mansions of Madness may look like an intimidating alternative to Clue, with its big box packed full of components and ominous artwork, compared to its thin, light predecessor, but it truly is a fantastic choice if the investigatory element drew you in but you wanted something a little more adult, and a little higher stakes. Mansions of Madness is a game where winning is not guaranteed, and your character’s mind is just as much at stake as their lives.

At its core, it is a cooperative board game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, a 1920s setting where cosmic entities have lain dormant, but cultists and worshippers seek to bring them into this world, doing all sorts in their attempt to do so. It’s described as a horror game, but we’d argue it’s horror-game-meets-detectives. All the fun of the investigation and the discovery but the looming pressure and horror of what you might find around every corner. The game is app driven, which means all of the admin that’s associated with larger board games is completed by the app instead. Tell it your characters, your actions, what game you’re playing, and it will tell you where to place map tiles, give you responses to suspect interviews, unveil evidence and… throw some terrifying monsters at you on occasion too. It’s an incredible whodunnit that is absolutely gripping, utterly engaging, and perfect fun.

So, if you loved the investigatory elements of Clue, the rich mansion setting, and a bit of a whodunnit, but wanted something more, Mansions of Madness is perfect. As one of the top detective games, it offers a rich and immersive experience. Similarly, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective transforms the classic Sherlock Holmes stories into an interactive experience focused on thorough reading and deductive reasoning.

Outfoxed

By: Gamewright

Players: 2-4

Time: 20 minutes

Calling all detectives, a mystery needs solving!

If the most important aspects of Clue to you were the discovery, and the ability to play with the family, Outfoxed is like Clue but cuter, and for a much younger audience of 5+. Forget murder, Mrs. Plumpert’s Prized Pot Pie has gone missing, and you chickens are going to need to investigate the wily foxes to figure out which one was responsible before they escape the board. Outfoxed helps younger players develop their detective skills through engaging gameplay. For those looking for more games, there are additional options with various mystery cards and difficulty levels, suitable for a range of ages and playable both individually or cooperatively.

Unlike Clue, the game is cooperative, with everyone gathering clues in order to find the culprit. One card is selected at random as the culprit, and each player then has a choice on their turn, to unveil more fox suspects from around the board, or to search the town for clues. They do this by rolling a set of three dice, with two rounds of rerolls available. Getting a full set of the needed icons lets you take that action, but if you don’t, the fox progresses on the board, and you need to find his identity before the fox makes a getaway.

It’s got the same hidden card feeling, where you’re trying to work out which of them is the right one but has a quicker and more tactile response to clues. Deciphering them means you place them into a “decoder”, the plastic holder for the fox which has a color window when you place a card into it—Green for success, white for none. Younger players will love getting an immediate answer from what they’re doing, as well as the satisfaction of being the one to input the card and share the information back. Whilst Outfoxed may not entertain the adults on their own, it’s a great family game that everyone can get involved in.

Awkward Guests

By: Megacorpin Games

Players: 1-8

Time: 45 minutes

Awkward Guests is Clue if the game were made in modern times

For those who loved Clue, Awkward Guests is one of the closest versions of it that modern board gaming has to offer. It’s added in a few more modern mechanics, and a wider range of options, but carries much of the same heritage – asking your fellow players for information and using that information to mark off your sheet and solve the case. Another humorous and strategic game to consider is Kill Doctor Lucky, where players attempt to kill the elusive Doctor Lucky in a fast-paced, comedic setting.

Awkward Guests is the slightly more grown up version of Clue, though. The game itself comes with a wide range of cards, and to set up the game, you pick from a scenario in the book. These range in difficulty, so you can alter the game depending on who is playing, and the scenario gives numbers, which refer to which cards you’ll need to remove from the box in order to play that scenario with. Every card has a numerical cost from 1-3.

Players then take it in turns to ask the others for clues on two topics, across guests and different rooms on the game board, and the fellow players will lay face down their relevant cards, with a token for the cost associated to those cards. To see them, the questioning player must reveal to them clues of an equal value. Players proceed until they think they have enough information to reveal the details of the case – culprit, weapon, reason, and whether they had an accomplice…

There’s also an app which takes away some of the admin of the game, which is a nice extra, but it’s worth noticing Awkward Guests is not so much a family game as Clue is, depending on the age of the family. It’s somewhat more detailed in both game play, but also potential methods of murder, none of which are unusual but are certainly a bit more than just “a revolver in the library”. If you grew up on Clue and want the next step, Awkward Guests is it.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf

By: Bezier Games

Players: 3-10

Time: 10 minutes

Forget accusing some cards, accuse your friends instead!

If you loved the hidden information side of Clue, you should try One Night Ultimate Werewolf. Popular in its own right, it has seen new interest as a result of the TV Show The Traitors being based on it. In it, players are put into a house as “faithful”, with a few being told they are “traitors”. The former must find the latter amongst them, winning by removing all of them by the final, and the latter win by remaining in the game until the end. Werewolf does the same, but with the theme of villagers and werewolves. Now, instead of accusing Professor Plum in the Kitchen with the Candlestick, you’re accusing your fellow players based on their actions and suspiciousness instead. This game is a perfect example of why people love games that are engaging and interactive, creating memorable experiences through social deduction and cooperation.

Players are allocated their role secretly, and in the night phase of the game when all players have closed their eyes, either a guiding player or the app will tell certain players to open their eyes and take an action, like moving cards or looking at them. Once the sun rises, players open their eyes, and discuss what they can figure out of what happened and why. After a timed discussion, players must vote on the werewolf, and reveal their cards… but as cards can sometimes be changed, you may find your own card different to how you left it!

One Night Ultimate Werewolf immerses players in a thrilling world of deception and strategy. If werewolves are uncovered, they lose, but if they aren’t, they win – though one role holding character, The Tanner, wins by being pointed out as a werewolf when they aren’t. It’s a quick question of who to trust. This version, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, plays in ten minutes, but for a longer experience, the original Werewolf (or Mafia), sees you picking off players until the Werewolf/s is/are found, or when the Werewolves may outnumber the villagers.

Though the murder isn’t the focus of the game like in Clue, investigating the mystery in real life with only the poker faces and actions of your fellow players as evidence, and with hidden information in real time, is a fantastic alternative.

Deception: Murder Mystery in Hong Kong

By: Grey Fox Games

Players: 2-12

Time: 20 minutes

The murder mystery where the murderer will be trying to send you off course…

In Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, players have to discover the evidence and method of murder in order to reveal the culprit – a premise that certainly sounds a lot like Clue! However, in Clue, whilst you may be playing as the murderer unknowingly, and uncovering your card in the envelope has no impact on you as a player, In Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, one player knows they are the murderer, and in larger groups, will even have an accomplice!

The gameplay is simple. Everyone is dealt a role card, with one being the Forensic Investigator, another the murderer, and the rest investigators. The Forensic Investigator, acting as a forensic scientist, guides the game by giving expert analysis and clues, much like the ghost in the aforementioned Mysterium. The only way they can communicate though, is through putting a token on tiles in the center, trying to link what is on there with the key evidence and the weapon, so that the investigators can identify them.

All the while, the murderer is trying to misdirect the investigation, as they win by all investigators failing to identify both aspects of the murder. For bigger player counts, there is an accomplice player, who aids the murderer, and a witness player, who knows the murderer and accomplice, but cannot be identified themselves lest they lose the game.

It may be the same story of uncovering the truth of a murder that Clue offers, but it adds a much more social element into it. Discussions between all (bar the Forensic Investigator) are above the board, decisions are made and working towards the discovery is collaborative. This makes Deception: Murder in Hong Kong a true cooperative game, where teamwork and communication are essential to solving the mystery. It takes the best elements of Clue, and then makes its worst elements much more fun too!

Conclusion

Clue is a fantastic board game that has endured the test of time to remain popular some 80 years after its invention, inspiring families, gamers, and board game designers infinitely. Whilst the board games on this list will never replace Clue, they certainly give some fantastic alternatives for you to try, whether it’s the family element you like most, the investigatory element, or the mystery of it all. Of course, there’s no harm in bringing down that old favorite off the shelf and onto the table once every now and again either – and we’ve a full guide to the game, and how to form your strategy too!

These games can also enhance any game night with friends and family, adding fun and excitement through strategy, deduction, and lively competition.

Looking for something slightly different?

Check out our Best Mystery Board Games!

—–or—–

Check out our Best Horror Board Games!

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