Top Murder Mystery Team Building Games To Engage Remote and In-Office Teams

Who on your team could resist the thrill of solving a mystery like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes? Someone will (fictionally) meet their end, and it will be up to you and your team to deduce the whodunit. With seemingly innocent characters and surprising plot twists, murder mystery team building games have what it takes to fill your office with suspense and laughter. 

In this article, we’ve curated a list of team building mystery games to hone your competitive and collaboration skills. Whether you are a virtual, hybrid, or In-office team, you will find an option that fits your team’s size, preferences, and goals. 

Table of Content 

What are Murder Mystery Team Building Games? 

A murder mystery game for the office requires teams to work together to solve a fictional crime. These games can be self-hosted, where you and your team will take on the roles of host, detectives, and suspects. Alternatively, teams can choose a hosted game that typically includes a game master and professional actors to enhance the experience.

The games typically have various themes like 1920s speakeasies, haunted mansions, holiday mysteries, zombie apocalypses, or Hollywood scandals. Participants need to piece together evidence, grill suspects, and unravel the culprit’s identity within the set timeframe. Most of the games include a downloadable murder mystery kit so that virtual, hybrid and In-office teams can enjoy the fun alike.

Virtual Murder Mystery Team Building Games for Teams

Virtual murder mystery games offer the perfect mix of fun, thrills, and challenges to amp up your remote team building activities. Here are our best picks to get your team sleuthing in a fun yet adventurous setting.

1. Murder at the Manor

Number of Participants: 1-300

Time Duration: 60 minutes

Pricing: $48 (per person)

Is it hosted? Yes

Gather your team’s crime fanatics to tackle the complex case file of Murder at the Manor by Hooray Teams. You and your fellow sleuths need to uncover the culprit behind the mysterious demise of Lord Aubrey Falconer. A lively game master will be there to guide teams and even offer some hints when you feel stumped. 

Potential suspects include the vicar, Aubrey’s wife, the in-house cook, and the town’s eccentric professor, each with their own secrets and motives. It’s up to you and your team to expose the deadly truth behind their seemingly innocent faces.

📦Game inclusion: Downloadable clues like a newsletter, last will, church leaflet, a title deed, and a few handwritten letters will be shared in advance. 

2. Murder on Candy Cane Lane

Number of Participants: 1-300

Time Duration: 60 minutes

Pricing: $48 (per person)

Is it hosted? Yes

Looking for holiday or seasonal murder mystery team building games for remote teams? You and your team can join Hooray Teams Virtual Murder on Candy Cane Lane Mystery. Someone met an unfortunate demise during the famous winter parade at Candy Cane Lane’s festive theme park. You and your colleagues have to take on the roles of detectives and catch the murderer before it is too late. 

You will also get the chance to interrogate shady suspects like the dramatic winter queen and mysterious woodsman played by live actors. A dedicated host will lead your team, share clues about each suspect or incident, and help you find the culprit. 

📦Game inclusion: Downloadable materials like suspect profiles, a map of the candy cane layout, and clue cards will be shared in advance. 

3. Murder on the Disorientated Express 

Number of Participants: 6 to 20

Time Duration: 90 minutes

Pricing: $401( per group)

Is it hosted? Yes

Orient Express Themed Murder Mystery from Red Herring Games transports teams back to the 1930s to solve a mysterious crime. The story centers on the luxurious Disorientated Express, where a famous rocket designer, Werner Von Black, is found dead in his sleeping compartment. As players, teams must sift through clues and interrogate each other to identify the culprit hiding among them. 

You can choose to receive clues from their lead detective, either played by a professional actor or as an audio recording. The game is fully customizable to suit your team size and preferences. To enhance the experience, they encourage dressing up in fun costumes to get into character. 

📦Game inclusion: Pre-printed box set with character booklets, invitations, hosting instructions, theme and recipe suggestions. Inspector script is also available in MP3 and video formats. 

4. Ho Ho Homicide 

Number of Participants: 6 to 20+

Time Duration: Customizable

Pricing: $55 to $85 (per person)

Is it hosted? No

Add a dash of mystery to your office Christmas celebrations with Ho Ho Homicide by Night of Mystery. This murder mystery team building game is set at the North Pole, which is in full swing for Christmas.  Despite their efforts, productivity is slipping, which puts Santa’s holiday mission at risk. Arctic inhabitants are desperate to fix things at any cost, and someone may have taken things too far!

The suspects include an ambitious elf, a reindeer with hidden secrets, and Santa’s devoted wife, who will do anything to protect her family. Participants must work together to decipher between naughty and nice while bringing the criminal to justice. You can take the murder mystery party up a notch by exploring the platform’s costumes and decoration ideas, along with suggestions for food and music. 

📦Game inclusion: A murder mystery package with a host guide, invitations, newsletter, name tags, character sheets, evidence, solution, whodunnit cards, and award certificates.

5. Murder in the Red Room

Number of Participants: 8-20+

Time Duration: 90 minutes

Pricing: $29.99 (per person)

Is it hosted? No

Murder in the Red Room is an offbeat murder mystery game to treat the super sleuths on your team. The game takes you to the grand home of Richard Flanders, who is preparing to auction off his valuable modern painting. But things turn upside down when a murder happens right in the middle of the auction. Now, it’s up to you to unravel the dirty hands behind the crime. 

You can act as an art collector, art expert, Richard’s family member, or just someone trying to solve the mystery. Though the game comes with set dialogues and speech, there’s still room for improvisation so everyone can add their own spin. 

📦Game inclusion: Access to the complete game package as a downloadable zip file, including the game script, character profiles, instructions, clues, and evidence cards.

6. Murder Mystery on the Slopes

Number of Participants: Up to 250 

Time Duration: 90 minutes

Pricing: $15 (per person) + Remote host for $300

Is it hosted? Yes

This winter-themed murder mystery team building exercise is a great holiday-themed choice to connect with your colleagues. The plot is set in a fabulous ski resort, where a body is found buried under the snow after an unexpected avalanche. You and your team have to find out if this is a cold-blooded murder rather than just a natural disaster. 

Teams have to use an interactive app on their smartphones to scour the resort surroundings for clues and evidence. They must also interrogate suspects and witnesses (played by live actors ) to uncover what happened when the avalanche hit.  A professional host will guide you through the game to make sure everything runs smoothly and answer any questions teams may have. 

📦Game inclusion: Participants will get a digital map of the slopes and a link to a mobile adventure app for smooth gameplay. 

Ready to take your deducing skills to the next level? Dive into our article on 15 Virtual Murder Mystery Games for office and uncover even more thrilling whodunit events.

In-Office Murder Mystery Team Building Games to Play

The thrill of solving a mystery together in a lively and immersive physical setting is unmatched. Here are some top recommendations for in-office murder mystery team building activity ideas tailored to suit all team sizes and goals. 

7. Jazz Age Jeopardy

Number of Participants: 15-24 

Time Duration: 30-60 minutes

Pricing: $15 (per person) + Remote host for $300

Is it hosted? Yes

Transform your in-office party into a lively 1920s jazz club in New York, full of fun games, cocktails, and delicious food. However, the swanky atmosphere takes a dark turn when a murder occurs in the club’s back supply room. Instead of calling 911, the club authorities want you and your team to solve the mystery to avoid scandal and legal trouble.

The list of potential suspects includes everyone present at the club, including staff, artists, and hoodlums. Teams must put their problem-solving and critical thinking skills to the test as they interrogate each suspect to find the whodunit. To enhance the experience, the platform recommends setting the right ambiance with a 1920s playlist, old liquor bottles, costumes, and a themed dinner.

📦Game inclusion: A 100-page PDF booklet with party instructions, character profiles, invitations and awards, nametags, zipped audio files and sound effects, menu, and decorating tips.

8. The Pungent Pumpkin Poisoner 

Number of Participants: 8-120 

Time Duration: Customizable 

Pricing: $11

Is it hosted? No

If you want to spice up your fall team building activities, then dive into ‘The Pungent Pumpin Poisoner’ murder mystery game. You and your team are invited to the first-anniversary celebration of Pungent Pumpkin Processing Company. The celebrations turn upside down when one guest accidentally consumes the lethal “Pungent Pumpkin Rat Poison.” 

Your mission is to unravel the would-be murderer before they make their sinister move. Teams must confront founders, friends, and associates who may harbor jealousy over the company’s success or unresolved personal rivalries.

📦Game inclusion: Invitations, character booklets, investigation panel questions, clue materials, Denouement speech, and game flowcharts. 

9. The Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion 

Number of Participants: 8 

Time Duration: 30-60 minutes

Pricing: $39.95

Is it hosted? No

For small teams seeking an in-office thrill, ‘The Malachai Stout’s Family Reunion’  offers an ideal murder mystery adventure. Teams will step into the roles of dysfunctional Stout family members, gathered at a family reunion hosted by the elderly Malachai Stout. Though they rarely get along, the lure of inheritance brings them together for the gathering. 

The atmosphere quickly shifts when Malachai is found dead, and the family jewels go missing from his safe. With the storm knocking down the phone lines and washing out the road to town, the family must solve the mystery themselves. Teams need to solve clues and share observations about suspicions quickly before the culprit can escape the scene. 

📦Game inclusion:  Murder mystery kit with party instructions, character booklet, invitations and awards, nametags, zipped audio files and sound effects, menu, and decorating tips.

10. Murder at the Ugly Sweater Office 

Number of Participants: 4-20 

Time Duration: 60 – 120 minutes

Pricing: $49

Is it hosted? No

Turn your office Christmas party into a sleuthing adventure with Murder at the Ugly Sweater Office. You and your team are all set to rock at the ugly Christmas sweater party organized by the Tasty-Ful Design Company. But things get uglier when Nepo Tasty, the owner’s nephew, is found strangled with the sleeves of his own sweater.

Suspects can be employees Nepo has offended, someone envious of his favored position with the owner, or it could be even you. This murder mystery game features 20 suspect roles, with the flexibility to play any combination. Additional team members can take on the role of murder mystery investigators so everyone can enjoy the game. 

📦Game inclusion: The game kit includes host guides, a murderer assignment tool, character booklets, a question menu, award certificates, and an invitation template. 

11. Murder at the Sea

Number of Participants: 17-33

Time Duration: 60 – 120 minutes

Pricing: $54.99

Is it hosted? No

Prepare for a thrilling night of deception and mystery with Murder at Sea by Freeform Games. As the American cruise liner Libertania sails the Atlantic, tragedy strikes when its captain is found murdered. The incident leaves passengers and crew alike in a state of panic and mistrust. 

You and your team must uncover the slayer before the ship arrives in port. Players can collaborate to share clues and solve the case together or follow leads and uncover secrets independently. Meanwhile, the murderer – hidden among you- must avoid being caught. 

📦Game inclusion: Includes character sheets, rule sheets for participants, step-by-step game guide, and other essential handouts. 

12. Movie Murder Mystery

Number of Participants: 5-10

Time Duration: 60 – 120 minutes

Pricing: Free

Is it hosted? No

Movie murder mystery offers teams a thrilling experience that combines teamwork, suspense, and a dash of Hollywood glamor. The storyline unfolds at a party celebrating the completion of a movie project.  But the celebration was tragically interrupted when the director of the movie was found dead at the party. Was it an accident, or is there more to this story than meets the eye?

Being part of the scenario, you have to unravel the enigma surrounding the demise of the director. You and your team assume the roles of producer, director, actors, and other crew members. Alternatively, consider hiring professional actors to play the character roles so you can focus solely on revealing the truth. 

📦Game inclusion: A downloadable murder party kit that includes a host guide, character profiles, script, death note, and award ideas. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are some of the best murder mystery team building games?

Some of the best murder mystery team building games include Murder at the Manor, Murder on Candy Cane Lane, Hunt a Killer, Red Herring Game, and Ho-Ho Homicide.

How to host a murder mystery game for remote teams? 

To host an office murder mystery game for remote teams, select a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Then, choose a thrilling murder mystery storyline or contact a professional platform like Hooray Teams to simplify the event planning process.

During the game, explain the narrative, ensure everyone follows the plot, and promote interaction to solve the mystery. You can enhance the ambiance by using themed virtual backgrounds and dressing up in costumes. Conclude the game by revealing the murderer’s identity and motives behind the crime. 

Is there a free version of the Murder Mystery Office Game?

Yes. Some free murder mystery office games include Bullets on Broadway, The Detective Club Murder, Sour Grapes of Wrath, and Movie Murder Mystery.

How long does a virtual team building murder mystery game last?

Virtual murder mystery games typically last between 60 to 90 minutes. Some murder mystery team building events may offer shorter or longer durations depending on the complexity of the puzzles and the storyline.