My Favorite Murder Mystery Box Games for Beginners

8 Shares

Well, long time no see, my murder mystery fans! It’s been a hot minute since I wrote a murder mystery game night post! Today, I’m talking about my murder mystery box suggestions. If you are looking for a murder mystery game online, you are likely overwhelmed. This is especially likely if you are a newbie to hosting murder mystery parties. Hopefully, my break down will help you pick a murder mystery game kit that will bring tons of laughs and memories to you and your friends for years to come!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, or link to any products or services from this website.

Starting Out with Murder Mystery Box Sets

Now, before I get started with my suggestions, let me just say there is NO shame in hosting a murder mystery in a box. Over time, you will learn that the boxed murder mystery game kit will give you a little more feeling of control. There are fewer materials to deal with, fewer mishaps to occur (like forgetting to print something important), etc.

My first four or five murder mystery parties were courtesy of some very fun murder mystery box choices. Using the murder mystery in a kit helps build confidence with hosting the event. Honestly, murder mystery hosting can be challenging. You are responsible for setting everything up to ensure things go right and the guests make their way to the end of the mystery. It’s a lot of pressure!

women dressed up for a Mardi Gras murder mystery party for a fun murder mystery box game night

My Favorite Murder Mystery in a Box Games

One of my very first murder mystery parties was with this Honky Tonk Homicide murder mystery kit. (At the time of this publishing, the game appears out of stock. I searched various sites online and could not turn up an in-stock version anywhere. Rats! This game is so fun! I’m leaving the link in case it comes back in stock!) We loved this game so much, I hosted two different parties with it – once with a big group of male and female friends. Another time, I hosted it with a big group of female friends and some of the women took on the male roles.
Another favorite boxed kit was from the same brand (Universal Games). It is Murder at Mardi Gras, and this was another game that was worth playing twice – with two different groups of people. Understand, that when I say I hosted these games twice with different groups of people, the outcome did not change. There is a fixed outcome with these boxed games. I just am a very good actress and did not give away any hints as to who the killer would be, even though I obviously knew which character was the killer by the second play. This Mardi Gras murder mystery game is definitely one that calls for over-the-top decor and costumes! Go crazy with the green, purple, and gold!
My next suggestion for buying a boxed murder mystery game online is A Murder on the Grill (also by the same company as the first two). This one has more of a casual vibe with a backyard barbecue theme. So if you are one who likes to stay more low-key and not over the top with decorations and such, this one might be a good choice for you.
Those are the three murder mystery box sets that I can recommend from my personal experience. We also owned Pasta, Passion, and Pistols at one point. But I wound up selling it in a garage sale because we had moved on to larger murder mystery games by that point. (These games are good for up to eight characters.) As I write this, I’m regretting now that I sold it! These games can be bought through the links above, and I have also seen them at Target.

Mardi Gras decorations on a mantle with a mirror for a murder mystery box game night Mardi Gras theme

More Box Murder Mystery Games

The Table Talk games receive favorable reviews for the fact the games are reusable – up to three times as they have options for alternate endings. For those that may wish to play the game with several different groups of friends and family, this is a definite pro!

Another seemingly fun murder mystery in a box game on Amazon is The Champagne Murder from the same company as the ones above. Although I have not personally played this one, the reviewers mention how easy it is to play even with no experience (again…this is important!). Also, all the necessary materials are included in the box, making things easier for hosting.
The Murder Mystery on the Night Train has great reviews based on fun and reusability although a few do mention that the clues were easy for some. In my opinion, this might make it a nice game for older teenagers.
Darkridge Reunion: A High School Reunion Murder Mystery has positive reviews and seems to be acceptable for a multitude of ages.
Again with three alternative endings, these murder mysteries in a box are actually a great deal! This is especially true because they come with many things you need to run the game. Murder Mystery on the High Seas will turn your home into a cruise ship! I’m thinking I need to order this one – having just returned from our cruise! There is also flexibility with how many characters you need.

There are some other intriguing looking murder mystery games on Amazon that appear to be boxed games. However, if you read carefully, you will see the necessary materials are actually on a thumb drive, and you will have to print the materials yourself. For this particular post, I am only recommending box games that have the materials already – for ease of hosting a first murder mystery party.

Buying the Pre-Packaged Set of a Murder Mystery Game Online

These days, many of the online murder mystery vendors will ship you their games in a boxed format for an added fee. The games, usually in instant download format, are cheaper if you just do the instant download. But for a $20-25 added fee, they will send you what you need.

If you had a group of people going into game night together who were were all chipping in, this is probably not a bad thing to consider. It would save the main host the headache of printing and organizing ALL. THE. THINGS.

However, the instant download games do tend to be quite a bit more complex than the store-bought box sets. If you are new to hosting murder mystery parties, that is something to consider. I suggest going as simple as you can when you get started hosting murder mystery parties.