Best Online Detective Games You Can Play in Your Browser

There's something deeply satisfying about piecing together a mystery. The scattered clues, the contradictory alibis, the moment everything clicks — that's what detective games do best. And you don't need to download anything to experience it.

We rounded up the best online detective games you can play directly in your browser — from cold case investigations and interactive whodunits to full-blown forensic simulations. Whether you love true crime podcasts, escape rooms, or classic point-and-click adventures, there's something here for you.

1. DetectiveOS

Best for: Players who want the most realistic detective experience available in a browser.

DetectiveOS drops you into a full forensic operating system. You're not clicking through a story — you're actively investigating. Hack into remote terminals to recover deleted files. Trace IP addresses on a satellite map. Decode encrypted messages with a cryptography suite. Read through a victim's email inbox. Sit across from suspects in an interrogation room and catch them lying.

Each case comes with a deep evidence locker — crime scene photos, autopsy reports, financial ledgers, chat logs — and you have to connect the dots yourself. There's no hand-holding. When you think you know who did it, you file a formal accusation with your evidence. Get it wrong and the case stays open.

It's the closest thing to being an actual detective you'll find online. Currently features 6 cases ranging from missing persons cold cases to murder investigations involving cryptocurrency fraud and dark web activity.

2. Murdle

Best for: Quick daily logic puzzles — like Wordle but for murder mysteries.

Murdle gives you a new mini murder mystery every day. Each puzzle presents a set of suspects, weapons, and locations, and you solve it through pure deduction — crossing off impossibilities until only the truth remains. Games take about 5-10 minutes, making it perfect for a lunch break whodunit. It's lighter than a full investigation game but incredibly addictive.

3. Her Story

Best for: Narrative-driven mystery fans who love piecing together fragmented stories.

Her Story is a landmark in interactive mystery games. You search through a police database of interview clips, using keywords to find video fragments of a woman being questioned about her husband's disappearance. There's no linear path — you piece the story together based on what you search for. It's available on multiple platforms, and its browser-friendly design makes it easy to pick up. A masterclass in non-linear storytelling.

4. Geoguessr (Detective Mode)

Best for: Observation skills and geographic deduction.

Not a traditional detective game, but Geoguessr sharpens the exact skills real investigators use — analyzing visual clues, reading signs, identifying locations from minimal information. You're dropped into a random Google Street View location and have to figure out where in the world you are. The detective community has embraced it as a training tool for observation and deduction. Surprisingly intense when played competitively.

5. CluedUp

Best for: Multiplayer mystery nights with friends.

CluedUp runs interactive murder mystery games designed for groups. Each player gets a role, clues are distributed, and you work together (or against each other) to identify the killer. It's essentially a digital murder mystery dinner party. Great for remote game nights and team-building events. Less forensic depth than single-player games, but the social deduction element adds a layer that solo games can't match.

6. The Trace

Best for: Classic crime scene investigation with a point-and-click feel.

The Trace puts you in detailed 3D crime scenes where you examine evidence, collect samples, and reconstruct what happened. It has a CSI-style approach — dusting for fingerprints, analyzing blood spatter, collecting DNA. If you've ever binge-watched forensic shows and thought "I could do that," this is your game. The puzzles are logic-heavy and the crime scenes are well-designed.

7. Conflicts.io

Best for: Browser-based social deduction with strangers.

Think of it as a streamlined browser version of Mafia or Among Us. Players are assigned roles — investigators and infiltrators — and have to figure out who's lying before time runs out. It's fast-paced, free, and requires zero setup. Not a deep forensic experience, but the deception mechanics scratch a similar itch. Good for when you want quick rounds of detective-style gameplay.

What makes a great online detective game?

The best detective games share a few key traits:

• Agency over the investigation. You decide what to examine, who to question, and when to make your accusation — not the game.
• Evidence that requires interpretation. Raw documents, contradictory statements, and ambiguous clues beat spoon-fed hints every time.
• Consequences for wrong answers. If you can just guess until you get it right, the stakes evaporate. The best games make your accusations matter.
• Atmosphere. Detective games live and die by immersion — sound design, visual tone, and pacing all contribute to the feeling of actually working a case.

Browser games vs. downloadable detective games

The gap between browser and desktop detective games has shrunk dramatically. Modern browser games run full forensic toolkits, audio analysis, real-time interrogation systems, and complex evidence databases — all without installing anything. The convenience of opening a tab and immediately being inside a crime scene investigation is hard to beat.

That said, some of the heaviest narrative-driven detective games (like Disco Elysium or Return of the Obra Dinn) still require a download. If you've exhausted the browser options and want even more depth, those are worth exploring — but for most mystery fans, browser-based games offer more than enough complexity to keep you busy.

The verdict

If you're looking for a quick daily puzzle, Murdle is unbeatable. If you want a deep, tool-heavy forensic investigation that takes hours to solve, DetectiveOS is the most comprehensive option available in a browser. And if you're planning a group game night, CluedUp delivers the social deduction experience.

The best part? You can try most of these right now without downloading anything. Open a tab and start investigating.