Free detective games online: solve the whodunit
Somebody ate Grandma's sausage rolls. Somebody took the mother-in-law's Tupperware. In Cross in a Box you're the detective of the block: question the neighbours, cross-check their statements and point out the culprit. No gore, no crime scenes: short mysteries you solve by thinking.
▶ Play free nowNo download, no sign-up. Start with The Academy: 5 very easy cases that teach you all the tricks.
How to investigate a case
- Read the statements. Each neighbour says something about where they were: «there was washing hanging out on my floor», «I wasn't at the Smiths'».
- Rule out rooms. Cross out (✕) the ones that don't fit and mark the ones that might as «maybe».
- Cross-check the clues. If two neighbours can't be on the same floor, what you know about one tells you something about the other.
- Name the culprit. Only one of them was in a room with an open window.
A mystery solved by logic, not luck
Unlike many online detective games, there are no hidden objects to hunt for and no lucky guesses: every case has exactly one solution and you reach it by deduction. So when you crack it, you know exactly why it was that neighbour.
If you enjoy whodunit logic puzzles like Murdle or daily deduction games like Clues by Sam, you'll feel right at home.
Play solo or challenge your friends
Play at your own pace with the timer running, climb the leaderboard or send a challenge: your friend gets a link to the same case and you see who solves it first. There are very easy cases to get started and others that will test any detective.
▶ Play free nowNo download, no sign-up. Start with The Academy: 5 very easy cases that teach you all the tricks.
Frequently asked questions
Are there detective games online for free?
Yes. Cross in a Box is a free detective game that runs in the browser on your phone or computer, with nothing to download.
Is it a detective game for kids?
It's designed for teens and adults, but the easy cases are great for playing as a family: there's no violence, just absent-minded neighbours and missing sausage rolls.
Is it like Cluedo or Murdle?
Like Cluedo, the goal is to find the culprit, but there are no dice and no luck: it's a single-player logic puzzle where everything follows from the clues. If you like Murdle, the spirit is similar: a mystery you crack by pure deduction.
Can I play with friends?
Yes: when you finish a case you can challenge anyone with a link and compare your times.