Our final roundup of the best mystery, detective and crime game apps includes 47 games for iPhone and Android phones which cover a wide range of tastes. Now classic games such as Max Payne will appeal to those craving for some action-packed narratives while stories such as Adam Wolfe: Dark Detective transcend pure mystery boundaries. Finally, there are some traditional mystery games included such as Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders.
It is important to note that the numbering in the list is for referencing purposes only and doesn’t imply a ranking. For our other coverage of mystery and crime apps, you can also check out Top 6 Apps for the Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Fan, Become a detective with these Top 9 Apps for iPad and iPhone, and Top 5 Best Mystery Games on iPhone.
47. Agent Alice
Agent Alice is a fun game with a mix of action and hidden-object challenges. Join Special Agent Alice Wallace, and dive into a whole new world of fresh puzzles and exciting characters. Spot clues and use your skill to reveal the truth behind crimes, romances, relationships and even deeper mysteries.
Agent Alice is free to download and play, but it also allows you to purchase virtual items with real money inside the game. You can disable in-app purchases in your device’s settings.
46. Hidden Objects: Mystery Crimes
This is a good game but not a detective game really other than it being the theme or plot behind going to different places. In general, you can solve puzzling cases in this brand-new FREE hidden object game! Hunt down clues and expose the hidden motives of criminals the cops can’t catch.
45. Who Is The Killer (Episode I)
This original game is based on classical English detective rules. Everyday someone dies and you need to figure out who is the killer. Everybody has a common mystery story of the past. Everybody could have a motive to do this. And you have only seven days to stop the murderer.
It is not a generic adventure game — there is no happy end in this scenario, you can either win or lose the game (if everybody dies). Speak with characters, investigate crime scenes, guess who lies, look at your dreams to find clues and try to arrest the killer before it’s too late.
44. CSI: Hidden Crimes
“CSI: Hidden Crimes” is based on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” which is a three time winner of the Best Television Drama Series awarded by the Festival de Television de Monte-Carlo, and was named the most watched show in the world for the 5th time in 2012.
In the game, you can unlock achievements, customize your avatar, investigate better with your recruits & get decisive advantages in teaming up with the CSI crew! Immerse yourself in the CSI universe with cases written by the original show’s writers.
43. NCIS: Hidden Crimes
Join Gibbs, Abby and other NCIS agents to investigate crimes of murder and espionage with ties to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. During the game, you will find hidden objects to collect evidence, solve puzzles, put together clues and build your case against the criminal minds!
Each case brings new mysteries and secrets, and YOU are called to investigate them. In NCIS: Hidden Crimes, you search beautifully-drawn crime scenes, analyze murder weapons, interrogate witnesses and suspects to seek out the truth.
42. Hidden Objects Mystery Society
You’ve been recruited to join the secret Mystery Society to help solve puzzles and mysteries throughout Europe. Escape to beautiful cities like Paris, London, Venice, Athens, Berlin and more! Find hidden objects, escape danger and climb through the ranks at the Mystery Society and become the greatest detective the world has ever seen! Can you solve the case!? Find out in this free hidden object game by Rolltower Studios.
41. Another Case Solved
This is another one of those non-action thought-oriented games. Become a famous detective and get to the bottom of a curious candy conspiracy in Another Case Solved, the latest game from the makers of Puzzle Craft.
The game is fun and has many small challenges so there is a feeling of satisfaction as each part of a case is solved and then each whole case is finished.
40. Six-Guns
Buck Crosshaw never shot a man who didn’t deserve it, but now he’s an outlaw who had to fake his own death and escape to Arizona. But in escaping one evil, Buck is about to face another, for an ancient and wicked force stirs in the hills of this mysterious region.
This game has more action in it so if you want to mix it up and also play the role of a protagonist in a thriller story, this game is a great pick.
39. Criminal Case
Criminal Case is a very addictive game. You can join the Police of Grimsborough to solve a series of murder cases in this captivating hidden object, adventure game. Investigate crime scenes for clues, bring the suspects in for questioning and analyze evidence to catch the killers.
Criminal Case is completely free to play, however some game items can also be purchased for real money. If you don’t want to use this feature, please disable in-app purchases in your device’s settings.
38. Psycho Escape
Your phone rings. You pick it up. A deep and strong voice says that he’s coming to get you. He knows who you are, where you are, and follows your every action. You don’t know who he is. What will you do? Close all the doors and windows and call the police? Or try to escape?..Being hunted by a murderer and trying to escape will be a horrifying experience. Would you be able to keep calm and solve all the mysteries and puzzles he has to offer? Will you manage to stay alive and escape? Try your skills in this new escape game!
37. Contract Killer: Sniper
This is another action-oriented game. You are a master assassin, hired to infiltrate secure locations and eliminate high-profile targets. Perform lethal strikes and follow your only rule: Honor The Contract.
A new threat as appeared! Cyborgs and Mechanized Combat Units are invading cities around the world. Behind this nefarious act is a secret military organization which have been kidnapping scientists for use in developing their once-secret nanocrystal technology, which is at the heart of their cybernetic augmentation project. You have been hired to push back this invasion, at all costs!
36. Titanic: The Mystery Room Escape Adventure Game
Get ready – there are no instructions, it’s just you and your smarts as you face the ultimate test of wits, cunning, and speed in this adventure puzzler. No two scenes are alike, so be prepared for anything as you race to escape the world’s most infamous ocean liner. Titanic: The Mystery Room Escape is also safe for teens.
35. The Room
The Room is a physical puzzler, wrapped in a mystery game, inside a beautifully tactile 3D world. This is one of the games which showcases what iPad is technically capable of. Caution: This is an addictive game. It grabs hold of you and takes you down a blurry rabbit hole of occult and alchemical bewilderment.
34. The Room Pocket
Based on the success of The Room original game, this version is guaranteed to entertain puzzle-junkies. However, the graphic requirements for the game are a bit heavy so it flows better on the latest smartphone models. Here is a synopsis of what the game is about:
How are you, old friend? If you’re reading this, then it worked. I only hope you can still forgive me. We’ve never seen eye to eye on my research, but you must put such things behind you. You are the only one to whom I can turn.
You must come at once, for we are all in great peril. I trust you remember the house? My study is the highest room. Press forward with heart. There is no way back now.
33. Adventure Escape: Murder Manor
Invited to a dinner party at the famous Wickham Manor when her car breaks down outside, Detective Kate Grey is shocked that a murder occurs before even dessert is served. Join hundreds of thousands of Adventure Escape players and see if you can escape Murder Manor!
32. Murderer Online
Creepy, horrifying feast of murder. Breathless, intense horror game between a cruel murderer and beautiful fugitive.
Will you be a brutal murderer, or a fugitive who runs away and hides from a murderer? Using various geographic features, a murderer can feel the excitement of finding and killing a beauty who tries to hide or run away. A fugitive can experience the extreme tension and thrill of escaping and hiding from the murderer, as well as the horror and fear of not knowing when you will be killed.
31. Shadow City:Blood Sacrifice
This is a classic escape game. The player will face a number of carefully arranged puzzles and the expectation is to use the rigorous logical reasoning to unlock it. This game requires a strong reasoning ability and strict thinking logic. It is suitable for high IQ crowd.
30. Big Time Gangsta
You need patience for playing this game as a big part of what you do as a player is to develop your territory and invest in it and that takes time (it is similar to Monopoly in that sense). The streets of Mission Hill are as deadly as it gets. Build up your gang from the toughest bunch of ex-cons and wanted crooks roaming the blocks.
To survive and thrive in these dangerous neighborhoods you need to take out rival gangs before they get to you first. Hustling and dealing, shooting and stealing is the only way to take these streets.
29. Max Payne Mobile
This is an action-packed noir thriller which keeps players on their toes till the end. A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists.
The groundbreaking original cinematic action-shooter, Max Payne introduced the concept of Bullet Time in video games. Through its stylish slow-motion gun-play combined with a dark and twisted story, Max Payne has redefined the action-shooter genre.
28. Lost Within
Named one of the best games in the App Store Best of 2015. It has gorgeous visuals and a tense atmosphere make for a game that offers plenty of scares and will keep you hooked until the very end.
Survive a haunted asylum and its monstrous Inhabitants. Confront a legendary killer who prowls the abandoned wards. Scavenge and create makeshift weapons or conserve your resources and employ stealth tactics to sneak past the lurking horrors. When all else fails, run for your life or find a place to hide. To escape, you must uncover the asylum’s dark mystery: the shattering secret that led to its condemnation. There are many doors, but there is only one way out.
27. Who Is The Killer (Episode II)
This second Episode wouldn’t have been released unless the idea behind the whole game was not good enough. This original game is based on classical English detective rules in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. Everyday someone dies and you need to figure out who is the killer using the logic. Everybody has a common mystery story of the past. Everybody could have a motive to do this. And you have only seven days to stop the murderer.
26. Fear house 2
Highly addictive, this game is full of puzzles in a scary atmosphere. Can you escape the fear house? It will not be easy we assure you! We were also impressed by the graphics in the game.
25. Mysteries and Nightmares
A mystery story wrapped in a fairy-tale plot: Once upon a time in a land far, far away there ruled a wise king and a graceful queen. They had two talented daughters, both born with magic. Young Arabella was a sweet child, and older Morgiana often felt jealous of her parents’ attention.
In thirst for revenge she decided to resort to black magic thinking not of the price. But dark powers are not to be trifled with, and the once glorious kingdom now lies in ruins. Discover the end of that long-forgotten story as you explore a tumbledown castle, avoid its malevolent dwellers and pass through dangerous traps and challenging puzzles to recall who you are.
24. Deadly Association – A Hidden Object Adventure
Behind every big success is a terrible secret. Nancy Boyle, a young woman without a criminal past has been found dead—half-naked—near her home in Brooklyn. The forensic police inspectors Chloé and Paul are on the case. There’s a big surprise in store for them.
This case is full of developments that keep Chloé Cunningham and Paul Baxter on their toes. You’ll need to use your investigation skills and attention to detail in this investigation.
23. Special Enquiry Detail: The Hand that Feeds
At the time of its release, the game became one of the top apps in the UK. Try your hand at investigating a murder and bring the killer to justice! Detectives Turino and Lamonte have been assigned to a new investigative unit: Special Enquiry Detail. Their first case is the shocking death of the daughter of two charity fundraisers. So the list of suspects is growing.
With pressure from the captain and the mayor to solve the case quickly, the two detectives must uncover the trail that leads to the murderer. You will help with forensics, investigate the clues and suspects to find the murderer and unveil the secrets and deceptions of those involved!
22. Crime Scenes: Hidden Unknown
The Crime Scenes: Hidden Unknown is an exciting Hidden object game. Insecure city populated with the gangsters and swindlers is in hand of A Group of the crime investigations. You have to become a leader of A Group and try to puzzle tens of mysteries; to get over the difficulties and expose the criminals. You have the full detective’s armory and good bonuses.
21. The Princess Case – A Royal Scoop
Getting the biggest scoop of her career was never so hard for one intrepid reporter. How could a simple news story turn into a police investigation.
The media were all smiles as the royal couple set off on their honeymoon trip. A reporter with New York’s People Mag, Lois Wheeler was the first on the trail of a big exclusive. But when she finds her way into the newly-weds’ hotel, Lois gets more than she bargained for.
20. Syberia
Kate Walker, a young ambitious lawyer from New York, is handed what seems a fairly straightforward assignment – a quick stopover to handle the sale of an old automaton factory hidden in the Alpine valleys, then straight back home to the US. Little did she imagine when embarking on this task that her life would be turned upside down.
19. Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot)
Your weapon is your knowledge. Your wits will be put to the ultimate test! The ABC Murders is an adventure and investigation game adapted from the classic Agatha Christie novel. The player embodies the famous Hercule Poirot in a 3rd person perspective adventure game packed with mysteries. Once again, the private detective will find himself up against a mysterious opponent who goes by the name of “ABC”. Your intelligence will never have been so challenged!
You will have to explore many crime scenes in various cities set in beautiful surroundings across the United Kingdom. Leave no stone unturned when it comes to cross examinations and deadly puzzles!
18. Syberia 2
Having searched Eastern and Western Europe for a massing heir, Kate Walker finally completed her long and arduous journey, obtaining the signature of Hans Voralberg and closing the automaton factory buyout.
Mission accomplished? Not for this sophisticated New York lawyer. An unlikely pair, young Kate Walker and old, eccentric Hans Voralberg now set off on a journey together: in search of the last of the fabled Syberian mammoths at the heart of a long and forgotten universe.
The surreal quest Hans began alone several years ago will come to a final close as he and Kate face obstacles far more dangerous than ever before, testing their courage and determination.
17. Sherlock Holmes: Art Of Detection (Ink Spotters)
Written by NY Times best-selling author Sean Stewart, The Art of Detection has been created by some of the most brilliant minds in casual games. More than just a story, you will use your wits to follow Sherlock from Victorian high society to the seedy underworld of gaslight London.
16. Murder without Escape
Solve a murder case in this whodunit adventure game. You’re the inspector and get called to murder case in a lonely mansion. This feels like a nice brain teaser and will keep a player occupied for at least few hours till the end.
15. Detective Grimoire
Detective Grimoire is a charming and mysterious adventure, featuring a variety of strange and unique interactions with the bizarre residents of the swamp, a compelling and challenging murder mystery to solve, and an original award nominated soundtrack.
14. Blackbar
This is a brilliant text game: a sci-fi story of a dystopian future told through the medium of word puzzles. Reminiscent of text adventures and interactive fiction, it has a unique mechanic centered around the concept of censorship. Censorship is frustrating, but the human spirit can beat that frustration by turning it into a game.
13. Calvino Noir
The film noir stealth game. Calvino Noir is the exploratory, sneaking adventure through the 1930s European criminal underworld. Architecture meets Noir as you become unwillingly entangled in a revolutionist plot.
We use Apple’s Metal graphics technology to recreate the style of film noir, with it’s beautiful high contrast aesthetic to build a world that feels real enough to host the game’s dangerous setting.
Acts 2 and 3 are available as in-app purchases. Inspired by the futuristic dystopian visions of Deus Ex and Blade Runner. Play as a disparate group of last-chancers as they fight for the future of a city sliding slowly into the gutter. Some are broken souls, some are merely damaged – all are fighting to forge a future in an ugly world ruled by those whose hearts are cruel and dark.
12. Lost Echo
In the near future Greg’s girlfriend Chloe mysteriously disappears in front of him. He starts a desperate search for her. What happened? Why does no-one else remember her?
Solve puzzles, explore fully 3d environments, interact with numerous characters and solve the mystery. Lost Echo is a modern, story driven, visually ambitious, intuitive, sci-fi mystery adventure game.
11. Gemini Rue
A sci-fi noir adventure in the tradition of “Blade Runner” and “Beneath a Steel Sky.” Azriel Odin, ex-assassin, arrives on the rain-drenched planet of Barracus. When things go horribly wrong, he can only seek help from the very criminals he used to work for.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a man called Delta-Six wakes up in a hospital with no memory. Without knowing where to turn or who to trust, he vows to escape before he loses his identity completely.
As fate brings these two closer together, we discover a world where life is cheap, identities are bought and sold, and a quest for redemption can change the fate of a whole galaxy.
10. Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered
When orphaned Robert Foster is seized at gunpoint from the peaceful village he calls home and flown a thousand miles to a city he’s never seen, he can only ask himself: why me? Escaping from his abductors into the dark metropolis, he vows to avenge the murder of the only family he’s ever known.
Play 10+ hours of intense narrative puzzle-solving, meeting an array of dazzling characters, to ultimately uncover a terrible truth.
9. Shivah
Russell Stone is a Jewish rabbi at a struggling synagogue in New York City. He is a devout man with a problem – membership is down and he lacks the funds to keep his synagogue open. Things are looking very bleak, and he has grown progressively more cynical and bitter with the passage of time.
Just as he is on the verge of quitting, he receives some intriguing news. An estranged member of his congregation has died and left the rabbi a significant amount of money. A blessing? Or the start of something far more sinister? Can Rabbi Stone just accept the money and move on, or will his conscience get the better of him? Step into his shoes as he travels all over Manhattan in his attempt to uncover the truth.
Features rabbinical conversation methods, a unique method of fighting, a haunting score, and three different endings depending on your moral choices.
8. Blackwell 1: Legacy
Rosa Blackwell’s humdrum life is turned upside-down when she discovers she is a medium with the power to talk to the dead. With the aid of the wise-cracking Joey Mallone, the family spirit guide, she sets out on a quest to lay to rest the ghosts of New York City. But is Joey as well-intentioned as he claims? And why is her family bonded to him, generation after generation?
“The Blackwell Legacy” is the first in the critically acclaimed Blackwell series. It is followed by “Blackwell 2: Unbound”, “Blackwell 3: Convergence”, “Blackwell 4: Deception” and “Blackwell 5: Epiphany” (coming soon).
7. The Detail
The Detail, a crime noir adventure in a modern American city. Controlling the actions of a bitter veteran detective investigating a brutal gangland murder and a reformed criminal trying to protect his family, the player is forced to make tough choices and deal with the resulting consequences of those moral dilemmas. The gameplay focuses on branching narrative mixed with interactive comics, and is completed by a professional audio track.
The Detail combines the emotional impact of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead with the themes of a realistic crime drama like HBO’s The Wire, delivered with our own unique visual style inspired heavily by graphic novels. This is city where cases matter, clearance rates matter, and on a good day even justice matters.
6. Adam Wolfe: Dark Detective Mystery Game
This is one of our favorite games. Step into the shoes of Adam Wolfe, an investigator of the paranormal, in the most thrilling first person adventure of the year! Haunted by your sister’s mysterious disappearance, take to the streets of San Francisco, and witness the interplay of crime and supernatural phenomena.
Is each case you solve part of a bigger puzzle? Could it all be part of an intricate conspiracy? The truth may just be more shocking than the otherworldly forces you face. Use your wits and instincts in this heart-pounding psychological thriller – the crime scene awaits.
5. Cognition Episode 1
Take on the role of Erica Reed, a Boston FBI agent with the power to see the past, in this intense adventure game as she follows the trail of four different serial killers, and a series of clues left for someone with her specific ability. Who’s leaving the clues? How do they know her secret, and what do they want from her?
Find out what the fate of Erica’s brother is in the exciting first episode entitled: The Hangman.Get Erica’s power under control as you go face to face against a dark serial killer as Erica risks her own life to uncover the mystery behind The Hangman!
Developed by a true “indie dream team”, the line-up includes comics artist Romano Molenaar (Batman, Witchblade, Tomb Raider, X-Men) as Art Director and renowned adventure game designer Jane Jensen (Gabriel Knight, Gray Matter, and the upcoming Moebius) lending her expertise as Story Consultant.
4. The Last Express
July, 1914. With Europe on the brink of war, the luxurious Orient Express departs Paris for Constantinople, plunging American doctor Robert Cath into a maelstrom of treachery, romance, and international intrigue. The Last Express is a complete, faithful version of the internationally-acclaimed 1997 PC classic.
3. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
his Story Starts with Your Death. In an obscure corner of the city, a single bullet takes your life, but that’s not all it takes. When you awaken as a spirit, you realize you have no recollection of who you are. Thus begins your search for the answers to these questions: “Who am I?”, “Who killed me?”, and “Why was I killed?”
One night is all you have to answer these questions before your soul vanishes at dawn’s first light, and your only lead is the female detective who witnessed your death.
2. Operation X – The Agent Game
Operation X is an exciting online multiplayer game in which you slip into the role of an international agent. Travel through Europe’s cities on the search for information that will help in putting an end to criminal organisations and crime in general. This free RPG offers exciting time, fighting and skill based missions. Improve your abilities while playing Operation X, rise up in levels and improve your equipment.
Following in the footsteps of the main character and the top agent Solveigh Lang, you’ll join the secret organization ECSB and thus start your career as a spy. In your role as a top spy, you’ll follow hidden clues leading to criminals in order to hunt them down and reveal their identity. On top of that, you can use training fights to compete with other players and climb up the ranks to become number one. Team up with friends or other agents to fight crime together or to compete with other agent teams in team fights.
1. White Night
This is an amazing game. After your car mysteriously crashes in the forest, you find shelter in an old and sinister mansion. As you explore your surroundings, strange events start to occur around you. Do you have the courage to unveil the house’s macabre past? Little by little, investigate, gather information and discover what lurks in the dark. We really liked the noir-style graphics in this game.
