How to Choose a Murder Mystery Kit – Buyer’s Guide for 2026
There are tons of kits available online, and they just keep growing. Experiences hosts will have a catalog of kits that they’ve tried and know which publishers create quality content. Newer hosts have to base their choices on reviews (which are often biased). To make things a bit easier, this guide will walk you through everything a good murder mystery kit should have so you know exactly what you should be looking for.
Choosing the right kit is step two of hosting – our full dinner party guide covers all the other steps. And for a breakdown of the most popular themes, check out our ranked list of the best party themes.
6 Things a Good Kit MUST Have
Let’s start with the most obvious. Games are created for a set number of people. If you love a game that requires 15 people minimum to play, but only 10 friends are free, it’ll be impossible to play. Kits are written for a specific number of characters, so always make sure that you have your confirmed number of guests before purchasing any kits.
One of the very first kits I bought was off of Etsy. It was on special with a ton of positive reviews and seemed to be everything I could want from its description. However, the actual product was as barebones as you could possibly get. No host instructions, almost no story and limited character information. The format of the game allowed it to replayable, by having a random killer on each playthrough, but I couldn’t have a single playthrough as a first-time host without clear instructions. Host guides are absolutely essential and if a game doesn’t have one, immediately skip it.
When murder mystery games were first created, the game was set around a seated dinner. You’d have 1 death over the course of the night, time to eat your meal, and time to solve the case. Nowadays, the majority of games work around finger foods and buffet-style eating. With only 1 death, your guests have a lot of time free during the investigation which can suck the excitement out of the room.
Newer cases have moved onto the 3 murders formula. A new murder takes place every 30 minutes and new evidence is found on the victim. Guests will have to dramatically act out their deaths, and there’s never a dull moment throughout the night. We use the same formula in our dinner party kits and they’ve been a hit with customers.
Different designers approach their writing in different ways. Most kits are designed to be easy enough for the largest number players. They focus mostly on the social aspects and very little on the mystery. Many kits that I’ve done are painfully obvious about who the killer is. Many almost outright state it on the evidence.
While I’m certain that there’s a market for these games, I feel that a murder mystery should actually have some actual mystery in it. This is done through smart evidence that could point to multiple suspects. Red herrings keep guests guessing all night about who the real killer is, and makes them have to ask more questions of each other to be certain of it.
These dinner party kits are not easy to make. You need to create an interesting story, fun characters, lots of secrets and red herrings, and find a way to mix them all into the story without having any plot holes.
These games takes months to design and test out to make sure that there are no mistakes. However, you’ll notice companies that are churning out new games every few weeks. They’ll have a huge catalog of games, but none of their heart poured into it. Beware of companies looking for a quick money grab.
The theme should be chosen by majority rules. Have your guests pick from a list of possible themes to find out which ones they’d enjoy best. You can still choose which story you like most in that theme, but your guests will have to spend the whole evening dressed up for your event, and deserve to be able to choose something that most of them will have an interest in.
Printable vs Physical Kits
| Factor | Printable Kit | Physical Boxed Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Instant download after purchase | Shipping time required |
| Cost | Lower – no production or shipping cost | Higher due to production and packaging |
| Copies | Print as many extra copies as you need | Fixed number of character sheets included |
| Preparation | You print, cut, and organise materials | Materials arrive pre-printed |
| Writing quality | Equal – format does not affect content quality | Equal – format does not affect content quality |
I have never seen any justification for purchasing a physical kit. They’re way more expensive, and provide the same experience as printable kits. With any printable kit, you can head over to your local print store and have your items printed out on cardstock for a tiny fraction of the cost of a physical kit.
Budget for Murder Mystery Dinner Party Kits
Avoid free murder mystery kits unless you’re doing a test run with close family. These games are usually demos or full games or extremely old games that will not play out well with a modern audience.
$30-$50 is the sweet spot for most games. For a group of 20 players, you’re basically paying $1.50 per person for everyone to have a spot at the party. These games have a lot of intricate story parts that make them so much fun to play, so you will have to put a bit of money into getting a good kit.
Printable kits don’t usually go above $60, but physical versions do. I would not recommend spending above $50 for any game. The quality is not magically going to increase at this price point. The only time you should pay this kind of price is if you’re hosting a large event with over 30 people. These larger games are more expensive as they have to add on more characters and more story.
We write, test, and sell murder mystery kits for a living: Browse our range of dinner party kits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I look for when buying a murder mystery kit?
Check five things: player count matches your confirmed guest list, a proper host guide is included, there are multiple murders to keep the night fun, there are lots of red herrings to throw players off who the real killer is, it’s not mass-produced gargage, and the theme is something your guests will like.
Is a printable murder mystery kit as good as a physical one?
Absolutely. It’s better than physical ones if you ask me. Printable kits allow you to print out as many additional copies as you need when things get damaged. You can print them out on cardstock or even have them laminated at a fraction of the cost of a physical set.
How much should a good murder mystery kit cost?
A well-written kit for 8 to 20 players will typically cost between $30 and $50. Physical boxed kits cost considerable more for the same content, but you don’t need to print them out yourself.
