Murder Mystery Group Games – Dinner Party Kits for 8-20 Players
Murder mystery group games for 8-20 players are some of the best dinner party kits available. This range of games is usually the best written, with the deepest mystery. Bigger games have to use simpler stories to allow everyone to take part without losing complete ocntrol of the game. By keeping games with 20 people or below, the story can be created just as deep as designers want them to be.
Group games of this size make the best dinner-party kits – here is how to host one end-to-end. When it comes to choosing the right number of players, this guide on guest count explains what happens when you have too many or too few guests. For groups with a shifting headcount, a flexi party kit is your best option.
How Murder Mystery Dinner Kits Work
There are lot of different types of murder mystery games, so let’s take a quick second to discuss what these are about. These kits provide a structured social experience:
- Character sheets – each player receives their character’s name, biography, relationships to other characters, and a secret or two that they are keeping
- A host guide – instructions for the person running the evening that explains timing, when to reveal information, and rules to explain to guests on the night
- Clue cards or evidence – information that will revealed at set points during the evening to help guests find the killer
- The solution – the full story of who did it and why, which is only read by the host at the end
Guests will have to use the evidence they find after each murder, as well as clues they pick up from talking to each other in order to work out who the killer is.
Group Size and How It Changes the Experience
The size of your group will determine which kits you can buy.
The sweet spot for a dinner party mystery is 10-14 players. Below 8, there are too few suspects which makes the game very easy to solve. Above 16, it can become mroe difficult to control without a co-host.
Kit Formats Explained
Standard Dinner Party Kit (10-20 players)
This is the most common format and the one that most players will be familiar with. The majority of games you’ll find online have a minimum of 10 players and a maximum of 20 players, which leaves smaller groups with fewer games to work with.
Standard kits require you to have a certain number of male players and certain number of female players in order to play. They often have 3-5 gender-neutral characters that can be played by anyone.
Flexible (Flexi) Kit (8-20 players)
A flexi kit is designed to work for as many people as possible, while still having a great story. These games work for a minimum of 8 players and a maximum of 20 players. All 20 characters are gender-neutral, so any guest can play any character. This is where the flexibility comes in. If a male guest cancels on you, you don’t need to find another male guest to take his place. You can invite anyone to take on that characters role.
This format is particularly useful for birthday parties and corporate events where the final headcount is often uncertain until close to the date. See our flexi party kit for how these games work.
Large Group Kit (20+ players)
Large group kits are written specifically for large group events and often have extensions that you can add on. You can buy a kit for 30 people, and extend it by another 10 players by purchasing an extension. This allows for massive groups of players to take part. The only disadvantage of this is that most of the characters won’t have a direct role in the murder mystery and are more like side characters. It’s very difficult to extend games to this level and include these characters in the main story.
Murder Mystery vs. Other Group Games
| Format | Players | Duration | Structure | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder mystery dinner kit | 8-20 | 2-3 hours | Character roleplaying, scripted ending | Dinner parties, birthdays, team evenings |
| Escape room (home version) | 1-4 | 60-90 min | Puzzle-focused, no characters | Small groups, puzzle fans |
| Mafia / Werewolf | 8-24 | 30-60 min | Simple mechanics, no story | After-dinner, quicker format |
| Detective board game (e.g., Cluedo) | 3-6 | 45-90 min | Turn-based, board and dice | Small groups, board game fans |
| Murder mystery case file game | 1-4 | 2-4 hours | Evidence-based, solo/small group | Those who want to feel like detectives |
For smaller groups who prefer an evidence and puzzle-based mystery without any roleplay elements, our guide to murder mystery case files covers a different format that works for 1-4 players.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a murder mystery group game?
A murder mystery group game is a murder mystery game where each player takes on a character role. Between 1 and 3 murders take place during the night and player must try to find the killer and work out their motive.
How many people do you need for a murder mystery dinner?
Most murder mystery dinner kits work for 8-20 players. A good number of people to aim for is between 10 and 14 guests. You can get kits for a smaller or larger number of people, but their stories often suffer with too few or too many people.
What is the difference between a murder mystery dinner party kit and a board game?
A board game often uses dice and is played in turns at a table. A murder mystery dinner party kit is played in an open room where guests mingle an question each other. There are no dice and no individual turns.
What makes a good murder mystery kit for a large group?
A good kit for has interesting characters, a great story and lots of red herrings to make sure that the killer is not too obvious.
