Read the dossier
Every morning a new case file arrives. Study the victim, the location, and the first threads of suspicion.
The Detective's Desk
The online detective game with a new murder mystery every day.
A free browser detective game: work the crime scene, question the suspects, and string the clues together on your corkboard. Close the case before the precinct clock runs out.
Field Manual
How a case is closed
New to the job? The detective field manual walks through how to play a murder mystery game, how to solve a case step by step, and how to run an interrogation. Curious how real crimes were cracked? Browse The Case Files.
Comb the scene
Click through the crime-scene photographs. Hidden evidence is waiting to be bagged and tagged.
Interrogate suspects
Ask witnesses and persons of interest anything. Press them with concrete details, and they may crack, earning up to 10% of the case score.
Make the accusation
When the pattern is clear, name the culprit and state the motive. The precinct grades your closing argument.
Records Room
The Case Files
Real investigations taken apart clue by clue: the anomaly at the scene, the alibi that broke, and the evidence that ended the argument.
Case study · 7 min read
A Cipher Without a Name: The Zodiac’s Decoded 340-Character Message
In December 2020, private codebreakers solved a Zodiac cipher that had resisted interpretation for 51 years, and the FBI authenticated their solution. The words became readable; the killer’s identity did not—and that distinction remains the central discipline of this cold case.
Open the fileEquipment
Tools of the trade
Everything a detective needs to crack a daily crime case mystery — from the crime-scene photos to the final accusation.
Daily case drop
A brand-new murder mystery is released every day. Miss one and it moves to the cold-case archive.
Interactive corkboard
Pin evidence, photos, and your own notes, then connect them with red string until the truth snaps into place.
AI interrogations
Question suspects in the case language. Each reply is generated in-character, so no two interviews play the same.
Precinct standings
Earn accuracy points, early-bird bonuses, and streak multipliers. See how your solve compares to detectives worldwide.
Investigation streaks
Close consecutive daily cases to build your streak. Grace days keep the flame alive when real life gets in the way.
Detective notepad & hints
Jot down theories in your notepad and string your findings together on the corkboard until the story clicks.
Case notes
Questions before your first shift
- What is an online detective game?
- An online detective game puts you in charge of a criminal investigation in your browser: you read a case file, search the crime scene for evidence, question suspects, and name the culprit. The Detective's Desk releases a new murder mystery case every day.
- Is The Detective's Desk free to play?
- Yes. Every daily case is free to play in the browser, with no download and no install. Guests can investigate straight away, and signing in saves your evidence, streak, and leaderboard score.
- How long does one case take to solve?
- Most detectives close a daily case in 20 to 40 minutes: a sweep of the crime scene, a few interrogations, then the timeline and the accusation.
- Can I play older cases?
- Yes. Once a daily mystery expires it moves to the cold-case archive, where every released case stays playable without a clock.
Recruitment
Join the precinct
Guest detectives can play any open case. Sign in to save your clues, build your streak, interrogate suspects, and claim your spot on the precinct leaderboard.