Fancy some amateur sleuthing while you’re trapped in the building with the murderer on the loose?
Is this thing on?
Only Murders in the Building was based on the hit show of the same name, where the main characters (Mabel, Charles and Oliver) narrate their own true crime podcasts of solving suspicious deaths in their residence, the Arconia. The game takes a different approach by setting the podcast element aside and puts you directly in control of the Trio to help them gather clues and find the murderer.
Rather than competing against other players, you are working cooperatively as a team, combing through the Arconia’s halls and apartments, picking up clues. These clues are then pieced together until you can pinpoint where the murderer’s apartment is; all while avoiding the Accomplice that has its own turn to deprive you of clues.
On top of that, you and your team only get one shot at making an accusation. Get it right, everyone wins. Get it wrong, the murderer walks free.
Who dunnit?
The theme of Only Murders in the Building game carry is very minimalist. The main board is dressed in neutral beige and deep teal which I think provides quite a calm backdrop to the colour-coded Trio; Mabel in yellow, Charles in red and Oliver in blue. Coloured welcome mats along the hallway signal which of the Trio can enter each apartment. Personally, the seamless visual language is what I like about the art and design of this game. Very easy to explain to small children :)
The Arconia board is made up of apartment rooms, hallways and a compound. Each room displays three of six possible objects across 12 random combinations. Somewhere among them, one correct combination marks the murderer’s apartment. Most of the rooms feature two-colour mats, meaning two of the Trio are able to enter and gather clues, depending on what action is available. It is up to you and your team taking or passing turns to move one lead character at a time until they grab a clue or leave the hallway. When a lead character leaves the hallway, the next player gets to select a new lead character.
To help narrow down the correct object, a 3D Building facade keeps a Solution card hidden until your clues are linked to a specific object. This 3D Building’s mechanism lets you peek at the matching object(s) by swinging open the corresponding window flaps. In a child-like wonder, this is a very satisfying way to cross-reference your findings and suspicions. The door flap, however, remains sealed until a formal accusation is made.
Separate from the Arconia board, the Accomplice tracks their stolen clues on a dedicated display of up to six tiles. You instantly lose the case if the sixth tile is filled.
Are clues connecting?
The objective of Only Murders in the Building game is to win as a team. During setup, an Episode card is drawn to determine Clue placements and the Trio’s starting positions. The Accomplice’s piece is only placed at the start of the very first Episode; after that, it simply remains where it last stopped.
Planning Phase: Before each Episode begins, players discuss freely and plan where each character should move to collectively sweep the most Clues. Each of the Trio can only search one apartment per Episode, and it must be a room that displays their colour on the welcome mat.
Once a plan is set, the First Player shuffles all 16 Action cards and deals them out accordingly: 6 cards each for 2 players, 5 cards for 3 players, or 4 cards for 4 players.
Silent Episode: Once everyone picks up their card, no more discussions are allowed! Sounds of frustration, cheering and laughing might ensue but strictly no talking for the duration of the Episode. However, players are allowed to communicate by flipping the Group Text tile only once per Episode. This exception allows a single player to reveal one of their Action cards to the team (admittedly, we tend to forget this feature exists).
Action cards include Move, Search, Move/Search, and character-specific Special cards. Move cards require moving the exact number of tiles shown (unless a range is given), and players can never land on or pass through the Accomplice’s space, and therefore, must move the other direction instead.
Playing a Search card removes that character from the hallway along with all Clue tiles in said room. Once Mabel, Charles, and Oliver have all left the hallway, the Episode ends and talking resumes.
Connecting the Clues: With the gathered Clues, decide together which Object connects to the Suspect so you can swing open the corresponding window on the 3D building to check it against the Solution card.
Ending the Episode: To conclude the Episode, the First Player rolls a die to move the Accomplice toward the nearest clue. Rather than entering a room to search like the Trio, the Accomplice simply takes ALL Clues in rooms it passes through. It’s quite the sneaky built-in advantage. If no accusation has been made, reshuffle all 16 Action cards and begin a new Episode.
Will there be another murder?
With 12 Solution variants and a heavily randomised setup, it’s unlikely that two games of Only Murders in the Building play out the same way. Each session, the Suspect tile and 7x Object tiles are placed randomly while shuffled Episode cards and Clue tiles further vary where Clues appear. This affects how the investigation unfolds as the Action cards add another layer of unpredictability. With fewer players, not all cards are in play. The more players there are, the smaller each hand becomes, making it harder to execute your plan in the ideal order.
The Accomplice also keeps the pressure dynamic. The more clues left on the board at the end of an Episode, the greater the chance they get swiped. So your route efficiency matters more than it might seem.
Even with a repeated Solution card in play, the combination of randomised setup, shifting card hands, and the ongoing threat of the lurking Accomplice ensures each game brings fresh decisions and close calls.
The verdict is in…
Only Murders in the Building is a charming, accessible co-op game that earns its 8+ rating. It's genuinely easy to teach, light enough for younger players to follow, and carries just enough tension to keep a family game night engaged. If you're a fan of the show, the production design alone makes it a worthy addition to your shelf.
That said, adult or experienced gamers may find it wears thin after a few plays. The cooperative experience, while pleasant, lacks the competitive edge or bluffing elements that give many murder mystery games their bite. There's no hidden information between players, no one to second-guess, and no real sense of rivalry which can make the whole affair feel a little mild.
It also draws an inevitable comparison to Cluedo, though the two differ in a key way: rather than identifying a suspect, weapon, and room from a cast of named characters, this game asks you to link clues to a single, nameless, faceless murderer through object combinations. It's a clever enough twist, but one that strips away some of the drama and personality that makes deduction games memorable. Beyond just stealing, I wished there was a little extra menace from the Accomplice to raise the stakes for the Trio.
In my opinion, Only Murders in the Building is worth a try whether you're a fan of the show or not. With its clear visual design, it serves as a great introduction to cooperative mystery games, especially for younger players. And as a seasoned murder mystery geek, it didn’t keep me guessing for long to know what the solution is. However, gathering the right Clue tiles to reach the verdict adds a satisfying layer of beating the Accomplice before it beats us.
