Detective DeskA detective game you play by reading the case file
The police did the paperwork. Nobody did the thinking.
About an hour · Play solo or together · No account required
How it works
A murder case lands on your desk with everything the police have gathered: statements, reports, photographs and records.
Read closely. Circle what matters. Request missing records and question witnesses in your own words. There is no dialogue menu.
When you are ready, build the charge. The court judges the evidence you attach, not merely the suspect you choose.
Choose a case
Case No. 002, coming soon.
Free to play. Progress saves automatically in this browser.
Questions
- What kind of game is Detective Desk?
- A murder mystery you solve by reading. The county police hand you the case file and everything in it: witness statements, autopsy and scene reports, photographs, records. Nobody has figured out what any of it means. That part is yours.
- How long does a case take?
- About an hour, at whatever pace you read. Nothing is timed and nothing is rationed. Read the whole file twice if you like.
- Is it free to play?
- Yes. The current case is free in your browser. No account, no download. Progress saves as you go, so you can close the tab and come back to the same desk.
- Can I play with friends?
- Yes. Share the link or the table code from your desk and other detectives sit down at the same file. Everyone reads at once, circles evidence in their own color, and questions suspects together. Arguing about what it means is the point.
- How do you question a suspect?
- You type what you want to ask, in your own words. There is no dialogue menu and no list of topics. What you get back depends on what you can put in front of them. Walk in without the paper that contradicts their story and they will be perfectly polite, and tell you nothing.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any web browser, on a desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. Nothing to download, no account to make.
- How does it end?
- You name a name and build the charge in your own words, attaching evidence to each part of it. The prosecutor reads your file once before trial. Then the court judges what you attached, not just who you picked. A good file against the wrong person still convicts them. That is the worst outcome, and it is meant to be.
Play together
Play alone, or invite other detectives to the same table. Share the link from your desk so everyone can read, circle evidence and question suspects together.