Murder by Numbers similar games & best alternatives

Murder by Numbers - Trailer
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_1.avif
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_2.avif
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_3.avif
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_4.avif
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_5.avif
Murder by Numbers - murder-by-numbers_6.avif

Murder by Numbers

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch • 2020

Should you play it?

Solve Pixel Puzzles to find clues. Use those clues to interrogate witnesses. Work your way to the truth... ...and uncover the mystery of Murder by Numbers!

What works

  • Engaging puzzle and story blend
  • Charming characters and art style
  • Catchy and fitting soundtrack
  • Good difficulty progression
  • Inclusive lgbtq+ representation

Things to keep in mind

  • Linear story with limited player choice impact
  • Repetitive music and puzzles
  • Tedious replay for s-rank and unlockables
  • Some pacing issues due to frequent puzzles
  • Minor ui and quality-of-life shortcomings

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry

  • Loco Motive

  • The Darkside Detective

  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

  • Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery

  • Cleo - a pirate's tale

More exploratory

Games that feels like Murder by Numbers but with more exploration of areas and secrets

  • Fantasia of the Wind - 风之幻想曲

  • Tangle Tower

  • Grim Fandango Remastered

  • VirtuaVerse

  • The Rise of the Golden Idol

  • Agent A: A puzzle in disguise

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Murder by Numbers. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Murder by Numbers. These titles are not in What to play next.

Murder by Numbers: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Fantasy, Thrill, Story. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Fantasy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression.

Last update: 21/08/2026