How to Play Murder the Game

Who knew that a handshake in the dark could lead to your very demise? The game Murder goes by a variety of names and different iterations depending on where you're from and where you learned the game. However, every version is easy to play. It makes for a great icebreaker or evening of entertainment—especially in classrooms or at parties. All you need is a group of people (preferably six or more) and the guide below before the game is afoot!

Murder Game Rules: Quick Overview

Secretly select one player as the murderer.
To begin gameplay, have everyone walk around the room and shake hands.
When shaking hands, the murderer can scratch the person’s wrist with their finger.
Their “victim” must wait 10 seconds before pretending to die.
After each death, the players can guess who the murderer is.
If they’re correct, the game ends and they win. If they’re wrong, play continues.

Section 1 of 4:

Playing Handshake Murder

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Pick someone to sit out the gameplay and be the moderator. If no one volunteers, try playing rock, paper, scissors or drawing straws to choose the moderator. This person will make sure the game goes smoothly as they’re the only person (besides the murderer) who knows who the murderer is.
- They can also pause the game at any time and ask someone if they know who the murderer is.
- If you play multiple games, make sure to switch who the moderator is every time.
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Have the moderator select a murderer. Ask all players to stand in a circle and close their eyes. The moderator can then walk around the room a few times and tap someone on the shoulder—the tapped person will be the secret murderer.^{[1]
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- Alternatively, you can use a deck of cards to randomly choose the murderer. Put together a deck with an equal number of cards as players—all of the cards, but one should be a non-face card. The person who draws the face card will then be the secret murderer.^{[2]
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- The same can be done with slips of paper. Gather as many slips as you have players and keep them all blank except one. Draw an X on one piece; whoever gets this slip of paper is the secret murderer.
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Everyone must walk as if they are walking in a grid, meaning they walk in straight lines and with ninety-degree turns. There is no set pattern to follow; you just want to make sure everyone isn’t bumping into each other. However, you must be passing other players frequently and shaking the hand of everyone you pass.^{[3]
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Your goal as the murderer is to kill as many players as you can before you get caught. The way to do this is by scratching the inside of another player’s wrist with your index finger while shaking their hand. Remember, it’s not necessary to kill every person whose hand you shake, especially since this will make it obvious that you’re the killer.
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If you’ve been killed, wait ten seconds before “dying.” As a player, if the inside of your wrist is scratched, you must wait ten seconds before you officially “die.” This helps add to the mystery of who the killer is, as you will likely have shaken someone else’s hand right after the murderer’s.^{[4]
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- Feel free to be as dramatic with your death as you want. You can fling yourself to the floor, scream, fake cry—be as creative as you want!
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The players must try to correctly guess who the murderer is. While the game is taking place, players are free to guess who they think the murderer is after each death.^{[5]
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Research source} For example, someone might say, “Jason, are you the murderer?” If they’re correct, then the game ends, and you can start a new one. If they’re wrong, however, they “die” and have to leave the game.
- Once the murderer is discovered, the game is officially over.

Section 2 of 4:

Playing Squeeze Murder

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1
Randomly choose a murderer with slips of paper or a deck of cards. Tear a piece of paper into small slips. On one piece of paper, write M for “murderer” and leave the other slips blank. Put all of the paper slips into a container and have players take turns drawing and secretly looking at their paper. The player who gets the M will be the killer.^{[6]
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- You can also use a deck of cards. For example, use non-face cards (i.e., anything that’s not a King, Queen, or Jack) and then mix one face card into them. Whoever pulls the face card will then be the murderer.
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Assemble all the players in a seated circle and hold hands. Once the murderer has been chosen, have everyone get into a circle and hold hands. This setup is necessary as the murderer will have to pass along a “squeeze” to kill their victims.^{[7]
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- Once you are ready to begin, have someone turn out the lights.
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If you’re the murderer, squeeze the hand of a person next to you. As the murderer, you can wait as long as you want before starting the squeeze. However, you can only squeeze the hands of the people to the right and left of you. These are the people that will help pass it along until it reaches the victim.^{[8]
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- For example, let’s say you squeeze the hand of the person on your right three times. The person on your right must then squeeze the hand of the person next to you two times, and so on until it reaches one squeeze.
- Whoever’s hand is squeezed just one time must then “die.”
If your hand is only squeezed once, you are, unfortunately, “dead.” This means you have to stop playing and leave the circle. However, you can die as dramatically as you want. Often, a more dramatic death adds more fun to the game. For example, fling yourself from your chair, clutch your chest, or moan in agony.^{[9]
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The players can guess who the murderer is after each death. This can be tricky as you don’t always know which direction the squeeze is coming from. However, as the circle gets smaller, it becomes easier to get an idea of who the murderer is. If someone thinks they know who the murderer is, they can say, “Sarah, are you the murderer?” If they’re correct, they win and the game is over. If they’re wrong, they must leave the circle and the game continues.^{[10]
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- Keep playing until the murderer is uncovered or until all players are dead and the murderer wins!

Section 3 of 4:

Playing Wink Murder

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Assign one player as the detective and another as the murderer. Choose the detective first—either randomly by playing rock, paper, scissors or by having someone volunteer. Send the detective out of the room. Then, decide as a group who the murderer will be. Everyone will know the murderer’s identity except for the detective.
- Alternatively, you can have everyone close their eyes and ask a teacher or moderator to tap the murderer on the shoulder. This way, only the murderer will know who they are.^{[11]
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After the murderer’s been chosen, have the detective come back into the room. The rest of the players should form a standing or seated circle, with the detective standing in the middle.^{[12]
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During gameplay, the murderer winks at people to kill them. While the detective is in the middle of the circle, the murderer can make eye contact with and wink at people to kill them. Strategically, the murderer should do this when the detective has their back to them or is otherwise distracted.^{[13]
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- If someone has been winked at, they immediately pretend to die and fall to the ground or leave the circle.
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The detective must make a guess every time someone is murdered. The detective is in the middle of the circle, slowly spinning and trying to figure out who the murderer is. Every time someone is murdered, they guess who the murderer is. If they’re wrong, play continues. If they’re right, the game ends, and the detective is victorious.^{[14]
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- However, the detective only gets 3 chances (or 5 if you’re playing with more than 10 people). After the third incorrect guess, the game ends, and the murderer has won.

Section 4 of 4:

Other Variations of the Murder Game

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The murder game is very popular at schools, parties, and summer camps, so many different versions exist for different scenarios and groups. Here are some of the most popular variations:
- Lonely Ghost: Players can challenge the murderer (or “Lonely Ghost”) by approaching and asking them directly if they’re the murderer. If they’re correct, they win the game. If they’re incorrect, both they and the wrongly accused player are eliminated.
- Cops & Robbers: This drinking game starts with a deck of cards that has the same number of cards as players, including one Ace and one King. Whoever draws the Ace is the Cop and whoever draws the King is the Robber. The game continues like the Wink Murder game, but the Cop must drink every time they guess incorrectly, and the Robber must finish their drink if they’re found out.
- Murder in the Dark: In this variation, players wander around a building in the dark—multiple people can be murderers, but there must be at least twice as many detectives and everyone else is townspeople. The murderers kill by slitting peoples’ throats with a finger. Whoever finds the body turns on the lights and yells, “Murder in the Dark!” Everyone gathers for a town meeting to try to uncover the killer(s).^{[15]
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- Murder Mystery House: Played at parties in large houses, this game has players secretly select a District Attorney and Murderer. The social event continues as usual, but as soon as the murderer is alone with someone, they say, “You are dead.” That person must play dead until discovered, then the D.A. is summoned and interrogates suspects until they make their guess.

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How do I kill or that you know I died?

Community Answer

If you are playing standing murder, then you can tap the person you want to kill on the shoulder. If you are sitting, point to the person you want to kill and the narrator will announce the death.

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We like to play this outside. How necessary is turning out the lights?

Community Answer

Quite necessary, because it builds tension and creates a better game. You can play this in the light if you want, but it will be less tense.

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Can there be 2 murderers?

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If there are a lot of people, then you can have 2 murderers. It really depends how long you want the game to go for. If you do decide to have 2 murderers, change the rules slightly. Note that 2 murderers can only be on normal mode, not the squeeze. It would add another layer of difficulty, but you can if you want!

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Tips

At least four players are necessary to play Murder, but it’s best in large groups of six or more.

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Warnings

For the walking versions of the game, make sure the room is spacious and empty. You don't want people walking into pianos or stubbing their toes on dressers or stray chairs.

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