Frequently asked questions

A detective game you play in your own words. Each case is a mystery written in full before you open it: the crime, everyone in it, and the answer. An AI game master tells it; you go wherever you choose and question anyone you like, and when you are sure, you declare who did it, why, and how.

No. Every person, clue and event in a case was written and reviewed before you begin. The game master generates the dialogue and narration and nothing you say can change who did it. The game master is still an AI model, though, and it can make mistakes.

No. The game master doesn’t suggest your next move or confirm your theories before you submit your solution. Informants share what they know and your Casebook keeps track of the people, places and evidence you encounter. The thinking is yours.

Some do, and not only the guilty one. Informants never lie. People in a case may lie to cover a secret of their own, and pressing them or insisting won’t change their story. To break a lie, show them something that proves it false: a piece of evidence, or what someone else told you. Then you’ll learn what they were hiding. Catching someone in a lie doesn’t make them the culprit.

Out of 100 points: 50 for the culprit, up to 30 for the motive and up to 20 for the method. Naming the culprit is all or nothing; the motive and method can earn partial credit. After declaring, you see your score and read what happened.

Yes. Your progress is saved to your account, so you can leave a case and return whenever you like. Start on your laptop and continue on your phone. Culprix runs in your browser, with nothing to install.

Yes. A closed case’s verdict offers Begin again, which drops the verdict and the record for good and brings you back to the case’s page, where it can be begun afresh like any other. An abandoned case can be begun again from its page too.

Tell us. Signed in, open FeedbackFeedback from the Menu at the top of this page, choose Bug report, and say which case it was and what happened. Or write to support@culprix.com.

To play, yes; to look around, no. The cases, the worlds, How to play and this page are open to anyone. You sign in with your Google account or with a link sent to your email address; there is no password. You must be 16 or older: the cases deal with murder and other crimes.

A selection of cases is free to play, each marked Free, and the free cases change from month to month. Without a subscription you can play every free case, with no card.

A subscription opens every case in every world: $14.99 a month or $139.99 a year, taxes included. Fair use applies to all play.

Open Subscription, then Manage subscription. You can also manage it with Link, Stripe’s checkout service, at link.com. You keep playing until the end of the period you have paid for, and the cases you have begun and the verdicts you have read stay in your account.

We don’t sell your data, show you ads, or use your writing to train models. What you write goes to the AI models that run the game master and score your declaration, and is kept with your account so your case resumes. The Privacy Policy has the details.