🌃 Sci-Fi · 2087
Cyberpunk City Murder Mystery Party
Neon rain, corporate secrets, and a body in the alley behind the noodle bar.
6-12 players, sweet spot 8 · the full kit is ready in about 20 minutes. Or name your guests and see who they play, with the opening scene, free in about 30 seconds.
It is 2087 and it never stops raining. The megacorp towers are lit like altars, the street level runs on noodle stalls and black-market implants, and the only law that matters is the one your employer writes. Tonight a corporate executive has called a private meeting in a rooftop bar above the neon: a hacker, a bodyguard, a fixer, a street doc, and a detective with a cybernetic eye. The exec is found in the alley below before the first round of drinks. The rain has already washed the evidence away. Almost.
Playing it feels like noir with the brightness turned up. Everyone has an implant, a debt, and a data chip they should not be carrying. Clues hide in encrypted drives, surveillance feeds, and the tattoos that mark which corp you belong to. Accusations come with a hand near a holster. Your kit assigns each guest a place in the city, a secret, and clues to decrypt. The reveal cuts through the static, and the truth in this town is always corporate property.
Perfect for
Built for birthday parties, gamer nights, Halloween, and any group that owns LED accessories, with a solid fit for tech-company teams that want something stranger than a startup.
Cast size
6-12 players, sweet spot 8. Every kit is written for your exact headcount and gender mix, so nobody doubles up and nobody sits out.
Who is at the party
A taste of the cast a cyberpunk city kit produces. Your mystery is written fresh, with its own suspects, secrets, and one guilty guest.
The Corporate Fixer
Cleans up the megacorp's problems, was hired to clean up this one, and got to the alley before the police did.
The Street Doc
Installs implants without asking questions, treated the victim last week, and kept the medical scan.
The Netrunner
Can get into any system in the city, was paid to pull one file tonight, and pulled two.
The Augmented Bodyguard
Was hired to keep the exec alive, has a memory implant that records everything, and claims it glitched at the crucial moment.
Setting the scene
Costumes
- A black trench coat or long raincoat, dark sunglasses, and a strip of LED lights taped along one sleeve.
- A neon wig or coloured hair chalk, a mesh top over a tank, and metallic eye makeup for the street-level crowd.
- A sharp grey suit with a lapel pin printed as a corporate logo for the executive who came down from the tower.
- A hoodie, fingerless gloves, and reflective goggles for the netrunner who has not seen daylight in weeks.
- A leather jacket with a chrome or tinfoil forearm plate for the augmented bodyguard.
Food and drink
- Instant ramen upgraded with a soft egg, chilli oil, and scallions, served in takeout bowls with chopsticks.
- A neon cocktail: vodka, blue curacao, and lemonade with a glowing ice cube, served in a plastic tumbler.
- Bubble tea in electric colours with tapioca pearls, the city's non-alcoholic street drink.
- Steamed bao buns and gyoza from a takeout tray, eaten standing up like every meal in the sprawl.
Atmosphere
- Turn off the overheads and light the room with pink, blue, and purple LED strips, plus a lamp behind a rain-effect window film.
- Print a few fake neon-sign posters in Japanese and English for the walls and a WANTED bounty notice with a blank name.
- Playlist: synthwave, darksynth, and vaporwave, with a heavy rain track under the accusation round.
- Scatter old circuit boards, USB drives, and data chips (painted dominoes) as evidence across the table.
Host tip
Make the data chips matter. Label a handful of USB drives or painted dominoes with the clue numbers from the host guide and let players trade or steal them between rounds; it turns clue distribution into a heist. Keep the room dark and neon. Use a rain track under every private conversation. For the reveal, turn off every light but one screen, and read the solution as a leaked corporate file scrolling across it.
How your kit comes together
Set the table
Pick Cyberpunk City, your player count and gender mix, the difficulty, and the tone: campy, dramatic, or dark. Add your guests' real names if you like.
We write the mystery
A complete, original plot with a victim, a killer, red herrings, and a web of clues that lets the table solve it. Usually 15-25 minutes; we email you when it is ready.
Print and play
Download the host guide, one booklet per character, name tags and ballots. Or send each player a private link to read their part on their phone.
Questions hosts ask
Does a cyberpunk murder mystery need special props or tech?
A few LED strips and a rain-sound playlist do most of the work. The kit invents the city, the corporations, and the implants, so you do not need to source anything specific. Print the booklets, dim the lights, and the setting builds itself.
Can I run this alongside a video game or tabletop RPG night?
Yes, and it suits that crowd. The kit runs about two hours with 4 to 20 players and needs no game master, just a host reading from the printable guide. Rename the characters after your party's usual handles for extra effect.
Is the cyberpunk theme too violent for a casual group?
The setting is gritty but the kit is not gory. Set the tone in the customize step; at the cozy end it plays like a neon comedy about corporate incompetence. Gather & Gasp keeps the murder off-page and the fun on it.
If you like this, try
Film Noir Detective
Femme fatales, shadowy alleys, and a dame who walked in.
AI Research Lab
The lab's lead scientist is dead, and the AI insists it was one of you.
Space Station Omega
No one can hear you scream. A crew member is dead.
Ready to gather the suspects?
A custom cyberpunk city mystery for 6-12 players, written for your guests, in your inbox in about 20 minutes. Kits from $19.99.
Create your Cyberpunk City mystery