How to Play Case Closed

Accounts and Guests

You may register for a Case Closed account or join supported games as a guest. Registered users verify their email before logging in. Guests use a temporary username for supported Join Code play.

Investigation HQ

Investigation HQ is the main starting screen after sign-in. From there you can browse available cases, resume active investigations, open side modes, check the Notification Center, and manage your account.

Case Access

Owned cases, bundles, memberships, tester access, and free access determine which cases are available. Some eligible cases support AI Moderator.

Evidence Briefing

Every case starts from an Evidence Briefing. It gives the setup and important facts, but it does not reveal the Story or Solution to Investigators prematurely.

Moderator

The Moderator starts the investigation, reads the Evidence Briefing and full case information, chooses the Play Style, invites Investigators, answers Investigator yes-or-no questions, reveals clues, manages the room, and closes the case.

Investigator

Investigators join using a Join Code or direct case invitation, read the Evidence Briefing, ask focused yes-or-no questions, request clues, discuss theories, use the Notebook where available, and help solve the case. Investigators cannot change the selected Play Style.

Good Questions Are Specific

Case Closed is solved by asking a series of yes-or-no questions.

• Did the victim know the suspect?
• Was the object moved after the crime?
• Did the event happen before midnight?

Do Not Ask Open-Ended Questions

Ask one yes-or-no question at a time and use each answer to narrow down the solution.

• What happened?
• Why did they do it?
• Who is responsible?
• Tell me the whole story.

Start a Case

1. Open a case.
2. Review the Evidence Briefing.
3. Choose a Play Style.
4. Begin the case.
5. Share the Join Code or invite friends directly.
6. Wait for an Investigator when required.
7. Conduct the investigation.
8. Close the case when the group has reached a solution.

Join a Case

Join by entering a valid Join Code, accepting a direct friend case invitation, joining as a guest where supported, or resuming an active investigation. Invalid, inactive, or ended games are rejected as active joins.

A new join plays the transition video. Case Score and Race the Clock Investigators receive a Play Style explanation. Resume does not replay the new-join experience.

Classic Investigation

No score, no timer, and no Overtime. Solve at the group's own pace using the traditional Case Closed flow.

Case Score

One shared group score starts at 1,000. The group loses 10 points for each completed minute and 100 points for each clue revealed. The minimum score is 0. Partial minutes do not count, and there are no individual player scores.

The first Investigator starts the clock in a human-moderated game. AI Moderator timing begins according to the implemented AI flow. Everyone sees the same live score, and the final server-authoritative score and breakdown appear when the case closes.

Case Score Example

Race the Clock

Choose 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. The first Investigator starts the countdown in a human-moderated game. Everyone sees the same synchronized countdown.

The case does not automatically end at zero. Story and Solution are not automatically revealed. Gameplay continues normally in Overtime until the Moderator closes the case. The final overlay shows time remaining or Overtime.

Expert Investigation

Expert Investigation has no score, timer, or personal-best competition. Investigators see only revealed clues and do not see the total number of clues. All active Investigators must request a clue before the Moderator or AI Moderator can reveal the next one.

Case Radio

Investigators ask focused yes-or-no questions through the case room. Moderators answer and guide the investigation. Messages appear in Case Radio, and joining or leaving may create room activity messages.

Clues

Clue requests notify the Moderator. The Moderator reveals clues through the established app flow. Revealed clues affect Case Score. Expert Investigation requires all active Investigators to request the current clue before the next reveal. There is no invented fixed limit on questions or clues beyond the case's own content.

Notebook

The Notebook is available to Investigators from the right-edge tab or drawer. It can store notes or selected Q&A for the current investigation. Moderators do not use the Notebook.

Closing the Case

The Moderator closes the case. The Case Closed overlay appears. Case Score shows the final score and breakdown; Race the Clock shows time remaining or Overtime; Expert Investigation shows an Expert completion message; Classic uses the normal Case Closed result. XP, achievements, ranks, Evidence Locker rewards, ratings, and other results follow their existing rules.

Investigation Results

Registered players keep a private history of completed Play Style results. Case Score tracks personal best score, Race the Clock tracks the best result for each duration, and scored or timed runs can also record fewest clues used. These records are not public leaderboards and guests do not keep persistent result history.

Backend and Account Notifications

Friend activity, case invitations, support replies, achievements, rank updates, and Evidence Locker rewards may appear as Android notifications, in the in-app Notification Center, and in the bell unread count.

Local Daily Mini Reminders

Daily Mini reminders are scheduled locally on the Android device at the user-selected reminder time. They do not create unread items in the Notification Center and do not increase the app bell count. Tapping the reminder opens Daily Mini Mystery. Android notification permission and channel settings must be enabled.

Side Modes

Current side-mode areas have included Daily Mini Mystery, Interrogation Challenge, and Evidence Sorting. If a mode is disabled or inactive, it may not appear for every user until activated.

AI Moderator

AI Moderator is optional, requires the appropriate access or entitlement, and supports eligible cases. It can guide solo or group investigations, follows the same yes-or-no gameplay question rule, and uses the same applicable Play Style rules where supported. Responses may be imperfect, so do not send sensitive personal information.

Purchases and Ads

Some cases or bundles are one-time purchases. AI Moderator access may require a membership. Ad-free access may require the applicable entitlement. Purchases and subscriptions are handled through Google Play, and deleting your Case Closed account does not automatically cancel a Google Play subscription.

Support and Legal

Support is available through Account > Feedback or support@caseclosedapp.com. Legal pages include Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Account and Data Deletion, and Community Guidelines. Account deletion requires the current password and typing DELETE, is permanent, and Google Play subscriptions must be managed separately.