Hasbro's Clue Card GamePhoto: Hasbro
84 cards and no boardPhoto: Hamleys
Each player takes a characterPhoto: Toycra
Small enough for a bagPhoto: Toycra
Video

Card game

Clue Card Game

Cluedo's whodunit as a quick card game, with no board or dice

3–4players · best with 4
10–20 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Families who like Cluedo but want a game that fits into 15 minutes

Think twice if You want the full Cluedo experience with the mansion board; buy the board game instead

How we rate it

Learning curve. The turn itself is simple, but children need to follow who showed what and keep their Case File cards in order.

Luck & skill. Good questions and careful tracking win games, but with a small mystery and no notepad, who gets shown which card at the right moment matters too.

Interaction. Every turn involves asking and answering other players, but there is no attacking or trading.

Set-up. Sort out each player's Case File set, hide one card of each type under the Crime card and deal the rest of the Evidence cards.

Reading. Short names of suspects, weapons and locations on the cards, with pictures.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Check price on Amazon.in

Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Is Clue Card Game right for you?

Great if

  • Families who like Cluedo but want a game that fits into 15 minutes
  • Children of 8 and up learning to reason from clues
  • Travel and visits to relatives: it is just a small box of cards
  • Quick rematches after dinner, since there is no board to set up

Skip it if

  • You want the full Cluedo experience with the mansion board; buy the board game instead
  • You have five or more players: the card game takes 3 to 4
  • Your group wants a hard mystery; the basic case is small and easy to crack

How Clue Card Game plays

Set-up: each player picks a Character Profile card and takes a set of 12 Case File cards (6 suspects, 3 weapons and 3 locations). One suspect, one weapon and one location Evidence card are hidden under the Crime card. The rest of the Evidence cards are dealt out evenly, with any spares placed face up. Any Case File card that matches an Evidence card you hold or can see goes face down into your cleared pile.

  • Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The cards name suspects, weapons and locations in English, each with a picture, so children who can read short names can play. Questions can be asked in Hindi or any language, and the rule sheet is in English.
Small enough for a bag · Photo: Toycra

How to play Clue Card Game in 3 minutes (Clue + Card Game) · Tabletop Duo

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Ask

    Ask the player on your left about any two items. If they hold one, they show it to you alone; if not, ask the next player.

  2. 2
    Clear

    Each card you see is ruled out, so move its matching Case File card to your face-down cleared pile.

  3. 3
    Accuse

    When you are sure, lay your three Case File cards face down and peek under the Crime card.

  4. 4
    Win

    Match the hidden suspect, weapon and location to win. A wrong accusation puts you out, though you still answer questions.

Read the official rulesClue Card Game instructions (Hasbro item E7589) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Clue Card Game goes

A turn: ask the player on your left about any two items, such as 'Scarlett and the rope' or 'the rope or the candlestick'. If they hold one, they show it to you alone; if they hold both, they choose one. If they hold neither, you ask the next player, and so on. Every card you are shown is cleared, so you move its Case File card to your cleared pile, much like crossing it off a Cluedo notepad.

Accusing: when you think you know who, with what and where, lay those three Case File cards face down and peek under the Crime card. If you are right, you win. If not, you are out, but you must keep answering other players' questions. When several players want to accuse at once, they agree an order and reveal together.

Advanced game: the 'Advanced Game for Top Detectives' adds a pistol and two more locations (the living room and the study), giving each player 15 Case File cards and a harder case. It works for 2 to 4 players; with two, when one player accuses the other must accuse too.

Tip: you can bluff by asking about one card you hold and one you don't, and it pays to remember who has already seen which of your cards so you give away as little as possible.

What's in the box

84 cards and no board · Photo: Hamleys
  • 1Crime card
  • 15Evidence cards
    12 for the basic game plus 3 marked (+) for the advanced game: the pistol, the living room and the study
  • 60Case File cards
    four sets of 12, each marked with its own symbol, plus 12 marked (+) for the advanced game
  • 6Character Profile cards
  • 2Reminder Rules cards
  • 1Rule sheet

From Hasbro's E7589 rule sheet, which lists 1 Crime card, 12 Evidence cards, 4 sets of 12 Case File cards, 2 Reminder Rules cards and 6 Character Profile cards, plus 3 Evidence cards and 12 Case File cards for the advanced game: 84 cards in all, matching Hasbro's product page.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in

Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai sells the Clue Card Game here as item E7589, the same 84-card game Hasbro sells abroad. We couldn't confirm where the boxes sold here are made. Our Amazon.in link goes to Hasbro's Clue Card Game. If you want the full board game with the mansion board and dice, look at Cluedo instead.

Before you choose

  • Look for the Hasbro Gaming logo and the words 'Clue Card Game' on the box. Indian listings give item E7589, barcode 630509858033, and name Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
  • Check the contents: 84 cards in all, made up of 1 Crime card, 15 Evidence cards, 60 Case File cards (four symbol-marked sets of 12 plus 12 advanced cards marked +), 6 Character Profile cards and 2 Reminder Rules cards.
  • Check for the ISI mark and a BIS licence number on the box; toys sold in India must carry the ISI mark.
  • Be careful with card-only 'Cluedo' decks from unknown brands, including listings with garbled titles. Hasbro's own card version is sold as Clue Card Game under Hasbro Gaming.
  • Make sure you are buying the game you want: the Cluedo board game, Clue Grab and Go and Clue Conspiracy are separate Hasbro products.

What reviewers and players say

Geeky Hobbies' review of the 2018 Clue Card Game liked that dropping the board removes the luck of rolling dice and moving, so the game is all about deduction, and a round takes 10 to 20 minutes, which makes rematches easy. On the downside, the mystery is small and easier to solve, juggling Case File cards takes care, and without a notepad you have to rely more on memory. The reviewer gave it 2.5 out of 5: a good fit for Cluedo fans who want a streamlined version, but unlikely to win over people who never liked Cluedo. The same reviewer had found the earlier Clue Suspect, which plays almost the same way, too easy a mystery.

What people love

  • No board or dice, so the game is all deduction and no roll-and-move luck
  • Short rounds that suit a quick game and easy rematches
  • Asking about two items of the same type can reveal useful information

Common complaints

  • A smaller mystery that is easier to solve than the board game
  • Case File cards are fiddly to manage and easy to mix up
  • No notepad, so you can't write down what you learn
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Clue Card Game

SIDE BY SIDE

Which game is the best fit?

Our picks if Clue Card Game isn't quite right.

Swipe to compare every game

Clue Card Game and alternatives: reasons to consider them, players, play time, age, rules and Indian editions.
Compare
the games.The details that make a difference.		 YOU’RE VIEWING
Clue Card Game box Clue Card Game
ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Cluedo box Cluedo ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Love Letter box Love Letter ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Guess Who? box Guess Who?
Why consider itThis game

Cluedo's whodunit as a quick card game, with no board or dice

A different fit

The full board game this card game is based on, with the mansion board, dice and a bigger mystery for 2 to 6

A different fit

A tiny card game where you also work out who holds which card

A different fit

Yes-or-no questions narrow down a mystery person, for younger children

Players3–42–62–62
Best with44-63-52
Play time10–20 min45–60 min15–30 min10–20 min
Age8+8+10+6+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedAvailableImportedAvailable
On this pageExplore Cluedo Explore Love Letter Explore Guess Who?
FOLLOW THE MAKERS

More from Hasbro

Another way into their collection.

5 games to explore
Monopoly box

Monopoly

Roll, buy property, collect rent, and bankrupt everyone else

2–61–6 hrs8+
Meet the game
Jenga box

Jenga

Pull a block, stack it on top, don't topple the tower

1–85–15 min6+
Meet the game
Taboo box

Taboo

Get your team to guess the word without saying the obvious ones

4–1020–60 min13+
Meet the game
Monopoly Deal box

Monopoly Deal

Monopoly as a 15-minute card game of rent, raids and sets

2–515–30 min8+
Meet the game
Cluedo box

Cluedo

Work out who did it, where, and with which weapon

2–645–60 min8+
Meet the game
THE INDIA CONNECTION

More from Hasbro India

Also made or sold in India by Hasbro India.

5 games to explore
Jenga box

Jenga

Pull a block, stack it on top, don't topple the tower

1–85–15 min6+
Meet the game
Taboo box

Taboo

Get your team to guess the word without saying the obvious ones

4–1020–60 min13+
Meet the game
Monopoly Deal box

Monopoly Deal

Monopoly as a 15-minute card game of rent, raids and sets

2–515–30 min8+
Meet the game
Cluedo box

Cluedo

Work out who did it, where, and with which weapon

2–645–60 min8+
Meet the game
The Game of Life box

The Game of Life

Spin through college, jobs, family and retirement; richest player wins

2–445–60 min8+
Meet the game
EXPLORE THE STYLE

More deduction games

Different games. A familiar kind of fun.

Explore this style
Guess in 10 box

Guess in 10

Ten yes-or-no questions to name the hidden animal.

2–620 min6+
Meet the game
Cluedo box

Cluedo

Work out who did it, where, and with which weapon

2–645–60 min8+
Meet the game
Love Letter box

Love Letter

Hold one card, guess your rivals' cards, reach the princess

2–615–30 min10+
Meet the game
Outfoxed! box

Outfoxed!

Young detectives team up to catch a pie-stealing fox

2–420 min5+
Meet the game
Not That One box

Not That One

Ask yes-or-no questions, grab tokens, and dodge the secret one

2–610–30 min5+
Meet the game
A TABLE FOR TWO

Also playable with two

For game nights with two players.

5 games to explore
Outfoxed! box

Outfoxed!

Young detectives team up to catch a pie-stealing fox

2–420 min5+
Meet the game
Battleship box

Battleship

Hide your fleet, call out coordinates, sink every enemy ship

220–30 min7+
Meet the game
Guess Who? box

Guess Who?

Ask yes-or-no questions to unmask your opponent's mystery person

210–20 min6+
Meet the game
Mastermind box

Mastermind

Crack a hidden four-colour code using logic and clues

210–30 min8+
Meet the game
Splendor box

Splendor

A quick gem-trading race where every card makes the next easier.

2–430 min10+
Meet the game

Questions people ask about Clue Card Game

What is the difference between the Clue Card Game and Cluedo?

Cluedo is the board game: you move around a mansion with dice, make suggestions in rooms and tick off a notepad, with 6 suspects, 6 weapons and 9 rooms for 2 to 6 players. The Clue Card Game has no board, dice or notepad, a smaller mystery (6 suspects, 3 weapons and 3 locations in the basic game) and takes 10 to 20 minutes for 3 to 4 players.

Is Clue the same as Cluedo?

Yes, Clue is the North American name for Cluedo. In India Hasbro sells the board game as Cluedo, but this card game carries the Clue name on its box.

How many players can play the Clue Card Game?

The box says 3 to 4. The rules also include an Advanced Game for Top Detectives that works for 2 to 4 players.

How long does the Clue Card Game take?

About 10 to 20 minutes. There is no board to set up, so you can play several rounds in the time one game of Cluedo takes.

Does the Clue Card Game have a notepad?

No. Each player has a set of Case File cards, and you move the ones you have ruled out into a face-down cleared pile instead of crossing them off.

Game facts

Publisher
Hasbro (Hasbro Gaming)
In India
Hasbro India Toys Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai (named as manufacturer/importer on an Indian store listing)
First published
2018
Players
3–4
Barcode
630509858033
Language
Little reading – The cards name suspects, weapons and locations in English, each with a picture, so children who can read short names can play. Questions can be asked in Hindi or any language, and the rule sheet is in English.
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.