How to Make Sure You’re Buying an Official Ink & Clues Mystery Game

When you buy a digital mystery game online, it isn't always obvious who created it, who is selling it or whether the version you're looking at is the original product.

For players, that matters. A mystery game is more than a collection of documents. The writing, evidence, timeline, visual material and final solution all need to work together, and buying through the original creator also means knowing where to turn if something goes wrong.

If you're specifically looking for an Ink & Clues game, here are a few simple ways to make sure you're buying an official version.

Start With the Official Ink & Clues Website

The easiest way to know you're buying directly from us is to start at Ink & Clues.

Our website contains our current digital mystery games, product information and official company details. From there, you can explore individual investigations or choose a collection such as the Complete Game Bundle.

If you arrive at a product through an advertisement, social media post or search result, checking the domain before purchasing is a simple way to confirm where you're buying from.

The official international Ink & Clues website is:

inkandclues.com

Check Who Is Actually Selling the Game

A professional-looking website doesn't necessarily tell you who is behind it.

Before purchasing a digital game from an unfamiliar store, look for basic company information. A legitimate business should make it reasonably easy to find who operates the website and how customers can contact them.

Ink & Clues is operated by Ink & Clues AB, a Swedish company. Our company and contact information is available through our official website.

This is useful beyond simply identifying our own products. Whenever you're considering buying a mystery game online, knowing who the seller actually is gives you a clearer idea of who is responsible for the product and customer service.

Look for Consistent Ink & Clues Branding

Official Ink & Clues products should clearly identify Ink & Clues as the creator or seller.

That includes consistent product titles, visual identity and information about how the game is played. Our investigation-style mysteries are built around fictional cases where players examine material such as police reports, interviews, photographs and other evidence.

Be cautious if you find something using an Ink & Clues title, artwork or description while the seller itself is unclear or appears unrelated to Ink & Clues.

If you're unsure whether something is official, contact us before purchasing.

Don't Judge a Mystery Game by Its Website Alone

Creating an attractive storefront is much easier than determining whether the game behind it is actually well designed.

When evaluating any mystery game, look beyond the product images. Does the company explain how the game works? Is the recommended number of players clear? Is there information about playing time, difficulty and format? Can you find genuine customer feedback or evidence that the creator has an established history?

For Ink & Clues, we try to provide enough information for players to understand what they're buying before they download a case.

That includes whether the game can be printed or played from screen, approximately how long the investigation takes and how many people can play.

Check Whether the Creator Has an Established Presence

A company does not need to be large to be legitimate, but it should usually leave some kind of trace beyond a single product page.

That might include customer reviews, social media activity, independent reviews, awards, previous releases or clear company information.

Ink & Clues has released multiple mystery games and has been reviewed by independent players and reviewers. The Ink & Clues collection was also ranked #1 Best Print & Play 2025 by UKBG Review Circle.

Signals like these don't automatically tell you whether you'll personally enjoy a game, but they can help establish that there is a real creator and business behind the product.

Check What Happens After You Purchase

Digital products should still come with customer support.

Before buying, look for information about how the files are delivered and what happens if you experience a problem. If a download fails or something is missing, there should be a clear way to contact the seller.

When you purchase directly from Ink & Clues, we can help with issues relating to your order, downloads and the game files associated with your purchase.

Buying an unofficial copy from another source can make that much harder, because we may have no way to verify the purchase or know whether the files are complete and unchanged.

Be Careful With Products That Look Unusually Similar

Mystery games often share broad themes. Police reports, suspect interviews and evidence photographs are common elements across the genre, and their presence alone doesn't mean one game is copying another.

What should make you look more closely is something much more specific: identical or near-identical artwork, text, character names, documents, case details or product descriptions appearing under a different seller.

If you come across something that appears to reproduce an Ink & Clues product, you can contact us and ask whether it is an authorized version.

There's no need to investigate the seller yourself. We can determine whether the product is connected to us.

Why Buying From the Original Creator Matters

Buying from the original creator isn't only about supporting a business.

It also gives you a clearer chain between the people who designed the game and the version you're actually playing.

Mystery games depend heavily on details. A changed document, missing page or altered clue can affect how the investigation works and, in the worst case, make a mystery impossible to solve as intended.

When you purchase the official version, you know you're receiving the files and solution produced for that particular case.

Your purchase also supports the continued development, testing and improvement of future games.

What If You Already Bought a Game Somewhere Else?

Don't assume there's a problem simply because you didn't start on the Ink & Clues homepage.

Ink & Clues products may sometimes be promoted through advertising, social platforms or approved partners. What matters is whether the product and seller are legitimately connected to Ink & Clues.

If you're unsure, send us the name of the website or a screenshot of the product page. We can help confirm whether it is an official source.

It's much easier to check before making another purchase than to discover later that you've bought the wrong product.

How to Check an Ink & Clues Game Before Buying

You don't need an elaborate investigation to determine whether you're in the right place.

Start by checking that the product is connected to Ink & Clues, that the seller provides clear company or contact information and that the game description matches what you would expect from the official product.

If something feels unclear, contact us before entering payment details.

For digital purchases, a few minutes spent checking the seller can prevent a lot of frustration later.

Buy Directly From Ink & Clues

The simplest way to know you're receiving an official Ink & Clues mystery is to purchase directly from inkandclues.com.

Our investigation games are delivered digitally and can be printed at home or examined on screen. Players work through fictional police reports, interviews, photographs and other evidence to determine what happened and who is responsible.

If you want several investigations, the Complete Game Bundle includes multiple cases plus an exclusive bonus.

And if you ever encounter a product that appears to use Ink & Clues material but you're not sure whether it is legitimate, contact us first. We'd much rather answer a quick question than have you buy something believing it came from us when it didn't.