Clues by Sam
Twenty people stand in a grid in Clues by Sam. Some of them are criminals, and you work out who by reading what each one says, one proven step at a time.
Opens the real game on cluesbysam.com. Free, in a new tab.
- Board
- 20 people, 5 rows and 4 columns
- Goal
- Mark each person innocent or criminal
- Guessing
- Not allowed, every move must follow from clues
- Difficulty
- Easiest on Monday, hardest on Sunday
- Price
- Free daily puzzle, paid puzzle packs
- Category
- Logic and mystery games, mystery
How to play Clues by Sam
- Read the open clue
At least one person starts revealed with a clue. Clues are always true, even when a criminal says them.
- Tap a suspect
Choose innocent or criminal for someone you can prove. They may then show a new clue.
- Never guess
The game blocks a choice that cannot be proven yet. If it stops you, you missed something in the clues.
- Clear the board
Keep going until everyone is sorted. Your time and mistakes give your result.
The words that matter
Most mistakes in Clues by Sam come from reading a word loosely. The game uses a few words in a strict way:
- Above and below mean anywhere in the same column. Left and right mean anywhere in the same row, from your view.
- Directly above or directly left means the very next person.
- Between means the people between two others, not the two themselves.
- Connected means a chain of people next to each other with no gaps, along rows or columns.
- All means at least one. Both means exactly two.
- The edge is the 14 people around the outside, corners included.
How to start a hard day
Write nothing off. Go through every revealed clue and ask what it says about a whole row or column, not just one person. Counting clues, such as an odd number of criminal neighbors, often force a single choice once two or three people are known. On Saturday and Sunday the first move can take a while. That is normal, and the moment it clicks is the point of the game.
Clues by Sam tips
- Neighbors include the diagonals, so a person in the middle can have up to eight.
- Jobs mean nothing on their own. A cop can be a criminal unless a clue says otherwise.
- Use the corner tags to mark people you are unsure about while you think.
- Count before you click. If a clue says two criminals in a row and you already know two, the rest of that row is innocent.
Clues by Sam questions
Is there a Clues by Sam archive?
Partly. A free account opens the past week of puzzles, and paid puzzle packs add more.
Where are the Clues by Sam answers today?
We do not publish who the criminals are. If the game refuses a move, reread the strict meaning of words like between, connected and edge. That is where most people slip.
Why can I not mark someone?
Because the clues do not prove it yet. Clues by Sam only accepts choices that follow by logic. There is always a next step you can prove.
Why is the Sunday puzzle so hard?
The puzzles get harder through the week, from an easy Monday to a tough Sunday. The rules stay the same, there are just fewer obvious first steps.
Facts checked on 2026-11-09. Clues by Sam belongs to Clues by Sam. Megadle is not linked to it.