Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Detective of the Dead
Actrio Studio · Published by Actrio Studio · Official site ↗
Content notice: Its an exciting and comic fun adventure in the land of the dead people in top down view, nothing to be scared about.
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
You are a dead detective in the Mexican afterworld trying to find your killer. Undercover you prepare unique tacos to make suspects confess. Find clues and solve puzzles. Step into the shoes of your dog, Xolo, and do magical things. Save the Día de los Muertos.
Adventure, Indie, RPG, Early Access · 2026 · More free games
Journey through the eerie streets of the Mexican afterworld as Detective of the Dead, an adventure RPG from Actrio Studio where you solve puzzles and make enemies spill their secrets over taco tables.
About this game
Detective of the Dead is an adventure game with cozy cooking, set in the colorful Mexican afterworld Mictlan. As the recently killed detective Alejandro you want to find your killer to save your loved ones.
Your grandma runs a taqueria and helps you. Undercover you prepare great tacos to make suspects talk. With these clues you investigate further and need to solve puzzles and mini-games to progress in your case.
Find out many mysteries of Mictlan! Ultimately your fate is to save the Día de los Muertos. But your decisions lead to several endings in a gripping story about life and death.
Time is running out. You only have time until the Day of the Dead to save the afterworld and your loved ones.
Let’s Taco About It!
Find out which special taco recipes make your customers spill the beans. Then get or buy the new ingredients. Your grandma Lupita knows many things about Mexican food and tacos as well as the afterworld Mictlan.
Whip up traditional, delicious recipes for your clients… some might be suspects! Besides clues you get paid for a good taco. Use those Calavera coins for buying ingredients, tools and more.
Investigate the Clues
Pursue the gathered clues to uncover the mysteries of the case and get answers to your questions: What does the barkeeper know? Does Frida more than paint? What hides the Royal? Why is this Lucha Libre so friendly? There are many riddles to solve, some involve VIPs you might know.
Luckily you are not alone on your journey, because always on your side and ready to help is: your companion dog Xolo with many magical abilities. Explore Mictlan also through the eyes of Xolo and use him cleverly to track suspects, get to remote places or find special items.
A new take on being a detective: Things in Mictlan are a bit different than in the world of the living. It's not just these ancient god's powers, that are part of the game, but it all seems a bit surreal and fun. As you might know from Coco, the Disney film, on the Day of the Dead every dead can travel to the world of the living. But what if someone wants to end this, so no one will travel to the living anymore? That would be a disaster for both worlds. The Dead clearly have a problem. And you are their best chance to solve it.
Single Player (a local Co-op mode is planned)
Semi-open 3D world handcrafted full of life (well, dead NPCs)
15 hand-drawn key NPCs for the key case and more for the side quests - all with their unique story.
Top-Down perspective
2 core game-loops: cozy cooking + detective investigation with dialogues and puzzles
ca. 7-10 hours of gameplay with a main quest and lots of side quests.
In-game hint system
Official Currency: Calavera coins
Different endings based on your decisions in the game
Unique soundtrack for each of the levels and scene specific
Authentic Mexican mini-games incl. Piñatas shooting, Lotería (a bit of bingo), Papel picado & more.
Become part of the game with UGC skins and music and your own memories
Release for PC / Steam / Steamdeck (planned also is Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Xbox)
Voice Over in English (German, Spanish & others planned)
Translation into English, German, Spanish, Chinese (more planned)
We support remembering your loved ones: Alejandro is deeply missed in the world of the living. We understand this feeling, and through the game, we provide a space for all players to honor their loved ones. Please get in touch with us, for example, on Discord, to find out more.
For latest updates and exclusives follow us on Kickstarter.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows10
- Processor: i3
- Memory: 16 MB RAM
- Graphics: onboard
Recommended
- OS: Windows11
- Processor: i5
- Memory: 16 MB RAM
- Graphics: onboard
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Detective doing Tacos at Gamescom
Dear Adventurers,we are at Gamescom, got selected to the fabulous Indie Arena Booth and will be showcasing the lastest build of our Detective of the Dead until Sunday night in Cologne at the world's biggest Games Show.For all who come to our booth and play our game we have some nice merch incl. cool stickers and the chance to paint some real Mexican and handmade sugar skulls and take them home.On top of all you can access the secret reward for our Kickstarter campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaelgeidel/detective-of-the-deadAnd of course if you want to know more about Tacos, this is the place at gamescom.Looking forward to meeting you all there and then after on our Discord https://discord.gg/yqNeZGSJhd Saludos,Alejandro, Xolo and the team.Read full article on Community Announcements (mg)AnnouncementsOfficial
Our Detective is doing tacos & music in Germany this week
Alejandro and Xolo are on tour in Germany this week. Our game Detective of the Dead is part of the Steam showcase https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Games-Composed-in-GermanyIn our game there is not just tacos, suspects, puzzles and interesting characters. But there is also music! We have great musicians working with us on the soundtrack, but we also want to give the chance for upcoming musicians to submit their work to be featured in the game. Please reach out to us about the possibilities. The next playtest is coming soon. So if you want to give feedback and help shape the game, please register for the Playtest on Steam or at Firstlook.gg / Player.ggAnd if you want to become part of the game, follow us on Kickstarter for the campaign after summer.Tell us, which Mexican or Latin music do you like most?Alejandro, Xolo and the team.Read full article on Community Announcements (mg)AnnouncementsOfficial
Fresh new tacos at the Baltic Showcase
Alejandro and Xolo enjoy to travel to the Baltics, they got invited to the Baltic showcase. Along they brought the best taco recipes and for sure, many want to try it. But be careful with choosing the sauces, some might create reactions that only others will find funny. Mictlan - the world of the dead, is at risk. Someone wants to get infinite powers, and it's not the gods. Next playtesting will start soon, so if you want to discover this tasty Mexican afterworld, don't look further. And if you want to get the best deal or even have skin in the game - follow us on Kickstarter for some exclusive offers. And if you want to get directly in contact, tell us about your favorite tacos or post pictures of your dog, head to our Discord. YourAlejandro, Xolo and their teamRead full article on Community Announcements (mg)AnnouncementsOfficial
Meet us at Caggtus in Leipzig / featured by Gamestar
Hi there Detectives,want to check out our latest build, see a top streamer play our game live, ask us about the story, our best tacos or just how we came up with the dogs name, come to Caggtus this weekend. Or if you can't make it, register for the playtest, follow us on Kickstarter or get our newsletter to hear first about all the news and background infos and early VIP pledges on how you can get into the gameRead full article on Community Announcements (mg)Community & EventsOfficial
Tacos at Steam Detective Festival
Alejandro and Xolo were so happy when we got the invitation to the Steam Detective Fest. That´s the week on Steam when all detectives are showing what they have to offer. What's on stake? Who got murdered? Well, Alejandro has something to offer. He is a detective, he got murdered, and he can solve his case on his own. Ok, of course with the help of his late grandma Lupita, who happens to run the best taco shop in Mictlan, the Mexican world of the dead. And thanks to her, he does not only learn how to make the best tacos, but also he gets the help of the magic dog Xolo. Together they can find out who murdered him. But as this usually goes, that case is just the beginning of something even bigger - the end of the world as we know it. Because if the día de los muertos doesn't happen, Mictlan will end as we know it. And the world of the living will be impacted big as well. We can't let that happen. Come with us on that journey to save the day - and learn making great tacos at the same time. Playtesting is coming soon, you can already register. Testers so far said it reminded them of Grim Fandango and Disco Elysium. And the film Coco. We hope fans of Life is strange, Monkey Island and Sherlock Holmes will also enjoy our game.Watch for some live streaming here during the week of the latest version of the game. Your Alejandro, Xolo and their team.Read full article on Community Announcements (mg)
