Murdered: Soul Suspect is a third-person adventure game with minor action and stealth elements set in Salem, Massachusetts. The game follows detective Ronan O'Connor, a former convict who becomes a ghost after being murdered. His wife Julia appears to him and tells him he needs to figure out who killed him and stop that person.
The investigation is done in a linear way, requiring O'Connor to collect clues to progress through the story. He can move freely around the open world environment, but cannot pass through certain obstacles unless a door or window is open. The player must solve puzzles by examining clues, with mistakes only leading to lower rankings.
O'Connor has various powers that allow him to influence people and interact with his surroundings. He can possess people to control their senses and mind-read, and also sneak into areas by possessing a cat. Certain side missions involve helping other ghosts move on to the next world by gathering clues. O'Connor meets Joy, a medium who helps him understand the world and often assists in stealth sections.
Stealth sections require O'Connor to distract people using his presence and poltergeist actions, or encounter demons that roam locations. He can execute them out of sight by sneaking up from behind and performing specific actions. As he gains new abilities throughout the game, such as teleportation and telekinesis, he can access more features.
Collecting 242 optional items is a major part of the game, including nine sets of artifacts and eight sets of ghost stories.