All Nancy Drew Mystery Games That Feature The Hardy Boys

Whether you’re a long-time Nancy head or if you’ve barely heard of the most famous teenage detectives, everyone LOVES a crossover! Many Nancy Drew games feature the witty Frank and Joe Hardy, but there are three installments where you actually get to interact with them in the flesh.

The Hardy Boys frequently serve as recurring “phone buddies” that Nancy can call for tips or banter in her mystery games and a few titles draw loose inspiration from the old Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys SuperMystery books without bringing the characters on screen. However, there are three crossover-style entries where the brothers appear in person, assist on the case, and (in two of them) become playable characters.

All Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Crossover Games

1. Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005)

This is the first game in which Frank and Joe appear in person. Socialite Lori Girard invites Nancy and the Hardy Boys aboard a restored luxury train for a mystery-solving trip tied to a century-old disappearance and lost gold mine. The brothers are there as fellow detectives (and, in the story, because Lori finds them cute). Players get a small playable segment as Frank. It draws from the SuperMystery book Mystery Train published in 1990.

Many fans gawk at the slightly weird appearance of their character models in this game. As an earlier entry in HeR’s Nancy Drew series, we won’t hold it against them.

2. Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006)

Nancy heads to Hawaii as a research assistant and crosses paths with the Hardy Boys, who are on their own undercover assignment investigating a family for a potential endorsement deal. The cases intertwine amid pineapple crop troubles, a legendary “rough-skinned” figure, and a forbidden cave. This is the first game that lets players switch between Nancy, Frank, and Joe for significant sections (Joe early on, then primarily Frank). It is loosely based on the book Mystery on Maui published in 1998.

Joe is the blonde brother and most fans will agree that his character model in this game is… unfortunate. In my opinion, Frank looks good!

3. Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem (2019)

Nancy investigates arson at a historic house linked to the Salem witch trials. The Hardy Boys show up to help, reveal they’ve started their own independent detective agency (and try to recruit her), and provide support. Players control Frank for a couple of longer segments. This marked a return of the brothers after a long gap and was one of the first games built in the Unity engine with fuller 3D environments.

The character models for Frank and George are significantly more modern in this game. They might not look like the Frank and George many fans had imagined, but at least they are more realistic!

Notable Hardy Boy Mentions

• Phone-only / cameo support: In most of the series, the brothers are available via phone for advice, humor, or occasional plot help. They also get a brief mention/help connection in later titles such as Mystery of the Seven Keys (2024). You can also call them for hints (if you’re on junior detective) in games like Danger on Deception Island.
• Book-inspired but no on-screen Hardys: Shadow at the Water’s Edge (2010) and Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012) are loosely based on SuperMystery novels (Tour of Danger and Secrets of the Nile), but the brothers do not physically appear as characters in those games.
• Related but not a Nancy Drew title: HeR Interactive co-developed The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks (Nintendo DS, 2009), a spin-off game starring Frank and Joe (with a Nancy Drew series character appearing).

These crossovers are not only fun and entertaining, but do an awesome job at bringing multiple fandoms together. Hopefully HeR Interactive creates more mystery games involving both Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys!