Trivia

Secrets Can Kill

The last four digits of the phone numbers of Nancy's friends spell out words that allude to their roles as helpers and hint providers for Nancy's cases.
- Bess's number is 523-555-4468, which spells HINT.
- George's number is 523-555-2583, which spells CLUE.
- Ned's number is 523-555-4357, which spells HELP.

Stay Tuned for Danger

Rick's canceled file in Dwayne's office lists two phone numbers (home and cell), and both refer to the kind of person he is. The home number is 212-555-3253 (FAKE), and the cell number is 212-555-5427 (LIAR).
Look at the script by the chair in Mattie's apartment. On the bottom of the other side of the page that is turned, it says "Help Me Nancy."
The Millie Strathorn character is a tribute to Mildred "Millie" Wirt Benson, the original ghostwriter of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories and the first to write the books under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym. Benson also received a "Special Thanks" credit.
The address for the WWB Studios is 1999. Stay Tuned for Danger was released in 1999.
Rick sarcastically mentions Nancy is celebrating her 70th birthday soon. This is an allusion to the 70th anniversary of the Nancy Drew character, which took place in 2000, the year after this game was released.

Message in a Haunted Mansion

In addition to reusing Bess's phone number to contact both her and George, other phone numbers in this game spell out words that relate to those characters.
- Nancy's home phone number is 523-555-3739, which spells DREW.
- Emily Foxworth's number is 555-5367, which spells LENS, alluding to her career as a photojournalist.
- Louis Chandler's phone number, according to his business card, is 415-555-3253. This spells FAKE, meaning it is a foreshadowing of his personality.
The address number of the mansion is 4653, which spells GOLD on a phone. Additionally, these four numbers make up the first half of the combination to Louis's briefcase. The other four numbers are 4868, which spell out HUNT. Put together, Louis' briefcase combination spells GOLD HUNT, foreshadowing the true reason why he is at the mansion.

Treasure in the Royal Tower

Nancy writes her opening letter to George. This marks the only time in the series that George is a recipient of the letters that Nancy writes to her family and friends before and after a case.
A teaser trailer for The Final Scene was initially meant to be included at the end of this game. Though it was ultimately never used, it remains in the game's audio files.

The Final Scene

Posters featured around the Royal Palladium are parodies of real-life films and theatrical plays. Examples include the following:
- 'Nebraska!' for 'Oklahoma!'
- 'King Liam' for 'King Lear'
- 'Martha Miller's The Runcible' for 'Arthur Miller's The Crucible'
- 'Lemond Birchstein's Wonderful City' for 'Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town'
- 'The Merchant of Milano, a play by William Shaker' for 'The Merchant of Venice, a play by William Shakespeare'
- 'Brigadain' for 'Brigadoon'
- 'Homeboy'z New Groove' for 'The Emperor's New Groove'
- 'Naval-gazing' for 'Trainspotting'

Secret of the Scarlet Hand

The group of donors to Beech Hill consists of names with various meanings, from puns to the names artists who worked on this game.
- Dagmar Burke (Tim Burke) and Freu Ted Hayashi (John Hayashi).
- NDFan123 is the name of a member from the HeR Interactive message boards.
- Punchy LaRue is the name of Bess's voice actor in The Final Scene.
- Others are very silly-sounding names that include puns, such as Ayu N.D. Bayou (Are you in the bayou?, though it also refers to Ayu Othman, one of the game's 2D artists) and Pieter Piepper (Peter Piper).
- Marquis del Falcone's surname is shared with Nicholas Falcone, a character from The Final Scene.
This is the first game in the series to feature: a trailer for the next game at the end, the Hardy Boys, albeit, only as voices over the phone, the chocolate bar "Koko Kringles", and "Krolmeister" as a brand name.

Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

There is an aviation poster in Em's Emporium that alludes to original Nancy Drew author Mildred Benson. In addition to being prolific writer and journalist, Benson was a licensed pilot and avid flyer. She died on May 28, 2002, while this game was still in production, and was given this special shoutout as a memorial tribute.

The Haunted Carousel

The TV in Nancy's hotel room is made by FONY. This is not only a pun of the term "phony", but one of SONY, the company that was made famous by its brand of television sets.

Danger on Deception Island

The code to the lighthouse is 3475, which spells DIRK. This is a foreshadowing of Dirk Valentine, a deceased yet still pivotal character in the next game, The Secret of Shadow Ranch.

The Secret of Shadow Ranch

One of the bookcases in the Rawley's contains books that spoof famous works of literature and allude to the last couple of previous games, "The Capes of Wrath" references John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, "All Cooped Up on the Western Front" references All Quiet on the Western Front", and the Harvey Herring books parody the Harry Potter novels.
When in a location where you don't have any service, Nancy can still use the phone by clicking the 'web' button and then the 'directory' from there, allowing her to make calls.
When doing the magnet puzzle, if you close it up and back away from the rock several times, the wooden barriers will disappear.

Curse of Blackmoor Manor

This is the first game to be set outside of the United States. It is also the first to not feature Bess and George.

Secret of the Old Clock

In the mini golf course, there is an animation of a train going through one of the holes, foreshadowing the next game, Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon.

Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

The cover art for this game features multiple hidden 13's.

Danger by Design

The Ichi-Do book at Pont Neuf looks like it was recently checked out by B. Lee and C. Norris.

The Creature of Kapu Cave

The number of the bed that holds the mutant plant at the Hilihili Research Center is 3333. This spells FEED, alluding to Quigley's theory that the Norsobeta odorata is feeding on this plant, causing a dramatic population increase.

The White Wolf of Icicle Creek

Multiple phone numbers spell four-letter words that relate to the people to whom they belong.
- Tino Balducci: 312-555-5375 (JERK)
- Lou Talbot: 213-555-2063 (BONE)
- Bill Kessler: 905-555-3689 (LIAR)
- Guadalupe Comillo: 213-555-3264 (FANG)
- Avalanche Patrol: 403-555-2006 (BOOM)
- Sheriff Mahihkan: 403-555-7827 (STAR)
- Pinevale Hospital: 403-555-4878 (HURT)
- The Farmingdales: 551-555-7425 (SICK)
- Carl Jenkins: 312-555-7547 (SLIP)
- The Southwaites: 418-555-7387 (PEUR, the French word for 'fear', which is fitting as their area code indicates they live in Quebec)

Legend of the the Crystal Skull

This is the first game in the series to include multiple awards.

The Phantom of Venice

This is the first game in the series to have outtakes, which play after the credits. Outtakes are present in all games from #18 to #29 (except Secrets Can Kill: Remastered and Alibi in Ashes). Getting all of the Meta Awards unlock all of the outtakes.
The binary code on Antonio Fango's office wall spells out "I love cute little fuzzy animals."
A shadow is seen at the end of the game in Colin Baxter's room and some fans believe it is Samantha Quick.

The Haunting of Castle Malloy

The clues to the combination of the locked roll top desk in the tower are found with the rock island and four books. These books are written by authors whose names are puns of words associated with the contents of their respective books!
1. Nautical Cartography is written by Jack Stay. In nautics, a jackstay is a rope, bar, or batten running along a ship's yard to which the head of a square sail is attached.
2. Zoopraxiscope: Animals in Motion is written by Cap Y. Bara. A capybara is a pig-sized amphibious rodent that lives in South America.
3. Hydroponics and Aeroponics: Growing Without Soil is written by Aggie Culture. This is a pun of "agriculture", which is the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.
4. Ersatz Quidnuncs: A Guide to Knowledge is written by Aru Dight. This is a pun of "erudite", which refers to someone or something having or showing great knowledge or deep learning.

Lights, Camera, Curses!

There are two possible endings to this game. One is the standard ending for finishing the game normally, the other must be won through enough point accumulation. The standard ending is basically a stub of the alternate ending which reveals a hidden twist involving the Jewel of Karnak.
There are 4 optional audio diaries the player can find throughout the game. They are not required to unlock the alternate ending, but do provide extra insight into the original movie director.

Ransom of the Seven Ships

This game marks the first time that Bess and George appear in person.

Resorting to Danger!

This is the first game in either series to have different culprits based upon Nancy's suspicions. When talking to Nick towards the end of the game, he asks her who she suspects is the culprit. You choose one of the 6 characters and he asks again if you are sure. Whoever you choose when he asks again, leads to 1 of 6 possible different endings. The next few chapters of your investigation also vary based on this choice.
Exclusive art and bloopers during the credits are unlocked by earning enough points to complete Ultimate Private Eye.

Warnings at Waverly Academy

Many of the books in the library include puns, such as:
- Study Tips & Secrets by Stu Dious.
- Dream Symbols & Their Meanings by Ann Ightvision.
- The Art of Solving Mysteries by Dee Tector.
- The Criminal Justice System by Bea HIndbars.
- A Tale of Two Bunnies by Fluff Etail.
- Temi ot Weren Dales ot a Vitome dan a Lecu by Ana Gramme (which is an anagram for "Time to renew leads to a motive and a clue.")
- Sharpening Your Observation Skills by Cici Clearlee.
- Bandits Outlaws Scofflaws and the Like by Bonn Enclyde.
- Monsters What and Why by Bee Stiary.
- Parker's Industrial Engineering Handbook by Petit Al-Tigether.

Trail of the Twister

The game takes place in the real town of Canute, Oklahoma. However, there are multiple references to Canute College, which is a completely fictitious academic institution.

Secrets Can Kill Remastered

There are several references hidden throughout the game in celebration of Nancy Drew's 80th anniversary.
- Hector "Hulk" Sanchez's jersey number was changed to '80' in celebration of Nancy's 80th birthday.
- Aunt Eloise's chest is filled with yellow books that resemble classic hardcover Nancy Drew books.
- The cover of "The Whispering Statue" (the 14th book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series) is on the billboard outside the teacher's lounge.
- Nancy's cell phone backgrounds include scenes from Nancy Drew books.
- The picture used for the slider puzzle in Aunt Eloise's drawer is a scene from a Nancy Drew book.
- When playing Barnacle Blast, you start a new game with 8 lives and to get a new life you need 80000 points. Both the 8 and 80000 refer to the 80th anniversary of Nancy Drew.
- On a framed photo in the library that says “Share the discovery of reading!” there is a silhouette of Nancy.
- On some of the bulletin boards are pictures of pages from some of the Nancy Drew books.
- The Secret of Candlelight Inn (the 139th book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series) is a book found in the digital catalog and on a shelf in the library.
- The Art of Solving Mysteries by C. Keen (Carolyn) is a book found in the digital catalog of the library.
- Crime at the Ch@t Café is the 124th and final installment in The Nancy Drew Files mystery series and can be found on a shelf on the second floor of the library.

Shadow at the Water's Edge

Savannah Woodham's phone number is 404-555-4478, which spells GHST. When the letter "o" is added, the complete word is "ghost", making it a perfect reference to Savannah's career as a ghost hunter.

The Captive Curse

This game was promoted with a short video web series called "Postcards from Germany".

Alibi in Ashes

The box art for this game features a blue banner at the top that says "Special 25th Edition", to commemorate its status as the 25th game in the series.

Tomb of the Lost Queen

The game is dedicated to the memory of Rachel Vaughn, a Nancy Drew fan who met the people of HeR Interactive before dying of cancer.

The Deadly Device

During the pre-order phase for this game, HeR Interactive held a contest in which the winner got to choose the location for The Shattered Medallion.

Ghost of Thornton Hall

At any random time, a big creature can be seen scurrying across the floor of the workshop or towards the screen. This is a naked mole rat that HeR has nicknamed "Mr Skinbag".

The Silent Spy

Carson and young Nancy are voiced by real-life father and daughter.

The Shattered Medallion

Pacific Run New Zealand is a spoof of reality competition shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race.
As of 2023, this is the final game to have Bess and George as characters (through phone or in-person), or even be mentioned.

Labyrinth of Lies

This is the final to feature the Nancy Drew logo style that was introduced in Danger by Design.

Sea of Darkness

Sea of Darkness is the last game to feature Lani Minella as the voice of Nancy Drew. It is also the final game to have limited, point-and-click scenes rather than full movement.

Midnight in Salem

This game is the first to feature Brittany Cox as the voice of Nancy Drew.
The surname for Mei and Teegan was originally "Parris" before it was changed to Parry. Olivia Ravencroft was also initially named Jenna Ravencroft, and Lauren Holt was changed from Lauren Corey.

Mystery of the Seven Keys

This is the first game to feature a dual navigation system: point-and-click, or free-roam. This is also the first time the latter will be an available option.
This is also the first game to allow players to re-read previous dialogue and sometimes replay dialogue options when available.
This is the second-longest gap for a Nancy Drew to release (4 years, 5 months), just 1 month shorter than it took for Midnight in Salem to release (4 years, 6 months).
This is the most expensive Nancy Drew game to date, starting at $32 USD.
This is also the largest Nancy Drew game in terms of file size, being 17 GB large, significantly larger than the file size of the second largest Nancy Drew game, Midnight in Salem, of 5.11 GB.