Party games

Social deduction party games

Secret roles, bluffing and accusations. The best ones need nothing but paper, or one phone.

🕵️Imposter (word game)

3–12 players · kids, teens, adults · a phone · about 10 min

Everyone gets the same secret word except the imposter, who has to bluff. Pass one phone around.

  1. Pass the phone round: each player taps to see the secret word, then hides it.
  2. One player (the imposter) sees "You are the imposter" instead.
  3. Going round, everyone says one word linked to the secret word. Not too obvious, not too vague.
  4. After two rounds, vote on who the imposter is.
  5. If you catch them, the imposter gets one guess at the word to steal the win.
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🐺Mafia (Werewolf)

6+ players · teens, adults · paper and pens · about 30 min

The classic social deduction game: a hidden mafia picks off villagers at night, and the village votes by day.

  1. One player is the narrator. Deal secret roles on folded paper: about one mafia per four players, one detective, one doctor, the rest villagers.
  2. Night: everyone closes their eyes. The mafia silently pick a victim, the doctor picks someone to save, the detective points at someone and the narrator nods yes or no.
  3. Day: the narrator tells the story of who was "killed". Everyone argues and votes someone out.
  4. The village wins when the mafia are gone. The mafia win when they equal the villagers.

😉Wink Murder

6+ players · kids, teens, adults · paper and pens · about 15 min

A secret murderer kills by winking. Can the detective catch them before the room is empty?

  1. Fold slips of paper: one says "murderer", one says "detective", the rest are blank.
  2. Sit in a circle. The detective says who they are.
  3. The murderer kills by winking at someone, who dramatically "dies" a few seconds later.
  4. The detective gets three guesses to name the murderer.

🤥Two Truths and a Lie

3–15 players · teens, adults · nothing needed · about 15 min

Say three things about yourself. Two are true. Everyone guesses the lie.

  1. Each player thinks of two true facts about themselves and one believable lie.
  2. Say all three in any order.
  3. Everyone votes on which one is the lie.
  4. Score a point for each person you fool.

🥫Sardines

4–15 players · kids, teens · nothing needed · about 20 min

Reverse hide and seek: one person hides, and everyone who finds them squeezes in too.

  1. One player hides while the others count to 60.
  2. Everyone searches separately.
  3. When you find the hider, hide with them quietly.
  4. The last person to find the group hides next round.
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Social deduction games: questions

What is a social deduction game?

A game where some players have a secret role, like a murderer, the mafia or an imposter, and everyone else has to work out who they are by talking, bluffing and voting.

What is the best social deduction game for a small group?

For 3 to 5 people, the imposter word game works best: it needs only one phone and a round takes about five minutes.

What is the difference between Mafia and Werewolf?

Nothing important. Werewolf is the same game with a village and werewolves instead of a town and the mafia.

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Just for fun. Our games, results and the lie detector are entertainment: they can't read minds or detect lies. Facts are checked against the sources shown; if you spot a mistake, tell us. Full disclaimer