What is a social deduction game?
Social deduction games make players figure out who was assigned certain hidden roles. At the start of a social deduction game, players are typically assigned specific roles hidden from everyone else. A few of the players become traitors who must bluff and lie so they blend in with everyone else without getting caught. Whichever team of players reaches their goals by the end of the game wins! Social deduction games are perfect for large groups or parties where you want everyone to socialize. However, they may not be fun with less than 3-4 people or if you aren’t good at lying.
Best Social Deduction Board Games
Mafia Mafia is one of the classic social deduction games, and you can play it with a deck of cards. Each round, the players close their eyes and the Mafia chooses someone to kill. When the players wake up, they have to discuss who they think is a Mafia player and the Mafia players have to lie their way to the end so they survive. Players: 6 or more Mafia requires 1 person to moderate the game without taking a hidden role.
The Resistance In The Resistance, some players are Resistance Operatives that are trying to successfully complete missions while others are Imperial Spies trying to sabotage them. Each round, one player becomes the captain and selects other players to join the mission team. During the mission, the team members secretly vote to pass or fail the mission. If the Operatives succeed or the Spies fail a certain number of missions, their team wins! Players: 5-10
Avalon Avalon is similar to The Resistance, but it has a medieval theme instead. Most players are King Arthur’s subjects trying to complete quests, but some players are Evil and try to fail the quests. One player becomes Merlin and knows who the Evil players are, so they can help choose Good players to send on quests. However, the Evil team can still win if they’re able to figure out who Merlin is. Players: 5-10
The Chameleon When you play The Chameleon, one player takes on the titular role and has to blend in with the rest of the group. Everyone except the Chameleon gets a secret word. Players take turns saying something related to the word without giving it away. Since the Chameleon player doesn’t know the word, they have to figure out what to say so they don’t get caught. If the Chameleon figures out the word before the other players catch them, they win. Players: 3-8
One Night Ultimate Werewolf One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a quick and easy game if you only have a few minutes to play. Each player is secretly assigned a role as a townsfolk or as a werewolf. During the night phase, players activate special powers to learn more info about other people. When everyone wakes up, players only have a few minutes to talk and figure out which players are the werewolves. Players: 3-10 One Night Ultimate Werewolf requires one person to moderate the game, or you can use the official narration app so everyone in a group can play
A Fake Artist Goes to New York In A Fake Artist Goes to New York, everyone except one player is given the prompt for what to draw. One at a time, the players add a line to the drawing without being too obvious about what the prompt was. After everyone adds their lines to the drawing, the players try to figure out which person didn’t receive the prompt. Players: 5-10
Cheese Thief Cheese Thief has 1 player trying to steal a slice of cheese while the others try to figure out who did it. Players roll dice to find out when they “wake up” during the night phase. Everyone closes their eyes, and when their dice result is said out loud, they open them. When the Cheese Thief opens their eyes, they have to hide the piece of cheese somewhere even if someone else is watching them. After all the numbers have been called, the players discuss and try to point out who the real Cheese Thief is! Players: 4-8
Secret Hitler When you play Secret Hitler, players are either Liberal or Fascist, with one player becoming the Secret Hitler. The Liberals try to vote and enact their laws successfully, but the hidden Fascists try to stay hidden and swing the votes toward their side instead. If either side passes a certain number of laws, they win! Players: 5-10 Follow our in-depth guide to learn the rules to Secret Hitler.
Coup Coup has you collecting character cards to gain influence and win the game. On your turn, you can take the special action of any character, even if you don’t have their card. However, if you’re challenged by another player and don’t have the character you said, you lose one of your cards. You’ll have to bluff your way through the game and react to what other players do on their turn to survive until the end. Players: 2-6 Check out our deep dive on how to play Coup to learn the rules more in-depth.
Bang! In Bang!, players secretly take on roles in a Western town, like the Sheriff, Deputy, or Outlaw. Players take turns drawing and playing cards to shoot at other players, power up their attacks, or defend themselves. If the Sheriff and Deputy get rid of all the Outlaws, the 2 players win. If the Outlaws eliminate the Sheriff, then they win instead! Players: 4-7
Insider During a game of Insider, one player is the Master and secretly chooses a word. One player is a secret Insider who also gets to see the word. Then, the rest of the players along with the Insider have to ask the Master yes or no questions to figure out the word. The Insider has to help lead the others toward the right word without being too obvious. If the players guess the word and figure out who the Insider is, they get points! Players: 4-8
Ultimate Werewolf Ultimate Werewolf has players secretly split between innocent villagers and evil werewolves and their minions. Over multiple rounds, the werewolves will secretly kill another player at night, and the villagers will use their special powers to deduce and eliminate all the evil players during the day. Players: 5-30 While there are many versions of Werewolf and Ultimate Werewolf, you can learn how to play the basic game with our rules guide.
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong As board game expert Deon Voss explains, in Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, “[s]omebody at the table is the killer. Everybody else is trying to solve the crime.” Everyone is dealt potential weapons and causes, and the killer selects 2 in front of them. A player with the Forensic Scientist role reveals clues so the players can discuss and identify the killer, cause of death, and murder weapon correctly. Players: 4-12
Obscurio In Obscurio, players are wizards trying to escape a cursed library. One player deals out cards with images on them, and the other players have to interpret the cards to find the right exit on the board. However, one player is actually a traitor trying to lead the others away from the right answer so everyone stays trapped inside. Players: 2-8
Feed the Kraken Feed the Kraken splits players into loyal sailors, traitorous pirates, and cultists trying to summon the Kraken. Each faction wants to travel to a different location on the board, and players take turns as Captain guiding the ship in the direction they choose. After each round, players can discuss which faction they think players belong to and can vote to eliminate a crew member from the game. Players: 5-11
Saboteur In Saboteur, players are dwarf miners that are searching for gold, but one player is the Saboteur. Players take turns playing cards to build paths and take actions to reach the gold, but the Saboteur plays to prevent others from reaching the goal. Whoever collects the most gold after 3 rounds wins the game! Players: 3-10
Salem 1692 Salem 1692 recreates the Salem Witch Trials during your game night. Players are secretly assigned villagers with special powers and others become witches that try to survive. Players collect cards as evidence throughout the game to learn the true identities of the players, and try to eliminate the witches before they get rid of everyone else. Players: 4-12
Good Cop Bad Cop Good Cop Bad Cop makes players either honest good cops or crooked bad cops. The cards in a players hand determine if they’re honest or crooked, and players take turns peeking at someone else’s cards or making an accusation. When you think you know another player’s identity, you can shoot them to deal damage and eliminate them. If the good cops beat the Kingpin or if the bad cops finish the Agent, the game ends. Players: 4-8
Spyfall In Spyfall, players are all dealt a copy of the same location cards, but one person receives a Spy instead. Players take turns asking questions to other players that are related to the location, such as “Why are you so dressed up?” or “How did you end up here?” to try and suss out the Spy. The Spy has to bluff and lie to give believable answers and stay hidden. Players: 3-8
Two Rooms and a Boom For Two Rooms and a Boom, the players split up into 2 equal teams and go into different rooms. One team has a President they need to protect and the other team has a Bomber trying to eliminate the President. After each round, teams choose players to swap rooms and mislead the other team. At the end of the game, if the President and Bomber are in the same room, the Bomber’s team wins! Players: 6-30
Shadows over Camelot In Shadows over Camelot, you either play as a knight of the Round Table or a traitor hiding amongst them. On a turn, players take a heroic action and choose an evil action they must take. While the knights of the Round Table try to save Camelot, the hidden traitor tries their best to sabotage their progress. Players: 3-7
Inhuman Conditions During a game of Inhuman Conditions, one player is an interrogator trying to figure out if the other person is a human or a robot. The interrogator has 5 minutes to ask questions. While humans can answer questions freely, robots have limitations on what they can say. If a robot player goes undetected, they win. If a human player is correctly identified by the interrogator, then both players win! Players: 2
Crossfire Crossfire has players split into a red team and blue team. The red team tries to find out which player is the VIP and eliminate them while the blue team tries to protect them. Players are dealt cards and pass them between each other to learn more about their roles. Then, everyone has a few minutes to discuss what they saw and identify the roles everyone has. At the end of the time limit, players vote on who to eliminate. Players: 5-10
Werewords In Werewords, the players are trying to guess a secret word within a time limit, but can only ask yes or no questions. Even though it sounds easy, one player is actually a hidden werewolf that knows the word and tries to make everyone else guess wrong. If the players guess the right word or figure out who the werewolf is, they win! Players: 4-10
Shadow Hunters Shadow Hunters splits characters into the supernatural Shadows, the Hunters who destroy them, and the Neutral civilians caught in the middle of it. During the game, you’ll move around the board, take actions, and attack other players to help reveal their true identities. If you finish all the win conditions for your role before the other players, you win! Players: 4-8
Mascarade In a game of Mascarade, you’re trying to collect coins. At the start, you’re dealt a secret role. On your turn, you can peek at your role, swap cards with another player, or announce a role to take its special ability. The catch is, you can claim to be any character you want! Just don’t get caught; if another player has the role you claimed, then you lose a coin. Players: 2-13
Inside Job Inside Job is a twist on a trick-taking card game (like Hearts or Spades) that adds hidden roles. Each player takes the role of a secret agent that has to complete missions that are revealed during the game. However, one person is a traitor who tries to make them fail their missions to gain intel. If all the missions are complete or a traitor gets all their intel, the game ends! Players: 2-5
Secrets In a game of Secrets, you’re either a CIA agent or a KGB operative trying to collect points for your side. During a turn, you draw 2 cards that have good or harmful abilities and secretly offer one to another player. They can either take the card and score it or refuse it to make you take it. You’ll have to bluff your way through the game to keep your identity hidden, but your role might even change throughout the game and switch up your strategy! Players: 4-8
Blood on the Clocktower Blood on the Clocktower is one of the hottest social deduction games right now. Players are assigned a hidden role that’s either Good or Evil, each with a unique ability. During the day phase, players can talk and socialize with whoever they want to learn information. Then, players can discuss and vote to execute a player they think is Evil. If the Good townsfolk succeed, they win! Otherwise, Evil wins if they have the majority of players. Players: 6-21
Unfathomable In Unfathomable, players are on a cruise liner that’s attacked by monsters known as the Deep Ones. While some players are human and try to keep the ship afloat, other players become minions of the Deep Ones and sabotage the ship to make it sink. Throughout the game, players have to learn who they can trust during skill tests and event cards to help their team win! Players: 3-6
Social Deduction Video Games
Among Us In Among Us, every player is a member of a space crew that has to complete tasks around the spaceship to keep it running. However, some players are Imposters whose only task is to kill the rest of the crew. Imposters have to pretend to do tasks while they sneakily eliminate the other players. When a body is discovered, the crew can discuss and vote out who they think the Imposters are. Platforms: iOS, Android, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation Players: 4-15 Price: $5 USD or free on mobile
Town of Salem Town of Salem secretly splits players between 48 unique roles with special powers that are either good or evil. Every round, good and evil players use their abilities, such as seeing another person’s role or eliminating a player. Then, everyone discusses the information they learned and tries to get rid of the evil players. If the evil players lie their way to the end and survive, then they win the game. Platforms: iOS, Android, PC Players: 7-15 Price: $5 USD or free on mobile
Secret Neighbor In Secret Neighbor, everyone plays as a kid breaking into their creepy neighbor’s house. Players have to find a key and unlock the basement within 15 minutes. However, one of the players is actually the neighbor in disguise who has to gain the kids’ trust and use gadgets to eliminate them before they can unlock the door. Platforms: iOS, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation Players: 4-6 Price: $20 USD or free on mobile
Project Winter In Project Winter, you’re stuck with other players out in the cold trying to survive. The survivors’ goal is repairing equipment and building shelter to stay alive, but the hidden traitors are trying to get rid of everyone else without being discovered. Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation Players: 5-8 Price: $10-12 USD
Gnosia Gnosia is a single-player visual novel where you tru to figure out which NPCs are a threat. Throughout the game, you’ll have conversations to learn information about all of the characters and choose one to put into deep sleep, but guess wrong and the threats will only be more difficult to beat later on. Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation Players: 1 Price: $25 USD
Deceit Deceit divides players into Innocents, Infected, and Cursed players. Innocents try to survive and work together while the Infected try to blend in and get rid of the other players. Cursed players have disruptive powers that can change up the game. As players try to move through the map, the Infected sabotage their progress without getting caught. Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation Players: Price: Free
Werewolves Within Werewolves Within is a VR game that puts you right into a medieval villager. You’ll either play as one of the villagers or a hidden werewolf attacking them. Throughout the game, players will use their special abilities before discussing who they think is the werewolf and who to eliminate. If the villagers survive and get rid of all the werewolves, then they win! Platforms: PC, PlayStation Players: 5-8 Price: $20 USD
MINDNIGHT MINDNIGHT is a simple social deduction game with a cyberpunk aesthetic. Players are either Agents or Hackers trying to capture computer nodes. Each round, one person selects a team of players for securing a node. Each player secretly votes to secure or hack the node. Hackers have to bluff their way onto the teams and avoid getting caught when they hack, or else the Agents will catch onto them. Platforms: PC Players: 5-8 Price: Free
SpyParty In SpyParty, one person is a Spy trying to complete tasks while they’re at a party. The other player is a Sniper trying to kill the Spy without accidentally picking the wrong person. The Spy has to do their best to blend in with the NPCs at the party and finish all their tasks before the Sniper can find them. Platforms: PC Players: 2 Price: $25 USD
Lockdown Protocol In Lockdown Protocol, everyone is part of the crew on a space trying to complete tasks within the time limit. However, some players are Dissidents who want to make the team fail. Dissidents must sabotage the progress, hide tools and weapons, and cause chaos all while trying to blend in with the rest of the crew. Platforms: PC Players: 3-8 Price: $10 USD
How to Do Better at Social Deduction Games
Act the same no matter which team you’re on. Whether you’re on the innocent team or the evil team, try not to change how you behave. If you were talkative during other rounds but suddenly get quiet, it might be obvious that you’re trying to hide something.
Work on telling convincing lies. If you’re trying to hide your identity or get out of an accusation, tell a lie like you would have any regular conversation. Avoid overreacting or trying to oversell the lie with hand movements, and try to keep your voice at a consistent tone. Make sure you remember the details of your lie so you don’t get caught slipping later on.
Watch the other players for changes in their behavior. Study how the other people in the group play the game so it’s easy to recognize when how they act suddenly changes. If you notice that someone is getting more fidgety, blinking more than usual, or raising the tone of their voice, it’s a good sign they’re lying about something.
Make alliances with other players. Alliances are great in social games because someone can have your back if you get accused of being a traitor. Typically, people trade helpful information about their roles or about other people to form alliances. Just be careful who you trust; if someone is a good liar, they may stab you in the back later on!
Keep playing more social deduction games. As you play more and more social deduction games, you’ll get better at learning the roles and recognizing patterns in how people behave. Try to play with the same group of people to learn their tics, or branch out and play with new people to see what strategies they use.
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