How to play Impostor
Find the impostor before they blend in, or bluff your way through as one.
In 90 seconds
- One phone runs the game — that's the host. Add everyone to the roster. They can join from their own phones, or you tap the names in on the host screen if you're sharing one device. Three people is the floor; a dozen is a crowd.
- The host deals. Each person taps their name and holds to reveal their secret — release to hide it again. Civilians all get the same word. The impostor gets nothing: just the news that they're faking it.
- Phones down. Go around the table. Each person says one word or a short phrase about the word — specific enough to prove you know it, vague enough not to hand it to the impostor. No repeats.
- Discuss. Tapping Accuse on the roster only marks a suspect; it isn't a vote. The room still decides out loud.
- When you've picked someone, the host reveals the roles. Civilians win if you caught an impostor. The impostor wins by surviving.
- Deal a new word and go again. A hunt takes about ten minutes; play as long as the snacks last.
The trick is the clue. Say too much and you've gifted the word to the one person who didn't have it. Say too little and you sound like the person who didn't have it.
What you need
One phone or tablet, passed around the table; no pen or paper needed.
How it works
The engine deals a secret word to everyone except the impostor(s). Go around describing the word with a single word or short phrase: specific enough to prove you know it, vague enough not to hand it to the impostor. Discuss, then vote out whoever you suspect.
A worked round
Ana, Bo, Cass and Dev are around one phone. The host deals. Each of them holds on their name.
Bo, Cass and Dev see Lighthouse. Ana sees that she's the impostor — no word, just the role.
They go around.
Bo: "Beacon."
Ana has one clue and a lot of sky. A beacon could be a lighthouse, a radio tower, a flare. She aims at the middle.
Ana: "Tower."
Cass: "Coast."
Dev: "Fog."
The room looks at Ana. Tower was safe — too safe, once coast and fog landed. She argues that beacon-plus-tower is a castle as easily as a lighthouse, and that Cass gave the game away. Bo isn't buying it. They vote her out.
The host reveals. Roles are out! Ana was the impostor. The word was lighthouse.
Next deal, Ana knows the word and someone else is guessing. Same table, fresh word.
Rulings
Can I say the word itself?
No. That's handing it to the impostor. A clue is a neighboring idea — beacon, not lighthouse. A short phrase is fine if it still talks around the word (rocky shore) instead of naming it.
What if two people give the same clue?
Don't. One word or phrase each, no repeats. If you were about to say what the person before you said, pick a different angle. A repeat doesn't prove you know the word — it proves you heard the last clue.
Does tapping Accuse count as a vote?
No. It marks a suspect on the roster so the table can see who you're looking at. It doesn't tally, it doesn't lock, and you can withdraw your own mark. The vote is still the room talking, then the host revealing.
Do we have to use our phones?
No. One screen is enough: tap your name, hold to see your secret, release so the next person can go. Phones are nicer when you don't want to pass a device around, but they aren't required.
How many impostors are there?
The host picks at setup. Out of the box the app chooses for you — usually one at a small table, more as the roster grows. The host can also lock a number. If the room wants to know how many they're hunting before they vote, the host can reveal the count without revealing who.
Can the host pick the word?
Yes. Custom lets the host type a word or phrase instead of drawing from the deck — useful when the table has an inside joke, or when you want something the room will definitely know. A re-deal draws a new word and new roles; the last hunt is over.
Does the impostor win by guessing the word?
No. They win by surviving the vote. Guessing out loud is just another clue — and usually a bad one, because a civilian who already knows the word has no reason to announce it.
What if only three people are playing?
Still works. One impostor, two civilians, and every clue is under a microscope. The app won't deal with fewer than three.
No sign-up is required to play.