The imposter game, free in your browser

How an imposter game works

Every round starts with private cards. Civilians see the shared secret; the imposter sees something else. Then the group talks: players ask questions or give short clues that prove they know the secret without saying it. The imposter listens, copies the mood of the room and tries not to stand out.

When the talking is done the group votes. Catch the imposter and the civilians usually win; accuse an innocent player, split the vote or run out of agreement and the imposter wins. In Spyfall and Secret Words a caught imposter still gets one final guess at the secret, which keeps the round tense to the end.

Three imposter games in one place

Pick the version that fits your group. All three are free, need no account and work for 3-12 players.

• Spyfall: everyone except the spy shares a location and gets a role. Players ask each other questions. 12 location collections on one phone.
• Secret Words: everyone except the imposter shares a word. The imposter gets no word and knows it from the start. Players take turns giving one-word clues.
• Similar Words: the imposter gets a related word, like Tea instead of Coffee, and no card says who is who. It is the hardest version to read.

Play together or online

Sitting in one room? Use one phone: add the players, pass the device so each person sees their own card in private, then talk and vote out loud. After the offline download is ready the one-phone games even work without a connection.

Friends in different places? Create a private online room. Everyone joins from their own browser with the invitation link, sees their card on their own screen and votes there. The site has no built-in voice chat, so talk on any call you already use. See how online rooms work.

Tips for playing the imposter

Do not rush. The first few answers or clues tell you the most, so let others go first when you can and build a small list of possibilities. Give answers that are true for several of them. Vague is fine once; vague every time gets you voted out.

As a civilian, be specific enough to show you belong but never name the secret. The same balance makes the game fun in every version, whether you play with the 192 imposter word pairs or the Spyfall locations.

Questions