Imposter Game

What is the Imposter Game?

The Imposter Game is the party word game everyone is playing: all players get the same secret word, except the imposter, who gets nothing. Each player gives a one-word clue, the imposter bluffs along, and the group votes out who they think it is. Find every imposter to win, but careful: a caught imposter can still steal the round by guessing the word. Play it here for free, with no app, no sign-up and no ads in the game: on one phone passed around the table, or in an online room where each player sees their word on their own phone.

The Imposter Game on a phone: the hold-to-look secret word card, the clue timer with the turn order, and the vote reveal of the imposter

How to play the Imposter word game

1. Get your word. Pass the phone around, or open a room and join on your own phones. Press and hold your card to see your word; let go and it hides again.
2. Give clues. In turn, everyone says one word that shows they know the secret word, without making it too easy. The game picks who starts, and it is never an imposter.
3. Talk it over. The timer runs while you argue about whose clue was suspicious.
4. Vote. Agree out loud, or vote in secret one by one. The game counts the votes and reveals, after a drum roll, whether you caught the imposter.
5. Last chance. A caught imposter picks the word from eight choices. Right, and the imposters win anyway.
6. Keep score over as many rounds as you like: crew members get a point for a win, imposters two.

One phone or online

• One phone: perfect around a table. The phone asks to be handed to each player in turn, so no one sees someone else’s card, and the game is kept if the page reloads.
• Online room: one player opens a room and the others join with a five-letter code, a link or a QR code, from anywhere: the same room or a video call. Everyone sees their own word, votes in secret on their phone, and the verdict shows on every screen at once. The phones connect to each other directly; nothing about your game is stored on our servers.

Classic or Undercover

In Classic mode the imposters know they are imposters and see no word (you can show them the category as a hint). In Undercover mode they get a different word from the same category, say “Burger” when everyone else has “Pizza”, and don’t know they are the odd one out. You can play with up to four imposters, a talking timer from one to five minutes, and 3 to 20 players.

Imposter game words

The game has 1,600 words in 35 categories, from everyday things anyone can describe to pop culture and the seasons, and words played recently do not come back for a while. A few examples:

• 🍔 Food: Pizza, Sushi, Tacos, Pancakes, Ramen, Mac and cheese
• 🐶 Animals: Penguin, Giraffe, Sloth, Hedgehog, Flamingo
• 💼 Jobs: Astronaut, Dentist, Magician, Lifeguard, Barista
• 🏙️ Places in Town: Airport, Bowling alley, Laundromat, Zoo
• 🎬 Movies: Titanic, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Home Alone, Barbie
• 🎮 Video Games: Minecraft, Mario Kart, Among Us, Tetris
• 🎄 Christmas and 🎃 Halloween: Mistletoe, Snow globe, Haunted house, Candy corn
• And Countries, World Cities, Landmarks, Sports, Hobbies, Kitchen, Clothes, Vehicles, Music, School, Space, Fantasy, Superheroes, TV Shows, Famous Characters, Party, Camping, Tech and more.

Want your own? Type your own words, like inside jokes, friends’ names or this week’s class topics, and they are played as a category of their own.

Frequently asked questions

How many players do you need?

At least 3, and up to 20. With 3 to 6 players one imposter is best; from about 7, try two. The game will not let the imposters be half of the group or more.

Is it the same as Spyfall, Chameleon or “Who is the Spy”?

It is the same family of social deduction games. Spyfall uses locations and questions, The Chameleon a grid of words, and “Who is the Spy” (Undercover) gives the spy a similar word, which is this game’s Undercover mode. Here you get them on any phone, for free, without cards or an app.

What makes a good clue?

One word that only someone who knows the word would say. Too obvious and the imposter catches on; too vague and you look like the imposter. For “Penguin”, “tuxedo” is a good clue; “bird” is too vague, and “Antarctica” may give it away.

Can we play over a video call?

Yes: open an online room and share the link or the code in the call. Each player sees their own word and votes on their own phone or computer, and the reveal shows on every screen.

Is the Imposter Game free?

Yes, completely: every category, mode and online room, with no sign-up and nothing to install. For more party games, try the White Elephant Game, or pick teams with the Random Group Generator.