What you need
- 3–12 players5–8 is the sweet spot
- One phoneor slips of paper
- 10 minutesper round, with talking
The roles
Civilians
Everyone but the imposter. They all see the same secret word. Their job: prove they know it without making it easy, then find the player who doesn’t.
The imposter
Doesn’t know the word. With the hint on, they see the category. Their job: listen, blend in, and give a clue that sounds right — or guess the word at the end.
A round in 5 steps
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1 Deal the roles
Pass the phone around. Each player holds to peek at their card, then passes it on. Civilians see the secret word. The imposter sees only that they are the imposter — and, with the hint on, the category.
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2 Give one-word clues
In turn, everyone says one word that proves they know the secret. The first speaker is picked at random and is never the imposter. Too obvious helps the imposter; too vague looks guilty.
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3 Discuss
Start the timer and talk it out. Ask why someone chose their clue. Watch for hesitation and copied clues. Two minutes for 3–4 players, three for 5–6, five for 7–9, eight for bigger groups.
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4 Point and vote
On three, everyone points at the player they suspect. The player with the most fingers is accused.
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5 Reveal and last chance
If the accused is a civilian, the imposter wins. If it’s the imposter, they get ten seconds and one guess at the secret word. Right, and they steal the round anyway.
Votes and ties
Everyone points on three, so nobody can wait and copy the crowd. If two to four players get the same number of fingers, the table revotes between just those players.
Tied again? Nobody is caught, and the imposter wins the round.
The last chance
A caught imposter gets ten seconds to say the secret word out loud. The rest of the table decides whether it’s right. A correct guess steals the win, even after the reveal.
Scoring
Keep playing rounds with the same group. Points carry over, and the first player to 5 wins the night.
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Imposter caught and the guess is wrong | +1 each civilian |
| Imposter survives the vote | +2 imposter |
| Imposter caught, but guesses the word | +3 imposter |
Variants
With a hint
The imposter sees the category (“Food & Drinks”). Good for new groups and big lists. Turn it off for experts.
Undercover App
The imposter gets a different but close word — Pizza vs. Burger — and may not even know they’re the imposter.
Undercover rules and word pairs Undercover is in the app
Questions instead of clues
Instead of one word each, players ask each other questions about the secret (“Would you eat it for breakfast?”). Answers must fit the word.
50 questions to ask
Speed round
No clue round, 90 seconds of open discussion, then vote. Chaotic, loud and great for parties.
Tips
For civilians
- Pick a clue only someone with the word would think of — not the first thing that comes to mind.
- Ask “why that word?” The imposter’s reasons are always a little generic.
- Watch who goes quiet and who repeats someone else’s idea.
For the imposter
- Speak later if you can: earlier clues tell you a lot.
- Agree with the crowd, then add one confident detail.
- Keep listening after the vote. The clues are your best shot at the last-chance guess.
