How to Play the Imposter Game

Updated 14 October 2026

The Imposter Game is a word game of bluffing and deduction. Almost everyone gets the same secret word, but one player (or a few) is the imposter. Each round, players give short clues, then vote on who they think is hiding something. This page explains how to play the imposter game from setup to scoring, with real examples from the built-in word packs.

You need 3 to 20 players and one phone for pass-the-phone mode, or one phone each for online rooms. There is nothing to download, no account and no ads.

Setup

Open the game in any browser. The fastest way to start is Quick Play: pick the number of players, tap start, and you are dealing cards. Players are auto-named Player 1, Player 2 and so on, and you can rename them whenever you like.

For a custom game, choose:

• Word packs – one or several of the 25 built-in packs (Food, Animals, Movies, Kids (Easy), Holidays & Christmas and more), "Random mix", or your own custom words. Browse them on the imposter game words page.
• Mode – Undercover (the default) or Classic.
• Number of imposters – the app recommends 1 for 3–7 players, 2 for 8–12 and 3 for 13 or more. You can change it.
• Options – discussion timer, voting style, last chance and strict mode.

Playing on separate phones? Use online rooms instead – the rules are the same.

Roles and the two modes

There are two roles: civilians, who all share the same word, and imposters, who don't. How the imposter is handled depends on the mode.

Undercover mode (default)

The imposter secretly gets a similar but different word – and is not told they are the imposter. If the civilians have "Pizza", the imposter might have "Burger". Everyone believes they are a civilian at first, so the imposter has to work it out from the other clues. This undercover word game style creates great "wait… is it me?" moments.

Classic mode

The imposter's card simply says "You are the IMPOSTER" with no word. You can optionally show a small hint, such as "Fast food favourite" for the Pizza/Burger pair. The imposter knows their role from the start and has to blend in by listening carefully.

How a round works, step by step

1. See your word. In pass-the-phone mode, the current player taps "I'm <name>", then holds the card to see their secret word. Releasing hides it. Then pass the phone to the next player. Online, everyone sees their word on their own phone.
2. Give clues. The app picks a random first speaker and a speaking order. Each player gives one clue about their word without saying the word itself.
3. Discuss. Who sounded vague? Who seemed to describe something slightly different? An optional timer (off, 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes) keeps things moving.
4. Vote. Everyone votes for who they think the imposter is.
5. Reveal. The app shows who the imposter was and what each word was.

Giving good clues

The art is being specific enough to prove you know the word, but vague enough that the imposter can't guess it. Take the Animals pair Lion/Tiger:

• "Mane" – far too revealing; only lions have one.
• "Big cat" – safe, but so general it proves very little.
• "Savannah" – a good clue: civilians nod, and a Tiger player may start to feel uneasy.

Meanwhile the Tiger player might say "Stripes", which would stand out immediately. A sharp imposter picks something that fits both, like "Roar". For more tactics, read how to win as the imposter.

Voting, ties and scoring

In pass-the-phone mode you can choose:

• Group vote – the group talks it out, agrees on one suspect, and taps once.
• Secret vote – the phone is passed around and each player votes privately.

In online rooms, everyone votes on their own phone. The player with the most votes is voted out. With "Keep playing" switched off, a tied vote means the imposter escapes, so split votes help the imposter.

Keep playing after a wrong vote

Big groups often get it wrong the first time, and that's part of the fun. With Keep playing after a wrong vote switched on (the default), voting out an innocent player doesn't end the round. Everyone learns that player was innocent, but the imposter stays secret. The host then chooses:

• Next clue round – the voted-out player sits out, a new player opens the clues, and everyone left gives another clue and votes again.
• Reveal the imposter – end the round and show who it was.

A tie works the same way: nobody goes out and the host picks. The round ends on its own when every imposter has been caught, or when the imposters equal the civilians left, because then the imposters can no longer be outvoted. With 8 players and 1 imposter, that gives the group several tries to find them.

The last-chance guess

Last chance (on by default): if the imposter is voted out, they can try to guess the civilians' word. A correct guess steals the win. In Undercover mode this is often the moment the imposter realises, "Oh – I had Burger, they had Pizza!"

Scoring

Points carry across rounds and the scoreboard keeps track for you. "Play again" keeps the same players and deals a new pair instantly, and pairs never repeat in a session until the pool runs out.

Variations and a worked example

Variations and options

• Multiple imposters – ideal for big groups. With 2 or 3 imposters, the civilians have more people to catch. More ideas in imposter game ideas for large groups.
• Discussion timer – 1 minute for fast, chaotic rounds; 3–5 minutes for thoughtful groups.
• Secret vote – stops loud players from steering everyone else.
• Strict mode – each player sets a personal PIN the first time they reveal, so nobody can peek at someone else's word.
• Loser adds a pair – an optional fun rule (off by default): the loser adds a new word pair to your custom words.

A worked example round

Five friends play Undercover with the Food pack. Four get "Pancake"; Sam secretly gets "Waffle". The app picks Priya to start.

• Priya: "Syrup."
• Jon: "Stack."
• Sam (Waffle): "Squares." – risky, since pancakes are round.
• Ana: "Flip."
• Leo: "Frying pan."

During discussion, Ana asks Sam what "squares" means. Sam backpedals: "The butter melts in little squares." Nobody buys it, and the group votes Sam out. On his last chance, Sam thinks about "flip" and "frying pan" and guesses "Pancake" – correct! He steals the round and earns +1. Had he guessed wrong, the four civilians would each have scored +1.

Start a Quick Play game

FAQ

How many players do you need?

At least 3. Pass-the-phone mode supports up to 20 players on one phone; online rooms support up to 15.

Does the imposter know they are the imposter?

In Classic mode, yes – their card says so. In Undercover mode, no – they get a similar word and have to work it out.

What happens if the vote is tied?

Nobody is voted out. With Keep playing on (the default), the host chooses another clue round or a reveal. With it off, the imposter escapes and scores +2 for surviving.

Is there a shorter version of the rules?

Yes – see imposter game rules explained for a quick summary.