How to play the imposter game

The rules, step by step

1. 1

   Deal the word

   Everyone secretly sees the same word, like "lighthouse". One player sees only "IMPOSTER" instead.

2. 2

   Give one clue each

   Go round the circle. Each player says one word or a short phrase about the secret word, out loud.

3. 3

   Talk it over

   Whose clue was a bit off? Who hesitated? Argue it out for a minute or two.

4. 4

   Vote

   Everyone votes for who they think the Imposter is. The player with the most votes is out. A tie means nobody is out.

5. 5

   Reveal

   If you voted out the Imposter, everyone else wins. If not, play another round with a new word, until the Imposter is caught or only two players are left.

How do you win?

• Everyone who knows the word wins by voting out the Imposter.
• The Imposter wins by surviving until only two players are left (or until the rounds run out, if you set a number of rounds).

What it looks like on the TV

In our version, each phone shows its player the word (hold to peek, let go to hide), and the TV runs the rounds, the vote and the reveal.

How to give a good clue

• Not too easy. "Light, tall, ships, coast" gives "lighthouse" straight to the Imposter.
• Not too hard. A clue nobody understands makes you look like the Imposter.
• Go sideways. Pick something true but less obvious: "keeper" or "spiral stairs" for lighthouse.
• Listen to the clues before yours. Don't repeat them, and use them to spot whoever is guessing.

How to bluff as the Imposter

• Go late if you can. The more clues you hear, the better your guess at the word.
• Be vague, but confident. A short, safe clue said without a pause beats a clever one said slowly.
• Join in the accusing. The Imposter who stays quiet in the talk usually gets caught.
• Guess the word. In some versions, a caught Imposter can still win by naming the word.

Variations to try

Our Imposter game on the TV has all of these as options the host can switch on.

• A hint for the Imposter: show the Imposter the category (food, animals) so they have a fighting chance.
• The same word all game, or a new Imposter each round, for longer games.
• The Jester: one player knows the word and who the Imposter is, and wins by getting voted out.
• Night knockouts: while everyone else waits, the Imposter secretly knocks one player out of the game.
• A wild card: once a game, the Imposter can secretly peek at the word.

Need words to play with?

See our imposter game words, sorted by theme and age, or let the game deal the words for you.

Play it on your TV

Imposter

Everyone gets the same secret word, except one player: the Imposter. Find them before they fool you!

• 3–16 players
• About 5–15 minutes
• Same room only

Read how to play →