How to play the Imposter game: rules for beginners
The Imposter game is a party game for 3 or more players. Everyone gets the same secret word except one player, the Imposter, who has to bluff. Players take turns giving clues, talk it over, and vote on who they think is faking. Here are the rules step by step, for the word version and the question version.
The basics
There are two roles. Most players are Civilians: they know the secret and try to find the Imposter. One player is the Imposter: they do not know the secret and try not to get caught.
You need at least 3 players. A game has several rounds, usually 5. Every round has a new secret and a new Imposter, picked at random, so anyone can be the Imposter.
How to play the word version
This is the classic game. Each round goes like this:
- Get your role Each player looks at their card in secret. Civilians see the secret word. The Imposter sees only a vague hint, or nothing at all.
- Give clues Going around the group, each player says one word or a short phrase about the secret word, without saying the word itself. Go around three times.
- Talk it over Who hesitated? Whose clue was too general, or a bit off? Ask questions and defend your own clues.
- Vote Everyone votes for the player they think is the Imposter. Then the Imposter is revealed, and the round is scored.
The hard part is the clue. Too obvious, and the Imposter learns the word. Too vague, and you start to look like the Imposter yourself.
For a first game, give the Imposter a hint. Without one, the Imposter has to bluff only from the other players' clues, which is harder and suits experienced groups.
Example round
The secret word is Compass. The Civilians see Compass, and the Imposter sees only the hint Device. The clues go: North, Pocket, Needle, Battery. Battery sounds off, because a compass needs no battery. Now the group has a suspect, and that player has to explain.
How to play the question version
In the question version there is no secret word. Everyone answers a question instead, and at first the Imposter does not even know they are the Imposter.
- Get your question Each player reads their question in secret. The Civilians all get the same question. The Imposter gets a different, similar one.
- Answer Going around the group, each player gives a short answer to their question, without saying the question.
- See the real question When all the answers are in, everyone sees the question the Civilians got. Now the Imposter knows that theirs was different.
- Talk it over Whose answer does not fit the real question? Ask players to explain their answer. The Imposter has to invent a reason on the spot.
- Vote Everyone votes for the player they think is the Imposter. Then the Imposter is revealed, and the round is scored.
Example round
The Civilians get “What phrase would you scream on a roller coaster?” and the Imposter gets “What would be your last words before jumping out of a plane?”. The answers are “Faster!”, “Mom!”, “Let me off!” and “Tell my family I love them.” When the real question is shown, the last answer sounds far too serious for a roller coaster.
How to win
If more than half of the players vote for the Imposter, the Civilians win the round, and each Civilian gets 1 point. If not, the Imposter escapes and gets 2 points. Points add up over all rounds, and the player with the most points at the end wins the game.
You don't need paper or a pen
Played the old way, the Imposter game takes some setup. Someone writes the word on paper slips and hands them out, and because that person knows the word, they cannot play. Someone else watches the time, and someone keeps the score on paper. The question version is even more work: two questions for every round.
With Imposter Elite, the phone does all of this. It picks the word or question from 2,000+ words and 1,000+ questions, deals the roles in secret, gives the Imposter a hint if you want one, runs the timer, counts the votes and keeps the score. Everyone plays, and nobody has to sit out.
One phone is enough. With Pass the Phone, the group passes it around to see their cards and vote in secret. Or everyone joins a Party Room from their own phone, at the same table or online with the built-in chat.
Looking for alternatives? See the 5 best imposter games compared.
By the Imposter Elite team · October 29, 2026