3–10 players · 10–20 minutes · Free
The imposter game, online and free
Everyone at the table gets the same secret word. One of you gets nothing. Take turns giving one-word clues — specific enough to prove you know it, vague enough not to hand it over — and work out who is bluffing.
- No account
- No download
- Free forever
What you get
Imposter, in full
Nobody has to leave the room
The word goes to each player privately, on their own phone. No writing on scraps of paper, no whispering, no sending one person into the hallway.
One word each, three rounds
Clues go around in turn order and everyone sees the whole history. Three rounds by default, with an optional timer so nobody deliberates for a minute over "cold".
Nominate, argue, vote
Anyone can put a name forward once per turn. Then it goes to a vote — and if the table is wrong, the imposter is still sitting there and now everyone trusts each other less.
The imposter can steal it
Caught? Not necessarily beaten. A cornered imposter gets a shot at naming the secret word outright, which turns the last round into a real decision for everyone.
Twelve categories
Animals, food, places, sports, vehicles, movies, cities and countries, professions, brands, games, fears, inventions. Pick the ones your group is good at, or the ones they are not.
Ten seconds to start
Start a room, read out five letters, everyone is in. No app store, no account, no setup — which matters, because this is the game you start when there are eight minutes left.
Actual screenshots
This is the real thing, not a mock-up
Somebody put a name forward. Now everybody has to commit.
How it works
How to play Imposter online
Start a room
Tap Play Imposter. The room opens with the game selected and a five-letter code to share.
Get three to ten people in
Everyone opens decks.app in a browser and enters the code. No accounts, no installs.
Check your word
Everyone is shown a category and a secret word — everyone except the imposter, who gets the category and nothing else.
Give one-word clues
Going around in turn order, each player says one word about the secret word. Too specific and you hand it to the imposter; too vague and you look like one.
Nominate and vote
Put a name forward, argue it out, and vote. Catch the imposter and the table wins — unless they name the secret word and take it back.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play the imposter game?
Everyone gets the same secret word except one player, the imposter, who only gets the category. Players take turns giving a single-word clue about the word. Real players have to prove they know it without spelling it out; the imposter has to bluff from context. Anyone can nominate a suspect, the table votes, and if they get it right they win — unless the cornered imposter can name the word.
How many players do you need?
Three to ten. Three works and is brutal — one wrong vote decides it. Six to eight is the sweet spot, because there are enough clues to compare and enough people to disagree.
Is it free?
Yes, completely. No payment, no account, no app to install. Start a room in the browser and share the code.
What makes a good clue?
One that proves you know the word to anyone who also knows it, and means nothing to anyone who does not. If the word is "penguin", "cold" is too safe — the imposter can say that. "Tuxedo" is the kind of clue that wins games and gets you accused of being the imposter.
How should the imposter play it?
Go late in the order if you can, and build off what has already been said without repeating it. The tell that catches most imposters is not a bad clue — it is a clue that only makes sense after someone else has spoken.
How long does a game take?
Ten to twenty minutes for a full round of clues and a vote. Most groups play three or four in a row.
Can we play in person?
Yes — that is the intended way. Everyone is at the same table on their own phone, so the word stays private without anybody having to leave the room.
Ready in about ten seconds
Tap the button, read out the five letters, and everyone is in. No app, no account, nothing to set up.
Opens a room with the game already selected