Werewolf and Mafia were incredibly popular party games back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They required players to work together in order to identify imposters hidden amongst their numbers before they were picked off one by one. It was a race against time and quite often a battle of wits. As the years have past, these games have been reimagined by video game developers and turned into online multiplayer games that put their players’ powers of deduction to the test.
Among Us is one of the more popular examples of modern day social deception games, but it is far from the only one. Some might even argue that it’s not even the best, although that’s perhaps a matter of personal preference. For anybody beginning to grow tired of Among Us though, it’s definitely worth a moment of their time to check out some of the other fantastic imposter games that are on the market today.
Updated January 19th, 2021 by Thomas Bowen: After winning Best Multiplayer Game at the 2020 game awards, the team over at Innersloth are gearing up for yet another busy year. They’ve already announced a new map which is scheduled to arrive in early 2021 and still have plans to bring the game to Xbox consoles at some point during the year as well. Until these things arrive though, why not take a moment to explore some of these other great social deception games? Many of them have been among us for quite some time now, but still hold up incredibly well despite their age.
15 Hidden Agenda
Hidden Agenda is one of the most visually impressive social deception games out there and has received widespread praise for its innovative gameplay mechanics and well-integrated social elements. It’s one of only a handful of games that makes use of the PS4’s PlayLink functionality and shares more than a few similarities with some of the other great titles from Supermassive Games.
It can accommodate up to six players at once and gives each of them the opportunity to shape the game’s branching narrative in a variety of ways. To a certain degree, it feels like a multiplayer version of Until Dawn although is considerably shorter with only around two hours of gameplay in a main story run.
14 Secret Hitler
Although not quite as enjoyable as the original board game, web based versions of Secret Hitler are still a lot of fun when paired with the right players. The subject matter is nowhere near as controversial as the game’s title might suggest either, but it’s probably best to avoid playing it at work just in case.
There are a lot of interesting ideas on display here and fully understanding how the game is supposed to be played might take bit longer than other games as a result. These ideas are all fully fleshed out though and this makes for an intriguing and enjoyable experience that’s far deeper than the likes of Werewolf and Mafia.
13 Undercover ^^
Available on both IOS and Android, Undercover ^^ can be played by up to 20 players on a single device making it a great game for parties and get-togethers. The rules are fairly simple too, so explaining how everything works shouldn’t take up half the evening as can often be the case with other party games.
This simplicity also helps to keep games moving at a steady pace and prevents them from dragging on for too long. The only downside is that the more players that are involved, the easier the game becomes for the player who is assigned the role of the game’s main antagonist and so smaller matches tend to be far more enjoyable.
12 Krimi
Anyone who’s ever played the board game Deception: Murder in Hong Kong should immediately recognize the structure and format of Krimi. That’s because it’s a web-based adaptation of the aforementioned game. Up to 12 people can play together at once, although it’s possible to enjoy the game with just five.
The aim of the game is to figure out who among the players is a murderer and this can be achieved by asking questions about the crime. The catch is that each player only has one shot at guessing the right answer and they must also ascertain some additional information regarding the killers M.O. and the evidence that they left behind at the crime-scene.
11 Saboteur Online
Saboteur is another popular social deception board game that’s been given the video game treatment. Its web-based adaptation Saboteur Online can be played in most modern web browsers and allows for up to 12 players in any given match.
The rules are fairly simple and it uses artwork from the original board games to perfectly replicate the experience. Whether or not players are able to come away with the gold will depend entirely on their powers of perception and their ability to single out the saboteurs before it’s too late.
10 Trouble In Terrorist Town
Trouble in Terrorist Town was created using the Fretta framework and was the winner of a 2009 programming competition held by Facepunch. As a result, it was added to Garry’s Mod in July 2010 and has since gone on to become an incredibly popular game mode.
Players are randomly assigned to one of three different teams with each having a distinct role to fulfill. Detectives are responsible for finding Traitors who in turn are tasked with killing all of the Innocents. Innocents must work together with the Detectives in order to figure out who the Traitors are and kill them all before being killed themselves. It’s a really well made game and can be hilarious with the right lobby.
9 Space Station 13
Space Station 13 is quite an old title, but it’s still every bit as enjoyable as it was when it first released in 2003. Better still, it’s free to play which is always nice for those operating on a tight budget. Like Among Us, and, as the title might suggest, Space Station 13 is set in space. There are eight different roles that players may be asked to carry out, while others attempt to sabotage their work.
Although match conditions vary from server to server, antagonists are typically aiming to force an evacuation of the space station while regular players try to keep things ticking over until the timer has run out. It’s incredibly important not to misidentify an antagonist in this game as removing a player who’s fulfilling a vital role could help to speed up evacuation.
8 Mindnight
Mindnight is a fairly standard deception game, but some may find its simplicity to be charming. Rather than survivors and monsters, players are given the roles of hackers and agents. As one might expect, it’s the job of the agents to figure out who the hackers are before they’ve caused too much disruption. Hackers need only cause chaos.
The game has a cyberpunk theme and, in spite of its somewhat basic art style, it all comes together really nicely. As an added bonus, it’s free to play over on Steam and has very positive reviews from players to boot. The only downside is that it’s not as large as some of the other imposter games on the platform, so finding a decent game can sometimes take a little longer.
7 Deceit
Deceit puts players’ instincts to the test as they try to figure out who among them has been infected with a deadly virus. The game takes place in an abandoned asylum with healthy players trying to escape while the infected try to kill them. It’s biggest strength is definitely the atmosphere and the feelings of uneasiness that it evokes in players.
Unlike most other social deception games, Deceit is a first person shooter – although it still makes use of many of the mechanics associated with the genre. The infected needing to collect blood bags in order to transform into their monster form provides a nice cat and mouse style angle to the game that help to set it apart. It’s a lot of fun, but can be a little scary when the lights go out.
6 Wolflord
Wolflord draws its inspiration from classic party games like Mafia and Werewolf, but provides its own unique twist. The game is played using cards and each player is assigned a different role. Players must root out and eliminate evildoers from the group before it’s too late.
The game is still in early access over on Steam, but it looks like it’s shaping up to be a great little game. It might not keep people entertained for too long, but at its current price it’s definitely worth a look. Perhaps fittingly, it’s set to come out of early access on Halloween and so it will be interesting to see what new additions make it in to the full release.
5 Unfortunate Spaceman
Unfortunate Spaceman is a free to play title that’s set on a failing outpost. As well as the spacemen assigned to the outpost, it’s also occupied by a terrifying shape-shifting monster whose only aim is to prevent the humans from escaping to safety. It might seem like a tired trope, but it’s executed incredibly well.
Those playing as spacemen must work together in order to survive, but trusting others isn’t always easy given that any one of them could be the monster. It’s a game that relies quite heavily on the quality of the lobby. Thankfully, the game has a great community and so finding a good lobby is easy. There’s some very good liars among them though.
4 Barotrauma
Barotrauma somehow manage to combine space and deep sea exploration to create a social deception game like no other. The game takes place on a submarine in an ocean on one of Jupiter’s moons. It’s been in early access for more than a year now and there’s no official word yet on when a full release will arrive, but it’s still an interesting title nonetheless.
Each player is assigned a different job and is given tasks to complete to keep the submarine operational. Saboteurs on the vessel will aim to cause enough damage to render the submarine irreparable – at which point the round will end. Its mechanics are not too different from other imposter games, but the fantastic atmosphere created by the developers really helps the game to stand out.
3 Project Winter
Project Winter allows for up to eight players and focuses as much on its survival elements as it does the social deception angle. The game features survivors and traitors, with the sole aim of the traitors being to prevent the other players from escaping. There are also bears, but unfortunately nobody gets to play as those. Not yet, anyway.
Strong teamwork is essential if players are to survive, with lone wolves making for easy targets both for the traitors and the game’s hostile wildlife. The knowledge that there are traitors among them makes trusting other players incredibly difficult and this creates tension that can easily derail efforts to call in a rescue vehicle. It may sound similar to other imposter games, but it’s one of the better examples.
2 Throne Of Lies
Throne Of Lies is a fairly basic looking 3D imposter game that combines medieval politics with the classic social deception party games created in the late 80’s. Where it differs from other games however is in the vast array of different classes available. These add a level of depth that other games just can’t provide.
Up to 16 players can play together, with the imposters aiming to seize control of the throne before being discovered by the other players. The journal and death note mechanics are just some of the things that help to set Throne of Lies apart, but there are plenty of other great features. There are hours of fun to be had with this one as no two games are even close to being alike.
1 Town Of Salem
Town of Salem is one of the largest imposter games out there. It can be played through Steam, Mobile or even through browsers and at its peak had a player base of around 8 million. The game tells the story of the infamous Salem Witch Hunts and features all of the functionality that one might expect from a social deception game.
What makes Town of Salem such a great experience is the attention to detail paid by the developers. Well, that and all of the great custom and bespoke game modes that have been added over the years. That the game is still going strong almost six years after its first release on Windows is a testament to its staying power and the popularity of the genre in general.
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