Mafia
About the game and how to play
Mafia is the classic social deduction game. Players get secret roles — a few are mafia, the rest are townsfolk. At night the mafia picks a victim; during the day everyone argues and votes someone out. You can add extra roles such as the doctor, detective, commissar and kamikaze. You do not need a narrator to hand out roles and run the night — the app does that for you.
- Players
- 4–20 players
- Category
- Party games
- Price
- Free, no download, no sign-up
- Where to play
- In the browser on phone, tablet and computer
Can be played with friends in an online room
How to play
- Every player privately learns their role: mafia or town.
- At night the mafia chooses a victim and the special roles act.
- During the day everyone discusses and votes for who they think is mafia.
- The town wins by catching every mafioso; the mafia wins once it matches the town in number.
Tips
- As the detective, only you see your check results — reveal them too early and you become the mafia’s next target. Collect a few checks before you speak up.
- Mafia members can see each other, but each picks a target separately and the victim is whoever gets the most picks. Agree on one name so your kill doesn’t split.
- The graveyard shows the role of everyone who has died, so use it to test claims: if someone says they are the doctor but the doctor is already dead, you have caught a liar.
- A tied day vote eliminates nobody, so the town has to concentrate its votes. As the host, check the votes counter before you lock the votes and move on.
Frequently asked questions
Can the doctor protect themselves?
Yes, the doctor is the only role allowed to pick themselves at night. The doctor’s protection stops both the mafia kill and the commissar’s shot, but not the kamikaze’s revenge.
What happens when the day vote is tied?
If two or more players share the highest number of votes, nobody is eliminated and the game moves on to the next night. Dead players can’t vote.
How do the commissar and the kamikaze work?
The commissar is on the town’s side and may shoot one player each night — which can hit the mafia or an innocent. The kamikaze marks a target at night; if the kamikaze dies, whether killed at night or voted out by day, the marked player dies too.
How many mafia should a group have?
The host can choose 1 to 5, but the game keeps the mafia in the minority: at most (players − 1) / 2, rounded down. That means 1 mafia with 4 players and up to 3 with 8.