Spy
About the game and how to play
Spy is a social deduction word game made for groups of friends. Every player gets the same secret word — except the spy, who only knows they are the spy. Take turns asking each other questions: the spy tries to blend in while everyone else tries to catch them. Pass one phone around the table, or play in an online room where everyone uses their own phone.
- Players
- 3–16 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
- Choose the number of players and a category — everyone sees the secret word, the spy only learns their role.
- Take turns asking questions about the word; answers should be neither too obvious nor too vague.
- When the timer runs out, everyone votes in secret: the player with the most votes is accused, and a tie accuses nobody.
- Even when caught, the spy can still win the round by guessing the secret word.
Tips
- As a civilian, ask questions that only someone who knows the word can answer confidently, without putting the word itself into the question — the spy is collecting clues from every one of them.
- As the spy, let a few people answer first and match their level of detail; if the Category or First letter hint is on, keep your guesses inside that frame.
- When “Maybe nobody is the spy” is enabled, don’t rush an accusation: if no answer sounds off, a correct “Nobody — there is no spy” vote is worth 2 points to the civilians.
- In bigger groups add a second spy (up to half the players) and give the discussion more time; the timer runs from 1 to 30 minutes and can be paused when you play on one phone.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if the spy is caught but knows the word?
In pass-and-play mode a caught spy picks the word from the category’s word list: a correct pick makes it a split round with 1 point to each side, a wrong one gives the civilians 2 points. Online rooms skip this step — catching the spy wins the round for the civilians.
Can a round have no spy at all, or only spies?
Yes, if the host switches on “Maybe nobody is the spy” or “Maybe everybody is a spy”. About one round in four then uses a twist, and the timer screen stops telling you how many spies there are.
How many spies can there be in one round?
Anywhere from one to half the players — with 8 players, up to 4. In an online room the host can pick up to 7, and the game caps it at half the people in the room.
Can we add our own words to Spy?
Yes. On the setup screen tap “Add custom category”, give it a name, an emoji and at least 3 words, one per line. It then appears in the category list, including when you create an online room.