Secret identity board games, or social deduction games, are incredibly popular among casual and hardcore audiences, and it isn’t hard to see why. Perhaps it is the thrill of lying to your friends’ faces and knowing that everything will still be okay between you when the game ends, or maybe it’s the excitement of learning that the quiet one in your group secretly harbors an excellent poker face. Either way, these titles often make for some of the best party games, thanks to the memories they frequently create.
Most already know about genre staples like Mafia and Werewolf, but the category is incredibly deep, with diverse games for various audiences. The secret identity genre features longer epic experiences as well as quick playthroughs – games for large groups and titles for just two players. Regardless of skill level and general interest in the hobby, no matter what you’re in the mood for, social deduction games are a surefire hit to break out at your next get-together.
TL;DR The Best Secret Identity Board Games
Blood on the Clocktower
- Age: 15+
- Player: 6-21
- Play Time: 30-120 mins
While Blood on the Clocktower isn’t quite as accessible as some other titles on this list, its additional rules aren’t simply bloat, either. Instead, Blood on the Clocktower adds new wrinkles that often solve problems some players have with other games in the genre. It requires a larger group and a bit more time than some other recommendations in the space, but if you can find the time and the players, Blood on the Clocktower is easily one of the best board games money can buy.
The core mechanics of Blood on the Clocktower play out in a manner that those familiar with the genre will immediately grasp: players each receive a secret role with accompanying abilities, the demon kills another player during the nighttime phase when players’ eyes are closed, and during the daytime phase the townsfolk get together to try and deduce who the villains are and ultimately sentence someone to death. The goal of the good team is to execute the demon, and the goal of the evil team is to survive until the end. However, things get truly interesting when Blood on the Clocktower deviates from classic secret identity games like Mafia and Werewolf.
One notable difference is that executed players remain in the game. They lose their various abilities, but they can still contribute to the deduction and even retain one final vote on who to put to death. Additionally, players can share their secret identities, but this is a double-edged sword as it will also give the demon valuable information. It’s also challenging to know who to trust because the demon gets to see three different unused identities at the beginning of the game, meaning they can pretend to be one of these characters. Blood on the Clocktower is one of those games that your group will have just as much fun discussing afterward as they did actually playing it.
Deception: Murder in Hong Kong
- Age: 14+
- Player: 4-12
- Play Time: 20 mins
Players take on the roles of investigators hoping to solve the titular murder in Hong Kong. However, one of the investigators is secretly the murderer. As a twist, one player knows the killer’s identity but cannot say it. Instead, they are only allowed to give clues concerning aspects of the crime, such as the cause of death or location. In front of each player are cards with potential murder weapons and clues, leaving the investigators to solve the rest. There is still enough ambiguity within the cards that players are left to discuss who they believe the culprit is, resulting in some classic moments of deduction and a mountain of lies. In a sense, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong plays out as a hidden identity version of Clue, making the stakes feel much more personal as a result.
The Resistance: Avalon
- Age: 13+
- Player: 5-10
- Play Time: 30 mins
The Resistance: Avalon is a team-based social deduction game set against the backdrop of Arthurian legend. It’s a classic good versus evil showdown but with hidden identities. Players work to get elected to positions of power to advance their team’s goals, but they attempt to do so without revealing their alliances. Only the player taking on the role of Merlin knows who is who, but disclosing this information risks losing their team the game, meaning there are layers upon layers of deception going on simultaneously. Fans of the Secret Hitler board game will recognize many of the rules and mechanics in The Resistance: Avalon, but the latter title is far less likely to offend anyone at your next get-together.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- Age: 8+
- Player: 3-10
- Play Time: 10 mins
One Night Ultimate Werewolf has cemented itself as one of the most accessible party games, thanks mainly to an excellent audio app that walks players through each phase. It’s so easy to pick up and play that One Night Ultimate Werewolf has become a favorite among nongamers as well as more serious hobbyists. This bluffing game offers players a single card, each with a different role. Some are villagers, some have special abilities, and some are the titular werewolves. For the most part, the villagers want to identify the werewolves, and the werewolves want to remain anonymous.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf has two phases: night and day. During the nighttime phase, players put their heads down as the app narrates them through various card-swapping, identification, and general trickery. In the day phase, players open their eyes and attempt to deduce what happened the night before. Following the thread of who had what card at what time can get quite confusing, helping to cloak the deceit in uncertainty.
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
- Age: 8+
- Player: 5-10
- Play Time: 20 mins
A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a fun twist on deductive games and drawing-based titles like Pictionary. Players take turns collectively drawing a single picture one line at a time. The twist is that every player except for one knows what the final drawing is supposed to look like. The fake artist must guess what the image is supposed to be and add a line to the drawing when it is their turn, using only a vague category and the picture forming in front of them. After each player draws two lines, the group can guess who they believe the fake artist is. Identifying the phony artist may seem simple, but as many people are simply bad at drawing, it is more challenging to decipher who the trickster is than you might think.
Spyfall 2
- Age: 13+
- Player: 3-12
- Play Time: 15 mins
Spyfall 2 is an ingeniously simple game where players try to deduce who the spy is with only a card and a location. Each player receives a single card, all of which, except for one (or two if you’re playing with multiple spies), has a location on it. The outlier card simply says the word “spy.” Players must discover who the spy is among them by asking questions about the listed location. The key is to pose questions and give answers that won’t reveal the setting so the spy doesn’t catch on. Unless you’re the spy, then the goal is to bluff your way to victory. After just a few minutes, the group concludes the interrogation process and votes on who they think the spy is. Not only is the game fun and addictive, but it’s also simply a joy to locate the cartoon spy lurking in the background in each card’s artwork.
Inhuman Conditions
- Age: 12+
- Player: 2
- Play Time: 5 mins
A true rarity in the secret identity space, Inhuman Conditions is a social deduction game for only two players. It’s not just the player count that makes Inhuman Conditions unique; it’s also that this Blade Runner-inspired bluffing game is centered around a five-minute conversation. In each game, there is one investigator and one suspect. The investigator’s goal is to identify whether the suspect is a human or a robot, and the suspect’s goal is to pass as a human. However, this is easier said than done, as robots are given specific prompts to follow. The trick is to naturally work these prompts into the conversation, which can quickly become tricky when every word you say is being analyzed by the other player. As Inhuman Conditions’ writing can be a bit wacky, it is best suited for two players who can embrace its sillier role-playing elements.
Feed the Kraken: Deluxe Edition
- Age: 12+
- Player: 5-11
- Play Time: 45-90 mins
While most social deduction games omit the board altogether, Feed the Kraken: Deluxe Edition brings players to the figurative and literal table surrounding a beautifully constructed board and stunning minis. Players in Feed the Kraken are split between three secret roles: sailors, pirates, and cultists. The players’ goal is to simply move the ship from one side of the board to the other, but each team is secretly working to navigate toward a different game-ending location. Each game starts with one player selected as the captain, and that player chooses their lieutenant and navigator. This trio ultimately decides the direction the ship will head for that turn, but opportunities for mutiny ensure fate isn’t always left in their hands.
Along the way, the ship might move to spaces with icons that enable the captain to perform various tasks, such as seeing another player’s role or even keeping someone from talking for the rest of the game. If the ship reaches a Kraken tile, the captain will fulfill the title by feeding the sea beast a crew member. However, feeding the cult leader to the Kraken will result in victory for the cultist team, so players should tread carefully.
If you’re looking for more great titles to play with larger groups, check out our picks for the best six-player board games and the best four-player board games.
Bobby Anhalt is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering board games and LEGOs. He has more than 8 years of experience writing about the gaming industry with bylines at Game Rant, Screen Rant, TheXboxHub, and Ranker. You can follow him on Twitter.
