Impostor or The Spy: the differences and which to choose

Who knows what: word, category and hint

In both games the majority receives a word, not a situation or a scene to act out. The difference lies in what the odd one out gets to see.

In Impostor the civilians see the word and its category, for example Beach in the category Places. The impostor sees neither. If Hint to the impostor is switched on in the settings, which the app recommends when there are only a few of you, the impostor gets a single word linked to the secret: for Beach the hint is Sand. Without the hint they start completely in the dark and have to rely on what they hear.

In The Spy the civilians see the word, while the spy sees only the category. The pack offered at the start is Places, so the spy usually knows the conversation is about a location (an airport, a library, a campsite), but not which one. Other packs are available too, such as jobs and cities.

In practice: the impostor knows at most one detail, the spy knows what kind of thing it is. It is a small difference on paper, but it changes the way you bluff.

Clues in turn versus a chain of questions

Impostor: one clue at a time, in order

Once everyone has seen their role, the app shows the order of play and who has to speak. Each player says one clue about the word, then it passes to the next. You play from one to ten rounds (three unless you change the setting), there is no clock on individual turns and nobody is knocked out halfway: everyone reaches the final vote together. The pace is relaxed, and whoever speaks last in a round has the advantage of having heard everyone else.

The Spy: open questioning against the clock

Here a discussion timer starts, lasting 3, 5 or 8 minutes (5 by default). The app picks who asks the first question, then it runs as a chain: you put a direct question to one person, they answer and then question whoever they like. Nobody may say the word itself. There are no fixed rounds: anyone who gets questioned a lot is under pressure, and anyone who is ignored can take advantage of it.

The typical beginner’s mistake is the same in both games: clues or answers that are too precise. They help your allies, but they hand the word to the very person trying to work it out.

How the vote works and how the bluffer wins

In Impostor you vote once, at the end

When the rounds are over, the group names its suspect. On a single phone, under Final vote you can choose between Group (you discuss and select together) and Secret (the phone is passed round, everyone votes in private and nobody can vote for themselves; if there is a tie, there is a play-off between the players with the most votes). If the vote lands on a civilian, the impostor wins on the spot. If it finds the impostor, they get a last chance: say the secret word. If they guess it they still win; otherwise the civilians win.

In The Spy you can accuse at any moment

Anyone can stop the discussion with Accuse someone: the timer pauses, the suspect is chosen and the group decides whether to convict or acquit. If they are acquitted, the discussion resumes with the time that was left. Convict the spy and the civilians win; convict an innocent player and the spy wins. In an online room everyone votes on their own phone, and a conviction needs a majority, with at least two guilty votes.

The spy has one extra weapon: they can reveal themselves whenever they like and try to guess the word. If they are right they win; if they are wrong the civilians win. When time runs out, if nobody has closed the round, there is a compulsory Final vote on who the spy is; in a room, a tie saves the spy.

Impostor and The Spy compared, point by point

• Players: Impostor 3 to 10; The Spy 3 to 12.
• Rough length: 10–20 minutes for both. In Impostor it depends on how many rounds you choose; in The Spy each round is capped by the timer.
• What the majority knows: in both, the secret word; in Impostor, its category too.
• What the bluffer knows: the impostor nothing, or a one-word hint; the spy the category.
• How you talk: Impostor, one clue each in a fixed order; The Spy, direct questions in a chain.
• Time: Impostor has no clock; The Spy has a discussion timer of 3, 5 or 8 minutes.
• Voting: Impostor, a single vote at the end (group or secret); The Spy, accusations at any time plus the final vote when time is up.
• How the bluffer wins: the impostor if the vote gets it wrong or if, once caught, they guess the word; the spy if an innocent player is convicted, if they reveal themselves and guess the word, or if the final vote fails to find them.
• Variants: Impostor has the jester and two impostors; The Spy has different word packs and always a single spy.

Jester and two impostors: Impostor’s extra cards

In Impostor’s Advanced variants you will find two ways to make the game trickier. With the Jester, one player has a goal all of their own: getting voted out. If the group accuses them, they win and everyone else loses. From that moment on, every slightly odd clue is doubly suspicious.

With Two impostors, which needs at least 4 players, the group has to name both of them: find only one and the impostors win. The two don’t know who the other is, so they may even end up accusing each other. The Spy, by contrast, always has a single spy: the variety comes from the word pack you choose.

Two sample games, same group

Impostor with the word Beach

Emma, Jack, Sophie, Tom and Grandma Pat play with the hint switched on. The word is Beach; Emma is the impostor and reads only Sand. First round: Jack says “towel”, Sophie “deckchair”, and Emma, who is thinking of a desert or an hourglass, keeps it vague with “hot”. Tom says “waves”, Grandma Pat “shells”. Now Emma has worked it out. In the second round she says “castle”, which sounds perfect next to sand and sea. At the vote the group is split between her and Tom, then accuses Emma, and she, now confident, says “beach”: the impostor wins despite being caught.

The Spy with the word Airport

Same group, a 5-minute timer, the Places pack. Tom is the spy and knows only that they are talking about a place. The app has Sophie start, and she asks Jack: “Do you enjoy it more on the way out or on the way back?”. Jack answers “On the way out, every time” and asks Tom: “What do you never forget to bring?”. Tom tries “My wallet, everything costs a fortune there”. An answer that would fit a thousand places, and Grandma Pat notices. Tom feels the group closing in, reveals himself and tries “station”. Wrong: the civilians win.

Which to choose for your group

• First time, or children and grandparents at the table: Impostor. Turns in order, no clock, one clue each: everyone always knows when it is their go.
• A chatty group that loves teasing each other: The Spy. The timer and sudden accusations keep the tension high, and whoever talks a lot has more chances to give themselves away.
• Lots of players: The Spy goes up to 12; in Impostor, beyond 6 or 7 players, the two-impostor variant stops a lone impostor being swamped by suspicion.
• An experienced group that knows each other too well: Impostor with the jester, or without the hint to the impostor.

Many groups alternate: a game of Impostor to warm up, then The Spy once everyone has got the hang of bluffing. If you want a break from all the suspicion, Most Likely To wins everyone over in seconds. For more ideas around the table, see the guide to games for a dinner party.