How many players do you need to play Mafia?

Mafia works best with 7 or more players. Below that the game is short and roles are easy to guess; 8 to 15 players is the sweet spot.

What is the difference between Mafia and Werewolf?

Mafia and Werewolf are the same core game with different themes. Mafia uses gangster roles and Werewolf uses a village-and-wolves theme, but the rules and phases are nearly identical.

Do you need cards to play Mafia?

No. You can use playing cards, printed role slips, or a moderator who tells each player privately. Any method of assigning secret roles works, and the WinkRoom app deals roles on each player's phone.

Who wins if the Mafia and Villagers end up tied?

The Mafia win as soon as their numbers equal or exceed the remaining Villagers, because they can then control every vote.

How many Mafia should there be?

Use about one Mafia for every four to five players: one or two Mafia for seven players, three for twelve.

How to play Mafia

Mafia — known as Werewolf in many countries — is the classic social deduction game for a full room. A hidden Mafia eliminates one Villager each night, while the Villagers try to work out who among them is lying before there is nobody left to save.

It needs no equipment beyond a way to hand out secret roles, and it scales up to fifteen players better than any other party game.

What you need

7 or more players (8–15 is ideal)
One moderator (also called the Narrator) who does not play a role and keeps the game moving
A way to assign secret roles — playing cards, printed slips, or a moderator who tells each player privately

The roles

Villager — no special power. Wins by helping eliminate all the Mafia through voting.
Mafia — usually 1 Mafia per 4–5 players. Secretly eliminates one Villager each night and tries to stay hidden during the day.
Detective (Sheriff) — each night, secretly checks whether one player is Mafia or not.
Doctor — each night, secretly chooses one player to protect from elimination.

Larger groups can add extra roles for variety, but Villager, Mafia, Detective and Doctor are enough to run a full game.

Setup

Decide the role count based on your group size — roughly 1 Mafia for every 4–5 players, one Detective, one Doctor, and the rest Villagers.
Deal or assign roles secretly so no one else sees them.
Sit in a circle so everyone can see each other during the Day phase.
Choose a moderator to run the Night and Day phases and keep track of who is eliminated.

How to play: Night and Day phases

Night phase

Everyone closes their eyes. The moderator wakes each special role in turn:

The Mafia silently open their eyes and point to the player they want to eliminate.
The Detective opens their eyes and points to a player; the moderator signals whether that player is Mafia.
The Doctor opens their eyes and points to a player to protect for the night.
Everyone opens their eyes and the moderator announces who was eliminated (or that the Doctor saved them).

Day phase

Players openly discuss the previous night's events and share suspicions.
Anyone can accuse another player and make a case for why they think that person is Mafia.
The group votes, and the player with the most votes is eliminated and reveals their role.

Night and Day phases repeat until one side wins.

How the game ends

Villagers win when every Mafia player has been eliminated.
Mafia win when their numbers equal or outnumber the remaining Villagers, since they can then control every vote.

Tips for hosting a great game

Keep the moderator role separate — a player who is also moderating cannot focus on running the game fairly.
Set a discussion time limit for the Day phase so debates do not drag on.
Encourage quieter players to speak during accusations — silence often reads as suspicious, even when it is not.
Play a couple of rounds; roles are more fun once everyone knows the flow.
Eliminated players should stay in the room but stay silent. Letting them comment ruins the information balance instantly.

Play it free in WinkRoom

WinkRoom is a free party game app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Start a private room, share the 6-digit code, and everyone joins from their own phone — guests do not need an account.

Impostor, Mafia, Shtet Qytet, Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, One Word Unites, Wrong Answers Only and Synonyms are all in the app, and new packs are added over time.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Frequently asked questions

How many players do you need to play Mafia?: Mafia works best with 7 or more players. Below that, the game is short and roles are easy to guess; 8–15 players is the sweet spot for most groups.
What is the difference between Mafia and Werewolf?: They are the same core game with different themes — Mafia uses gangster roles, Werewolf uses a village-and-wolves theme. Rules and phases are nearly identical.
Do you need cards to play Mafia?: No. You can use playing cards, printed role slips, or just have a moderator whisper roles to each player. Any way of assigning and keeping roles secret works — WinkRoom deals the roles on each player's own phone.
Who wins if the Mafia and Villagers end up tied?: The Mafia win as soon as their numbers equal or exceed the remaining Villagers, since they can then control every vote.
How many Mafia should there be?: About one Mafia for every four to five players. Seven players take one or two Mafia, twelve players take three. Too many Mafia and the village never gets traction; too few and the game runs long.