Mafia Game Rules: How to Play the Classic Party Game

The mafia game is a social deduction party game where a small, secret group of mafia players tries to remove everyone else, while the townspeople try to work out who they are before it is too late. These mafia game rules cover everything a first-time host needs: how many mafia to pick, how to deal roles with a deck of playing cards, the night and day phases, the special roles, and a script for the narrator. All you need is a group of friends, a narrator and a talent for keeping a straight face. It is the same idea as Werewolf with a different theme.

Quick rules

• One person is the narrator (moderator) and does not play.
• Every other player secretly gets a role: mafia, townsperson, or a special town role such as the doctor or detective.
• At night, everyone closes their eyes. The mafia silently choose one player to eliminate. The doctor picks someone to protect and the detective checks one player.
• In the day, the narrator reveals who was eliminated. Everyone discusses, accuses and votes to eliminate one suspect.
• Eliminated players are out and stay silent for the rest of the game.
• The town wins when all the mafia are eliminated. The mafia win when they equal or outnumber the town.

What you need

• At least 6 players plus a narrator. The game is best with 8 to 15.
• A way to give out secret roles: a deck of playing cards, folded slips of paper, or a printed mafia card game deck.
• A circle of chairs, so everyone can see each other during the day.
• Optional: a timer for discussion, and quiet background music to cover small noises at night.

Setup

How many mafia?

A good rule is about one mafia player for every three or four players. Sources and groups differ, so use this table as a starting point and adjust if one side keeps winning.

Dealing roles with playing cards

1. Count out one card per player. Use aces (or black kings) for mafia, a red king or queen for the doctor, a jack for the detective, and number cards for townspeople.
2. Shuffle and deal one card face down to each player. Everyone looks at their own card in secret and keeps it hidden.
3. The narrator learns who has which role during the first night.

How to play

Phase 1: the first night

1. The narrator says: "Night falls on the town. Everyone, close your eyes." Players can tap their knees or hum quietly to hide any movement.
2. "Mafia, open your eyes." The mafia see who their partners are. The narrator notes them.
3. "Mafia, silently choose someone to eliminate." They agree by pointing. Once the narrator has a clear choice: "Mafia, close your eyes."
4. "Doctor, open your eyes and point to someone to save." The doctor may choose anyone, including themselves. "Doctor, close your eyes."
5. "Detective, open your eyes and point to someone you suspect." The narrator gives a silent thumbs up if that player is mafia and thumbs down if not. "Detective, close your eyes."

Some groups skip the elimination on the very first night so the mafia simply meet each other. Either way works.

Phase 2: the day

1. "Morning comes. Everyone, open your eyes." The narrator announces who was eliminated in the night, ideally with a short dramatic story. If the doctor protected that player, the narrator says nobody was eliminated.
2. The eliminated player is out. In the standard game they reveal their card; in harder versions they do not.
3. Discussion: players share suspicions, defend themselves and question each other. Anyone may claim any role, truthfully or not.
4. Nominations: a player accuses someone, and another player must second the accusation for it to go to a vote.
5. The accused gets a short defense. Then everyone votes. If a majority votes to eliminate, that player is out.
6. If nobody gets a majority, nobody is eliminated that day.

Phase 3: repeat

Night and day alternate until one side wins. Eliminated players stay quiet and keep their eyes open as spectators, which is fun in itself because they can see the whole game unfold.

Mafia game roles

• Mafia: know each other. Eliminate one player each night, and pretend to be innocent townspeople by day.
• Townsperson (villager): no night power. Use logic, observation and votes to find the mafia.
• Doctor: protects one player each night. Many groups do not allow protecting the same person two nights in a row.
• Detective (sheriff): learns each night whether one chosen player is mafia.
• Narrator: runs the game, keeps all secrets and tells the story. A good narrator makes the game.

Scoring

Mafia has no points: one side wins each game. If you play several rounds, give each winning player a point and track totals on our scoreboard.

How to win

• Town wins when every mafia member has been voted out.
• Mafia wins when the number of mafia players equals or outnumbers the remaining town players, because they can then control every vote.

Variations

• Extra roles: add a bodyguard, a jester who wins if voted out, or a pair of lovers who are out together.
• Hidden reveals: eliminated players do not show their role, making the town's job much harder.
• Silent night: the narrator uses only taps on the shoulder to wake players, for very small rooms.
• Classroom or office mafia: rename roles to fit a theme, like spies and agents, or wolves and sheep for kids.

Tips and strategy

• Town: watch how people vote, not just what they say. Mafia members often avoid voting against each other.
• Mafia: act like a curious townsperson. Join accusations, but never push too hard against an innocent player.
• Detective: do not reveal yourself too early, or the mafia will remove you that night. Share your findings when it will swing a vote.
• Narrator: walk around the circle and speak from different spots so nobody can tell where you are looking.

House rules to agree first

• Is there an elimination on the first night?
• Do eliminated players reveal their role?
• Can the doctor save the same person twice in a row, or themselves?
• How long is the day discussion? Three to five minutes keeps the pace lively.
• No peeking, no touching, and no showing your card, ever.

Need a quick way to split a big group first? Use our team generator. For more crowd favorites, see our party games for adults, icebreaker games and two truths and a lie.