Werewolf Game Rules: How to Play the Party Game Step by Step

Werewolf is a social deduction party game where a sleepy village tries to find the sneaky wolves hiding among them before the wolves take over. It is a close cousin of Mafia, and the werewolf game rules are just as simple: secret roles, a night phase where the wolves quietly choose someone to chase out of the village, and a day phase full of discussion, accusations and votes. It works brilliantly for family gatherings, sleepovers, youth groups and classrooms, because nobody needs special skills, only a straight face and sharp ears. Here is how to play werewolf with role cards or plain paper slips.

Quick rules

• One person is the moderator, who runs the game and does not play a role.
• Everyone else secretly gets a role: most are villagers, a few are wolves, and one is the seer.
• At night everyone closes their eyes. The wolves silently pick one villager to chase out, and the seer learns one player's role.
• In the day everyone opens their eyes, the moderator reveals who left the village, and the group discusses who the wolves might be.
• The village votes. The player with the most votes leaves the game and reveals their card.
• Villagers win when every wolf is out. Wolves win when they equal or outnumber the villagers.

What you need

• 6 to 20 players plus one moderator. The game is best with 8 to 15.
• Role cards, or slips of paper marked "Villager", "Wolf", "Seer" and so on. A standard deck of playing cards also works: for example, black aces for wolves, the red king for the seer and number cards for villagers.
• A circle of chairs or floor space so everyone can see each other.
• Optional: a timer for discussions and a soft spooky soundtrack for night time.

Setup

1. Pick a moderator. Choose someone who knows the rules and can keep a calm, storytelling voice.
2. Build the role deck. Use this guide:

   Players (not counting moderator)	Wolves	Seer	Healer (optional)	Villagers
   6 to 8	2	1	0 or 1	the rest
   9 to 12	3	1	1	the rest
   13 to 17	4	1	1	the rest
   18 to 20	5	1	1	the rest

   A good rule of thumb is about one wolf for every three or four players. Sources differ slightly, so adjust if one side keeps winning.
3. Shuffle and deal one card face down to each player. Players look at their own card secretly and keep it hidden.

The roles

• Villagers: ordinary townsfolk with no special power. Their weapons are logic, observation and their vote.
• Wolves: the troublemakers. They know who the other wolves are, and they pretend to be innocent villagers during the day.
• Seer: a villager with a crystal ball. Each night the seer may learn whether one player is a wolf.
• Healer (optional, also called the doctor): a villager who can protect one player each night from the wolves.

How to play

Night one

1. The moderator says "Night falls on the village. Everyone close your eyes." Players can tap their knees or hum quietly to cover small noises.
2. "Wolves, open your eyes." The wolves look up and see each other. On the first night, many groups let the wolves simply meet and choose nobody.
3. "Wolves, close your eyes. Seer, open your eyes. Point to one player." The moderator silently shows a thumbs up for a wolf or thumbs down for a villager. "Seer, close your eyes."
4. If you use a healer: "Healer, open your eyes and point to someone to protect." Then "Healer, close your eyes."

Every night after that

1. The wolves wake and silently agree, by pointing, on one player to chase out of the village.
2. The seer wakes and checks one player.
3. The healer wakes and protects one player. If the healer picks the same person the wolves chose, that player is safe.

Day

1. "Morning comes. Everyone open your eyes." The moderator announces who was chased out in the night, using a fun story ("Sam was spotted running for the hills with a wolf at their heels"). That player reveals their card and is out of the game, but can stay and watch silently.
2. Everyone discusses. Who seemed nervous? Who is accusing too quickly? Anyone can claim any role, truthfully or not.
3. Any player can nominate someone. Once a nomination is seconded, the accused gets a short chance to defend themselves.
4. The village votes by a show of hands. If a majority votes yes, that player is out and reveals their card. If the vote fails, discussion continues until time runs out.
5. Night falls again, and the cycle repeats.

Scoring

Werewolf is played for the win of a team, not points. If you play several rounds in a night, you can track wins per player with our scoreboard:

How to win

The villagers, including the seer and healer, win the moment the last wolf is voted out. The wolves win when the number of wolves still in play equals or outnumbers the remaining villagers, because they can then outvote everyone.

Variations

• Extra roles: add a hunter (who points to one player to take out with them when they leave), a little girl who may peek at night, or a pair of secret friends who always vote together.
• No reveal: players who leave do not show their cards, which keeps everyone guessing.
• Daytime vote must happen: some groups require someone to be voted out every day to keep the pace up.
• Kids' version: call the wolves "sneaky foxes" and the night action "stealing the chickens" for younger players.

Tips and strategy

• Villagers: watch voting patterns. Wolves often protect each other or pile onto the same target.
• Wolves: act like a helpful villager. Ask questions, join the discussion and do not defend your partner too strongly.
• Seer: stay quiet early, then reveal what you know when it can swing a key vote.
• Moderator: keep the story fun, keep a steady pace, and make sure quiet players get a turn to speak.

House rules to agree first

• Is there a time limit for each day phase?
• Can players who are out talk, or must they stay silent?
• Do the wolves choose someone on the first night?
• Are cards revealed when a player leaves?
• No touching or peeking, and no showing your card to prove your role.

Need more group games? Try two truths and a lie as a warm up, or browse our party games for kids and icebreaker games.