Last updated on November 19, 2021
Secret Hitler challenges players to use their powers of deduction, manipulation, deception, and most of all, their ability to think on their feet. The fast-paced game has been a staple for hundreds—if not thousands—of game nights since its release in 2016, so there is little wonder that game enthusiasts are itching to get their hands on something similar.
If you’re one of the many like-minded players looking for games like Secret Hitler, our list has everything you could ever want. We have it all, from quick games that can be played on road trips to more involved, strategy-based games that require more players and that can keep you entertained for hours.
We’ve taken the guesswork out of finding your new favorite game, so all you have to do is gather your friends and family, kick back, and—most importantly—have fun!
1. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
- 3 – 10 players
- 10 minutes playing time
If you’re looking for a quick and exciting game, One Night Ultimate Werewolf has it all. To play the game, each player is assigned a unique role with special abilities. There are roles like Werewolf, Troublemaker, and the all-important Seer.
After the players spend the night changing roles and hiding their identities, the night changes to morning, now you all have only five minutes to uncover the Werewolf’s true identity.
It may not be as easy as it sounds. The Werewolf can easily fool you into believing one of the other players is the monster. So keep your wits about you!
Players can also add an extra layer of interactive play by downloading and using the accompanying One Night Ultimate Werewolf iOS or Android app.
- Each Player Gets A Unique Role: A Werewolf, Seer, Troublemaker, Or Another, All With Special Abilities
- Ages: 8 and above
- Number of Players: 8+
- Playing Time: 10 minutes
- English (Publication Language)
2. The Resistance
- 5 – 10 players
- 30 minutes playing time
In, The Resistance, a game of deduction and deception, there is no elimination. That means that teams will kick no players out of the game until the winners are announced, and the game is wrapped up.
Players will need to choose their side: Imperial Spies or Resistance Operatives. Both teams, although going against one another, are also going against the Empire.
For at least three rounds, players will have to trust one another and work together to carry out their missions against the Empire.
To carry out their missions, each team will elect a Leader. The Leader then lays out their plans for the mission to their players, including themselves. Then, their team votes to go through with the task or make a change of plans.
Once the mission passes, the team’s players will decide whether to Sabotage or Support the plan. If too many people Sabotage the mission, the Empire will win, and the team won’t gain any points. But if the team Supports the mission, the Resistance will earn a point for their team.
To win, one of the teams must earn three points. That’s not all – during the game, players must deduce one another’s identities as well.
The Resistance is a fast-paced game that everyone can enjoy and should be added to your list of must-play games for your next family game night.
- The resistance redefines social deduction everyone plays till the end of the game
- Your ability to lie to your friends and know when they are lying to you is critical to win
- Not for the faint of heart, or slow of mind but if you are quick on your feet you'll be proud of your hard fought victories
- 5 to 10 players, 30 minute playtime
- Cover art may vary revised edition now includes updated card art and the "Inquisitor" expansion in place of "The Plot Thickens" cards
3. Dead Of Winter: A Crossroads Game
- 2 – 5 players
- 60 – 120 minutes playing time
Dead of Winter puts players into an alternate reality. An alternate reality where you’re the only survivors in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. And the flesh-hungry monsters are still out there!
Every player has a group of survivors to lead, and you get your objectives from a deck of cards that outlines the aim of the game. Once you have drawn the objective card, it is placed on the board in its corresponding location.
The card is also used for important information like where you will need to set up the zombies and the areas that you will ultimately need to avoid to survive.
Players have to work together to ensure they get out of the game alive. But every player also has their own secret objective—an objective that has to be met to win the game.
Be careful, though, because one of you may also draw a betrayal card. This card will give a player the task to purposefully lead the group astray.
Players will have to watch out for their traitor, avoid being bitten, getting injured, or even dying of frostbite to make it out alive. So, are you up for the challenge of Dead of Winter?
- SURVIVAL GAME: Dead of Winter A Crossroads Game is an experience that can only be accomplished through the medium of tabletop games. It is a story-centric experience about surviving the harsh winter in an apocalyptic world
- STRATEGY GAME: Players must frequently make difficult decisions and often choose between what actions are best for the colony and what is best for themselves. Survive the winter, survive the dead and survive each other
- COOPERATIVE GAME: While the survivors are all dealing with their own psychological imperatives, they must still find a way to work together to fight off outside threats, resolve crises, find food and supplies and keep the colony’s morale up
- HIGHLY VARIABLE: Play as dozens of unique characters in this enagaging and emergent narrative game and make wildly-varying decisions so that no two games are ever exactly the same. Watch out for a betrayer in your colony
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This fun adventure game for teens and adults is made for 2 to 5 players and is suitable for ages 13 and older. Average playtime is approximately 60 to 120 minutes
4. Coup
- 2 – 6 players
- 15 minute playing time
In Coup, your greed and your manipulation are your greatest assets. Each player is given the title of head of a family, trying to gain power and respect among all the other families in the game’s fictional city.
To gain power, you will need influence. But at the same time, you will need to steal influence from other players and force their families into exile. At the end of the game, only one family will survive and take the proverbial throne.
Your influence is represented by the number of character cards you have that are kept face-down. Starting with two influential characters each, you will need to utilize their unique abilities to grow your family, but you will face the ultimate defeat if you don’t.
Characters each have individual powers, like the Assassin, who can assassinate the other players’ characters. But if you have a Contessa card on your side, you’re able to make it out alive thanks to her unique ability—intercepting an assassination attempt.
In this battle of wills that is Coup, each player must fight to bring their family to greatness and gain enough influence to overthrow everyone that stands in your way.
- Ages 10 and up
- For 2 to 6 players
- Playable in 15 minutes
- Package Dimensions: 3.2 L x 15.087H x11.303W(centimeters)
- English (Publication Language)
5. Sheriff of Nottingham
- 3 – 5 players
- 60 minute playing time
Hear ye, hear ye! Prince John of Nottingham will be making a royal appearance in town. And he has gold to spend!
To play Sheriff of Nottingham, each player must take on the role of a merchant and must persuade the Prince to buy your goods. But first, you’ll have to sneak your goods through the city gates.
And it’s not as simple as it seems. The gates are always under the watchful eye of the Sheriff of Nottingham, who has the power to decide who gets let into the gates or who gets turned away.
Each turn, a new player will take on the role of the Sheriff. Other players must make a choice – either play it safe and only take legal goods into the city, or take a risk and smuggle in illegal goods to turn a more significant profit.
But beware! The Sheriff can choose to search your bag and even uncover your illicit wares and keep them for himself.
Merchant players have to put on their best poker faces and try to slip through the gates unnoticed while passing the suspicion onto other players to get their goods confiscated in Sheriff of Nottingham.
- 1st game in the new, exclusive, Dice Tower Essentials line of games
- A Social game of bluffing, bribery and negotiation
- A fun and engaging game that is sure to keep everyone guessing, bluffing, and laughing out loud
- Experience Nottingham like never before, through the eyes of the Sheriff
- Open negotiation provides hilarious moments between merchants and the Sheriff
6. The Chameleon
- 3 – 8 players
- 15 minute playing time
In The Chameleon, a game of deception, players will be assigned the role of the Chameleon or Hunter. The position is secretly assigned to you at the beginning of each round by taking a card from the deck. Once you have your role, you have one of two tasks.
The Hunters have to figure out who the Chameleon is without giving away the code word for the round, while the Chameleon has to try and hide their identity while figuring out the secret word.
To play the game, two dice are rolled, which gives the Hunters a coordinate to the secret word picked from one of the Topic Cards. It then becomes the code word for each round.
The Hunters must then take turns to say a word related to the secret word while the Chameleon tries to deduce which word it is. If you are outed as the Chameleon, the Hunter that reveals your identity wins the game.
But if you manage to conceal your identity and shift the suspicion onto one of your fellow players, you win the round.
The game is played until all the players have had a chance to be The Chameleon, and at the end, you will total up your number of wins to decide which one of you is the ultimate liar.
- CATCH THE CHAMELEON: A sneaky family board game of social deduction where players must race to catch the chameleon before It's too late
- ONE SECRET WORD: In this board game everyone knows the secret word—except for the player with the chameleon card
- DON'T GET CAUGHT: Use hidden codes, carefully chosen words, and a bit of finger-pointing to track down the guilty player... Before they blend in and escape!
- EASY TO LEARN, QUICK TO PLAY: Like all good family board games, it takes 2 minutes to learn and only 15 minutes to play. Recommended for 3-8 players and ages 14+
- MULTI-AWARD WINNING: "Best Party Game" At UK games expo. "Seal of excellence" From dice tower games. A perfect board game for adults and teenagers
7. Deception: Murder In Hong Kong
- 4 – 12 players
- 20 minute playing time
The players in Deception: Murder in Hong Kong take on the role of police investigators trying to solve a murder case. There is only one problem—the murderer is one of the investigators, and no one knows which of you is the killer.
Players are randomly assigned roles during the game, such as Investigator, Murderer, Accomplice, Witness, and Forensic Scientist. Witness and Accomplice roles are entirely optional for larger groups of players.
Throughout the game, the Forensic Scientist will assist the investigators in finding Key Evidence and Means of Murder. Despite knowing the solution to the crime, the scientist must not reveal it.
Generally, investigators will note down clues from the Scientist. However, beware—the murderer will be taking notes just like an investigator. As soon as the murderer knows precisely what evidence they must hide, he will look for a scapegoat.
The investigation team wins Deception: Murder in Hong Kong if they can find all of the correct clues. If they get it wrong, the murderer (and their accomplice) will evade justice and escape punishment, which means they will win.
- Lie to your friends and get away with murder!
- Are you clever enough to determine who at the table is sus?
- Enjoy a fast-paced game full of lies, laughter, and hilarious accusations!
- Tons of cards mean almost infinite replayability for a unique experience every game.
- One of the best social deduction games on the market, having won numerous awards!
8. Spyfall
- 3 – 8 players
- 15 minute playing time
Spyfall is a game that requires you to be quick on your feet. You need to lie, come up with intelligent answers, and probe your fellow players to make sure you come out on top.
At the start of each round, players receive a card that informs them of the group’s secret location, except for the player that draws the Spy card.
The Spy doesn’t know where the group is and must figure it out before revealing their true identity. In each eight-minute round, players must ask questions and give answers that prove to the rest of the group that they know the location.
But you will need to be careful. If your questions or answers are too vague, you may be suspected of being a Spy. But if they are too specific, the Spy will figure out the location and win the game.
To win Spyfall, players must reveal the Spy’s true identity. If they’re right, they win. But if they accuse the wrong player, the Spy wins the game and exclusive bragging rights for the rest of the night.
So think fast, improvise, and make sure you’re sharper than everyone else to keep your cover and successfully fool your group into making you the winner.
- DON'T BLOW YOUR COVER: SPYFALL is an easy-to-learn card game of bluffing, probing questions, clever answers, and suspicion. At the start of each round, players receive a secret card informing them of the group's location – a casino, space station, pirate ship, circus – except that one player receives the SPY card instead of the location. The Spy doesn’t know where they are, but wins the round if they can figure it out before they blow their cover! Look for the Spy in 30 unique locations!
- WALK A MILE IN THE SHOES OF A SPY: Players ask each other questions during intense 8-minute rounds. Non-Spy players want to ask questions and give answers that prove to the other players that they know where they are. But watch out! If your questions and answers are too specific, the Spy will easily guess the location and win. But if your questions and answers are too generic, you might be accused of being the Spy.
- YOUR MISSION: Discover the secret location without blowing your cover. Once per round, each player may accuse another player of being the Spy. If all players agree, the game ends and that player’s secret card is flipped up. If the Spy is captured, each of the Non-Spy players win the round. If a Non-Spy is revealed, the Spy wins. Finally, if the Spy figures out where they are, they can reveal their card and make a guess. If they're right, they win the round. If not, the Non-Spy players win.
- VERSATILE GAMING: *Standalone game, but compatible with other games in Spyfall series. *
- ABOUT US: Since 2010, Cryptozoic Entertainment has been dedicated to the concept of "Fans First," striving to develop the most creative and sought-after products for pop culture enthusiasts worldwide. As an entertainment company with a diverse portfolio of licensed and original IPs, its catalog covers a broad spectrum of table top games and collectibles. Our passionate team aims to inspire gamers and collectors all around the globe, while bringing fans as part of the Cryptozoic community.
9. Pandemic
- 2 – 4 players
- 45 minute playing time
In a world where disease and illness have broken out all over the globe, there is only a small group of specialists who can stop their spread and save the human race. This is the basis of Text that is displayedPandemic.
That group of specialists includes you and all of your friends or family. Every player gets the title of specialist, and your objective is simple:
- Treat all of the infected.
- Find the cure for each disease.
- Stop all of the mysterious plagues before they spiral out of control.
On each turn, players can choose up to four actions. The actions are given to players when they draw a card from one of two decks and include tasks like building research stations, discovering cures, traveling between cities, and treating infected citizens.
But between the action cards, there are Epidemic! Cards that will throw a curveball to the whole group. These cards are made to slow the group down and intensify or speed up the rate of infection for each disease.
The second deck of cards will give players information on the expected spread and mutations of each disease.
If one or more of the viruses spreads out of control, the specialists will be unable to find a cure, and the world will be overrun with illness.
In Text that is displayedPandemic, players must work together and work as fast as possible to cure all of the diseases and treat all infected patients to eradicate the viruses once and for all.
- STRATEGY GAME: Players must work together playing to their characters' strengths as they plan their strategy of eradicating the diseases before they overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. A truly cooperative game where you win or lose together.
- COOPERATIVE BOARD GAME: Only through teamwork will you keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. Your team must work together and plan carefully to stem the tide of infection while working toward finding the cures.
- WORK TOGETHER AND SAVE HUMANITY: Four diseases threaten the world, and your elite team of specialists must find a cure for each of them before it’s too late. Everyone must work together applying their unique character skills to benefit the team—and the world.
- GIFT FOR ADULTS AND TEENS: Pandemic is the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for anyone who loves a bit of problem solving! A perfect way to bring together friends and family, be sure to check out our full line of Pandemic games!
- NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND AVERAGE PLAYTIME: This easy to learn family and adult board game can be played with 2 to 4 players. The average playtime is 45 minutes.
Conclusion
When it comes to finding games that provide not just strategy, but the ability to think quickly, manipulate and deceive, you couldn’t find a better (and more appropriate) game than Pandemic! If you’re looking for something a little less topical, then you’re in for a fun night with One Night Ultimate Werewolf. But every game on this list is sure to make for one memorable game night.
For more game recommendations, check out our lists on games like Risk!, games like Catan, and games like Clue.
