How to play Mafia online

Take a seat

1. Create a room. Choose 4 to 10 players in total, with at least one human and up to three AI players. You count as a human. The host can also choose the role counts.
2. Invite your friends. Share the room link or code. Want to play solo? Choose one human and three AI players.
3. Get ready. Agree to the terms and recording notice, read the rules, connect your microphone and mark yourself ready. Voice games are recorded for internal research.
4. Reveal your role. Once every human seat is filled and ready, the host deals the roles. Keep your card private.

Know your role

Mafia

Know your teammates, choose a town player to eliminate at night and convince everyone you are innocent during the day.

Villager

You have no night action. Listen carefully, challenge stories and help the town vote out the mafia.

Detective

Check one other living player each night. At dawn, privately learn whether they belong to the mafia or the town. Decide when to share what you know.

Doctor

Protect one living player each night, including yourself. If the mafia targets that player, they survive. You may protect the same person again.

Villagers, detectives and doctors are on the town team. Roles are assigned randomly to humans and AI alike. The host chooses which roles are included.

By day: discuss and vote

The game begins with an open discussion. Everyone alive can talk. Ask questions, compare stories and defend yourself. Anyone can lie about their role, including an AI player.

When voting opens, select a suspect and submit your vote, or abstain. The player with the most votes is eliminated. If the vote is tied, or “no one” gets the most votes, nobody is eliminated. Eliminated players can keep watching and listening, but cannot speak or vote.

At night: act in secret

The mafia chooses a victim while detectives investigate and doctors protect. Night actions resolve together. With multiple mafia players, the target with the most mafia votes is chosen; a tie means no victim. A doctor can save the chosen player. The next day begins with the result, followed by another discussion.

How to win

Town wins when every mafia member is eliminated. Mafia wins when the number of living mafia equals or exceeds the number of living town players.

Watch who changes their story, ask for reasons and remember earlier votes. If you are mafia, build a believable story and persuade the town to trust you.

Before you play

Can we play without AI?

Yes. Choose zero AI players for an all-human game of 4 to 10 people.

Do I need a microphone?

Yes. Nightfall is a voice game, and each human connects a microphone before starting. Headphones help keep other players’ voices out of your microphone.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. Turn your phone sideways for the game table. This guide works in either orientation.