Game night
Impostor Word Game Rules for Playing on One Shared Phone
Learn impostor word game rules for 3 to 12 players on one phone. Deal private roles, give careful clues and choose one suspect with a six-player worked example.
In an impostor word game, everyone except one player sees the same secret word. The impostor sees only their role. Each person gives a clue, the group discusses what sounded suspicious, and everyone agrees on one suspect. Catch the impostor and the word players win. Choose somebody else and the impostor wins.
We checked the current FunBox Impostor game instructions for this guide. You play together in person, passing one shared phone. The six-player round below is a hypothetical example with original clues. Your game will randomly choose its own word and impostor.
Reveal, hide and pass each private role
Press Deal secret roles, then give the phone to Alex. The handoff screen identifies whose turn it is. Alex holds the screen away from everyone else and taps Show my role. After reading, Alex taps Hide & pass phone. Check that Bea's handoff screen has appeared before passing it to her. Each player follows that routine.
Suppose the secret word is Umbrella and Dana is the impostor. The table below shows the full deal. It is included to explain the sequence; keep this article out of view during an actual round. Players should see only their own cards.
| Seat | Player | Private card | After reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex | Umbrella | Hide and pass to Bea |
| 2 | Bea | Umbrella | Hide and pass to Chris |
| 3 | Chris | Umbrella | Hide and pass to Dana |
| 4 | Dana | Impostor, no word | Hide and pass to Eli |
| 5 | Eli | Umbrella | Hide and pass to Fran |
| 6 | Fran | Umbrella | Hide & finish dealing |
Give clues without saying the secret word
Once Fran hides the last card, put the phone where everyone can see it and press Start discussion. Give each person one short clue, moving around the group in seat order. A useful clue shows you know the word while leaving the impostor some uncertainty. The players manage these turns themselves.
For our hypothetical Umbrella round, use the six clues below. Dana has heard three clues before speaking and tries to fit in with an everyday description. These are original examples, not clues generated by the tool.
| Player | Spoken clue | What listeners can consider |
|---|---|---|
| Alex | I leave mine by the door. | A location shared by many objects |
| Bea | Wind can turn it inside out. | A more specific physical detail |
| Chris | Mine folds into a small bag. | A portable version of the object |
| Dana | I take it when I go out. | Fits earlier clues, but adds little |
| Eli | Two people can squeeze under it. | Suggests shared overhead shelter |
| Fran | I leave it open to dry. | Describes what happens after use |
Discuss the clues before choosing a suspect
Dana's clue gives the group little to work with. Alex's clue could also describe shoes or a coat, so either player might deserve a follow-up. Ask whether the object is awkward to carry, for example. Give quieter players time to answer before deciding whom to suspect.
Agree beforehand to avoid saying the word, spelling it or giving its first letter. A clue such as something you hold above your head in the rain makes Umbrella easy to guess. If somebody accidentally says the answer, end the spoiled round and deal again. Treat this as a house rule.
The timer is a discussion aid. Reaching zero prompts the group to choose a suspect; it does not cast a vote or reveal anyone automatically. You can choose Ready to vote before time runs out. For a separate practice exercise, use the countdown timer in another tab.
Agree on one suspect and reveal the result
Vote aloud together. If the group ties, discuss again and take another vote until you agree on one person. Settle the disagreement before tapping a name. The phone records that single choice; players count their own votes and decide which suspect to select.
Select Dana and press Reveal result. In our example, Dana is the impostor, so the word players win. Selecting Alex instead would give Dana the win. The result shows the impostor, the chosen suspect and the secret word. One selection ends the round, with no repeated eliminations or final word-guessing chance.
Reset the round and avoid accidental spoilers
Choose New round to deal again with the current settings, or Change settings to adjust the group. Hide the result screen from anyone arriving late. Refreshing clears player entries and the current round, so a reload during dealing means starting over.
If you want a different activity after a few rounds, our charades rules guide explains silent acting and team scoring. When the group is ready for another secret-word round, deal roles on one phone.
Does the impostor get a different word?
No. In FunBox, the impostor receives no word. Every other player sees the same one. These imposter game rules apply to the current FunBox version. Check the rules separately when switching to another game.
Can players join from separate phones?
FunBox uses one shared device for players in the same room. It has no online room or join code. Opening the page on separate phones creates separate local games. For this pass-the-phone word game, take turns checking a single device.