How to Play

Everything you need to know to run and play a mission.

01 What is Spy Game?

Spy Game is a social deduction game played in real life, around a table or in a room. Players are secretly sorted into rival spy agencies. Nobody knows who belongs to which agency — except you. Your job is to figure out your enemies before they figure out you, and vote them out round by round. The last agency standing wins.

02 Roles

Game Master (GM)

One person creates the game and acts as referee. The GM can see everyone's agency and all votes in real time, but does not play as an agent — they only control the flow of the game.

Agent (Player)

Everyone else is an agent. You know only your own agency. You must talk, bluff, and vote strategically to help your agency survive.

03 Setting Up

1
GM creates the game — chooses how many agencies (2–5) and how long each round is (1–30 minutes). The app generates a 4-letter room code.
2
Players join — everyone opens the app, enters the room code and picks a codename (nickname).
3
GM starts the game — the app randomly assigns every player to one of the agencies. You can only see your own agency card. Keep it secret!

04 How a Round Works

Every round has two phases, both controlled by the GM.

Phase 1 — Discussion

Everyone talks out loud — face to face, in real life. Debate, question, accuse, and defend. Try to work out who is in an enemy agency. The timer on your screen shows how much time is left. When the GM thinks enough has been said, they open voting.

Phase 2 — Voting

Each living agent taps the name of the person they want to eliminate. You vote privately on your own device — nobody sees your vote live. You will see your own name in the list (marked you); voting for yourself is allowed but is rarely a good idea.

05 Elimination & The Tie Rule

When the GM ends the round, all votes are counted at once.

One clear winner of votes → that agent is eliminated. Their agency is revealed to everyone.
Two or more players tied for the most votes → nobody is eliminated. The round ends peacefully and the next round begins.
Nobody voted → nobody is eliminated.

Tip: a tie is sometimes the safest outcome for the minority — if you suspect a group is about to eliminate one of your teammates, convincing just one person to split their vote can save a life.

06 How to Win

Agency Victory

One agency wins when it is the only agency with at least one surviving agent. All members of other agencies have been eliminated.

Stalemate

If every remaining agency has exactly one agent left, the game ends in a draw — nobody wins, nobody loses.

GM Ends the Game

The GM can press End Game at any time to stop the game and see the final standings, even if no agency has fully won yet.

07 Strategy Tips

Keep your agency secret. Never confirm which agency you belong to, even to someone you think is an ally — they might be bluffing.

Watch the votes. After each round the eliminated player's agency is revealed. Use that clue to figure out who their teammates were — allies often defend each other.

Bluff wisely. Claiming to be from a certain agency (true or false) can throw suspicion onto others — but be careful, a good bluff can backfire.

Use the tie rule. If your agency is outnumbered, getting any tied vote result is a win — you survive another round.

08 Game Master Guide

As GM you have full visibility — you can see each player's agency and every vote in real time. Your job is to keep the game moving:

Open Voting — when discussion has gone on long enough, press this to start the vote.
End Round — closes voting, counts votes, and announces the result.
Next Round — starts a fresh round of discussion.
End Game — stops the game immediately and shows the final standings.
Cancel Mission — aborts the entire game. Use only if you need to reset.

Every GM action has a confirmation prompt — you won't accidentally end the game with a stray tap.