The Official Rules

How to play Mafia.

Mafia is a social deduction game of bluffing, logic, and survival. Here is how the classic game flows.

1. The Objective

The game consists of two competing teams: the Mafia and the Town.

  • Town goal: Identify and eliminate all Mafia members.
  • Mafia goal: Eliminate enough Town members to reach a majority.

2. The Night Phase

During the night, all players "sleep" (close their eyes). The game cycles through special roles in a specific order:

  1. The Mafia: Open their eyes to identify each other and choose one target to eliminate.
  2. The Doctor: Wakes up to protect one player from elimination.
  3. The Detective: Wakes up to investigate the true identity of one player.

3. The Day Phase

Once the night is over, all players "wake up." The Moderator (or your app) reveals who was eliminated. Then, the group enters the Day Phase:

  • Discussion: Players debate, argue, and share suspicions about what happened at night.
  • Voting: Once a consensus is approached, the table votes to eliminate one suspect.
  • Elimination: The person with the most votes is removed from the game and silenced.

4. Winning the Game

The game repeats until one team achieves their goal:

Town Wins

If all Mafia members are eliminated.

Mafia Wins

If Mafia members outnumber (or equal) Town members.

Ready to take what you've learned to the table?

Master the abilities of every role before your next round.

Check out our Roles Guide