Games Like Secret Hitler — Social Deduction Without the Box
Secret Hitler is a brilliant, meatier strategy game. If you want that hidden-role tension but with no box, no printing, and no setup, here are the closest alternatives — and where The Impostor fits.
By Guifré BallesterUpdated
Secret Hitler is a satirical, anti-fascist party game for 5–10 players — a published hidden-identity board game in which players secretly enact Liberal or Fascist policies while a hidden Hitler tries to get elected. It's a genuinely deeper, 30–60 minute strategy experience — not a quick filler round — and if you love it, you have good taste.
But sometimes you don't have the box, can't print the cards, have the wrong group size, or just want something faster. This page rounds up the best social-deduction games like Secret Hitler — Among Us, Werewolf, Spyfall, and The Impostor — and is honest about when each one wins.
Quick answer
If you specifically want Secret Hitler's deep, policy-voting strategy, play Secret Hitler — it's free as a print-and-play and worth the table time. If you want the same 'who's hiding something' tension with zero setup — no box, no printing, no account, 3–20 players, in any browser — The Impostor is the closest no-friction alternative. The two aren't really rivals: one is a strategy evening, the other is a game you start in under a minute.
Games like Secret Hitler, compared
Secret Hitler
The deepest of the bunch: 5–10 players secretly enact policies while a hidden Hitler tries to get elected, with escalating powers as the game goes on. Around 30–60 minutes, and free as a Creative Commons print-and-play (a retail box is sold separately at a price that varies). Best when your group wants a strategic evening, not filler.
The Impostor
The no-setup option: everyone gets a secret word except the impostor, who must bluff through the clues. 3–20 players sharing one phone, free in any browser, no account, works offline. Lighter and faster than Secret Hitler — not as strategic, by design.
Among Us
Online crewmate-vs-impostor sabotage on the spaceship, one device per player. Great when your group is remote rather than in the same room.
The Impostor vs Among Usarrow_forwardWerewolf / Mafia
The classic night-and-day folk game with rich roles — but it needs a moderator who sits out and runs it. Deeper role variety; slower to set up and play.
The Impostor vs Werewolfarrow_forwardSpyfall
One hidden spy must work out the shared location from everyone's questions. An award-winning card game (3–8 players) — buy the deck, or play fan-made browser versions remotely.
Free Spyfall alternativearrow_forwardA little more about Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler was designed by Max Temkin, Mike Boxleiter and Tommy Maranges, published by Goat, Wolf & Cabbage in 2016. Players are secretly assigned Liberal, Fascist or Hitler roles, and the game turns on electing governments and enacting policy cards, with escalating executive powers as fascist policies pile up. That voting-and-policy engine is exactly what makes it deeper and longer than guessing a secret word — and why we won't pretend a quick word game replaces it.
It's also genuinely accessible: the full game is a free, legally-licensed print-and-play under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), so a committed group can own a copy for the cost of printing, with a retail box sold separately. The trade-offs are setup and group size — you need the components and ideally 5–10 players. The Impostor covers the opposite case: nothing to print or buy, 3–20 players, and a full round in minutes.
I built The Impostor because I wanted hidden-role games like these without anyone needing a box, a printer, or an account — just open it on one phone and play. It's what my friends and family reach for when nobody wants to set anything up.
Frequently asked questions
Is Secret Hitler free?
It can be. Secret Hitler is released as a free print-and-play edition under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), so you can legally download the PDF and make your own copy — about an hour with a home printer and scissors, or roughly $5 and 20-30 minutes at a print shop. There is also a retail boxed edition sold commercially at a price that varies, if you want a polished copy without printing.
How many players do you need for Secret Hitler?
Secret Hitler is designed for 5 to 10 players. Below five it doesn't work, and it caps at ten. By comparison, The Impostor runs 3 to 20 players on a single shared phone, so it covers both smaller and much larger groups in one round.
What's a game like Secret Hitler with no box or printing?
The Impostor is the closest no-box, no-printing option — a free browser game you open on one phone, with no download and no account, and it supports 3 to 20 players. Be honest with your group, though: it's lighter and faster (5-10 minute word rounds) rather than a 30-60 minute policy-and-voting strategy game. If your group wants the deeper, simultaneous-voting experience, Secret Hitler is still the better fit.
Who made Secret Hitler and when did it come out?
Secret Hitler was designed by Max Temkin, Mike Boxleiter, and Tommy Maranges, published by Goat, Wolf, & Cabbage, and first released on August 25, 2016. The print-and-play files came out earlier, in November 2015. The Impostor is a separate, unaffiliated browser game that re-creates the same hidden-identity tension for fast in-person play.
Want a social deduction game with zero setup?
The Impostor is free, in your browser, and your first round is a minute away — no box, no printing, no account.
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