Mafia is a party game where a small secret team, the mafia, kills one player each night, and everyone else, the townspeople, debates and votes to eliminate one suspect each day. The townspeople win when every mafia member is out, and the mafia win when they equal the number of townspeople left. You need around seven or more players, a narrator and one card or slip of paper per player.
Mafia is a game of bluffing, accusing and second guessing, and it needs no board at all. The catch is that there's no single official rulebook, so groups play slightly different versions. What follows is the common core, with the original creator's rules and the most popular house rules marked clearly.
What you need to start
- Players: Andrew Plotkin's page says at least seven, with nine or eleven better.
- A narrator (also called the moderator) who runs the game but doesn't play.
- One card per player with a role on it. Playing cards work: pick one suit for mafia and a face card for the detective.
- A circle of chairs, so everyone can see each other's faces.
Mafia roles at a glance
| Role | Team | What they do | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Nobody | Hands out roles, reads the night script, announces deaths | Stays neutral and never hints |
| Mafia | Mafia | Wake together at night and silently choose a victim | They know who their teammates are |
| Townspeople (villagers) | Town | Sleep at night, debate and vote in the day | They only know how many mafia there are |
| Detective | Town | Points at one player each night; the narrator signals mafia or not | Wikipedia says a detective is usually included in modern games |
| Doctor | Town | Chooses one player to protect each night; that player survives an attack | Usually allowed to self protect, but not the same person two nights running |
How many mafia to use
Plotkin recommends exactly two mafia for a normal group, and says his simulations suggest adding a third at around seventeen players. Dimitry Davidoff's original rules, as Wikipedia summarises them, made roughly a third of the players mafia and had no special roles at all. For a first game with eight to twelve people, two mafia, one detective and one doctor is a balanced start.
Night phase: what happens with eyes closed
- The narrator says, 'Everyone, close your eyes.' Players often tap the table or hum to cover small noises.
- 'Mafia, open your eyes.' The mafia look up and recognise each other.
- 'Mafia, choose your victim.' They agree silently by pointing and nodding, then close their eyes.
- 'Detective, open your eyes. Point at someone.' The narrator gives a thumbs up for mafia or a thumbs down for innocent.
- 'Doctor, open your eyes. Who do you want to save?' The doctor points, then closes their eyes.
- 'Everyone, wake up.' The narrator announces who was killed, unless the doctor saved them.
Day phase: discussion and voting
Now everyone left alive talks. Anyone can accuse anyone, defend themselves, claim to be the detective or lie outright. When someone is accused, the group votes. In Wikipedia's description, if over half of the players vote to eliminate the accused, that person is out and night begins; otherwise the debate continues. Plotkin's rule is the same: as soon as a majority votes for one player, they're dead.
Two rules that keep it fair. First, dead players stay silent for the rest of the game, with no last speeches once the vote passes. Second, nobody shows their card while alive; all you can do is talk. Groups differ on whether an eliminated player's role is revealed. Plotkin reveals it; Davidoff's original version didn't.
Who wins
| Team | They win when |
|---|---|
| Townspeople | Every member of the mafia has been eliminated |
| Mafia | The mafia equal the number of townspeople left alive |
Once numbers are level, the mafia can't be outvoted, so the game ends there.
Where Mafia came from
Plotkin's page credits Dimitry Davidoff with inventing the game in 1986, and quotes Davidoff describing how it started with his students while he was studying in the psychology department at Moscow University. Wikipedia adds that Davidoff dates the first game to spring 1987, and that it spread through dormitories and summer camps before reaching the rest of Europe, where some countries call it City of Palermo, and then the United States. In 1997 Plotkin rethemed it with werewolves, which is why you'll hear both names. The Werewolf version keeps the same core rules with a seer in place of the detective.
House rules I'd add
- Play with an odd number of people, narrator included. Plotkin explains that this avoids tied votes and makes the game end on a vote rather than a foregone night kill.
- Make everyone tap the table at night, so a rustle doesn't give the mafia away.
- Ban notes for experienced groups. One fan quoted on Wikipedia says that if the villagers are allowed a pencil and paper, they always win.
- Give new players a dry run round where nobody dies, so they learn the script.
My verdict
Mafia suits groups of eight or more who don't mind a bit of shouting, and it's brilliant at parties, family gatherings and team away days. The mistake to avoid is a weak narrator: if they look towards the detective or hesitate, the game's spoiled. Pick your calmest person, give them the script above, and you're ready. It also makes a great centrepiece for Halloween party games. If you need a gentler warm up first, my party games list has plenty.
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For the rest of the series, see the Free Games to Play Offline and Online: Every Guide in One Place (2026).
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Mafia?
At least seven, according to Andrew Plotkin's rules, with nine or eleven better. You also need a narrator who doesn't play.
How many mafia should there be?
Two mafia suits most groups. Plotkin suggests a third at around seventeen players, while Davidoff's original rules made about a third of the players mafia.
What does the doctor do in Mafia?
The doctor picks one player to protect each night, and that player survives any attack. Most groups let the doctor save themselves but not the same person two nights running.
How do you win Mafia?
The townspeople win when every mafia member is eliminated. The mafia win when they equal the number of townspeople left.
Who invented the Mafia game?
Dimitry Davidoff, a psychology student in Moscow, in the mid 1980s. Andrew Plotkin later rethemed it as Werewolf.
