The Spy in the Room

One of you is bluffing. Find them before they work out the word.

A grid of sixteen words appears on the shared screen. Every phone but one lights up the secret word. The odd phone out learns only that it is the spy.

Then you go round the table, one related word each. Say too little and your own side cannot tell you from the spy. Say too much and the spy walks off with the answer. After the clues, everybody votes.

Catch the spy and they still get one guess at the word. Vote for the wrong person, or tie, and they get away with it. Four to eight players, about twenty minutes.

  • 4–8 players
  • About 20 minutes
  • Free
  • No download
A television showing a blank sixteen-tile grid, one armchair in cooler light to the side

How each way works

Friends playing The Spy in the Room on a television they can all see, each with a phone

Play with a group in your room

A TV, laptop or tablet — a phone each

The grid and the clues go on a television, laptop or tablet, with each clue shown next to the name of whoever gave it. The secret word stays on phones.

Open the board
People in different cities playing The Spy in the Room with strangers on their own screens

Play live online with people worldwide

Sit down at a public table with people you have never met. The spy still never sees the word — and a stranger can end up in the dark seat.

Start

How to play

  1. One player is the spy. Everybody else sees which word is the secret.
  2. In turn, each player gives one related word. Clues that give the word away are rejected.
  3. Everybody votes on who the spy is. A tie goes to the spy.
  4. A caught spy still gets one guess at the word. Getting it right is worth 3 to them, as is guessing correctly early.
  5. A spy who guesses early and gets it wrong hands everybody else a point.

Questions

Is The Spy in the Room free to play?

Yes, and there is nothing to buy later. The Spy in the Room runs in your browser: no download, no app store, no payment.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Open the link and play. It works on a phone, a tablet, a laptop and any television with a browser, and everyone at a table can be on a different kind of device.

What does “Play with a group in your room” mean?

The grid and the clues go on a television, laptop or tablet, with each clue shown next to the name of whoever gave it. The secret word stays on phones.

What does “Play live online with people worldwide” mean?

Sit down at a public table with people you have never met. The spy still never sees the word — and a stranger can end up in the dark seat.

How many people can play?

4–8 players, in the same room or live online.

How long does a game take?

About 20 minutes.

Do I need an account?

Only if you want to start a game for other people to join. Playing on one shared screen works without one, and so does joining a game a friend started — you just choose a name.

More to play

Every game on ComePlayAlong →

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Ready when your friends are.

No download, no app. The Spy in the Room opens in the browser they already have.

Start playing