Everyone sees the same category and the same secret word. Everyone except the Mole, who only gets the category and has to bluff their way through it.
If you have played the one where somebody does not get the word, this is that, without anyone having to write on scraps of paper. It works around a table and it works on a video call.
Find the Mole
Round 4
Category · Musical instruments
SAXOPHONE
Give a one-word clue. Say the word itself and you have given the game away.
What actually happens
Eight friends around a table, phones face up. You deal a round. Seven of them see "Musical instruments" and the word "saxophone". One of them sees only the category. None of them know who got what.
You go round the table asking for one clue each, no saying the word. Someone says "jazz". Someone says "brass". The Mole, panicking but quick, says "smoky club". Everyone laughs. Suspicion moves. Someone says "that was too vague".
Then everyone votes from their phone and you watch the tally before you reveal anything. Catch the Mole and the voters bank points. Slip past the room and the Mole banks them instead. Next round, new word, new Mole, and now nobody trusts anybody.
The rules
The host deals a category and secret word. Regular players see both; Moles see only the category.
A thinking timer gives everyone a moment to peek at their card, then a random player is named to go first. Each player gives a short spoken clue without saying the word. Discuss whose clue does not seem to fit.
Vote on your device, one suspect per Mole. The host reveals the Moles, then deals a new round when the group is ready.
Catching every Mole earns 1,000 points, split across the Moles that round. A correct vote on a Mole who escapes earns half that share. Surviving Moles earn 1,000. The highest total across rounds wins.
Classic social deduction
Blend in or get caught
Catch the Mole for full points, or bank half for spotting one the group lets slip
Words from the word library keep every round fresh
The Mole only sees the category, so they have to bluff a word they've never seen
The group vote always creates drama and accusations
3 to 20 players, scaling from small groups to big parties
Moles are chosen each round, so anyone could be next
While you host
You guide the conversation from the host screen, with a separate control for each step from dealing the word to showing the standings.
Leaderboard
After round 1
Example final podium
Cy
1,000
Ada
2,000
Bo
500
Example totals after two rounds
Choose a category from the host's suggestions before each deal. Shuffle the suggestions for another selection; word difficulty and sensitivity follow your session settings.
Use Start Voting when the room is ready. Watch the live tally, then confirm Reveal Mole after everyone has had their say.
After the reveal, show the running leaderboard. Next Round opens another category choice; Finish Game closes the game with the scores collected so far.
Seat players where they can hear each clue and see one another, while keeping phones angled away from their neighbours.
Share the host window and agree on a speaking order. Give each person space to finish their clue before anyone challenges it.
Repeat every clue into the room microphone and include remote players in the same speaking order as those at the table.
Use cases
Use a shared category to start a conversation, then let the vote give it a twist.
Team offsites
Close a workshop with a few rounds and invite everyone to offer a clue before the debate starts. A hesitant answer can sound suspicious even when it is right. After the reveal, ask which clues changed minds and which assumptions led the group astray.
Plan a team socialDinner parties and birthdays
Deal a food or music category between courses and let guests build their case from the clues. Friends who know each other well can still misread a bluff. Rotate who speaks first so the next Mole cannot always borrow ideas from the table.
Explore party gamesMeetups and conferences
Open a small networking group with one shared category instead of a round of job titles. Each person contributes a clue, then compares what they heard with the others. The reveal gives strangers a specific moment to discuss before they head into the main programme.
Plan a conference icebreakerVideo calls
Deal a round on a call where cameras are already on and faces are easy to read, then let clues go around in a speaking order. Everyone votes from their own phone without anyone needing to share a second screen, and a hesitant pause reads just as suspicious over video as it does across a table. The reveal gives a long-running call an actual high point instead of another status update.
Explore games for video callsBuild a set around your subject, guests or occasion in the Playground.
Customise Find the molePlayer roles
Play individually, around a table or on a video call. Each player uses their own device for their card and vote, with roles assigned again each round.
Prove you know the word.
Your card shows the category and secret word. Give a clue that fits, without making the answer obvious to someone who has not seen it.
Best for
careful clues and listening for inconsistencies.
Bluff from the category.
Your card tells you that you are a Mole and shows only the category. Use the conversation to give a plausible clue and avoid the vote.
Best for
improvising a convincing clue under suspicion.
Before you start
More about hosting? Visit the help center.
