Everything you need to know about playing Mafia Online — from getting started to hosting a game for friends.
Yes. You can create or join games and play full rounds for free, with no account required. An optional Premium Pass unlocks extra perks like unlimited AI bots, an ad-free experience, and the Godfather role, but it is never required to play.
No downloads and no sign-up. Mafia Online runs entirely in your browser on desktop and mobile. Just open the site, pick a name, and create or join a game with a room code or a shared link.
Online games support 8 to 30 players, and In-Person Mode (for groups in the same room) starts at just 5. If you do not have a full group, you can fill the empty seats with AI bots and start immediately — so you can play even solo or with just one or two friends.
Yes — that is what In-Person Mode is for. Turn it on in the lobby settings: a narrator voice runs the game out loud (no human moderator needed), roles hide behind hold-to-peek privacy shields, phones are only used for secret actions, and games start at just 5 players. Eliminated players even get last words, read aloud to the room.
Open letsplaymafia.com/screen/YOURCODE on a TV or laptop during an in-person game. It shows a QR code for joining, then becomes the shared game board: phase timer, alive/fallen player wall, a graveyard of death stories, vote reveals, and the final role reveal with end-of-game awards. When connected, the Big Screen does the narrating.
An optional twist deck the host can enable (Mild or Wild) in game settings. From round 2, a night may open with a public event: Full Moon (the Detective learns a target's exact role — even unmasking the Godfather), Bloodlust (the Mafia may claim two victims by splitting their votes), or Town Hall (a single accusation sends someone straight to trial). Everyone is told when an event is active.
When seats are empty, AI-powered bots take them. The bots chat, accuse, defend themselves, vote, and use night actions like real players. You can set their difficulty, and on harder settings they track voting patterns and play more strategically. Bots are a great way to learn the game or practice a role.
Click Create Game, choose your settings (player roles, phase timers, and whether the game is public or private), and share the room code or invite link. Friends join by entering the code or clicking the link — no account needed. As host you can add bots to fill remaining seats and start when ready.
Mafia is a social deduction game. The Town tries to identify and vote out the hidden Mafia before the Mafia eliminate enough Townspeople to take over. The Town wins by eliminating all Mafia; the Mafia win when they equal or outnumber the remaining Town. Some neutral roles, like the Jester, have their own win conditions.
Play alternates between Night and Day. At night the Mafia secretly choose someone to eliminate and special roles use their powers. During the day everyone discusses, nominates suspects, and votes on whether to eliminate an accused player. The cycle repeats until one side meets its win condition.
Core roles include the Villager, Mafia, Doctor, and Detective. Larger games can add the Bodyguard, Vigilante, Mayor, and Jester, and the premium Godfather. Each role has a distinct power and play style — see the Roles reference page for a full breakdown.
The Premium Pass is a one-time purchase (not a subscription) that unlocks unlimited AI bots, removes ads, and grants access to the Godfather role. It is designed to support the site and enhance the experience for players who want more — the core game stays free for everyone.
Yes. The game is built mobile-first and works in any modern mobile browser. Buttons and controls are sized for touch, and you can host or join a game from your phone just as easily as from a computer.
Yes. Party Mode is designed for in-person play: it uses privacy screens so players can pass a single device around, hides chat, and adds decoy actions so nobody can tell roles apart by watching the screen.
If you drop out, the game holds your seat briefly so you can reconnect. If you are gone too long, a bot may take over your seat so the game can continue for everyone else. When you return, you rejoin where you left off if the game is still running.
Yes. Besides Mafia, the Other Games hub includes quick single-player games — a daily word puzzle, a word-hunt game, a reaction test, Snake, and a number-merging game — each with its own leaderboard.
The game requires no account and stores only what is needed to run — a temporary session ID and your chosen display name. Analytics are anonymous and session-based. Full details, including how advertising cookies work and how to opt out, are on the Privacy Policy page.
Use the feedback button inside the game, or visit the Support page. We read all feedback and use it to improve the game.
Still have a question? Head to the Support page, or jump straight into a game and learn by playing — you can start a free game in seconds.