How to Throw a Traitors Party with Your Friends

Are you loving the latest season of The Traitors and wish you could play with your friends? Luckily, you don’t need Alan Cumming or a Scottish castle to host your own Traitors game night! Playing at home is easy, and you can set the murrrder mood perfectly with some decor and music. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through rules and challenges to try out to make your home game a success! We even spoke with professional event planners and game experts for advice on hosting the party and playing the game strategically.

How to Host the Best Traitors Game Night

Invite 6 or more people and assign 2-3 as traitors.
Play trivia, games, and Minute to Win It challenges for chances to win shields.
Have round table discussions and cast votes to banish the suspected traitors.
Have the traitors choose faithful players to "murder."
Let players compete in challenges even after they’re banished or murdered.
Tie the Traitors theme together with decor, music, finger foods, and drinks.

Section 1 of 8:

How to Play “The Traitors” at Home

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Assign each player as a “traitor” or “faithful.” Have everyone sit around in a circle and put on blindfolds (or cover their eyes) so they can’t see. Walk around the circle a few times and tap on someone’s shoulder to turn them into a traitor. Once you pick the traitors, have them open their eyes so they know who else is on their team.^{[1]
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- A Traitors game night works best with 6 or more players. For lower player counts, choose 2 people to become traitors. If you have a larger group with more than 15 people, then choose 3 traitors instead.
- Secretly ask players ahead of time if they want to be a faithful or a traitor to get an idea of how they like to play the game. Some people may be more comfortable lying than others.
- Want an easier option? Play the official Traitors board game with 4-6 players, instead.
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Jove Meyer is a Professional Event Planner whose work has been featured in Vogue and The New York Times.

Ashton Wu is a Game Expert who reviews board games on his YouTube channel Shelfside.

Jon Purkis is a Game Expert based in London who runs the Actualol YouTube channel about board games.
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Compete in challenges to earn shields. Challenges in The Traitors let you add to the final prize and give players the chance to earn immunity from shields. The actual show usually features large-scale physical challenges, but the ones you pick for your game night can be a little simpler so they take less setup and get everyone involved. We’ve got tons of ideas for challenges here.^{[2]
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- During the challenges, faithfuls try to protect themselves from murder by earning shields, but traitors may sabotage the game or steal shields to prevent other people from getting them.
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Cast votes at a round table discussion to banish a player. Once you finish a challenge, have all the players sit in a circle and have a discussion. Let players share their thoughts and theories about who they think is a traitor and why people should vote for them. After about 5 minutes, have everyone write down a name. Whoever gets the most votes is banished and has to reveal if they were a faithful or a traitor.^{[3]
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- If there’s a tie for the most votes, have another vote where people can only choose between the tied players.
- Banished players can still compete in challenges so they don’t feel left out, but they’re not allowed to vote during future round tables.
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Have the traitors choose a player to murder. After the banishment, have everyone put on their blindfolds again. Have the traitors remove their blindfolds and secretly point at the player they want to murder. Once the traitors all agree, have them put their blindfolds back on. Then, ask everyone to take off their blindfolds at the same time, and reveal which player was murdered.
- Murdered players are out of the running to win the prize, but they can still compete during the challenges and stay involved in the fun.
- To make your game night more like the TV show, give the murdered player a letter telling them that they’ve been chosen by the traitors.
- Play music during the murders to help the traitors hide their identities even more.
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Do challenges, banishments, and murders until 3-5 players are left. Continue the game by introducing the next challenge for players to compete in, including the banished and murdered players. Then, banish another player before the traitors murder again. As the game goes on, the game gets more challenging as players try to figure out who’s still faithful and who has been a traitor the entire time.^{[4]
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- If a traitor gets banished and you’re playing with a large group with more than 10 people, the traitors can secretly nominate another player to switch teams.
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Do final banishments to reveal who wins the grand prize. The remaining players can choose to end the game right away, or vote out another person if they think there’s still a traitor. During the final banishment, players don’t reveal if they were faithful or a traitor. When players decide to end the game, whoever is still in the game reveals their true identity.^{[5]
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- If there are only faithfuls left, they get to split the grand prize.
- If there’s at least one traitor left at the end, then they get the prize instead.
- The grand prize could be anything you like, such as money, board games, or even just the winner’s title.

Section 2 of 8:

Fun Traitors Party Challenges

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Split the players into small groups and give them a clue or puzzle to solve to locate the next clue of the scavenger hunt. At each of the clue locations, hide some coins or shields that players can collect to increase the grand prize or get immunity from the next murder.
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Answer trivia questions. Prepare a few trivia questions and ask one to each player, one at a time. If they get the question right, they’re still in the game and add a coin to the grand prize. If a player gets a trivia question wrong, they’re out for the rest of the challenge. Whoever is the last player standing gets a shield for the next murder.
- Customize the trivia questions by asking things that are related to the group of people you’re playing with. For example, you could ask, “What’s John’s favorite movie?” or “Which player has never been on a plane before?”
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Play the telephone game. To play the telephone game, have everyone sit in a line and whisper a long phrase or tongue twister to the first person. They have to tell the next person in the line what they heard, who has to tell the next person, and so on. If the last person gets the phrase right, then the players earn a coin. If they get it wrong, then they’re out of the challenge and up for murder.
- Traitors can purposefully tell players the wrong words to trip them up.
At the start of the round, set out 1 cup for each player. Secretly mark inside a few of the cups to make them poison, and mark another one with a shield. On their turn, players can either choose an available cup and peek at it, or they can steal a cup from another player. Whoever ends the game with the shield cup is safe from murder, and whoever has poison is up for elimination.
Hang pictures of everyone on the wall and give a player a Nerf gun. Each person has 2 shots to shoot a dart at the player they want to put up for murder. This game encourages a lot of discussions about who to choose and also lets Traitors target specific players they think might cause trouble.
Ask the group a "Who is most likely to" question and have the players discuss their answers. Then, have them cast votes. Whoever gets the most votes each round is eliminated from the challenge. The last 2 players standing both get shields, and everyone else is up for murder.
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Try Minute to Win It games. Minute to Win It games are usually simple games that only require a few household items to play, so they’re perfect for a Traitors party. Whoever wins the challenge in 60 seconds gets a shield, and the losers are eligible for murder. Minute to Win It game ideas include:
- Who can make the tallest stack of Oreos
- Who can move the most rice to a bowl using chopsticks
- Who can name the most celebrities
If everyone you’re playing with is able, do a few rounds of drinking games like flip cup or horse race to make the night more exciting. You can split into teams or play individually, and whatever players lose are potential victims of the traitors.

Section 3 of 8:

How to Host a Great Traitors Party

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Professional event planner Jove Meyer notes that murder mysteries like The Traitors are successful if they’re completely immersive and get everyone involved. He recommends making sure the decor, lighting, music, and costumes coordinate to fit the vibe of your game night.^{[6]
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Invite guests to play a character. Everyone on The Traitors has a big persona, and having guests craft their character helps them get more involved. Meyer recommends sending invites early so guests have enough time to think of and prepare their character so they’re really immersed in your game night.^{[7]
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- As the host, that means making sure you’re in character too! Do your best Alan Cumming impression and act a little over the top while you’re narrating what’s happening in the game.
In between banishments and murders, let everyone take a break to get a snack and discuss their theories. Encourage the players to get into small groups so they can form alliances and convince others who may be a traitor.
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Check in with the players frequently. Game expert Ashton Wu notes that as a host, “it’s your duty to make sure people are comfortable and make them enjoy it.” He recommends having snacks and drinks prepared for the players. He also suggests checking in with your friends throughout the night to see how they’re doing and if they’re having fun.^{[8]
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Ashton Wu
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- Wu says that players who feel comfortable and understand the rules play the game with more strategy, so make sure everyone is on the same page.^{[9]
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Section 4 of 8:

Supplies & Decorations for a Traitors Party

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Set the vibe with candles, table decor, and cloaks. The Traitors is filmed at Andross Castle in Scotland, and it has ornate rooms filled with decor.^{[10]
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Research source} To give off the same feeling as the TV show, take some time before the party to decorate your space so your guests feel like they walked right onto the set. You can also check thrift stores for vintage antiques that fit the show’s aesthetic.
- Use large candles or flameless candles as moody lighting throughout your home.
- Cover your table with a clean tablecloth and runner for a touch of elegance.
- Hang cloaks with paper masks that traitors would normally wear in the show.
- Paint foam pucks gold to simulate the gold pieces used for the show’s grand prize.
- Play a video of a fireplace on the TV.
One of the most notable decorations in The Traitors is the wall of portraits to see who’s still in the game. Print off a pic of each player and stick it onto the wall. When a player gets banished or murdered, put an X through the picture or remove it from the wall to see who’s still left in the game.
Shields are small charms that a player can collect to protect themselves from being murdered by the traitors. Use small charms that are easy for players to hide or hold onto during the game, or make your own by cutting them out from a piece of cardboard.
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Give players chalkboards to cast their votes. To give your guests the authentic Traitors experience, give everyone a small chalkboard and a piece of chalk to write who they want to banish.
- If you don’t have chalkboards, slips of paper or small dry-erase boards also work well.

Section 5 of 8:

Food & Drink for a Traitors Party

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Put out small snacks for players to munch on during your game. Finger foods are usually the best for a Traitors party, so people can mingle while they grab something to eat. Ask ahead of time if any players have dietary restrictions to make sure you have something everyone can eat. Try any of these simple hors d'oeuvres to make your game night stand out:
- Cheese and crackers
- Meatballs
- Chips and dip
- Bruschetta
- Popcorn
- Vegetable platter
- Brownies or cookies
- Chocolates
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Offer a variety of drinks to your players. Ask everyone what they like to drink, and provide a few different options for when people arrive. You can’t go wrong with serving lemonade, juice, punch, or soda, but don’t be afraid to mix it up with some custom mocktails or cocktails as well.
- Aim for drinks that have a surprising flavor to fit the theme. For example, add a little cayenne pepper or ginger to lemonade so it starts off sweet but has a surprising spicy kick at the end.

Section 6 of 8:

Music for a Traitors Party

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Play suspenseful, moody music to set a treacherous tone. If you want music that isn’t too distracting but still sets the vibe, look for instrumental playlists of suspenseful classical music or choose the soundtrack to your favorite mystery movie to play in the background. Otherwise, make a playlist with popular songs that have lyrics about betrayal and secrets. Some examples include:
- “Heathens” - Twenty One Pilots
- “Seven Devils” - Florence + The Machine
- “Murder on the Dance Floor” - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
- “Somebody’s Watching Me” - Rockwell
- “bad guy” - Billie Eilish

Section 7 of 8:

Expert Strategy Tips for Playing The Traitors

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Pretend that you’re innocent if you’re a traitor. Wu recommends acting like you’re good so other players don’t suspect you. He recommends gaining the faithfuls’ trust by doing things that would feel absurd for a traitor to do and by protecting the faithfuls during discussion. He also says pretending to be ignorant if you do something that seems traitorous.^{[11]
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- If you need a break from lying, Wu suggests going to the bathroom or stepping out for a couple of minutes.^{[12]
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Stay quiet and observe at the start of the game. Wu says, “It’s best not to say too much or throw around blame too easily” because that could make you a target for the rest of the players. Whether you’re faithful or a traitor, just take a step back and let others do the talking.^{[13]
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Ashton Wu
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Watch for changes in body language to see who’s lying. Wu says, “Be careful of body language and people going silent at weird times” because it could mean they’re putting on an act. If you notice someone riling up another person and you’re not sure why, he recommends using logic to figure out why they may be acting that way.^{[14]
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Ashton Wu
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- If you’re a traitor, be sure to point out when a faithful starts acting suspicious and out of the ordinary to throw off the rest of the group.
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Blame another traitor to take the heat off of you. You’ll usually want to work with the other traitors on your team to get rid of the faithfuls, but there may be a point when they catch onto you. If the faithfuls start bringing your name up during the round table, Wu suggests throwing another traitor under the bus to save yourself. Just be prepared to defend yourself if the person you betray fires back at you.^{[15]
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Ashton Wu
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Section 8 of 8:

Party Games Similar to The Traitors

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Try out these other board games that have hidden traitors. Game expert Jon Purkis notes that social deduction games are fun additions to game night because they’re all about conversation, making accusations, bluffing, and lying to each other’s faces. If you don’t have time to for a full Traitors-themed night, these games pack the same punch:^{[16]
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- The Resistance: Complete hidden missions while avoiding sabotage from secret traitors
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf: Figure out what players are villagers and which ones are killer werewolves
- Secret Hitler: Get votes to pass laws while the evil players try to foil your plans
- Deception Murder in Hong Kong: Deduce who committed a murder and how they did it using limited clues
- Blood on the Clocktower: Use hidden powers and make secret alliances to find the traitors hidden amongst you