How to play as the spy (and win) 🕵️
You press and hold your card and it says: “You are the spy”. You don't know the secret, only the category. Don't panic: this is the most fun seat in BETRAYAL. This guide gives you a practical plan from the first minute to the final guess, with ready-to-use answers for every category.
The first minute: stay calm
Your biggest danger is your own face when you read the card. Read it at the same speed as everyone else, then tap “Hide the card and pass the phone” with no sigh and no extra grin. Then remind yourself of three things:
- Your job isn't talking, it's collecting. Every question someone else asks is a free clue for you.
- You may not be alone. If you have partners, your card shows them. There may also be a saboteur helping you without you knowing who.
- Being voted out isn't the end. If they catch you, you get one last chance to guess the secret and win on the spot.
Listen before you talk
If you aren't asked early, you're in the best position at the table. Watch three things: what the questions are about (travel? food? weather?), which answers make people laugh or nod, and where people hesitate. After two or three questions, keep a short list of 3 to 5 candidates in your head. Every new answer crosses one out or makes another stronger.
How to answer when you don't know the secret
The golden rule: give an answer that fits several candidates at once, but sounds confident and specific. Too vague (“hmm, it depends”) gives you away; too precise might be wrong. Aim for the middle: a sensory or emotional detail that many words share.
📍 Places
| Question | Safe answer | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| When do you go there? | “When I actually have some free time.” | Fits a beach, a museum, an airport, a park |
| What do you wear there? | “Something comfortable, definitely not a suit.” | True for most public places |
| Is it crowded? | “Depends on the hour. Sometimes you can't find a seat.” | Restaurant, market, hospital… |
🌍 Countries
| Question | Safe answer | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Would you visit? | “Yes, and the food is the first thing I'd try.” | Every country has a cuisine |
| What's the weather like? | “Very different from one region to another.” | True of most large countries |
| What would you bring back? | “Something traditional for my family.” | Points to no country in particular |
💼 Jobs
| Question | Safe answer | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Does it take long to learn? | “Serious training. Mistakes are expensive.” | Pilot, doctor, chef |
| Do you work with people? | “Yes, you meet someone new every day.” | Most jobs involve people |
| Would you like that job? | “I respect it, but it's exhausting.” | An opinion nobody can prove wrong |
🍎 Fruits
| Question | Safe answer | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| How do you eat it? | “Cold, straight from the fridge.” | Works for most fruits |
| Is it expensive? | “Out of season, yes.” | True of almost any fruit |
| What colour is it? | “Changes as it ripens.” | Banana, mango, fig… |
Questions a spy can ask safely
When it's your turn to ask, choose questions that make the other person reveal something without exposing your ignorance:
- “The last time you dealt with it, how did you feel?”
- “Is it something kids love?”
- “How would you describe it to your grandfather?”
- “What annoys you most about it?”
- “Do you have a particular memory linked to it?”
Ask the most excited or talkative player: their answers tend to be longer and clearer. And remember you can't immediately ask back the person who just asked you. More ideas on the questions page.
Read the “avoid words” on other faces
Civilians' cards show a few words to avoid because they give the secret away too easily. You can't see them, but you can see their effect: when someone starts a sentence, stops, and hunts for another word, they're usually circling a forbidden one. Notice the replacement they chose. Someone who says “the place where you… wait before you set off” is probably dodging a word like “plane” or “flight”. The detour itself is information.
When and how to guess
Your final guess comes when you are voted out: you pick the secret from the list. Right, and the spies win instantly; wrong, and you're out. So:
- Always keep a current best guess in mind and update it after every answer.
- If the vote is clearly turning on you, don't fight too hard. Going out with a strong guess can beat staying in under everyone's suspicion.
- In Chaos mode you see 8 possible secrets, one of them real. That's a gift: cross out every option that doesn't fit an answer you heard. After one round you're often down to two or three. Use the list for your answers too: pick an answer that fits as many of the remaining options as possible.
Playing with a partner spy
With 11 or more players there are two or three spies, and you know each other. The rules:
- Don't defend your partner hard. A passionate defence ties your names together.
- Don't toss them easy questions. Ask them something ordinary, like you would anyone.
- Vote against them when their elimination is already certain. Your vote won't change the result, but it clears you.
- If your partner goes out and guesses wrong, they've crossed off a candidate for you. Use it.
Night strategy
At night the phone goes to every player in a random order, and the spies pick a victim. Who should it be?
- The seer and the detective: you don't know who they are, but look for whoever speaks in the morning with odd confidence or steers suspicion precisely at you. That's usually someone with a power.
- The sharpest questioner: a player who closes in with clever questions is more dangerous to you than any role.
- The guardian: if nobody died, your target was probably protected. The guardian can't protect the same player two nights in a row, so trying again the next night is a good bet.
- The witch: she plays after you, sees your victim and has one life potion. Expect her to save the first victim, so don't burn your most important target on night one if you have a decent second choice. And watch out: her death potion could land on you.
Remember the hunter: killing him might cost you a bullet. Also read the morning “village opinion”: don't kill the person everyone wrongly suspects, because they're shielding you.
How the saboteur helps you
The saboteur is on your team, knows the secret and knows you, but you don't know them, and the detective sees them as innocent. You'll often spot them: a player whose questions reveal useful details, or who pulls suspicion away from you. Listen closely to their questions, don't show you've noticed, and don't kill them at night if you think it's them.
Common mistakes
- One-word answers like “normal” or “yes”.
- Repeating an earlier player's answer in different words.
- Accusing someone in the first minute.
- Asking something everyone already knows, in a probing tone (“is it… big?”).
- Long silences during the discussion. Silence is suspicious too.
Example: a full round through the spy's eyes
Six players, category Places, and you're the spy. Ahmed starts and asks Sara: “Do you go there alone?” She says: “Usually with family, and with bags.” In your head: hotel, airport, train station. Sara asks Youssef: “What bothers you most there?” He says: “The long wait… and the security check.” Airport moves ahead. You get asked: “Do you eat there?” You answer: “If it drags on, yes, but everything's overpriced”, which fits an airport and a station. You ask Layla: “How would you describe it to your grandfather?” She hesitates: “A place… full of people going far away”, clearly dodging a word.
The day ends and an innocent player is voted out. At night you kill Youssef, who was narrowing things down. On day two the votes swing to you, you're out, and you pick “Airport” from the list. Correct: the spies win. 🎉
Try it now
The best training is playing. Start with the daily secret or Spy training in Play alone mode to practise deduction, then get your friends together. See also the general tips and how to catch the spy to know what your opponents are thinking.