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About Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler is a hidden-identity game set in a collapsing 1930s parliament. Most players are liberals trying to pass liberal policies; a small fascist minority knows each other and is trying to enact fascist ones, or to get their hidden leader elected chancellor once enough policies have passed. The policy deck is stacked against the liberals, which makes every claim about what was drawn a potential lie.
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Is Secret Hitler Right for You?
Best for
Secret Hitler is the best structured social deduction game for a large group, and it is meaningfully better than Werewolf because nobody is eliminated early and there is a hard evidentiary trail to argue over. Seven to nine players is where it works best. Groups who enjoy building a case from claims and contradictions will get a lot out of it.
Maybe skip it if…
The theme is deliberately confrontational and will genuinely put some people off, which is a fair reaction rather than squeamishness; check with your group first. It also needs at least five players and really wants seven, so it is no use for a small table.
How to Play Secret Hitler
Setup
Deal secret roles. The fascists learn each other and their leader; the liberals know nothing. Set the policy tracks.
On Your Turn
- The presidential candidate nominates a chancellor and the table votes to approve the government.
- If elected, the president draws three policies, discards one secretly, and passes two to the chancellor, who enacts one.
- Enacting fascist policies unlocks presidential powers, including investigations and executions.
How to Win
Liberals win by enacting five liberal policies or executing the hidden leader. Fascists win on six fascist policies or by electing their leader as chancellor after three have passed.
💡 Strategy Tips
Track who passed what. The president and chancellor claims are the only evidence in the game and they are checkable against each other.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not tracking claims. The game is a logic puzzle disguised as an argument, and a table that does not remember who claimed what is just guessing.
- Voting yes on governments early to "get things moving". Failed elections are cheap; a bad government is not.
- As a liberal, refusing to ever nominate someone who has passed a fascist policy. The deck forces bad hands, and permanent blacklisting hands the game to the fascists.
- As a fascist, lying elaborately in round one. The best fascist play is usually to be genuinely helpful until the tracks are close.
Advanced Strategy
- As president, announce your draw before passing. A pre-commitment is checkable later and builds real credibility.
- Investigations are worth more used early than saved. Information compounds across the remaining rounds.
- As a fascist, aim to be investigated while you still look clean. A cleared fascist is the strongest position in the game.
- Watch voting patterns rather than speeches. Fascists tend to vote together before they have learned to disguise it.
Variants & House Rules
The included alternate boards
Different player counts use different boards with different unlocked powers. Using the correct one matters much more than it looks.
Print and play
The designers released a free print-and-play version, which is a legitimate way to try it before buying.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Secret Hitler is the sharpest social deduction design available for a big group, because it gives the table hard evidence to reason about instead of pure vibes. The theme is confrontational by design and worth checking with your group. If everyone is comfortable with it, nothing else in the genre produces arguments this good.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need?
Five minimum, but it is much better with seven to ten. Below seven the deduction space is thin.
Is it better than The Resistance?
It has more structure and a harder evidentiary trail, which most experienced groups prefer. The Resistance is faster and easier to teach.
Is anyone eliminated?
Executions remove a player late in the game, but unlike Werewolf nobody is out in the first few minutes.