Gameplay

Among Us is a multiplayer game, supporting four to ten players. One to three of these players are randomly selected each game to be Impostors, while the rest are Crewmates. Crewmates are given "tasks" to complete around the map in the form of minigames, consisting of maintenance work on vital systems, such as electrical rewiring and fueling engines. Impostors are given a fake list of tasks to blend in with Crewmates, although they are unable to complete any task. They can sabotage the map's systems, traverse vents to get around the playing space quickly, work with and identify any other Impostors, and kill Crewmates. If a player dies, they become a ghost; ghosts can pass through walls, but can only interact with the world in limited ways and are invisible to everyone except other ghosts. However, they must still complete their tasks. All players, aside from ghosts, have a limited cone of vision, only allowing them to see other players within a certain unblocked distance around them, despite the game's top-down perspective.

Example Of Gameplay:

An Impostor (white) has killed a Crewmate (blue), with another player (pink) having witnessed their death. Because of the game's vision mechanic, the pink player is partially obscured.

Winning

The Crewmates win by completing all tasks or by finding and eliminating all the Impostors. For the Impostors to win, they must either have a sabotage countdown run out or kill enough Crewmates such that the number of Impostors is equal to the number of Crewmates. Ghosts help their living teammates by completing tasks (as a Crewmate) or performing sabotages (as an Impostor). When an Impostor performs a sabotage, either there is an immediate consequence (such as all the lights being turned off or doors being closed) or a countdown begins. In the latter case, if the sabotage is not resolved before the countdown finishes, the Impostors win. Sabotages can be resolved by living players in varying ways depending on which sabotage is performed. Games can also end by players quitting the match if doing so fulfills any win condition; a player quitting is equivalent to them being eliminated, and a Crewmate quitting leads to their tasks being considered completed for the total.

Identifying The Imposter

Any living player who finds a dead body can report it, which halts all other gameplay and calls a group meeting. In the meeting, players discuss who they believe is an Impostor based on the evidence surrounding the killing. To help determine the identity of Impostors, there are various tracking systems in each map, such as a security camera system in the Skeld, a doorlog in Mira HQ, and a vitals indicator in Polus. If a plurality vote is reached, the chosen person is ejected from the map and dies. Living players may also call an "emergency meeting" by pressing a button in the map at any time, except when a sabotage is in progress. Players can communicate in a text chat, but can only speak during meetings, and only if they are alive, although ghosts can speak with one another at any time. While the game does not have a built-in voice chat system, it is common for players to use external programs such as Discord while playing. In each game's lobby, various options can be adjusted to customize aspects of gameplay, such as the vision range of the Crewmates and the Impostors, and the number of emergency meetings.

Tracking Systems Example (by map):

Skeld - CCTV

Mira HQ - Doorlog

Polus - Vitals

Tips & Tricks

Familiarise yourself with the map and tasks

Similar to other games, watching a few rounds on Twitch and learning where certain rooms and tasks are located is a good start. Consider keeping a tab open with the map you're currently playing on until you learn the names of each room. Knowing the names of each task and where they can be completed is also useful as you can confidently recount everything you've done as the Crewmate, or lie persuasively as the Imposter.

Shh!

There's no talking while completing tasks. The only occasions where you're allowed to talk (usually via Discord) is before the match begins, or during meetings. You're also not allowed to speak after you've been killed. Crewmates can still float around the map completing tasks as a ghost, but you cannot speak during meetings.

Vigilance is key

Keep a mental note of what others are up to as you move around the station. For example, if you see three other players on the way to Admin on The Skeld, and then a body is reported closeby, you can share this information with the rest of the team. Similarly, if you're playing as an Imposter, knowing where others are on the map will help you remain hidden, and could even help you frame someone else for your dastardly deeds.