How to play Werewolf with kids (simple rules for parties and sleepovers)

What is Werewolf?

The game takes place in a village. Every night, while everyone’s eyes are closed, the werewolves silently pick one villager to tag out. Every morning, the village wakes up, finds out who’s gone, and argues about who the werewolves might be. Then everyone votes, and the player with the most votes is out. The villagers win if they find every werewolf. The werewolves win if they ever equal or outnumber the villagers. Everything else is talking, bluffing and pointing fingers.

It grew out of Mafia, created by Dmitry Davidoff in 1986. Andrew Plotkin added the werewolf theme in 1997. This guide covers classic Werewolf. One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a different game with different rules.

What you need to play Werewolf

• Players. Five is the realistic minimum. Eight to twelve gives the wolves more room to hide.
• A narrator (also called the moderator). They don’t play. They run the night, keep track of who’s out, and announce what happened.
• Secret roles. You don’t need a special deck. Fold slips of paper and write “Werewolf,” “Villager,” “Seer” or “Doctor” on them. A regular deck of cards works too: say kings are werewolves, the queen is the Seer, the jack is the Doctor and number cards are villagers. That’s how to play Werewolf without cards.
• A circle. Everyone sits where they can see each other’s faces, on the floor or around a table.

How many werewolves do you need?

Players	Werewolves	Special roles
5–7	1	Seer, and maybe the Doctor
8–11	2	Seer and Doctor
12–16	3	Seer and Doctor

Count players, not the narrator. You can play with 5. It’s just quicker and the werewolf has less room to hide. If the werewolves keep winning, drop a wolf or add the Doctor. If they keep losing in round one, take away the Seer.

The simplest kid-friendly roles

• Villager.

  No powers. Listen, argue and vote.

• Werewolf.

  Wakes at night with the other wolves and silently picks someone to tag out. By day, acts innocent.

• Seer.

  Wakes once a night and points at one player. The narrator shows them, with a thumbs up or down, whether that player is a werewolf. Then they have to convince the village without giving themselves away.

• Doctor.

  Wakes once a night and points at one player to protect, and they can pick themselves. If the wolves pick that same player, nobody is out that morning.

For a first game with kids, play with werewolves and villagers only, or add just the Seer. Bring in the Doctor once everyone knows the rhythm.

How to play Werewolf, step by step

1. Deal the roles. Hand out the folded slips face down. Everyone peeks at their own and keeps it secret. The narrator keeps a list of who has what.
2. First night. Everyone closes their eyes and keeps them closed. The narrator wakes the werewolves, who open their eyes, find each other and silently point at one player to tag out. No talking and no noises. Then the wolves close their eyes, and the narrator wakes the Seer, then the Doctor, one at a time.
3. Morning. Everyone opens their eyes. The narrator announces who was tagged out, or that the Doctor saved them. The tagged-out player shows their role and becomes a ghost (see below).
4. Discussion. The village talks. Who was acting odd? Who’s too quiet? Who’s too eager?
5. Vote. On “3, 2, 1, point,” everyone points at the player they think is a werewolf. Most votes is out and shows their role. If there’s a tie, nobody goes out that day. It’s simple and it keeps things moving.
6. Repeat night and day until one side wins.

A narrator script you can read aloud

Read these lines slowly. A low, spooky voice is optional, and silly beats scary with younger kids.

• “Night falls on the village. Everyone, close your eyes.”
• “Werewolves, wake up. Open your eyes and find each other. … Point at the villager you want to tag out tonight. … Werewolves, close your eyes.”
• “Seer, wake up. Point at one player you want to know about.” (Thumbs up for werewolf, thumbs down for not.) “Seer, close your eyes.”
• “Doctor, wake up. Point at one player to protect tonight. … Doctor, close your eyes.”
• “The sun is rising. Everyone, open your eyes. Last night, the werewolves visited… [name].” or “Last night, the werewolves came, but the Doctor got there first. Nobody is out!”
• “Village, you have two minutes to talk. Who’s a werewolf?”
• “Time’s up. On three, point at your suspect. 3, 2, 1, point!”

Narrator tip: call every role at night even after that player is out, and pause for about the same time. Otherwise the village can tell who’s left just by listening.

(If you’d rather play than narrate, our Werewolf kit lets the TV tell the story, for ages 13 and up.)

Making it work at a kids’ party

Give kids who are out a job

Being tagged out on night one and then sitting and watching is no fun at all. A few fixes:

• Ghost guesses. Ghosts write down who they think the werewolves are, and you reveal the guesses at the end.
• Ghost watch. Let ghosts keep their eyes open at night, as long as they promise to stay silent.
• Timekeeper. One ghost runs the timer for the discussion.
• Narrator’s helper. An older ghost can help track who’s out, then narrate the next game.
• Deal again. Start the next game as soon as one ends, so nobody stays out for long.

Keep the accusations friendly

• Say “tagged out” or “visited,” never anything gory.
• Accuse the role, not the person. “I think Sam’s acting like a werewolf” is fine. Names and mean comments are not.
• No ganging up two games in a row. If one kid gets voted out first twice, make them the narrator’s helper for a round, or give them the Seer next time.
• The reset rule. When the game ends, everybody’s a villager again. Grudges stay in the village.

Put a timer on the debate

Start with two minutes. When time’s up, vote.

Help the shy kids

Before every vote, go around the circle and everyone says one sentence, even if it’s just “I trust Maya.” That gives quiet kids a turn and makes it harder for one loud voice to steer the vote.

Who should be the narrator?

• A parent. You control the pacing and the tone, and you can quietly balance things. The catch is that you don’t get to play.
• An older sibling or a confident kid. It gives a kid who’s “too old” for the game a job of their own. Give them the script above.
• A screen. If the grown-up wants to join in, a TV narrator can read the night, run the debate timer and leave the host free to play. It’s sold for ages 13 and up, and it’s spookier than the script above: it says things like “did not survive the night.”

Can you play Werewolf with 4 or 5 people?

With 5, play with 1 werewolf and either no special roles or just the Seer. It’s short and tense, and it’s a good way to learn.

With 4 (plus a narrator), you can play with 1 werewolf and 3 villagers and no special roles. Be honest about it, though. After the first night only three players are left, so one wrong vote can end it. Treat it as a quick warm-up, and play best of five.

With 3, there isn’t really enough of a village. Try a different game, or wait for more friends to turn up.

More on the rules

Want the rules without the party advice? How to play Werewolf has the roles, the wolf counts and the order of a night and a day.