Somebody at the table is lying
Hidden traitor games online: one of you is not on your side
The best hidden-traitor games make you trust each other first. Then they take it away. Candlewake does it with a haunted house, and with seven other settings.
Play Candlewake freeWhat makes a hidden traitor game work
A traitor is only fun if you had a reason to trust them. So the good ones start as a co-op game: everyone explores, shares what they find and helps each other. Then, partway through, the game splits the table. Somebody gets a secret goal. Now every past choice looks different. Why did she keep that item? Why did he go upstairs alone?
Online, this works better than you might think. Secret roles need secret information, and a phone in every hand is a private screen for each player. Nobody has to close their eyes while someone taps a shoulder.
Candlewake: the house deals out secrets
Candlewake is a haunted-house game for 3 to 6 players on their own phones. For the first part of the night you explore together, opening rooms, drawing Events and finding Items and Relics. One Relic too many and the house turns.
Then one of 48 finales begins. It is not always the same shape:
- A known traitor. Someone is revealed, and it is the rest of you against them.
- A hidden traitor. Someone has a secret goal, and you have to work out who.
- Every investigator for themselves. No sides at all, just the house.
Secret goals arrive on the player’s own phone. The narrator reads the story to the room, and the traitor learns what they need privately. Because you never know which kind of finale is coming, the trust you built in the first half matters until the very end.
Explore
Open doors together. Every room you reveal joins a house that is different every night.
Discover
Draw Events, find Items and uncover Relics. Roll the bone dice against your traits and live with what they say.
Survive the Turning
One Relic too many and the house turns. Secret goals are dealt, and someone at the table may not be on your side.
Seven more traitors to find
Candlewake also comes in seven other themes. Each keeps the same core, explore together until the turn, and adds its own rule and its own traitor.
The Great IndoorsFive cats, five dogs and a whole house to themselves. When the keys turn in the door, one pet has been the Culprit all along.
Hero HQSearch the team’s tower floor by floor and team up, until the Plot Twist hits and one hero turns out to be working for the villain.
DuskhavenRoam a walled port city by lantern light. Everyone has a secret side quest, and when the bells toll one of the party may serve the Dark.
Station ZeroFloat the decks of a research station gone quiet, until the Breach hits and one of the crew turns out not to be human.
The HeistThe crew is dealt one Plan for the night. Crack the casino floor by floor, until the Alarm goes and someone turns out to be the Rat.
Dead Man’s TidePlunder a ghost ship adrift in the fog and pass the Black Spot to whoever you trust least before the Mutiny breaks.
After BedtimeThe toys climb out of the chest to explore the house. Wind each other up, find the Lost Pieces, and watch for the toy who wants to be sold.
Good to know
| Players | 3–6, each on their own phone. AI fills empty seats |
|---|---|
| Length | About 45 minutes |
| Traitor | Known, hidden or none, depending on the finale |
| Where | One room with a TV, or apart on a video call |
| Download or account | None needed |
Questions
Is there always a traitor?
No. Some finales reveal a traitor, some keep one hidden, and some leave every investigator for themselves. You find out when the house turns.
How does the traitor get their secret?
On their own phone. Everyone plays on their own device, so secret goals stay private without anyone leaving the room.
Can we play apart, over a video call?
Yes. Everyone joins the room on their own phone or computer, so you can be in one room or in different cities.
What if we only have three people?
Three is enough. AI investigators fill the empty seats, up to six.
Is Candlewake free?
Yes, Candlewake is free to host and to join.
More from Rucksy: Play The Hollowing · Play Candlewake · The Hollowing: zombie survival board game · The Hollowing’s ten missions · The daily mission · Solo board games online · Candlewake: haunted house board game · Board games to play with friends online
The Hollowing and Candlewake are original games by Rucksy.