Among Us

June 15, 2018StrategyESRB E10+Metacritic 82

Available on

PC PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S Android Nintendo Switch Xbox One

Genres

The Verdict

Best if you want quick-fire social deduction rounds that turn friends into suspects—a game where reading people matters more than reflexes or mechanical skill.

Henk-Jan Uijterlinde

·September 8, 2026

Software architect and father of two based in the Netherlands. Been gaming since MS-DOS Mario. Writes honest recommendations for people with limited evenings and too many games left to play.

What It's Like to Play

Among Us thrives on conversation, accusation, and the thrill of uncertainty. Each match drops you into one of two roles: crewmate or impostor. As a crewmate, you'll dart around compact maps completing simple mini-tasks—swiping cards, rerouting power, or emptying garbage—while staying alert for suspicious behavior. As an impostor, you'll fake those same tasks, sabotage systems, and eliminate crewmates without getting caught. The magic happens when someone reports a body or calls an emergency meeting, triggering a timed debate where everyone votes to eject a suspect or skip. The learning curve is nearly flat. Task mini-games take seconds to grasp, movement is point-and-click simple, and the core loop—do tasks, watch others, debate, vote—clicks within one or two rounds. What deepens over time isn't mechanical execution but social reads: spotting players who linger too long in empty hallways, catching contradictions in alibis, or building trust through consistent behavior. Voice chat transforms the experience, turning text-based voting into rapid-fire cross-examinations and hilarious meltdowns. Sessions are bite-sized. A single round lasts five to fifteen minutes depending on task settings and how quickly crewmates complete objectives or impostors strike. This makes it perfect for filling an evening with multiple games or squeezing in a quick match between obligations. Replayability stems from group dynamics rather than content unlocks—different players bring wildly different playstyles, and rotating who gets impostor keeps tension fresh. The depth ceiling is lower than dedicated strategy games, but high enough to reward clever sabotage timing, strategic venting, and calculated lying. New roles like Scientist and Shapeshifter add wrinkles, though the core experience remains accessible. Cross-play ensures you'll find matches instantly across PC, mobile, and consoles, making it easy to gather friends regardless of platform. Customization options let hosts tweak impostor count, task volume, and discussion timers to match your group's preferred chaos level. Among Us excels as a social amplifier—it's less about mastering systems and more about leveraging personality, bluffing, and collective problem-solving in bursts of concentrated fun.

Best For

Groups who enjoy party games built on conversation and suspicion rather than reflexes
Players seeking low-commitment sessions that deliver immediate social payoff
Cross-platform friend groups looking for an accessible common ground

Not For

Solo players without a regular group—random lobbies lack the trust dynamics that make the game sing
Those seeking deep strategic systems or long-term progression hooks
Anyone frustrated by chaotic debates or players who vote based on hunches rather than evidence

Overview

About Among Us

Play with 4-15 player online or via local WiFi as you attempt to prepare your spaceship for departure, but beware as one or more random players among the Crew are Impostors bent on killing everyone! Originally created as a party game, we recommend playing with friends at a LAN party or online using voice chat. Enjoy cross-platform play between Android, iOS, PC, and console.

Story setup

One Crewmate has been replaced by a parasitic shapeshifter. Their goal is to eliminate the rest of the crew before the ship reaches home. The Impostor will sabotage the ship, sneak through vents, deceive, and frame others to remain anonymous and kill off the crew. While everyone is fixing up the ship, no one can talk to maintain anonymity. Once a body is reported, the surviving crew will openly debate who they think The Impostor is. The Impostor's goal is to pretend that they are a member of the crew. If The Impostor is not voted off, everyone goes back to maintaining the ship until another body is found. If The Impostor is voted off, the crew wins!

Reference

At a glance

Released: June 15, 2018
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, iOS, PlayStation 4
Genres: Strategy, Indie, Action, Casual
Play modes: Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op, PvP, Online Multiplayer, LAN Multiplayer, Asymmetric Multiplayer
Age rating: ESRB E10+
Time to beat: ~4 hours
Multiplayer: By platform
Metacritic: 82
Player rating: 3.9

Media

Screenshots

Click any screenshot to view it full size.

Playtime

How long to beat

Player-reported completion times for Among Us.

Rushed: 2hoursMain story only
Typical: 4hoursStory plus some extras
Completionist: 10hoursEvery side objective too

Estimated from 5 player reports — a small sample, so treat these as approximate.

Playing together

Multiplayer by platform

How Among Us supports playing with other people, broken down per platform.

Multiplayer capabilities for Among Us by platform. Capabilities with no published information are marked "not documented".
Platform	Local	Online	LAN	Split-screen	Co-op campaign	Drop-in/out
Nintendo Switch	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No
PC	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No
Android	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No
iOS	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No
PlayStation 4	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No
Xbox One	No	Yes, up to 15 players	Yes	No	No	No

Supported (a number is the player cap)
Not supported
Not documented for this platform

CrossplayFull Crossplay

Team sizes · Free-for-all (crew vs impostors) up to 15

Online and Local Network (LAN) play supported. Steam lists online and LAN up to 15 players. No couch local/split-screen. Cross-play supported across supported platforms via account-based lobbies. Sessions are lobby-based and typically require starting a new round to include new players; not true drop-in/out mid-round. No co-op campaign (match-based social deduction). Console online play may require platform subscription (e.g., PS Plus/Xbox Game Pass Core) depending on platform policies.

Content

Age ratings

How rating boards around the world have classified Among Us. Open a board for its content descriptors.

ACBPG

Mild themes and violence, online interactivity and in-game purchases

CEROB

Violence

CLASS_IND12

Violência (Violence)

ESRBE10+

Mild Blood
Fantasy Violence

GRAC15+

Violence

PEGI7

Violence

Advice for consumers This game has received a PEGI 7 because it features mild violence. Not suitable for persons under 7 years of age. Brief outline of the game Among Us is a strategy game in which the crewmates of a spaceship, or an airship, must find out which of their teammates are imposters, while they prepare their ship for launch. Content specific issues There are scenes of mild violence involving cartoon-like characters inside space suits. The violence is non-realistic, as are the reactions to the violence. Other issues This game offers players the opportunity to purchase additional content, such as new maps, outfits and pets. Some parents or carers may want to be aware of this. Parents, carers or other responsible adults should check to see what is being offered before making any purchase on behalf of a child. It should be noted that the game can still be played without the need to purchase such items.

USK6

Buying it

Edition and platform notes

Which version to buy, and what differs between platforms.

Platform Recommendations

Mobile offers touch controls and portability but smaller screens make spotting distant players harder. PC and console versions support keyboard/mouse or controller with identical gameplay. Cross-play works seamlessly across all platforms, so choose based on where your friends play.

Accessibility Features

Supports text chat for those who can't use voice, though this significantly changes the debate dynamic. Colorblind modes help distinguish crewmate colors. Mini-tasks rely on quick visual recognition and timing, which may challenge players with motor or visual impairments.

Coverage

Featured in our articles

This game appears in 4 articles on this site.

Best Nintendo Switch Online Multiplayer Games

Among Us is close to unplayable with strangers and genuinely great with the right group on voice chat. My LAN crew tried it over headsets one evening after a Left 4 Dead 2 session ran short, and it turned into two hours of accusations nobody could back up. Public lobbies exist and technically work, but text-only deduction with randoms is slow and often just quiet. Private rooms fix that since you can invite exactly who you want and skip the wait. Ten-player lobbies is the sweet spot. The core loop of tasks, sabotage, and emergency meetings hasn't changed much since it blew up, and it doesn't need to. This is a headset game first and a Switch game second.

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Best Cross-Platform Games 2026

#12

Among Us gets overlooked in crossplay conversations because the peak-hype era has passed, but the actual implementation is excellent. It runs on everything including mobile, which means a group where half the people do not own a console or gaming PC can still join from a phone. The social deduction format is also unusually forgiving for mixed groups because the skill gap barely exists. You are discussing, voting, and arguing. Nobody needs a high-end setup for that. It fell out of the top ten because the base game has limited depth for long-term sessions, but for a one-evening party game that literally anyone can join from any device, it still belongs in the conversation.

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Best PS5 Party Games

Among Us lives or dies on whether your group is willing to actually talk. If you have the right people in the right mood, the accusations start flying before the first emergency meeting ends and it becomes genuinely one of the funniest group experiences on PS5. I played this with a group of six one evening and one player spent an entire round building an airtight alibi for a murder they did not commit, just to mess with the real impostor. That kind of emergent story is what the game runs on. The dependency on voice chat and group investment is also why it sits at eight rather than four. A quiet group who would rather press buttons than talk will find it flat. Know your room before loading this one up.

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10 Must-Play Online Co-Op Games on Nintendo Switch (2026 Edition)

Social Deduction Pick

#12

Among Us delivers a unique spin on co-op through social deduction gameplay where crewmates work together to complete tasks while identifying hidden impostors. Its crossplay support makes connecting with friends across platforms effortless, and frequent updates with new roles and maps keep sessions fresh. While it leans into party chaos rather than traditional cooperative progression, it remains perfect for voice chat groups seeking conversation-driven gameplay.

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this game, answered by our team.

How hard is it to learn?

Extremely beginner-friendly. Core rules are explained in-game within minutes, and tasks are simple one-button interactions. The real learning curve is reading people, which improves naturally through play.

How long are matches?

Typically 5-15 minutes per round. You can easily play multiple matches in one sitting or just squeeze in one or two quick games.

Do I need friends to play?

It's playable with randoms via public lobbies, but the experience shines brightest with a consistent group who knows each other's tendencies and can voice chat freely.

Is there solo content?

No single-player mode exists. Among Us is built entirely around multiplayer interaction, requiring 4-10 players per match (though 6+ is ideal for balanced gameplay).

Does it have replay value?

High replayability driven by social dynamics rather than unlocks. Different player groups, role assignments, and map settings keep matches feeling fresh across dozens of sessions.

Game data and imagery provided by IGDB.com

Among Us