How to survive Among Us without being sus

The best game about gaslighting your friends on a spaceship

Among Us was released by InnerSloth in 2018, but remained in obscurity, averaging only about 30 players at any given time. This all changed in July, when it was picked up and thrust into the spotlight by Twitch streamers such as Sodapoppin.

Today, Among Us boasts over 100 million downloads and 60 million daily players. Owing to its easy learning curve, low cost and social nature, the game took off. It’s deceptively simple but downright addictive.

Among Us is a charmingly animated game with a distinctive visual style. Playing as colorful astronauts, players are divided into two teams: crewmates and imposters.

Crewmates are charged with completing their tasks and investigating the imposter among them, while imposters must sabotage the ship and murder all of the crewmates before being discovered.

The real action of the game occurs in the chat feature, where players bring out their best detective work to uncover the liars.

As one of the 60 million Among Us players, the hype is real. I play as a lime green astronaut who wears a plastic flamingo on their head and it’s as delightful as it sounds. For crewmates and imposters alike, may I present: tips on not getting launched into the void of space.

1. Always know where you are. Having an alibi is the best way to prove your innocence (or fake it). Be prepared to explain what you were doing and who you might have seen there.

2. Know how to argue. Whether you’re accusing someone or defending yourself, have evidence. Did a crewmate see you do a visual task? Did you vote out the last imposter? Why were you following Red around the map? You have to be able to find reasons why people are or are not the imposter and persuade people that you know what you’re talking about. Which brings us to tip two and a half: Lying.

3. Learn to lie convincingly. If you can convince just one or two crewmates that you’re trustworthy, that you couldn’t have been the killer, that you were in medbay the entire time, then you’ve just earned yourself another chance to strike. As in life, lying is a great way to eliminate your enemies with no repercussions.

4. Find a buddy. If you’re a crewmate, you’ll have a friend who will witness and report your murderer, or simply stand by and protect you while you complete your tasks. If you’re an imposter, you either have an unsuspecting victim or a second imposter to team up with and lend an alibi to.

5. Don’t be a cheater. If you’ve been murdered, don’t be that guy who calls their buddy and tells them who the imposter was. It’s a jerk move all around and ruins the fun of investigation.

Good luck everyone, and don’t get murdered!