Secret Hitler and the Political Deduction Game That Became a Cultural Phenomenon

Secret Hitler At A Glance

Okay, I need to put a trigger warning on this review because I have a slight problem. I’ve played Secret Hitler approximately forty times and only been Hitler about six times, but every time someone looks at me funny, I immediately blush and stutter like I am the worst person to ever live regardless of whether I actually did anything wrong. I just absolutely suck at social gaming. And that’s what makes this game so good.

Secret Hitler was published in 2016 (BoardGameGeek) and became that board game everyone is talking about; the kind that splits friend groups and creates tabletop legends that you talk about every time you play. It’s a social deduction game set in the wonderful universe of 1930’s Germany (Wikipedia) in which liberals battle fascists with one hidden Hitler (Secret Hitler Official Site) amongst them. It plays 5-10 players (BoardGameGeek), making it ideal if you ever find yourself those evenings where everyone shows up but nobody has decided what to play.

The reason I love Secret Hitler so much is because it capitalises on the one thing I hate most at parties; people reading. Most social games work hard to include everyone and make everyone feel comfortable. Secret Hitler exploits these kinds of social anxieties. Every micro-expression, pause in speech, over-confident assertion that someone else is Hitler is fuel for your political battle. Everyone is on edge, and for once I find it really enjoyable to be along for that ride.

Secret Hitler: The Game Explained

So how does Secret Hitler actually work? Below is an overview of what happens when, but essentially Secret Hitler is built upon a system of information imbalances and trust. Fascist players know each other’s identity (Hitler only knows the other fascists if there are five or more players), but liberal players do not. Every round, players will elect a President and Chancellor (UltraBoardGames) who will then have the power to enact a policy card together from a deck that contains approximately two-thirds fascist policies to one third liberal policies.

The liberals win by successfully enacting five liberal policies (Rulebook PDF), while the fascists win by either successfully enacting six fascist policies (Rulebook PDF) or having Hitler be elected Chancellor after three fascist policies have been passed (UltraBoardGames). Fascist players benefit from pushing forward their own policies, however, publicly supporting fascist policies can easily blow their cover. Liberal players must use the policies that are passed each round combined with the voting patterns of other players to determine the best suspects.

This asymmetry of information is what makes Secret Hitler so fascinating. Fascist players know each other identity, but liberal players take bets and make alliances. Every action that players take can be used as potential proof that they are a fascist or liberal. Everyone is lying and everyone is telling the truth. I love it when a game does this to me.

I remember one game in particular where someone was completely railroaded by the group because they enacted two fascist policies in a row due to bad card-drawing. Another game, I was Hitler and managed to convince the group I was liberal by “simply” drawing strong liberal cards. Information is power in Secret Hitler, and the best part is how that information can be distorted to support either team.

All of these aspects create a ridiculous amount of table-drama (Shut Up and Sit Down). Players argue over voting decisions and accusations are made that can determine the outcome of the game. Unlike some other social games I’ve played, however, Secret Hitler breeds this type of productive drama. The kind where you leave the table feeling closer to the person you played with than you did when you sat down. Maybe it’s the underlying joke that we are all just pretending to be Nazis, or maybe it’s because you can take things so far in Secret Hitler without genuinely offending anyone, but I have yet to play this game and have it ruin a friendship.

Social Deduction and Confident Lying

Secret Hitler stands apart from other hidden role games through its emphasis on confident lying and social deduction (Shut Up and Sit Down). It is not enough to simply avoid accusations; players must be able to construct a believable alternative narrative through forming alliances and occasionally sabotaging their own teammates to avoid suspicion falling on them.

One of my favourite memories of Secret Hitler is when I was a non-hitler fascist player and blatantly spent the first half of the game trying to aggressively find Hitler. I nominated every single suspicious player and rallied the group into my way of thinking. It worked too; other liberal players started to fall in line with my investigations and together we managed to vote out not one but two innocent liberals. I felt absolutely vile, but it was so satisfying to play like that. Social deduction games don’t normally reward that level of deviousness.

Secret Hitler’s voting system allows for so many delightful interactions. You look at someone during the nomination process wondering if you trust them as Chancellor. Do you look at everyone else who vote yes to see if they also trust that person? Do their voting patterns seem genuine? Are they too eager to get back to work? Are you paying too much attention to that guy who just shifted in his seat?

I have this weird obsession with people’s hands when Secret Hitler is voting. It uses this really neat simultaneous voting system with little cards you hold in your hands. I kid you not I think I can actually see people change their mind by looking at how they’re gripping their vote card. Complete rubbish I know, but once you start watching people during the voting process you see all sorts of tells.

Secret Hitler allows for both bold plays as well as careful analysis. The person pushing the hardest could be a liber trying to take charge or Hitler smoothly playing his role. The person sitting quietly could be a fascist fly on the wall or they may just dislike social interaction. Everyone has tells, and every play style can be used to falsely incriminate someone of being fascist.

Trust, Trust, Trust Falling

One of the most unique aspects of Secret Hitler is the networks of trust that players form throughout the game. During the earlier rounds, when little is known about other players, you form loose alliances with the people you merely suspect to be on your team. As the game progresses and more information is revealed by way of policy cards, these alliances are tested and often broken.

I recall a specific game where my flatmate Dan and I became quick friends in the beginning because we were both liberal and had successfully navigated around voting out a suspect player together. We trusted each other, we knew each other’s plays. Dan was President for a round, drew three fascist policies, passed two to me as Chancellor, and I had to enact one. Suddenly all trust between Dan and I was evaporated as we were both seen as fascists in league with each other.

Trust as a concept is milked dry in Secret Hitler. Players trust each other to not vote them down, to accept their claims of innocence, and to side with them in future rounds. Information becomes the most valuable commodity at the table, and your teammates can easily turn on you when they find something that incriminate you.

The nomination process allows for some of the best ‘social pressure’ moments in the game. Each player gets nominated for chancellor by the President, and something as simple as taking a long time to decide on who you want to team up with for the round can mark you as suspicious. Do you quickly choose the person next to you because you “just trust them?” Or does that make you seem suspiciously eager? I love games that make me question my own thoughts.

A Cascading Sense of Doom

What also fascinates me about Secret Hitler is how the early-game rounds almost lull you into a false sense of security. The fascist track lets fascists gain powerful abilities as fascist policies are enacted (investigating players, calling special elections, and assassinating players). When these cards come into play, especially towards the end of the game, it feels like everyone is on high alert.

My favourite of these cards is definitely the investigate ability. When a player is investigated, not only do you learn about that player, but you as the investigator are thrown under the microscope. Did you know that player was a fascist all along? Are you a fascist framing one of your teammates? Did you know they were liberal and are desperately trying to cover your tracks?

It’s one of those games where everybody flips. Someone gets voted out for seemingly no reason, and all of a sudden everyone questions their previous plays. “Wait, that was sus round 3? What did Chris know? Did Chris know and decide to keep quiet? Why would Chris do that?!”

Assassination as a power lets the fascist players remove threatening liberal players, but claiming to want to assassinate a player and then instead killing one of your own teammates is a great way to plant seeds of doubt. Everyone is questioning everyone else’s motivations throughout the game, and when you add in these powerful actions that allow players to change the course of the game it makes for some fantastic endings.

Secret Hitler On Campus

I love Secret Hitler with friends I’ve made at university for a few reasons. No, not only because we get to yell at each other about politics (although that is fun). Secret Hitler requires its players to get uncomfortable with each other pretty quick, and when you have a group of friends made up of flatmates, course mates, and people you’ve met exactly twice normal social games can feel stilted.

Secret Hitler lets everyone embrace their inner-paranoia. Everyone is lying to everyone else’s faces, creating a web of deception that makes unraveling the truth nearly impossible. Accusations are being made, suspects are being begged for their life by their teammates. It’s okay to laugh at each other in Secret Hitler; in fact, it’s encouraged.

Secret Hitler is fantastic for bringing new players into the group. Maybe you’re the social butterfly of the group who loves nothing more than to talk. Secret Hitler lets you do this. Maybe you lean a bit more on the introverted side and tend to not say much. Secret Hitler gives you plenty of time to formulate your strategy and guards to pay attention to. Everyone has a place at the Secret Hitler table.

Setup is also incredibly quick (and important if you’re playing on a sticky keyboard of a tabletop), taking all of about two minutes. All of the components are just card and some cute little wood pieces. There aren’t any lengthy rule books to read through. Someone can explain the rules to you in five minutes, and even your “I don’t game” friends will somehow find themselves getting caught up in the lies.

Late and early game don’t really exist either. Someone has to leave? Great, another person gone. Someone showed up late? Have them watch a round and join in next game. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve played Secret Hitler with people just popping in and out of the game.

Is Secret Hitler Still Good In 2024?

The beautiful thing about Secret Hitler is that it’s only gotten better with age. Sure the theme is technically still relevant today (although if you’re reading this in 2030 people might think we are living in a post-apocalyptic fascist society), but as a social game I feel like people have become more open to the idea that someone who appears completely normal can hold some seriously radical political beliefs.

Even the components have aged like a fine wine. Cards hold up to accidental beer showers like champions (trust me I know) and those little wooden pieces will probably last you till the heat death of the universe. The art style is simplistic enough that everything is readable, but I will say I wish fascist and liberal policy cards were just slightly more different when playing under poor lighting.

My only gripe with Secret Hitler is that once you get too good at playing with the same group, it kind of loses a mystery. Everyone knows Sarah lies about reading cards when she’s a fascist and stutters when she is liberal. Everyone knows that Tom is going to play aggressively whether he’s fascist or not. And everyone knows Dan takes everything personal (sorry Dan).

But that actually creates an interesting meta of its own. Once you become good enough at catching people in their lies, they know you can catch them. They know you know this, and suddenly you become exceptionally good at questioning if they are questioning you. It’s a mind game wrapped inside of a party game wrapped around a big ol’ pile of fascist politics. I’m in.

Final Thoughts

If you want to learn how political manipulation truly works, not from a game theory point of view, but from a “this dude literally convinced me that he was on my team” point of view. Secret Hitler is for you. You will learn to identify when someone is just being “too helpful,” when someone’s kindness is a lie, and when that guy opposite you is just deflecting accusations without actually telling a lie.

Looking for a game that will give you stories and inside jokes to reference for years? Secret Hitler. Everyone who plays it has a “mind blown when they found out Sarah was actually Hitler” story. Everyone loves the time the liberals miraculously won by pulling the one liberal card needed to win on the very last draw. Hell, everyone hates Dan for leaving mid-game cause he got assassinated.

Secret Hitler is amazing at allowing you to hone your social skills. It requires you to pay attention to everyone. It makes you question everything you know about people, and sometimes you actually learn something about the people you play with. Whether that be helpful or not, you’ll learn something about people that you can apply to everyday life.

Just starting university? Secret Hitler will make friends out of strangers. Not only does everyone have to talk through the game (which really lets you get to know each other), but you all experience this wild emotional rollercoaster together. There’s no bond quite like the person who thought they were friends with Hitler.

Secret Hitler is a 9/10 game that I will forever keep returning to because each time I play I learn something new about human psychology. I have played this game roughly forty times and I still catch myself reading people in real life like they’re Secret Hitler suspects. I still catch myself questioning if they are questioning my plays. Secret Hitler will do that to you.

Secret Hitler works because at its core, it is manipulating the same psychological biases that political parties do in real life. Don’t get me wrong, there is strategy to the game and I am sure many people love to make optimally correct plays every round. I’m just playing a different game when I sit down to Secret Hitler; I’m analysing people.

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Billy

Billy’s a university student from Manchester who somehow turned “game night” into his full-time personality. He writes about social games, university life, and how board games make awkward people (like him) instantly more interesting. Friendly, funny, and all about community over competition.