Among Us reached the climax of its popularity between September and November 2020. It had over 110K daily concurrent players at Steam. It still has a consistent player base and remains loyal to its simple offering. Similar titles, like Fall Guys, reached identical numbers. Nowadays, games like Among Us are more modest but still enjoy a community with a couple of thousand players. Overall, though, we’re looking beyond the social deception genre. Our goal is to find fun and competitive games casual and non-casual gamers could enjoy.
Selecting Games Like Among Us
Among Us is the kind of game non-gamers would play happily, as long as it’s with their friends or on a Stream.It was a phenomenon, and even though it came and went quite fast, it’s still a fairly popular game for PC players.Also, after everything is said and done, perhaps you became a fan of the genre. Therefore, you’re looking for similar experiences.Finding games like Among Us required us to identify its core elements, though. We believe games Among Us fans would like to feature a mix of the following aspects:
Genre: Among Us is a multiplayer team-based puzzle PvP. It opens up co-op gameplay within a social deduction simulator. Gameplay: the overall gameplay is about solving a social puzzle. Players can solve the game by talking via voice chats or through the game.Setting: the sci-fi setting puts players on a spaceship, ready to launch. There’s an impostor, or two impostors in the group, though.Easy-to-play: the game relies on simple buttons and interactions to perform all of its actions. Casual gamers can enjoy it easily.Subterfuge: the impostors’ goal is to prevent the ship from taking off. They can sabotage the ship or silently kill the enemies.Co-op gameplay: the players don’t know who the impostor is. It means users need to work together to find the traitors.Mind games: because of the simple setting and limited gameplay mechanics, Among Us is a mind game about discovering who’s who. Detective work: similarly, players need to follow the clues (like security footage) to reach the truth. Stealth: on the other side of the equation, Impostors can sneak by vents, dark corridors, and similar. They can also perform tasks to blend in. Faling: either side can win, and failing can be as fun as winning any match. That’s part of why it’s such a friendly game.Maps: Among Us has four maps available. Each one offers different tasks to the tribulation members. Crossplay: the game allows 5 to 15 players per match. Either player can be on Android, iOS, or PC.
Among Us is the kind of game you’d want to play with close friends. It requires lying, seeing through lies, and trusting others. Overall, it feels similar to the games we used to play as kids. I dare not put a name, as these games have different names in every country. Yet, Among Us is surely a video game version of something you can remember.
Games Like Among Us
Deceit
Deceit is our top choice as it features gameplay that revolves around deception, trust, and lies. It’s a social deduction title where you have to find the innocent players in the group. Yet, it’s a first-person shooter, and it doesn’t have a local gaming option like Innersloth’s title. Also, it has a Game Master voice guiding the players through the match and putting a unique spin on the competition.Out of six players per map, two have a deadly virus infection. These two are looking to kill and sabotage the innocent players. The competition ends when innocents escape the area or the infected kill the innocent. It means innocents must remain vigilant across the three zones of the map. They must escape through a hatch while the infected hunt them down. However, innocent players don’t know who the infected are. So, as an innocent, you can use scarce survival tools (like guns, ammo, light sources, and scanners) and decide whether or not to help others. Infected can transform into mutants, but they also need blood bags, which leaves clues behind.
Dread Hunger
Dread Hunger follows the Among Us concept while using an 1850s open-world setting and a first-person perspective. Also, there can be many instead of a single impostor, even if you play with your friends.You’re in the Canadian Arctic, the most dangerous place on Earth. You have to build fires, craft supplies, fend off predators, hunt, shoot, and even use blood magic to survive.But you’re part of an 8-player team, and not all of the party members may play honorably. Other players can shoot you in the back for your resources at any moment.The goal is to locate the Northwest Passage. Players pick from a range of Classes to create a team and survive threatening conditions. Hunger, in particular, is the main enemy of the journey. Overall, Dread Hunger is a survival craft/survival adventure game, with social deduction as its main feature. It’s a stellar genre addition that enjoys a community of 10K players in February 2022 (a month after its debut).
Betrayal.io
Betrayal.io is another social deduction game, and it’s quite similar to Among Us. As a plus point, you can play it right on the web browser as you don’t need to download the title. Also, a significant difference is how the game makes players choose a unique role. You can be a crewmate or a Betrayal (similar to Among Us); you can be a Sheriff (the one who kills the traitors) or a Jester (they spread lies).These unique roles determine the match for the 12 players in the lobby. However, the gameplay is similar to Among Us. There’re tasks for the crewmates and a ship about to take off. Moreover, the game revolves around trust, deceit, lies, and witts. Players can cooperate or work against each other to convince, help, or deceive their teammates.Overall, Betrayal.io is more challenging than Among Us. Still, it exists to tackle the same fan base with new and exciting mechanics.
Hidden in Plain Sight
Hidden in Plain Sight is a local multiplayer game that focuses on stealth. You have to blend with a crowd of NPCs and eliminate the other players before doing the same to you.The game features a top-down perspective, simple graphics, and simple gaming mechanics. Still, as Among Us, it focuses on stealth, which is not easy. In essence, you have to accomplish the task of eliminating the other players (up to four) without others noticing you. Along the way, you also need to stop other NPCs silently. The trick is you can only play in local multiplayer, therefore the game’s name. Doing what you need to do while your friends are in the same room is uniquely challenging.Lastly, the game has other game modes. For example, “Death Race” is about NPCs and players racing to a finish line, but each player has a gun with a single bullet.
Town of Salem
Town of Salem looks a bit like South Park, but it’s not a comedy spoof. Instead, it’s another Among Us alternative for mobile devices. It’s also one of the oldest games in the genre.The game supports up to 15 players per match, and it assigns random roles to all players entering the Town. Players can be Town members, Mafia, Serial Killers, Arsonists, and neutral. Town members must track down the Mafia and other villains before it’s too late. However, Town members don’t know the role of other players. So, if you enter with an evil role, you must complete your secret goals by stealth, subterfuge, and mind games. In particular, the night is the best moment to commit murder as a serial killer. Players can customize the town settings, characters, pets, lobby icons, house, name, and death animation. There’re other features as well, such as a voting phase where players try to determine who the villains are.
Project Winter
Among Us, Project Winter revolves around survival, betrayal, and trust. It also shares elements with Dread Hunger, as players need to gather resources, repair, craft, and complete tasks to survive. There’re eight players per match, and there’re traitors amongst the group. They can earn your trust and sabotage you by spreading lies and gaining allies.There’s also a text chat option and voice chat with close-by characters. And, as usual, you wouldn’t know who the traitors are in the group: this is a social deception and survival game, after all.So, the survivors have to complete a series of tasks to call in a rescue vehicle and escape the tundra. That includes restoring a radio cabin, harvesting herbs and fruits, finding resource crates, and chopping trees. Then, the traitors have to stop survivors from escaping by sneaking, sabotaging, and lying. Traitors have a radio to talk to their fellow “Impostors,” so teamwork is essential.
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer
Secret Neighbor is a social deception game for Xbox consoles. It’s one of the few genre titles available for Microsoft’s devices. In particular, Among Us is not available for Xbox.Secret Neighbor does its best to fill the gap for Among Us fans, and it mostly doesn’t disappoint. In summary, it’s a multiplayer social horror game.The setting is about a group of intruders on a mission to rescue their friend from the Neighbor’s horrible basement. The problem is one of the intruders is actually the enemy, in disguise.So, there’re six players, one of which is the traitor. The Neighbor blends in with the intruders, potentially earning their trust. Ultimately, the villain is looking for an opportunity to trap their enemies, one by one.As the match goes on, the game gets more exciting and horrific as the players disappear. The gameplay mechanics are easy to understand, so the player base is quite healthy.
Werewolves Within
Werewolves Within is a social deduction game available for Windows VR devices and PSVR (on PS4). It wasn’t popular on launch, but its fan base is growing steadily. The game supports 5 to 8 players per match, and everyone has a secret role. The match happens in a medieval village, Gallowston, where you must discover who the werewolves are. Werewolves look like regular humans at any moment, but they can become vicious monsters. You can be a villager or a shapeshifter. Either way, it takes minutes to kill or be killed. Werewolves depend on lying and deceiving their friends. Villagers also fulfill specific roles and use persuasion to assess and deduce the identity of the enemies. Overall, Werewolf Within is a fast-paced game that throws players amid a chaotic, gory village. So, the matches are shorter than a typical Among Us game. Lastly, as a side point, there’s a movie based on the game.
Overcooked! 2
Overcooked! 2 is a story-driven co-op adventure game. In essence, it’s a fun cooking simulator where you and your friends share a humorous kitchen experience. You, and your friends, play as a team of chefs and manage a messy kitchen. The plot is about fighting against the “hunger of The Unbred.” That brings a story that takes you across a series of maps and challenges. You need to work together to achieve the highest scores. However, one of your teammates can play mind-games and play against you to beat you on the scoreboard.Either way, the gameplay is about taking orders, cooking recipes, and delivering your dishes promptly. The orders get crazier on every map, though, and the ingredients keep changing and evolving. Overall, Overcooked 2 is a fun, humorous, and slightly challenging game. I recommend playing it with your family members, particularly as a parent & son/daughter activity.
Unfortunate Spacemen
Unfortunate Spacemen features a similar sci-fi, dangerous setting. Likewise, the gameplay revolves around betrayal and murder, but there’re aliens and proximity chat!The title conveys death is inevitable in outer space. So, the spacemen are trying to rescue themselves from death. You can do this alongside the other 15 players, and the goal is to complete tasks to escape space monsters.So, it’s a multiplayer co-op, on the surface. However, one of the players is the monster, and he can disguise himself as a crewmate to ultimately eat them. That said, everyone plays in first-person and has weapons to fight off the enemies (and the friends). Also, the game adds survival elements. Players need to hunt, repair, and complete tasks. There’s also a survival mode where players team up to face monster hordes.Then, the game has various maps. There’re derelict space stations, hypértrains, arctic outposts, desolate bases, and more. Lastly, your character can rank up to unlock perks and customization options.
Triple Agent
Triple Agent is a mobile party game that revolves around deceit and manipulation. It also has roles, as each player selects one of the available agents, and each Agent has its perks and abilities.Also, aside from picking an agent, the game picks a “team.” You can be a Service agent, a double agent, or a Virus agent. Ultimately, others need to determine who’s the double Agent before the match ends. The game is about hiding identities, bluffing, and betraying others. It’s a social deduction with 10-minute matches. More importantly, the match happens on a single phone, so players pass the phone to check new information or reveal clues.At the end of each game, players vote on who to imprison. If players capture the double Agent, the Service wins. Otherwise, Virus is the winning team.Overall, Triple Agent is a simple game about making choices. The matches depend on cunning, deception, and deduction.
Mario Party Superstars
Mario Party Superstars is the latest entry of Nintendo’s multiplayer party game. You can play it online, locally, or against bots.As you expect, it’s a multiplayer, competitive party game. And like Among Us, it’s easy to play, friendly for all family members, and features various boards (maps) and hundreds of mini-games.The title features a comeback of old boards and old mini-games. The old content features new visuals and remastered music, though. On top of that, it has new mini-games as well.Its gameplay is as usual. You pick a character and enter the board. Each turn, players go in a mini-game and compete for coins. The mini-games are consistently fun but easy to understand. Overall, Mario Party Superstars is an easy recommendation if you’re looking for friendly, competitive games. Bear in mind it’s a Nintendo exclusive, though.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys, like Among Us, is no longer on its popular climax. But if you’re looking for friendly, non-hardcore fun, Fall Guys is one of the best competitive multiplayer party games.The setting is easy. You select a customizable…marshmallow thingy and enter a match. Each match has hundreds of players and dozens of challenges, and the game ends when only a single player remains.The gameplay is about evading bizarre obstacles and not falling. You jump, run, play with massive soccer balls, and overcome weird gravity alterations.The ragdoll physics, cute colors, and overall funny music are the icing on the cake. And even though Fall Guys is a challenging game, it’s also not going to ask a lot of effort to understand its mechanics.Overall, Fall Guys is a party game with ridiculous and wild challenges. Sure, you can play with your games, but there can only be a single winner either way.
Pummel Party
Pummel Party is an online (local or non/local) multiplayer party game. It supports four to eight people per match, or it can fill your lobby with AI characters.The game is about defeating your friends with a range of absurd mini-games. It’s a “friendship-ruining” tournament where only a winner remains.Akin to the Mario Party series, you travel on a board-like interface to enter different mini-games. Each challenge presents hazardous terrains and new weapons to “pummel” your friends.The arsenal is full of absurd weapons to create game-changing and rage-quitting moments. As competitive gamers would say, some of the guns are “broken.”Then, the mini-games range is wide. There’re knock-out competitions, treasure quests, or an “Explosive Exchange” where you have to make sure you’re not the last to hold the bomb.
