6 Simple Tips to Be the Sneakiest Impostor in Among Us

Have you played Among Us? You probably have. It’s a free, (on mobile, at least. It’s 5 bucks on Steam and Itch.io) low-fidelity party game in the same vein as Town of Salem, where up to 10 players try to deduce whom among them is an impostor before they’re all killed by said impostor. Among Us is currently the top watched game on Twitch and features both very positive reviews and a player base of around 300,000 returning players on Steam, not even considering the swathes of mobile players influenced by both the game’s free-ness and its prevalence in various social media circles. 

Players are assigned one of two roles when entering a match: Crewmate or Impostor. Crewmates are assigned to complete various tasks that populate the map, filling up a green status bar in the upper left corner. When the status bar is filled, or when the impostor is found, crewmates win the game. Impostors are assigned to both kill crewmates and sabotage the tasks, securing a victory when no crewmates remain or when crewmates are outnumbered by Impostors.

So, you may be wondering, how do I be a better impostor? (You did click on the article, after all.) Here’s a handy list of 6 unordered tips to aid you along your journey of becoming the sneakiest Among Us impostor there is!

6: Pick Your Kills

An impostor kill made in a secluded location with a nearby vent

Patience is the name of the game. Don’t pay too much attention to the status bar when starting a match, focus on both picking out and tracking down a target. First things first, check your kill timer. You don’t want to put yourself in suspicious circumstances before you’re even able to kill your target. When your kill timer is over and you find both yourself and your target alone (preferably somewhere with nearby vents, to aid in your escape), strike.

After striking, you have one of two options. You can hightail it out and attempt to put as much distance between yourself and your freshly created headless cadaver as possible, or you can report the dead body yourself and hold an emergency meeting. While the latter can be an effective strategy if pulled off well, it can also generate lots of suspicion among your crewmates, especially if the kill took place very early in the match or in an isolated, unpopulated area of the map. Bottom line, take your time and pick your kills well.

5: Don’t Be Sus

Being suspicious in the emergency meeting

Don’t give yourself away. When participating in an emergency meeting, avoid voting first, especially if there’s little evidence being discussed. This will place a lot of attention on you and potentially make you the subject of suspicion. Avoid being too aggressive and accusatory, as this can also place attention on you. I’ve found that going along with the majority consensus tends to hold the best results. Keeping a low profile is key, especially if you plan to survive later on in the game. When it comes down to a 2v1, appearing trustworthy can lead to a crewmate taking your word over their companion’s.

4: Fake Tasks Wisely

This is the task “Submit Scan”, one of the several visual tasks in the game

Impostors can’t do tasks. They can, however, pretend to do tasks. Impostors should avoid visual tasks; these are tasks that players can see being performed. Your best bet is to assign yourself to a task and time its completion with that of another task by watching the status bar. This can shift attention away from you and give you an alibi if confronted in a meeting.

3: Adjust Your Controls

The control section of the settings menu

When you first play, make sure to dive into the settings and pick a control mode that suits your tastes. On PC, the “Q” and “E” keys perform the kill and sabotage actions, respectively. Using these allows you to react to situations much quicker, giving you a better opportunity to slip away unseen.

2: Watch Out for those Red Lights!

The camera light is red here

Cameras flash red when someone is watching, so avoid killing when you see them. Additionally, don’t vent or kill when you suspect crewmates may be watching the admin map as doing so would immediately implicate you.

1: Divide and Conquer:

Sabotage wisely! You can use sabotages to perform crowd kills or pick off isolated loners amongst the chaos. Sabotages can also secure an early victory; certain sabotages, such as the O2 and the Reactor sabotage, will lead to a victory for the Impostors if not addressed and solved immediately by crewmates. These are most effective when all the crewmates are clumped together or are far from the room you’re sabotaging. Sabotages can be especially effective when it comes down to a 2v1 or 3v2, where they can be used to split off the remaining crewmates and force them into compromising positions.

While this is by no means a high-level guide, I hope this assortment of of Among Us tips for playing and winning as the impostor was helpful and entertaining!