The Mafia Role Generator by Relev3n helps you run a fair and exciting Mafia game. Roles are assigned secretly, one player at a time, preventing cheating and confusion.
Set the number of players and roles such as Mafia, Doctor and Detective. Each player reveals their role privately on the device before passing it to the next player.
One phone · No cheating · Perfect for offline Mafia games
All players have viewed their roles.
Hand the phone to the moderator.
The Mafia game is a social deduction party game created in 1986 by Dmitry Davidoff, a psychology student at Moscow State University. The original purpose of the game was to study how people behave in situations involving hidden information, persuasion, and group decision-making.
The game explores deception, persuasion, and collective decision-making. Players are divided into two groups — the Mafia and the Townspeople. In its earliest form, the game divided players into two main groups: the Mafia, who secretly knew each other, and the Innocent Townspeople, who did not. During the game, players would discuss, argue, and vote to eliminate suspected Mafia members, while the Mafia would secretly eliminate townspeople at night. The tension between deception and logic made the game highly engaging.
Mafia spread rapidly through universities worldwide and inspired variants such as Werewolf.
After its creation, Mafia quickly spread across universities and student communities in Russia and Eastern Europe. Because it required no equipment and could be played by large groups, it became especially popular in social gatherings, dormitories, and parties. In the 1990s, the game expanded internationally and gained different names and variations. One of the most well-known adaptations is “Werewolf”, introduced in Europe, which uses a similar concept but replaces Mafia members with werewolves. Despite theme changes, the core gameplay remains the same.
Over time, new roles were added to make the game more strategic and exciting. These roles include:
Modern versions of Mafia often include many custom roles, rule variations, and time-based rounds, making each game unique.
Today, Mafia is played both offline and online, using digital tools that automate
role distribution and gameplay.