Most played social deduction game

The antics of the Crewmates and Imposters in social deduction space game Among Us (Innersloth, 2018) weren't a smash hit when the game first launched. But a couple of years later the game took off, helped by prominent streamers playing it on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms. In November 2020, when much of the world was on a COVID-19 lockdown, Among Us was played by a staggering 500 million people, approximately 485 million of which were playing on mobile.

In the whodunnit movie sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (USA, 2022), the detective Benoit Blanc is shown playing Among Us during lockdown, and in December 2022 a free 'Benoit Blanc' skin was available in the game, so players could dress in said sleuth's blue-and-white striped swimsuit.

In December 2020, Among Us released for Nintendo Switch and sold 3.2 million units in just four weeks. Social deduction games have had a few surprise hits in the past, including Spy Party (Chris Hecker, 2018), a competitive game for two players where one is a sniper observing a party, and the other is a spy trying to blend in with the NPCs. First Class Trouble (2021) enjoyed some success in the wake of Among Us as a similar game taking place on a luxury cruise liner in space.