Is ‘Among Us’ free? How to start playing the popular game

You’ve probably seen clips of people playing the popular whodunit mystery mobile game Among Us all over social media. The game created by indie game company InnerSloth has been a perfect generator of memes & laughs. 

InnerSloth created a game that is just enjoyable to play. Among Us is so addictive and entertaining that you can’t help but use it for hours on end. What helped it blow up overnight is its relative no cost entry and simple gameplay. 

Those who don’t consider themselves gamers can easily pick up Among Us and start playing. There aren’t many mechanics to get, and the rest is all strategy.  This guide contains everything you need to know to start playing. There is no reason you can’t download Among Us right now and start sleuthing after reading this article. 

Cost

There are two versions of the app: mobile & PC. The mobile version is free to download & play but contains ads. Players can remove ads from the app for $1.99. The only way to play for free without ads is to play in a game hosted by someone who already paid to remove them. 

Among Us’s PC options can be bought through Steam & itch.io for $4.99. Paying the game on a PC through these sites means there will be no ads. Why would you pay for it on PC when you can get it for free on your phone? Well, if you suck at texting on a smartphone, then having a full keyboard might be helpful for some players.

Like most apps & games, there are microtransactions players can do, but they are all optional and don’t affect gameplay. Among Us allows players to customize their crewmate’s color & hats for free. There are extra hats to purchase, along with pets & skins. The add ons range from 99¢ to $2.99. 

Gameplay

Among Us is so simple anyone can play. You can be one of two players: a crewmember or the imposter. Crewmembers are innocent and go around completing tasks before the imposter can kill everyone. The imposter runs around killing everyone and can sabotage the crewmembers by creating extra work on the map or locking doors to waste time. The imposter can also use the system of vents to navigate & hide from other players. 

Crewmembers will report dead bodies to initiate a meeting about what happened and vote someone off. It’s a simple majority wins, so ties lose. Players communicate during the meetings with the chatroom. Now is the time to discuss what players saw, where the body was reported, and start calling other players “sus.”  

Players can select to play a local game or over WiFi. A local game has a limited range and can only connect with players nearby. Games over WiFi can allow players to connect within their region. You can also create games for friends over WiFi by sharing the game code with one another. 

Practice 

Players who want to practice before playing online can use the freeplay option. It’s only good for playing as a crewmember. You can familiarize yourself with the three maps and the tasks that correspond to them, but that’s about it. 

There is an option to play as the imposter in freeplay, but it’s really no help. Being the imposter is all about strategy & lying in the chat, something you can’t practice with bots. As the imposter, you can go around and kill all the dummy crew members and practice venting & sabotaging. 

But just because you can practice as the imposter doesn’t mean it’s helpful. Becoming a good imposter relies on playing against other people to learn how to make good decisions under pressure. You need to experience the game with other players capable of accusing you of being “sus” – the part of the gameplay that does not translate over to free play.  

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We hope that you feel prepared to enter your first game of Among Us soon. Remember, don’t act ‘sus” and when in doubt, lie.