Mysterium rules in short: one player is a silent ghost and everyone else is a psychic. Over seven turns, the ghost hands each psychic picture cards called visions, and each psychic must use them to find their own suspect, then location, then object. If everyone finishes in time, the whole group gets one last vision and votes on the real culprit. Everyone wins or loses together.
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This guide follows Libellud’s rulebook for the original Mysterium, the edition most copies are. It’s a cooperative game for 2 to 7 players.
Worth knowing: a 2025 edition changes a few things. It plays 3 to 7, has 24 cards of each type instead of 18, swaps the crows for three candle markers, and has no 2-player rules. The core turn is the same. Our Mysterium versions guide has the full list, and Libellud’s 2025 rules are online.
What’s in the Box
The ghost’s side of the table is a screen and a hand of art cards. The psychics’ side is a row of suspects, locations and objects to choose from.
| For the ghost | For the psychics | Shared |
|---|---|---|
| 1 screen | 6 sleeves, one per color | 1 clock board |
| 84 vision cards | 6 intuition pawns | 1 two-minute hourglass |
| 6 ghost tokens | 6 clairvoyancy level tokens | 3 progress boards (character, location, object) |
| 6 culprit tokens | 36 clairvoyancy tokens | 1 clairvoyancy track |
| 3 crow tokens | 54 psychic cards (18 of each type) | |
| 54 ghost cards (18 of each type) |
The ghost cards and psychic cards are matched pairs, numbered 1 to 54. Characters are 1 to 18, locations 19 to 36 and objects 37 to 54.
Setup
- Pick the ghost. The rulebook recommends someone who already knows the game for a first play. The ghost sits behind the screen with the vision cards.
- Each psychic takes a color and its sleeve.
- Choose a difficulty: easy, medium or hard. It sets how many suspect, location and object cards go on the table, and how often the ghost can use a crow.
- Deal that many character cards face up for the psychics. The ghost finds the matching ghost cards and secretly assigns one character to each psychic behind the screen.
- Repeat for locations and objects. Each psychic now has a hidden column of three: a character, a location and an object.
- Place the intuition pawns on the character board, set the clock to the first hour, and the ghost draws seven vision cards.
| Psychics | Easy | Medium | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Crow tokens for the ghost | 1 every turn | 3 for the whole game | 1 for the whole game |
The numbers are how many character, location and object cards are dealt for each row. More cards on the table means more ways to guess wrong. The rulebook’s table starts at one psychic, but under the 2- and 3-player rules each psychic player runs two, so in practice you’ll use the rows from two psychics up.
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How a Turn Works
A turn has two steps: the ghost sends visions, then the ghost reveals who guessed right.
Step 1, the visions. The ghost picks a psychic, looks behind the screen at the card that psychic needs right now, and hands over one or more vision cards that hint at it. Then the ghost draws back up to seven and moves on to the next psychic. When every psychic has a vision, the ghost flips the two-minute hourglass.
The psychics can talk freely about every vision. Each one places an intuition pawn on the card they think is theirs before the sand runs out. The ghost may listen, but may not speak, gesture or react.
The rulebook’s own example: a psychic needs to find the Attic. The ghost hands over a card with a woman in a white dress, because the Attic card shows a wedding dress, then adds a card with a strange bluish light and one full of cobwebs. Most of the table says Attic. The psychic is convinced it’s the Bedroom and places their pawn there anyway. It’s their call.
Step 2, the reveal. The ghost tells each psychic, one at a time, whether they’re right. A psychic who is right slides the card into their sleeve and moves on to the next type. Character comes first, then location, then object. A psychic who is wrong keeps their vision cards and tries again next turn, with more cards from the ghost.
Then the clock moves forward one hour.
Crows Redraw the Ghost’s Hand
A crow lets the ghost throw away up to seven vision cards and draw that many new ones. It’s the escape hatch when nothing in the hand fits.
On easy, the ghost gets one crow every turn. On medium, three for the whole game. On hard, one for the whole game. Once the crows are gone, the ghost is stuck with what they draw.
Clairvoyancy Tokens (3 or More Psychics)
With three or more psychics, everyone also bets on each other’s guesses. You place a “yes” token next to a pawn you think is right, or a “no” token next to one you think is wrong. You can’t bet on your own pawn.
Every correct bet moves you up the clairvoyancy track. Finishing your own three cards early moves you up too, one space for each hour left on the clock. A high place on the track helps in the final vote, because you get to see more of the last vision before you vote.
Worth knowing: clairvoyancy tokens are limited. You get them all back at the start of the fourth turn, so spending them freely in the first three turns is fine.
The Final Vote
The final phase only happens if every psychic has found all three cards by the end of the seventh hour. If anyone is still missing a card, everyone loses.
- Each psychic lays out their three cards as a group. Each group is a possible version of the murder.
- The ghost secretly picks the true group and makes one last vision of exactly three cards: one hinting at the culprit, one at the location, one at the object. They’re shuffled and placed face down.
- The cards are revealed one at a time. Psychics low on the clairvoyancy track vote after the first card, middle ones after the second, and the highest after all three. Votes are secret, and nobody talks.
- The group with the most votes is the group’s answer. If it matches the ghost’s pick, everyone wins.
If the vote is tied, the psychic highest on the clairvoyancy track breaks the tie.
Mysterium Rules for 2 and 3 Players
“Can you play Mysterium with 2 players?” Yes, in the original edition, with the rulebook’s small-group adjustments. The 2025 edition starts at three, and its 3-player variant has each psychic play two colors.
- The clairvoyancy track and tokens aren’t used.
- Each player except the ghost plays two psychics.
- In the final vote, the ghost’s three cards are placed face up.
- With 2 players, two extra groups are made from discarded cards, so the one psychic player chooses among four groups instead of two.
- With 3 players, the two psychic players vote openly and may discuss before placing a pawn on their pick.
We think it’s best with four: three psychics is enough to debate every vision and use the clairvoyancy tokens, without long waits for the ghost. Our Mysterium review explains why.
Common Rule Mistakes
- Mixing up editions. If your box has a pocket watch and candle markers, you have the 2025 edition, and its rules differ in places.
- The ghost talking or reacting. Even a sigh is a hint. The rulebook suggests knocking once for yes and twice for no when revealing answers, which keeps the ghost silent.
- Going out of order. Every psychic finds their character first, then location, then object.
- Forgetting the clock. The game is lost at the end of the seventh hour if anyone is unfinished, even if everyone else is done.
Once you know the rules, the Mysterium review covers who it’s for, and Dixit vs Mysterium compares it with the other big picture-card game. If your group wants more cards, see Mysterium expansions ranked. A new copy of Mysterium includes the full rulebook and the clock board.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many turns are in Mysterium?
Seven, one for each hour on the clock board. Every psychic must find their character, location and object by the end of the seventh turn, or everyone loses.
Can the ghost talk in Mysterium?
No. The ghost can only communicate through vision cards and may not speak, gesture or react to the psychics’ discussion. The rulebook suggests knocking once for yes and twice for no.
What do the crows do in Mysterium?
A crow lets the ghost discard up to seven vision cards and draw new ones. On easy the ghost gets one per turn, on medium three per game and on hard one per game.
How do you win Mysterium?
Every psychic must find all three of their cards within seven turns. Then the ghost sends one last vision, and the group must vote for the correct group of culprit, location and object.
Can two people play Mysterium?
Yes, in the original edition. One player is the ghost and the other plays two psychics, and the final choice is between four groups instead of two. The 2025 edition is for 3 to 7 players.
How many vision cards can the ghost give at once?
As many as they like from their hand of seven. Each psychic receives one vision per turn, but a vision can be several cards.
What happens if a psychic guesses wrong?
They keep their vision cards and try the same card type again next turn. The ghost adds more vision cards to help.