Demon Max released Guilty as Sock! on 29 May 2025, and the concept is one line long: everyone is a sock puppet, someone is on trial, and the crime is whatever the prosecutor decided in private. Up to nine players fill seven roles running from judge and prosecutor down to bailiff, journalist and juror, while evidence cards are dealt at random rather than earned. It sits at Very Positive on Steam across more than 2,600 reviews. The joke only works if the whole table commits to it.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Default Trial courtroom | Seven courtroom roles basics | Prosecutor | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Trial of the Crowns courtroom | Random evidence cards mastery | Prosecutor | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Cosmic Order courtroom | Judge gavel controls + gear | Judge or Prosecutor | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | The judge's bench | Build optimization | Judge | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | The witness stand | Min-max | Judge or Bailiff | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Default Trial courtroom)
The starting map and the one every new lobby learns on. Prosecution and defense desks face the bench with nothing else going on, which keeps attention on the argument rather than the scenery.
Level/Difficulty: Any lobby from 3 to 9 players Key Rewards: Fastest room for teaching the roles to newcomers
What to Do in Default Trial courtroom
- Learn Seven courtroom roles. A lobby of up to nine players fills judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, witness, bailiff, journalist and juror. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Prosecutor as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Take the judge seat if your group is new. The judge controls who speaks and when, and a lobby without a judge willing to use the mute button turns into nine people talking at once inside a minute.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Custom evidence decks or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Seven courtroom roles fundamentals
- Prosecutor selected and functional
- Default Trial courtroom main content cleared
- Ready for Trial of the Crowns courtroom
Phase 2: Early Game (Trial of the Crowns courtroom)
A themed courtroom with a royal setting. It changes the tone of the roleplay more than any rule, and groups reliably escalate their accusations to match the decor.
Level/Difficulty: Any lobby, best with 6 or more Key Rewards: Fresh setting for groups bored of the default room
What to Do in Trial of the Crowns courtroom
- Work on Random evidence cards. The prosecutor privately picks the suspect and the crime, then both sides are dealt evidence cards at random. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Custom evidence decks if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The prosecutor picks the suspect and the crime privately, so pick something specific and absurd. A vague accusation gives the defense nothing to push against and the trial stalls before the first card is played.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Cosmic Order courtroom.
- Consider whether Judge might suit your playstyle better than Prosecutor.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Random evidence cards integrated into gameplay
- Custom evidence decks acquired
- Trial of the Crowns courtroom fully cleared
- Ready for Cosmic Order courtroom
Phase 3: Mid Game (Cosmic Order courtroom)
A space themed room, cosmetic rather than mechanical. Useful for shoving a group toward more absurd cases once the jokes have started repeating.
Level/Difficulty: Any lobby, best with 6 or more Key Rewards: A tone reset for long sessions
What to Do in Cosmic Order courtroom
- Master Judge gavel controls. The judge hands out speaking turns with colored buttons, calls and dismisses witnesses, mutes anyone who will not stop, and delivers the verdict. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Evidence cards. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Do not try to make your evidence card fit. Cards are dealt at random and a forced explanation is funnier than a plausible one. That gap is the entire design of the game.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Breaking News headlines for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Judge gavel controls mastered
- Evidence cards acquired or in progress
- Cosmic Order courtroom fully cleared
- Ready for The judge's bench
Phase 4: Late Game (The judge's bench)
Not a map, but the seat that decides everything. From the bench you control speaking turns, witness calls, mutes and the ruling, so a bad judge wrecks a trial faster than a bad lawyer ever could.
Level/Difficulty: One player per trial Key Rewards: Full control of pacing and the final verdict
What to Do in The judge's bench
- Finalize your build. You should be running Judge or Prosecutor with optimized gear.
- Evidence cards should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Journalists should hold at least one Breaking News post in reserve. You get three per trial, and one landing while the jury is deliberating is worth more than all three published in the opening minutes.
- Jury verdict vote optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into The witness stand.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Evidence cards upgraded to max
- The judge's bench fully cleared
- Ready for The witness stand
Phase 5: Endgame (The witness stand)
A short speaking window where a player testifies for either side or derails the whole thing. Witnesses are called and dismissed by the judge, so the value of the seat depends entirely on being called at the right moment.
Level/Difficulty: One or more players per trial Key Rewards: A single high impact statement that can flip the jury
What to Do in The witness stand
- The witness stand tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Keep a notepad open beside you. The game rewards catching contradictions between what a witness said two minutes ago and what the prosecutor claimed just now, and nothing in the interface tracks that for you.
- The endgame loop: run The witness stand, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Bailiff for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Jury verdict vote mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- The witness stand fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Arguing seriously. A prosecutor who builds a coherent legal case is playing a different game to everyone else, and coherent cases are not what juries here vote for.
- Judges who never mute anyone. Nine sock puppets shouting at once is unlistenable, and using the button is the job rather than a punishment.
- Journalists dumping all three headlines in the first minute. Once the posts are spent, the role has nothing left to do for the rest of the trial.
- Jurors going quiet. Jurors cannot play cards, so heckling and commentary are their whole contribution, and a silent jury box turns the trial into a two person argument.
- Filling every seat before the group knows the rules. Start with three players, one judge and two lawyers, and add the witness, journalist and bailiff once everyone knows what the gavel does.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Take the judge seat if your group is new. The judge controls who speaks and when, and a lobby without a judge willing to use the mute button turns into nine people talking at once inside a minute.
- The prosecutor picks the suspect and the crime privately, so pick something specific and absurd. A vague accusation gives the defense nothing to push against and the trial stalls before the first card is played.
- Do not try to make your evidence card fit. Cards are dealt at random and a forced explanation is funnier than a plausible one. That gap is the entire design of the game.
- Journalists should hold at least one Breaking News post in reserve. You get three per trial, and one landing while the jury is deliberating is worth more than all three published in the opening minutes.
- Keep a notepad open beside you. The game rewards catching contradictions between what a witness said two minutes ago and what the prosecutor claimed just now, and nothing in the interface tracks that for you.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Guilty as Sock! Guides
- Guilty as Sock! Guilty as Sock! Overview
- Guilty as Sock! Best Builds
- Guilty as Sock! Tier List
- Guilty as Sock! Beginner's Guide
- Guilty as Sock! Tips & Tricks
- Guilty as Sock! Weapons Guide
- Guilty as Sock! Combat Guide
- Guilty as Sock! Boss Guide
- Guilty as Sock! Maps & Locations
- Guilty as Sock! Crafting Guide
- Guilty as Sock! Classes & Characters
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