Exceptional consensus · 3 organizations

Codenames

Vlaada Chvátil · Czech Games Edition · 2015

Two teams compete to identify secret agents from a grid of 25 words. Your spymaster gives a single-word clue linked to multiple cards — the bigger the connection, the more agents your team finds. Creates moments of brilliance and hilarious misunderstandings equally.

Players

2–8

Time

15 min

Ages

14+

Difficulty

Light

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Why you'll like it

The single best party game for 6-8 players
Creating multi-word connections feels clever
Scales from casual to intensely competitive
Rules take two minutes to explain
Endless replayability — no two games alike

How it plays

Codenames is a team word game. Twenty-five word cards are laid out in a grid. Each team has a spymaster who sees a secret key showing which words belong to their team, which belong to the other team, which are neutral, and which one is the assassin.

The spymaster gives a one-word clue plus a number, like "Ocean, 3", hoping their teammates will pick the three words that connect to it. Teammates discuss and touch cards one at a time. Guess a word for the other team and you've helped them; pick the assassin and you lose instantly.

The first team to find all of its words wins. Rounds take about 15 minutes, so groups usually play several in a row and rotate spymasters.

May not be for you if…

Needs at least 4 players, best at 6+
Spymaster role can feel pressured
If your group dislikes word games
Two-player variant isn't the core experience

Best for

Partieslarge groupsfamily gatheringsteam building

Awards

2016Spiel des JahresSpiel des Jahres
2015Dice TowerBest Family
2015Golden GeekBest Party Game
2015Dice TowerBest Party
2015Golden GeekBest Family Game

Appears in

Travel Friendly Under 30 Minutes Party Night

Where to buy

AmazonCheck price →

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Common questions

How many people do you need for Codenames?

It's best with 4 to 8 players split into two teams. It can stretch to larger groups, and there's a variant for 2 to 3 players.

Is Codenames good for families?

Yes, if everyone reads comfortably. It's listed for ages 14 and up, but many families play with younger kids. Codenames: Pictures uses images instead of words.