• Codenames — product image 1
  • Codenames — product image 2
  • Codenames — product image 3
  • Codenames — product image 4
  • Codenames — product image 5
  • Codenames — product image 6
  • Codenames — product image 7
  • Codenames — product image 8

Czech Games Edition (CGE)

Codenames

Low stock
$30.00
$30.00 RRP $40.00

Codenames is a fast, light team word game from Czech Games Edition in which rival spymasters give one-word clues to help their teammates identify their secret agents hidden among 25 word cards, all while avoiding the deadly assassin. It plays with 2–8+ players, takes around 15 minutes, and suits ages 14+.

Players
2–8 players
Play time
1h
Age
Teens
Complexity
Easy

About the Game

Two rival spymasters face a grid of 25 word cards, each secretly hiding red agents, blue agents, innocent bystanders and one deadly assassin. The spymaster offers a single-word clue plus a number, and their team debates which words fit. Contact all of your agents first to win, but stumble onto the assassin and the game ends instantly, so every clue is a balancing act between ambition and caution.

Codenames plays with 2–8+ players in around 15 minutes, is light and easy to teach, and is recommended for ages 14+. Notable mechanics include team-based play, word association, deduction, communication limits and push-your-luck clue giving.

Designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition in 2015, Codenames won the 2016 Spiel des Jahres and became a modern classic. Its success spawned stand-alone follow-ups such as Codenames: Pictures, which swaps words for images, and Codenames Duet, a cooperative take built for two players.

History

Codenames was designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition in 2015. It won the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award in 2016 and quickly became a modern party-game staple, inspiring stand-alone follow-ups such as Codenames: Pictures and the cooperative two-player Codenames Duet.

Shipping

$15 flat shipping · FREE over $150

Shipping details

Codenames

$30.00

Watch: How to play

Rules of Codenames

  • Set up: split into red and blue teams, each choosing a spymaster; lay out 25 word cards in a 5 by 5 grid.
  • Key card: the two spymasters secretly view a key showing which words are red agents, blue agents, innocent bystanders and the single assassin.
  • Give a clue: on your team's turn, the spymaster says one clue word and one number, pointing teammates toward that many grid words.
  • Guess: teammates discuss openly, then touch cards one at a time; the spymaster gives no extra signals.
  • Turn flow: cover correct guesses with your agent colour and keep guessing, up to the clue number plus one, or stop after at least one guess.
  • Wrong cards: a bystander or opposing agent ends the turn; uncovering the assassin loses the game immediately.
  • Winning: the first team to contact all of its own agents wins, unless the assassin has already ended the game.

Strategy

  • Start safe: early clues are usually better when they link two obvious agents rather than chasing a clever multi-word connection.
  • Scan the dangers: before speaking, check that your clue cannot reasonably pull in the assassin, opposing agents or tempting bystanders.
  • Respect the limits: teammates should debate meanings, but avoid asking the spymaster for tone, emphasis or follow-up hints.
  • Order guesses: touch the clearest match first; if the table is split, pause and reassess before risking a second card.
  • Know when to stop: after finding the clue's obvious targets, stopping can be stronger than spending the extra guess on a hunch.
  • Learn the table: later clues can reuse words left behind by earlier clues, misses and opponent guesses, so track what each clue implied.