Codenames online
Spymasters give one-word clues for their secret agents.
- Players
- 4–10 players
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Length
- 15–30 min
- Type
- Word · Teams
Codenames is the award-winning word game where two teams compete to identify their secret agents on a 5×5 grid using one-word clues from their spymaster.
Each spymaster sees the secret key and gives a single word plus a number to point teammates toward multiple cards at once — but one wrong guess can hand the game to the enemy, or worse, hit the assassin.
How to play Codenames
- 1Gather 4 or more players; the app splits you into two teams and picks a spymaster for each.
- 2Spymasters secretly see which words belong to their team, the neutral cards and the assassin.
- 3On your turn the spymaster gives a one-word clue and a number.
- 4Operatives tap the words they think match; correct guesses stay, wrong ones end the turn.
- 5The first team to find all its agents wins — touch the assassin and you lose instantly.
Codenames FAQ
How many players does Codenames need?+
You need at least 4 players (two teams of two) and it scales up to 10 for a lively game.
Who can see the secret key?+
Only the two spymasters see which cards belong to each team; operatives only see revealed cards.
What happens if you guess the assassin?+
Revealing the assassin card ends the game immediately and the other team wins.
Ready to play Codenames?
Create a room, share the code, and start in seconds — free.
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