Codenames guides
Give one-word clues to lead your team to their secret agents — and dodge the assassin.
Codenames is a word-association party game where two spymasters give single-word clues to steer their teammates toward secret agent words on a 5×5 grid — while avoiding the opposing team’s agents and the game-ending assassin.
The original is a team-vs-team classic; Codenames Duet reworks it into a cooperative game for two. Here’s how both play.
Which Codenames version should you buy?
Compare the editions at a glance, then jump into the full how-to-play guide for any of them.
| Version | Best for | Players | Time | Ages | Guide | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codenames | team-vs-team party play | 2–8+ (teams) | ~15 min | 14+ | Read guide | Amazon |
| Codenames Duet | two-player cooperative play | 2+ (cooperative) | 15–30 min | 11+ | Read guide | Amazon |