The Codenames box sold in Indian storesPhoto: Toycra
A box labelled 'The India Edition'Photo: Gameistry
Word cards, agent cards and the key cardPhoto: Toycra
The new 2025 edition's contents (same game)Photo: Czech Games Edition
A team game for parties and big groupsPhoto: Czech Games Edition
Spymasters try to keep a straight facePhoto: Czech Games Edition
Covering a word your teammate guessedPhoto: Czech Games Edition
Choosing a word from the spymaster's cluePhoto: Czech Games Edition
Video

Party word game

Codenames

One-word clues, 25 secret agents, and one assassin to avoid

2–8players · best with 6-8
15 minplaying time
14+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
High
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
Some

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Big groups at festival card nights or family get-togethers that can split into two teams

Think twice if Several people at your table aren't comfortable reading English words

How we rate it

Learning curve. Codenames is one of our anchors for 2. A turn is simple, but the clue rules (one word, and it must be about meaning) take a round or two to settle.

Luck & skill. Mostly skill. Which words come up is random, but finding a clue and reading your spymaster's mind is all thinking.

Interaction. Teams argue over every clue out loud, and one wrong touch can hand words to the other side.

Set-up. Shuffle the word cards and deal 25 into a 5 x 5 grid, slide a random key card into the stand, and put each team's agent cards in front of its spymaster. The first time, allow a few extra minutes to split into teams and go over the clue rules. Between rounds, you just flip the 25 cards over or deal new ones.

Reading. Each card has a single English word, and everyone has to read and understand all 25 words on the table. Spymasters also read the coloured grid on the key card.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

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Is Codenames right for you?

Great if

  • Big groups at festival card nights or family get-togethers that can split into two teams
  • People who enjoy wordplay more than dice or luck
  • Short rounds of about 15 minutes, so the group can keep playing 'just one more'
  • Mixed groups of teens and adults

Skip it if

  • Several people at your table aren't comfortable reading English words
  • You usually play as just two (Codenames: Duet is built for that)
  • Your group has young children: the original edition sold in India says 14+

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Spiel des Jahres · Winner · 2016 official award mark
Winner · 2016

Spiel des Jahres

Germany’s Game of the Year: the jury’s top family-game honour.

Meet the jury’s choice ↗
More recognition 2

Origins Award, Game of the Year (USA), 2015 (Winner)

Independent Toy Awards (UK), board games category, for the 2025 edition, 2025 (Gold Medal)

How Codenames plays

Split into two teams, red and blue, and each team picks a spymaster. Lay out 25 word cards in a 5×5 grid. The two spymasters sit on the same side and share a secret key card. It shows which words belong to the red team, which to the blue team, which are harmless bystanders, and which single word is the assassin.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: All 400 codenames are English words, and the whole game is about word meanings, so everyone at the table needs to be comfortable with English vocabulary. The rules allow a foreign word as a clue only if your group would use it in an English sentence.
Choosing a word from the spymaster's clue · Photo: Czech Games Edition

CODENAMES: Official How to Play Video [ENGLISH] · Czech Games Edition · Official

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Clue

    Your team's spymaster says one word and one number, like 'tree: 2', to point at that many of your team's words in the grid.

  2. 2
    Guess

    Teammates talk it over and touch one word at a time, and the spymaster covers it with the matching card. A right guess lets you go again, up to one more than the number.

  3. 3
    Stop

    Touch a bystander or the other team's word and your turn ends. Touch the assassin and your team loses on the spot.

  4. 4
    Win

    The first team to have all of its words covered wins, even if the other team uncovered the last one by mistake.

Read the official rules (PDF)Codenames rulebook, English (CGE file 'CN rulebook EN 30') · English
The full explanation: how a game of Codenames goes

On your team's turn, your spymaster says exactly one word and one number, for example 'Fruit, 3', to point at three of your team's words on the table. Your teammates talk it over and touch cards one at a time. Each right guess lets you continue, up to one more than the number given.

Touch a bystander and your turn ends. Touch the other team's word and you have helped them. Touch the assassin and your team loses on the spot. That one card is why spymasters think hard before giving a clue that seems obvious.

The team that goes first has 9 words to find and the other team has 8. The first team to uncover all of its words wins. Then you swap spymasters and lay out a fresh grid. There are 200 double-sided cards, so the words rarely repeat.

A clue word has to be about meaning, not spelling or position on the table. The rulebook allows a foreign word only if your group would use it in an English sentence, so words like 'chai' may be fine at many Indian tables. Agree on this before you start.

What's in the box

Word cards, agent cards and the key card · Photo: Toycra
  • 200Word cards
    double-sided, 400 codenames in all
  • 40Key cards
    secret maps of which words belong to which team
  • 16Agent cards
    8 red and 8 blue
  • 1Double agent card
    red on one side, blue on the other; goes to the team that starts
  • 7Innocent bystander cards
  • 1Assassin card
  • 1Card stand
    holds the key card between the two spymasters
  • 1Sand timer
  • 1Rulebook

Box: 0.56 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

This list is for the original English edition (CGE00031), the one sold in India. It comes from CGE's July 2015 rulebook (8 red and 8 blue agents, 1 double agent, 7 bystanders, 1 assassin, the stand and the sand timer) and the CGE00031 contents lists in an Indian listing and the Get Smart catalogue. The 2025 refreshed edition (CGE00125), not yet seen in India, uses tiles instead of agent cards. Its card stand is made of RE-Wood, and it has no sand timer: CGE points players to its free phone companion for timers.

Where to buy

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How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Czech Games Edition doesn't list an Indian or Hindi edition, so the genuine copies sold here are imported CGE boxes. Some Indian listings show a box labelled 'The India Edition'; it carries the CGE logo and the standard CGE barcode, so treat it as the same game. Our Amazon.in link goes to the imported original CGE edition (CGE00031).

Before you choose

  • Look for the Czech Games Edition (CGE) logo and designer Vlaada Chvátil's name on the box. Be wary of any listing that doesn't name the publisher, or that sells it as 'Code Names' under an unrelated brand.
  • Be wary of a set that costs a fraction of the usual price: some Indian sites list a much cheaper 'Codenames' set without mentioning CGE.
  • Count the contents of the original edition: 200 word cards (400 codenames), 40 key cards, 16 agent cards in two colours, 1 double agent, 7 innocent bystanders, 1 assassin, a card stand and a sand timer.
  • UK reporting on unofficial copies mentions a differently coloured timer, flimsier card holders and misspelt words, so check the word cards for typos.
  • The original English edition's barcode is 8594156310318; Indian listings show the same number.

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers agree Codenames is one of the easiest party games to love. The rules take minutes, a round takes about 15, and a clue that links three words gets the whole table cheering. It won Germany's Spiel des Jahres in 2016, and the jury noted that one game usually turns into several. The main catch is the spymaster's job: finding a good clue takes time, and the others can sit through long silences, especially when only four people play. Everything rests on English words, so it shines when the whole group is comfortable with English vocabulary.

What people love

  • The rules take a few minutes and set-up is quick, so 'one more round' is easy
  • Finding one clue that links three or four of your words feels brilliant, and the wrong guesses are often funny
  • It works for big, mixed groups, including families and people who don't usually play board games
  • 200 double-sided cards give 400 words, so the grid is different almost every time

Common complaints

  • The spymaster's job is hard work: the first clue can take a couple of minutes while everyone else waits
  • With only four players, half the table is waiting on each turn, so it is better with six or more
  • The clue rules (what counts as one word, compound words, sound-alikes) need explaining, and groups sometimes argue about them
Based on 7 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Also worth a look (not in our catalogue yet): Codenames: Duet – The same publisher's cooperative version for two players, also sold in India.

Questions people ask about Codenames

Is Codenames available in India?

Yes. The original Czech Games Edition is sold in India as an imported box; there is no separate Indian or Hindi edition. Our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to the original CGE edition (CGE00031); make sure the brand is Czech Games Edition.

Can 2 or 3 people play Codenames?

The rulebook has a cooperative variant for 2 or 3 players. One person is the spymaster, and a pretend opponent covers one of its own words each turn. It works, but the game is at its best with four or more. If you mostly play as two, Codenames: Duet was designed for exactly that.

Can we play Codenames in Hindi?

The cards are English words, and no Hindi edition of the main game came up in research for this page. The rules allow a foreign word as a clue only if your group would use it in an English sentence, so agree before you start which Hindi or Hinglish words are fair.

Is Codenames suitable for children?

The original edition sold in India says 14+, and the refreshed 2025 edition says 10+. Younger children who read English well can join a team with adults, but the spymaster role needs a wide vocabulary. Codenames: Pictures uses images instead of words and is easier for children.

Game facts

Designed by
Vlaada Chvátil
Publisher
Czech Games Edition (CGE)
First published
2015
Players
2–8
Language
Needs English – All 400 codenames are English words, and the whole game is about word meanings, so everyone at the table needs to be comfortable with English vocabulary. The rules allow a foreign word as a clue only if your group would use it in an English sentence.
Box size and weight
0.56 kg
Awards
Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year), 2016 (Winner); Origins Award, Game of the Year (USA), 2015 (Winner); Independent Toy Awards (UK), board games category, for the 2025 edition, 2025 (Gold Medal)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.