Le Scorpion Masqué's DecryptoPhoto: Le Scorpion Masqué
Two screens, cards, tokens and a timerPhoto: Le Scorpion Masqué
Four secret keywords behind each screenPhoto: Le Scorpion Masqué
Set up for two teamsPhoto: Le Scorpion Masqué
The 5th Anniversary Edition plays the same with new wordsPhoto: Le Scorpion Masqué
Video

Party word game

Decrypto

Pass secret codes to your team before the rivals crack them

3–8players · best with 6-8
15–45 minplaying time
12+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 Groups of six to eight friends or older cousins split into two teams

Think twice if Your players are under 12 or not at ease with English vocabulary

How we rate it

Learning curve. Each round is simple, but the order of reading, intercepting and decoding takes a round or two to settle, and it is harder to explain than it is to play. It sits with Codenames at 2.

Luck & skill. The keywords and codes are random, but games are won by clever clues and careful note-reading.

Interaction. Both teams discuss every code, and each one is trying to read and steal the other's clues.

Set-up. Form two teams, slide four keyword cards into each screen, hand out code cards and note sheets, and put the timer and tokens in the middle.

Reading. Each team reads its four English keywords and everyone writes clues on note sheets; the clues themselves are spoken.

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 Decrypto right for you?

Great if

  • Groups of six to eight friends or older cousins split into two teams
  • Word lovers who enjoy Codenames and want more of a head-to-head contest
  • Clue-givers who like drawing on shared culture, from Bollywood songs to cricket, to fool the other team
  • Game nights with teenagers aged 12 and up

Skip it if

  • Your players are under 12 or not at ease with English vocabulary
  • You need a game that explains itself; Decrypto only clicks once you see it played
  • You usually have just three; there is a variant, but it shines with two teams

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

UK Games Expo Awards, Best Party Game (People's Choice), 2019 (Winner)

Årets Spill (Norway's game of the year awards), Best Party Game, 2019 (Winner)

International Gamers Awards, General Strategy: Multi-player, 2018 (Finalist)

Dice Tower Gaming Awards, Best Party Game, 2018 (Nominated)

How Decrypto plays

Split into two teams sitting opposite each other. Each team takes a screen, one white and one black, and slides four keyword cards into its slots, numbered 1 to 4, so only their own side can see them. Each team also takes its deck of code cards and a note sheet.

  • Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The 440 keywords are in English, clues are spoken, and everyone writes clues and guesses on note sheets, so teams need a good English vocabulary. Clues can be in Hindi or any language the whole table understands (the rules even allow humming or miming), but you can't use a translation of a keyword. There is no Hindi edition.
Four secret keywords behind each screen · Photo: Le Scorpion Masqué

Decrypto - How To Play · Watch It Played

Choose a video · Watch right here

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A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Encrypt

    Each team's Encryptor draws a three-number code and gives one clue per number, pointing to the team's hidden keywords.

  2. 2
    Intercept

    From round two, the other team guesses the code first; a correct guess earns them an Interception token.

  3. 3
    Decode

    Your own team then guesses the code; getting it wrong earns your team a Miscommunication token.

  4. 4
    Win

    Two Interception tokens win and two Miscommunication tokens lose; after eight rounds, tokens decide.

Read the official rules (PDF)Decrypto rules (English) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Decrypto goes

Each round, one player on each team is the Encryptor. They secretly draw a code card showing three numbers, such as 4-2-1, and write one clue for each number, pointing to the matching keyword. If keyword 4 is 'tiger', the first clue might be 'stripes'. Clues must be about a word's meaning, not its spelling or its slot, and the same clue can't be used twice in a game.

The White Encryptor reads their clues aloud. From the second round on, the Black team first guesses the code to try to intercept it; then White's own team gives its answer. A correct interception earns the Black team a white Interception token; if White's own team gets its code wrong, White takes a black Miscommunication token. Then the teams swap roles for Black's clues.

Everyone writes every clue on the note sheets, so round by round the other team builds up a picture of your hidden words. Two Interception tokens win the game and two Miscommunication tokens lose it. If both happen together, or no one has won after eight rounds, tokens are counted, and if it is still tied each team tries to name the other's keywords.

The skill is giving clues your team will get while hiding the pattern from the other side, so come at each word from a new angle every time. With three players, one person plays the Interceptor against a team of two and must make two interceptions within five rounds.

What's in the box

Two screens, cards, tokens and a timer · Photo: Le Scorpion Masqué
  • 2Screens
    one white, one black; each holds a team's four keyword cards in slots numbered 1 to 4
  • 110Keyword cards
    440 words in all
  • 48Code cards
    two decks of 24, one white and one black; each shows a three-number code
  • 50Note sheets
    a pad for writing down every clue given
  • 1Sand timer
    30 seconds
  • 4Interception tokens
    white
  • 4Miscommunication tokens
    black
  • 1Rulebook

Box: 0.52 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the maker's contents list (sand timer, 2 screens, 110 keyword cards with 440 words, 48 code cards, 8 tokens) and the English rulebook, which adds the 50 note sheets and splits the tokens into 4 white and 4 black. The 5th Anniversary Edition has the same parts with 110 new keyword cards.

Where to buy

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

About the editions

Decrypto has no Indian edition and no Indian distributor was found, so copies sold here are Le Scorpion Masqué's English box, imported. Our Amazon.in link goes to the standard English Decrypto, the original edition. The 5th Anniversary Edition plays exactly the same with a different set of words, so either makes a good first copy.

Before you choose

  • The box carries the Le Scorpion Masqué logo and credits Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance as designer
  • Inside are two sturdy screens, one white and one black, each with four numbered slots for keyword cards
  • Contents: 110 keyword cards, 48 code cards in white and black decks, 8 tokens, a 30-second sand timer, a pad of note sheets and the rulebook
  • The listing names Scorpion Masqué as the brand and says plain Decrypto, not Laser Drive (the expansion, which can't be played on its own)

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers rank Decrypto among the best team word games: one calls it fraught, funny and fantastic, another one of the best in its genre with the right group. The appeal is the balancing act of clues precise enough for your team but vague enough to keep the other side guessing, and the tension as the opponents' notes fill up round by round. They like the sturdy screens and the cleverly printed cards, and say it works with teams of different sizes. The cautions are that it sounds dull when explained and needs to be seen in action, that it depends on a group that enjoys wordplay, and that its grey, form-like look is plain.

What people love

  • The balancing act of clues clear enough for your team but vague enough to fool the other one
  • Tension that builds each round as the opponents' notes on your words fill up
  • Everyone is involved, since both teams discuss and guess every code
  • Sturdy screens and keyword cards printed so they are hard to read from the wrong side

Common complaints

  • Hard to explain: it sounds dull until you see it played
  • It needs a group that enjoys wordplay and can come up with clever clues
  • The grey, document-like look is plain next to other party games
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

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

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Why consider itThis game

Pass secret codes to your team before the rivals crack them

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A different fit

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A different fit

Another team party game about giving the perfect clue to your own side

Players3–83–72–82–12
Best with6-85-76-86-12
Play time15–45 min15–30 min15 min30–45 min
Age12+8+14+14+
RulesMediumEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionImportedImportedImportedImported
On this pageExplore Just One Explore Codenames Explore Wavelength

Questions people ask about Decrypto

Is Decrypto available in India?

Yes, as an imported game. There is no Indian edition, so copies sold here are Le Scorpion Masqué's English box. Our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to the standard English Decrypto.

How many players do you need for Decrypto?

Three to eight. The normal game needs two teams of at least two, so four is the real minimum; with three, one player becomes the Interceptor against a team of two. Reviewers find it best with two teams of three or four, when there is more discussion on each side.

What is the difference between Decrypto and the 5th Anniversary Edition?

The rules and parts are the same. The 5th Anniversary Edition has a black box with gold highlights and 110 new keyword cards with 440 new words.

What is Decrypto Laser Drive?

It is an expansion, not a standalone game. It adds category cards that challenge you to fit clues to a theme, with Laser tokens as a reward. You need the Decrypto base game to play it.

Is Decrypto like Codenames?

Both are team games about giving clues to your own side. In Codenames you link several words on a shared grid with one clue; in Decrypto you send codes while the other team listens, takes notes and tries to steal them, so memory and bluffing matter more.

Game facts

Designed by
Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance
Publisher
Le Scorpion Masqué
First published
2018
Players
3–8
Language
Needs English – The 440 keywords are in English, clues are spoken, and everyone writes clues and guesses on note sheets, so teams need a good English vocabulary. Clues can be in Hindi or any language the whole table understands (the rules even allow humming or miming), but you can't use a translation of a keyword. There is no Hindi edition.
Box size and weight
0.52 kg
Awards
UK Games Expo Awards, Best Party Game (People's Choice), 2019 (Winner); Årets Spill (Norway's game of the year awards), Best Party Game, 2019 (Winner); International Gamers Awards, General Strategy: Multi-player, 2018 (Finalist); Dice Tower Gaming Awards, Best Party Game, 2018 (Nominated)
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.