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Codenames board game box cover
Released

Codenames

One-word clues spark tense team mind-reading and accidental disaster.

2015
Community verdict Solid 100% positive 1 verdict
Casual Party Groups Puzzle-Focused Tactical Team-Based

Taste snapshot

You may like this if you enjoy…

  • Crunchy individual problem-solving
  • Short-horizon optimization and clever combos
  • Two teams pulling against each other
  • Approachable, gateway-friendly rules

You may not like this if…

  • You're after heavy strategic depth

Codenames is a 2015 board game for 2 to 8 players, ages 14 and up. A typical game runs about 15 minutes and plays at light complexity. It was designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition.

Verdicts · 1

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Mostly solid 100% positive · 1 verdict
Loved 00%
Solid 1100%
Mixed 00%
Pass 00%

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Codenames is a team word game in which spymasters give a single word and a number to guide teammates toward specific words on a shared grid. Teams try to identify all of their agents first while avoiding neutral words, the opposing team’s agents, and especially the assassin. It is fast, accessible, and heavily driven by clever clueing, shared associations, and table talk.

Designed by

1

Vlaada Chvátil

Artwork by

1

Tomáš Kučerovský

Media highlights

12 pieces of coverage
All outlets
Codenames: Critical Role Adventures Playthru 41:16
Video · Tantrum House Codenames: Critical Role Adventures Playthru

Join us LIVE as we enter the world of Exandria and take on Codenames: Critical Role Adventures! In this fully cooperative take on Codenames, one GM leads the party through perilo…

Sep 18, 2026