Codenames Game Review : Word Clue, Team-Based, Party Game!

The Codenames game is a word-based board game for 2 to 8+ players . The object of the game is to be the first team of field agents to find all of your agents who are hidden in a grid of codename cards.

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If you like this review you may also be interested in our review of 5 Second Rule Spintensity, Just One, Life Hacks and Dumb Criminals.

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Game Overview

The object of the game is to be the first team to discover all 25 of your agents identities before the other team. Agents names are discovered by SpyMasters taking it in turns to give ‘one-word’ clues to help their team locate their agents. The word clue can relate to more than one codename. In amongst the codenames, there are also innocent ‘Bystanders‘ and a deadly ‘Assassin‘. Pick a bystander and your teams turn ends. Pick an opposition Agent and you help the opposite team, plus your turn ends! Pick the Assasin, the game ends, and your team loses straight away!

The first team to find all their Agents wins!

Whats in The codenames Game Box

The codenames game contents include;

• 200 double-sided codename cards (400 codenames in total)
• 8 blue agent cards
• 8 red agent cards
• 1 double agent card
• 7 innocent bystander cards
• 1 assassin card
• 40 key cards
• 1 card stand
• 1 timer
• 1 rule book

The key cards and codename cards are made out of thin card and the agent, assassin and innocent bystander cards are made of thick board card.

Codenames Game Setup

Players split into two teams (blue and red) and each team selects a SpyMaster with everyone else on the team becoming a Field Operative. Both SpyMasters sit next to each other at the opposite end of the table to the Field Operatives.

A grid of 5 x 5 codename cards (25 in total) is laid out on the table in between the SpyMasters and Field Agents.

One Key Card is selected and placed in the card stand facing the SpyMasters. Be careful not to show the Field Operatives! The key card reveals the secret identities of each team’s agents. It can be any way up but once in place it can’t be moved. The coloured lights around the edge of the card decide which team goes first.

The red agent cards are stacked in front of the red SpyMaster. The blue agent cards stacked in front of the blue SpyMaster and the innocent bystander cards and assassin card are placed in between. The Double Agent card is flipped over to the correct colour and given to whichever team is starting the game.

Finally, there is a timer. This can be used to hurry along a team who are taking too long to decide so place that near the SpyMasters.

How To Play Codenames

On their turn the SpyMaster uses the keycard to locate their teams agents. They SpyMaster gives a one-word clue followed by a number. The number represents the number of agents that the one-word clue can help the team locate e.g river 3. This clue would indicate there are three agents that relate to the word river. The field operatives then try to work out which of the codenames in the 5×5 grid could be theirs. The SpyMaster must keep a straight face at all times.

The field operative indicates their choice by touching their chosen card. If the card selected does belong to their team the SpyMaster cover it with an agent card. And the team can choose another codename. Teams are allowed to have as many guesses as indicated by the number in the clue PLUS one extra. So with the clue river 3, the team can guess 4 agents. Field agents must always make at least one guess per turn, but they don’t have to use up all their guess allowance if they don’t want to, and may pass on to the other team after one guess. If they guess incorrectly their turn ends.

• If an innocent bystander is selected the team’s turn ends and the SpyMaster covers the codename with an innocent bystander card.

• If a codename belonging to the other team is selected the team’s turn ends and the SpyMaster covers the codename with a card belonging to the other team.

• If the Assassin is selected the codename is covered by the assassin card and the game ends with the other team being victorious!

The game has firm rules and flexible rules (decided by the players before the game starts) that restrict the relationship between the word clue and the codenames… for example the number you say after your clue word can’t be part of the clue. All these rules are explained clearly in the rulebook.

There are also game variations that allow two and three players to play the game!

What Did We Think Of The Codenames Game?

It’s a clever game, simple to understand, but not as easy as it sounds… depending on who’s on your team, and how well you understand each other. Your clue can help your team find more than one Agent but you can also end up helping the other team as they can work out who isn’t their agent!

Aged 10+, it’s a great game that takes around 15 minutes per round, depending on who you’re playing with. It’s brilliant for getting players to think about the connections between words. And I like that there are flexible rules surrounding the word clues that players can decide whether to use or not. The more you play, the more you understand how you can manipulate the other team whilst helping your own!

My top tip to make sure there was no cheating, and to add a bit of fun, is to make the SpyMasters wear dark sunglasses.