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Codenames Online

Team-based word association game — give one-word clues to reach your agents

20-40 min👥 4-16Medium📱 Mobile-friendly🌐 Plays in browser
🎮 Play Codenames Online Now

Opens in a new tab · No downloads required

Our Verdict

The smartest party word game available free in a browser. The Spymaster role rewards lateral thinking, while guessers reward confident teamwork — it plays differently every session.

What We Like

  • Spymaster clue-giving creates genuinely clever puzzle moments that players discuss after the game
  • Single-word clue constraint makes it accessible to non-native English speakers
  • Free, no account required, and works in any browser with a shareable link
  • Duet cooperative variant allows satisfying 2-player play without competing teams

Watch Out For

  • Games stall if Spymasters overthink clue selection, pushing sessions past 40 minutes
  • The Assassin mechanic makes aggressive guessing risky, which can frustrate competitive players
  • No built-in voice chat — a separate call is required for remote play

How to Play Codenames Online

  1. 1Divide into two teams (Red and Blue) and each team picks one player as Spymaster
  2. 2Both Spymasters look at the secret key card showing which grid words belong to each team
  3. 3The active Spymaster says one word and one number — the word links multiple agents, the number says how many to guess
  4. 4Team members discuss and tap grid words they think the clue connects to
  5. 5Touching the Assassin word ends the game immediately as a loss for that team
  6. 6First team to correctly uncover all their agents wins

Controls

mouse
Click grid words to guess; Spymaster interface is on a separate URL to keep the key card hidden
touch
Tap grid words to select on mobile

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many players do you need for Codenames?

The minimum is 4 players (2 per team, each with a Spymaster). codenames.game supports up to 16 players. The game also has a Duet mode for 2 players working cooperatively against a shared board.

What happens if you guess wrong in Codenames?

Guessing wrong ends your team's turn immediately. If you hit a neutral word, it is revealed and play passes to the other team. If you hit an opponent's word, it counts for them — a costly mistake that can win them the game. Hitting the Assassin word is an instant loss.

Is codenames.game the official version?

codenames.game is the widely used free browser adaptation — it is not published by Czech Games Edition, but it faithfully replicates the board game rules and is the de facto standard for online play.

Game Details

Developer
Vladimír Chvátal / codenames.game
Released
2015
Players
4-16
Session
session
Difficulty
Medium
Mobile
Yes
Embeddable
Yes