Codenames

Top Secret Word Game

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Add the game Codenames to your collection!

Goal

Find your team's words before the other team finds their's

Number of Players

4+ Players Split into 2 Teams

Time to Play

15 to 30 minutes

Rapid Rules

Setup

  1. Shuffle the word cards and build a 5 x 5 grid

General Play

  1. Each team (red and blue) chooses a spymaster who sit together across from other players
  2. The spymasters choose one key card that only they can see
  3. The starting team indicated by the lights on the key card goes first
  4. The team gives their a clue of one word and one number
    • E.g. Plant: 2 for GRASS and FLOWER
  5. The team guesses by touching a card on the table
    • If they guess one of their words correctly the spymaster covers it with an agent card and the team can continue guessing
    • If they guess an innocent bystander or opposing team's word the spymaster covers it with an innocent bystander card or opposing team's agent card
    • If they guess the assassin that team loses
  6. Teams take turns repeating steps 4-5 until all of one team's words are guessed or an assassin is found

Winning and Losing