Top 25 · #1 of 29 in Party
Codenames
A word-association party game where you listen to your spymaster's one-word clue and race to find your team's agent words among the 25 word cards laid out in a 5x5 grid. It won the Spiel des Jahres in 2016 and is the benchmark party game proven around the world.
Rules
1. Setup
Lay out 25 word cards in a 5x5 grid. The team that goes first has 9 agent words, the other team has 8, another 7 are innocent bystanders (neutral), and 1 is the assassin. Only the 2 spymasters get to see the key card that shows this layout.
2. Turn flow
The spymaster calls out 1 word related to their team's words together with a number (for example, "Animal: 2"). The clue word cannot be one of the words on the board, and the team members then touch the cards they judge to match the clue, one at a time.
3. Key rules
You can touch as many cards as the number your spymaster called (plus one more), and as long as you keep hitting your team's words you keep going. Touching an innocent bystander ends your turn immediately, and touching one of the other team's words actually helps them along.
4. End condition
The first team to find all of its own agent words wins, and touching the assassin card makes that team lose on the spot.
Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules.
💡 Master tip
Even with a low number, giving a clue you are sure of is better for managing risk; a vague association tends to backfire. Spymasters should be especially careful with clues that could be confused with the assassin word.
Ready for something heavier
If this one has gotten too easy, try these — same feel, one step up in weight.
Tools you can request
Not built yet. Let us know if you want one — it goes on the list.
Digital key card generator
A 5x5 key on screen instead of the paper key card
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