How to Play Codenames in 3 Minutes (Rules + Video)

Two teams, 25 words, one assassin. Here's the whole game: setup, turns, winning and the rule questions that start arguments.

Disclosure: No samples were provided, and no company paid for this page. The rules below are paraphrased from the publisher's official rulebook (sources at the bottom). As an Amazon Associate, TDmonthly earns from qualifying purchases.

Players: 4-8+  |  Ages: 10+  |  Play time: 15 min

Source: Czech Games Edition (CGE) fact sheet for the new edition. Amazon's listing (Oct. 20, 2026) shows ages 14+ and no play time.

What's in the box

• 200 double-sided word cards (400 codenames)
• 40 key cards and 1 card stand
• 16 agent tiles (8 red, 8 blue)
• 1 double agent tile (red on one side, blue on the other)
• 7 innocent bystander tiles and 1 assassin tile
• 1 rulebook

Setup

1. Make 2 teams of about the same size, with at least 2 players on each.
2. Pick a spymaster for each team. Everyone else is an operative. Both spymasters sit on the same side of the table, facing their teams.
3. Deal 25 random word cards face up in a 5 x 5 grid.
4. Spymasters draw a random key card and slide it into the stand between them. Either side can face up. Only spymasters may look at it.
5. Hand out tiles: 8 red tiles to the red spymaster, 8 blue to the blue spymaster, and the bystanders and assassin go in between.
6. Find the starting team. The triangles on the key card's edge show who goes first. That team has one extra word to find, so they also get the double agent tile, flipped to their color.

How a turn works

1. The spymaster gives one clue: one word plus one number. Example from the rulebook: if ROOT and BARK are your words, say "tree: 2".
2. Operatives talk it over, then guess by touching a card. The spymaster covers it with the tile matching the key.
3. Your color? You may guess again. That's another guess, not another clue.
4. Bystander or the other team's word? Your turn ends. If it was their word, you just helped them.
5. The assassin? Your team loses immediately.

You must make at least one guess, and you can stop whenever you like. If you keep guessing right, you can make up to the clue's number plus one guesses (the "plus one" rule). That extra guess is for picking up a word you missed on an earlier clue.

How you win

Your team wins when all your words are covered. That includes when the other team accidentally guesses your last word for you. You also win if the other team turns over the assassin.

Video: How to Play Codenames in 3 Minutes, The Rules Girl. This video shows the original (2015) edition. CGE says the new edition revises the word list, art, insert and rulebook, so the components look different. If any detail differs, the 2025 rulebook summarized above wins.

Common questions

Can the clue be more than one word?
No. The clue is one word and one number. One-word names are always fine. Your group can agree to allow abbreviations like NASA, full names or titles, and two-word clues like "alarm clock" need the other spymaster's OK.

How many guesses do operatives get?
At least one, and up to the clue's number plus one, as long as every guess is your own color. A wrong guess ends the turn right away, and you can always stop early.

Can I say a word that's on the table?
Not until that card is covered. That includes other forms of the word (break, broken) and parts of compound words (horse or shoe for HORSESHOE). Clues must be about meaning, not spelling, letters or where a card sits.

What happens if a spymaster gives an invalid clue?
The team's turn ends with no guesses, and the other spymaster may cover one of their own team's words. The other team can choose to let it slide, and a mistake nobody noticed at the time counts as valid.

What if we guess the other team's word?
Your turn ends and the word counts for them. If it was their last one, they win.

Parent Reality Check

• The box age doesn't match. CGE says 10+ and Amazon says 14+. Younger kids can usually join as guessers. Being spymaster is the hard job, and the rulebook itself warns the first clue can take a couple of minutes.
• You need 4 people. That's two teams of at least two players. For two players, CGE makes a separate cooperative game, Codenames Duet.
• Poker faces are a rule. Spymasters aren't allowed to react while their team debates. Anyone with a parent who sighs loudly knows how hard that is.
• Every guesser needs to read. Pre-readers can still team up with an adult and do the card-touching.

Codenames (2nd Edition): Pros

• 4 to 8+ players, about 15 minutes, per CGE
• Team play means nobody waits out a turn
• The rulebook covers clue disputes: borderline clues need the other spymaster's OK
• 400 codenames on 200 double-sided cards, plus 40 key cards, so plenty of replay

Codenames (2nd Edition): Cons

• Needs at least 4 players (two teams of two)
• Ages don't match: CGE says 10+, Amazon says 14+
• The spymaster job is hard. The rulebook warns the first clue can take a couple of minutes
• Every guesser needs to read the words

Codenames Duet (mentioned above): Pros

• Cooperative, for 2 or more players, per CGE
• About 15 minutes, ages 11+ (CGE fact sheet)

Codenames Duet (mentioned above): Cons

• A separate purchase, and we found no verified Amazon US listing
• Cooperative only, so there's no team-vs-team rivalry

Codenames original 2015 edition (shown in the video): Pros

• Same core game, so the video and these rules still apply
• Already own it? No need to buy it again

Codenames original 2015 edition (shown in the video): Cons

• CGE's 2025 edition revises the word list, art, insert and rulebook
• Pieces in the video won't match the new box

Check Codenames (2nd Edition) price on Amazon

Shopping for more family games? See TDmonthly's 8 best family board games for holiday 2026, each with a how-to-play video.

Source: CGE Codenames rulebook (PDF) ; CGE Codenames fact sheet ; Amazon listing

Rules are paraphrased from the official 2025 English rulebook. Box contents, players, ages and play time come from CGE's fact sheet. The Amazon listing was checked Oct. 20, 2026. The video belongs to its creator and is embedded via YouTube.

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Sources:

• Czech Games Edition: Codenames rulebook (PDF)
• Czech Games Edition: Codenames fact sheet
• Czech Games Edition: Codenames Duet fact sheet
• The Rules Girl: How to Play Codenames in 3 Minutes