Play More Codenames: Game Nights, Online, and Local Play

You can play, teach, give clues, guess, run the race, close out an endgame, use the expert clues, and beat Duet on a tight clock. The last step is the best one: finding more people to play with. Codenames is a game about how people think, and every new table teaches you something.

Host a Codenames night

Codenames is one of the easiest games to build a night around. Games take about 15 minutes, the setup flips over for a rematch, and new players can join between games.

• Play a best of three, and swap spymasters every game. More people get a turn with the key.
• Mix the teams after each set. It keeps one strong pair from dominating, and people get to know each other.
• Have a second game ready for when the group outgrows one table.

Our guides on how to host a game night and large group game nights cover the rest: food, seating, and keeping energy up.

Run a friendly tournament at home

There is no official circuit to qualify for, which makes a home tournament easy to design. A simple format:

1. Form fixed teams of two or three.
2. Each team plays every other team once, swapping spymasters inside the team each game.
3. A win is a point. Ties in the standings go to the head to head game.

Keep the rules of the night on the table: which house rules are on, whether expert clues are allowed, and whether there is a timer. Agree on them before the first game, not during a close one.

Community and organized play

Czech Games Edition does not appear to run an official tournament circuit or world championship for Codenames. Tournaments do happen at the community level. College game clubs and school board game clubs have run Codenames tournaments of their own, some with prize support arranged with the publisher.

If you want a competitive night, the best path is local. Ask your game store, college club, or library whether they would host one.

Play online with friends far away

Czech Games Edition runs a free browser version at codenames.game. One person opens a room and shares the link, and nobody needs a download or an account. Pair it with a video call so you can hear the debate, which is half the fun.

There is also a Codenames app for phones, with asynchronous games against friends or matched opponents (up to 24 hours a turn), and daily solo challenges. CGE has also brought Codenames to Discord as an Activity, for playing inside a server.

Our article on playing board games with long distance friends has more ways to keep a group together across miles.

Use it to bring people together

Codenames works well with people who are still getting to know each other, because every clue shows how someone thinks. That makes it a favorite for work teams, new neighbors, and church or community groups. Our piece on Codenames for team building shows what to watch for, and how to start a play group walks through turning one good night into a regular one.

Finding local play

You do not need a tournament to find a good table.

• Your local game store. Many run open game nights, and a party game like Codenames is easy to start with strangers. Ask the staff.
• Board game cafes. Most keep Codenames on the shelf. Our guide on finding a board game night near you covers how to look.
• Your library or community center. Many host game meetups, and Codenames is a common pick because it teaches in minutes.

If you are near Indianapolis, join the Indianapolis list for first word on local learn-to-play nights as The Ludarium grows.

Keep teaching

The best way to get better at Codenames is to teach it. Every new player asks a question you did not think of, and every new spymaster gives a clue you would never have found. Print the teach sheet and bring it along.

That is the end of the course. You now know how to play, teach, give clues, guess, run the race, count the endgame, use the expert clues, play Duet, and find more people to play with. The game is the reason. The people across the table are the point.