Codenames has grown into a family of games. Some are new ways to play, some are the same game in a new box, and some are expansion packs for the one you already own. This lesson sorts them out, starting with the base game at different player counts.
How does the base game change by player count?
The base game is for 4 to 8 or more players: two teams, each with a spymaster and at least one operative.
- Four players: one operative per team. A lone operative may think out loud, which the rulebook allows. The game is quick and very personal: one spymaster, one reader.
- Six to eight: the sweet spot for many groups. Two or three operatives a side means enough voices to catch a bad guess, and not so many that quiet players disappear.
- More than eight: it works, but debates get long and some players drift out. A second copy and two games side by side often beat one huge game. Our guide to party games for large groups has more options.
Earlier printings of the rulebook included variants for two and three players: one team plays together against a team with no players, and the spymaster covers one enemy word on each of the absent team’s turns. The current rulebook drops these and points two-player tables to Duet.
Codenames: Duet
Codenames: Duet is the cooperative version, built for two and playable by more. Each player sees one side of a shared key, and partners take turns giving clues. Together you try to find 15 agents within 9 turns, extendable to 11 for newer teams, without touching one of the assassins. Each side of the key has 9 agents and 3 assassins.
Its 400 words can be mixed with the original’s. A new edition came out in 2025. If you play mostly as a couple or with one friend, this is the box to buy, and Level 3 has a Duet strategy lesson for when it gets hard. Our list of two-player cooperative games has more in that vein.
Codenames: Pictures
Codenames: Pictures swaps the words for picture cards, each packed with small details. The grid is 20 cards instead of 25, and the clues are still one word and a number. It plays 4 to 8 or more. It suits younger players, mixed language groups, and anyone who thinks in images.
Codenames XXL
Codenames XXL is the same game with larger word cards and bigger print. A refreshed edition came out in late 2025 with a revised word list. It helps at a wide table, in a classroom, or with players whose eyes prefer bigger type.
Expansion packs
In 2026, Czech Games Edition added small expansion packs. Sci-Fi and Fairy Tales each add 50 themed words, plus a few new agent tiles, for Codenames or Duet. Mix them into your deck, or play a whole game from one pack. Cute Critters adds 40 pictures for Codenames: Pictures.
Themed editions
Codenames: Back to Hogwarts is a competitive, house against house version set in the Wizarding World, for 4 to 8 or more. It adds new obstacles on the grid, special house abilities, and a House Cup you can track across sessions.
Codenames: Critical Role Adventures is a fully cooperative take with heroes who level up. It was announced for the third quarter of 2026.
Over the years there have also been licensed editions from other publishers, built on other franchises. They play like the base game with themed words or pictures.
House rules worth agreeing on
The rulebook leaves several choices to each group. Settle them before the first clue:
- Names and titles. One-word names are always valid. Your group can allow full names and titles too.
- Abbreviations. Your group can allow common ones, like NASA.
- Soundalikes. Traditional rules allow them only for meaning. The Codenames app allows all soundalikes, and your group can choose to play that way.
- Expert clues. Unlimited and zero clues, covered in the endgame lesson and in expert clues.
- A timer. The rulebook points to a free phone app, Codenames Companion, with timers and randomized keys.
A good house rule makes the game more fun for this table. If it starts arguments, drop it.
How to choose
- Two players: Duet.
- Kids or mixed languages: Pictures.
- A big room or bigger print: XXL.
- A group that has played the base game to death: an expansion pack, or Duet’s 400 words mixed in.
- A fan table: a themed edition.
Our article on Codenames vs Decrypto covers what to try when your group wants a harder word game altogether.
Next lesson
Kinds of Codenames Clues: Links Your Team Will Read
Level 2 begins with the spymaster's toolbox: the kinds of links a clue can use, and which ones your team will read the way you meant.
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Unofficial. Not affiliated with Czech Games Edition. Codenames is a trademark of Czech Games Edition.