Codenames Review: The Party Game Everyone Already Knows

Codenames is the rare party game that doesn't need an introduction—and that might be its greatest strength. When half the table already knows how to play, you skip the least fun part of board gaming entirely.

What Is This Game?

Codenames is a team-based word game where two rival spymasters are trying to get their teammates to identify secret agents using one-word clues. Twenty-five word cards are laid out in a grid, and only the spymasters know which cards belong to which team—plus which card is the assassin that instantly loses the game if selected.

On your turn as spymaster, you give a single word and a number. The word is your clue; the number tells your team how many cards on the board relate to that clue. Your teammates then start guessing, hoping to find your agents without accidentally picking the other team's agents, innocent bystanders, or the dreaded assassin. First team to identify all their agents wins.

The game works best at six players—three per team—so the teams are even and you get to be the spymaster every third round. Being the clue-giver is the most engaging role, so smaller teams mean more time in the hot seat.

What Works

The biggest thing Codenames has going for it is sheer ubiquity. This game is a phenomenon. Even people who don't play board games have often heard of it, and many have already played it at some point. That matters more than you might think. For me, explaining rules is the least enjoyable part of board gaming, and for most people, sitting through a teach is boring—sometimes boring enough that you lose them before the game even starts. Codenames sidesteps that entirely. You can pull it out at a family gathering or a party and odds are good that most people already know what to do.

The gameplay itself is genuinely fun. There's real satisfaction in crafting a clever clue that links multiple words, and the tension when your teammates are debating whether to push their luck for one more guess keeps everyone engaged. It's earned its popularity.

What Doesn't

Codenames has an analysis paralysis problem, and it's baked into the design. There are twenty-five cards on the table. As spymaster, you need to find connections between your team's words while making absolutely sure your clue doesn't accidentally point to an opponent's word, a bystander, or the assassin. That's a lot of cross-checking. The game can grind to a halt while the spymaster sits there, visibly stressed, muttering "sorry, sorry, almost there" while everyone else waits.

I'm guilty of this myself. And honestly, the time is necessary—you really do need to triple-check your clue against all twenty-five cards. But that doesn't make it any less tedious for the people watching. It's a structural issue that no amount of house rules can fully fix.

There are also other word games I'd reach for first depending on the group. For non-gamers, I prefer So Clover!—it's even easier to teach and avoids the spymaster bottleneck. For groups that can handle a bit more complexity, Decrypto offers deeper strategy and better pacing. Codenames lands in the middle, which is fine, but it means it's rarely my first choice.

Replayability

Replayability is solid. The word cards shuffle differently every game, and the grid layout changes the connections you can make. More importantly, people are willing to play it because they've played it before. There's no friction—no one groans when you suggest Codenames because they don't want to learn something new. That social replayability counts for a lot.

Who Should Play This

Codenames is ideal for mixed groups where you want something everyone can jump into without a rules explanation. It's a safe pick for parties, holidays, and casual get-togethers. If your crowd already knows it, that familiarity has real value.

If you're looking for alternatives: So Clover! is my pick for groups that want something even simpler with less downtime. Decrypto is my pick for groups that want more strategic depth. Codenames is the middle ground—broadly accessible, widely known, and fun enough to keep coming back to.

Final Verdict

Codenames is a modern classic for good reason. It's fun, it's accessible, and half the world already knows how to play. The analysis paralysis can drag, but that's a trade-off for a game you can bring to almost any group without a lengthy teach. It's not my favorite word game, but it's earned its place on the shelf.