Two spy teams compete to contact all their agents first. Your Spymaster gives one-word clues linking multiple codenames on the grid — but guess wrong and you might hand the game to your rivals, or hit the assassin and lose instantly.
Our full review: Codenames Review
Setup
How a Turn Works
Win and Lose Conditions
WIN
Contact all your agents
The first team to uncover all their agents on the grid wins the round.
INSTANT LOSS
Hit the assassin
If any team touches the assassin card, that team immediately loses — no matter how many agents remain.
Spymaster Rules
- Give only one word and a number. No gestures, reactions, or bonus hints.
- The clue cannot be a word on the board (or a derivative of one).
- You may not respond to your team’s guesses — stay stone-faced.
Can the Spymaster use proper nouns?
Yes — place names, brand names, and people's names are all valid clues as long as they're not a word currently on the grid.
Can we use the extra guess on a different clue from a previous turn?
Yes — the +1 extra guess can be used on any unresolved word from a previous clue, not just the current one.
What if the Spymaster accidentally reacts to a guess?
House rule it — most groups give a warning on the first accidental reaction. The Spymaster role is legitimately hard.
