Games Like Codenames: Word Party Games to Play Next, Online and at the Table
By The Rondovo team · Published · Updated · 11 min read
The best games like Codenames are Decrypto (team clue giving with a code to crack), Just One (cooperative one word clues), Wavelength (clues for a spot on a scale) and Taboo (describe a word without the obvious words). If you want Codenames itself for free, the official Codenames Online at codenames.game runs in a browser and costs nothing. For a group in one room, word party games like Spy Grid, Hush and Mindline on Rondovo play the same kind of round on everyone's own screen, free.
In short
- Closest feel to Codenames: Decrypto. Same tension of hinting to your team while the other team listens.
- Best for 3 players or a friendly table: Just One or So Clover!, both cooperative.
- Best for big, loud groups: Wavelength or Taboo style games, which seat a dozen people easily.
- Free Codenames online: yes, Codenames Online from Czech Games Edition, the publisher. It also includes the two player Duet mode.
- Two players? Codenames Duet, or a head to head word race.
How Codenames plays (in two minutes)
Codenames was designed by Vlaada Chvátil, published by Czech Games Edition in 2015 and won the Spiel des Jahres in 2016. The box says 4 to 8 or more players, ages 10 and up, about 15 minutes a game.
Twenty five word cards are laid out in a 5 by 5 grid. Two teams each have a spymaster, who sees a secret key card showing which words belong to which team. The starting team has 9 words, the other team 8. Seven words are innocent bystanders and one is the assassin.
On your team's turn, the spymaster says one word and one number, like "ocean, 2". Teammates talk it over and touch words. A correct word lets them keep going, up to one more guess than the number. A bystander or an opponent's word ends the turn. Touching the assassin loses the game on the spot. The first team to find all its words wins.
That's the whole game, and it's why it lasts: one clue, a room full of people reading it differently.
Is there a free version of Codenames online?
Yes. Codenames Online at codenames.game is the official browser version from Czech Games Edition, and it's free. You type a nickname, create a room, set your options and share the room link. According to the publisher's own comparison of the app and the online version, it takes up to 64 players per session, includes Codenames Duet, supports custom words and is available in the 45 languages the board game is printed in.
Two things to know:
- There's no voice or video built in. For remote games you run Zoom, Discord or a call alongside it.
- The official app is a different thing. The Codenames app on iOS and Android is a one-off purchase, built for turn based play over hours or days, with new modes and daily puzzles. Czech Games Edition also announced in February 2026 that Codenames is available as a Discord Activity.
So if your only question was "can we play Codenames free tonight?", the answer is codenames.game. The rest of this page is for when you want something different.
Games like Codenames, compared
Player counts are the ranges printed on the standard boxes as of October 2026.
| Game | How it plays | Players | Co-op or teams | Free online? | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codenames | One word clue plus a number, 5 by 5 grid | 4 to 8+ | Two teams | Yes, codenames.game | You want the original |
| Codenames Duet | Same idea, both players are spymasters for each other | 2 (or more) | Co-op | Yes, inside Codenames Online | There are only two of you |
| Decrypto | Hint at a three digit code using your team's four secret words, without the other team cracking it | 3 to 8 | Two teams | On Board Game Arena | You like Codenames' "they're listening" tension |
| Just One | Everyone writes a one word clue for a guesser; matching clues cancel out | 3 to 7 | Co-op | On Board Game Arena | You want no losers and fast turns |
| Wavelength | One player clues a hidden spot on a scale like "cold to hot", the team places a dial | 2 to 12 | Teams or co-op | Official app (check your store) | Your group loves arguing about opinions |
| So Clover! | Each player writes clues linking pairs of words, then the table rebuilds their board | 3 to 6 | Co-op | No official free version | You like a quieter, puzzly table |
| Taboo | Describe a word without saying the forbidden words on its card, against a timer | 4+ | Two teams | No official free version | Fast, loud and easy to learn |
| The Chameleon | Everyone but one knows the secret word; give a one word hint, then find the faker | 3 to 8 | Hidden role | No official free version | You want bluffing with your words |
| Spyfall | Everyone but the spy knows the location; ask questions, find the spy | 3 to 8 (Spyfall 2: up to 12) | Hidden role | No official free version | You want questions instead of clues |
Decrypto is the deepest, but the first game takes a round or two to click, and it's at its best with 6 or 8. Just One is the easiest to teach to anyone, including grandparents. Wavelength is less about vocabulary and more about how your friends think, which some groups love and others find too vague. Taboo is the one everyone already knows.
Word party games online, free, for one room
If you want the Codenames style of play in a living room without dealing cards, a browser game where everyone uses their own screen works well. Here's where Rondovo's word games fit, and what they're like next to the tabletop names above. They're free, guests don't sign up, and you can put the board on a TV or skip the TV: on a video call, everyone picks "Just this screen" and sees the grid on their own device, so nobody has to share their screen. Rondovo has no built-in voice, so keep your call running.
Spy Grid (closest to Codenames)
Spy Grid is our take on the two team grid game. Two handlers privately see which of the 25 words belong to which team on their own screens. The first team has 9 words, the other 8, there are 7 neutral words and 1 trap word that loses the game. Handlers give a one word clue and a number, teammates tap words on their screens, and you get one more guess than the number. A clue of zero gives unlimited guesses that turn.
What's different from Codenames Online: Spy Grid is built for a group in the same room, with the grid on a shared TV and each person tapping on their own device. It has optional timers (two minutes for the handler, 90 seconds for guessing by default) and computer players if you're short of people. Codenames Online is better for big remote groups, offers 45 languages and includes Duet. Spy Grid plays 4 to 16 and is English only.
Hush (like Taboo)
Hush is the describe it game. The clue giver sees a word and six forbidden words, teammates shout guesses, and the other team watches the forbidden list on their screens and buzzes if you slip. A correct guess is a point, a buzz costs a point, and skipping costs one unless the host turns that off. Turns run 60 seconds by default. It plays 4 to 16, which is more than most boxes of cards cope with. For the card game's rules and house rules, see how to play Taboo.
Mindline (like Wavelength)
Mindline puts a hidden target on a line between two extremes, say Freezing and Scorching, and only the clue giver can see it. If the target is 78, you might write "fresh pizza". Everyone else slides a guess on their own screen, and scores drop the further you land: 10 for exact, 9 if you're within 5, 8 within 10, and so on. The clue giver scores the room's average, so a clear clue pays better than a clever one. It plays 2 to 16. More spectrum games are in Wavelength online.
Odd One Out (like The Chameleon, with a twist)
In Odd One Out most players get the same secret word, but one player gets a related word instead, and nobody is told which they have. You trade typed hints for two laps, then vote. The twist compared with The Chameleon or Spyfall is that the odd player may not even know they're odd. It plays 4 to 12.
Five Letters and Speed Wits (when you want a race)
Not every word night needs teams. Five Letters is a Wordle style race where everyone solves the same word on their own screen and the TV shows only colours, so nobody can copy. Speed Wits is a rebus race: a phrase built out of letters on the TV, and the faster correct answer scores more. Both seat up to 16.
Clue giving tips that actually help
Most Codenames advice says "link two or three words". That's true, but it skips the part that wins games. These are the habits that separate steady clue givers from lucky ones, and they work the same in Spy Grid.
Read the danger before the reward
Before you look for a clue, look at the trap word and the other team's words. Say them in your head. A clue that ties three of yours together is worthless if it also brushes the assassin.
Here's an example. Your words include ORANGE, MOON and WHEEL. The other team has BALL, and the assassin is SUN. "Round, 3" looks brilliant until you notice it fits BALL and SUN at least as well. "Juice, 1" for ORANGE and "Spoke, 1" for WHEEL next turn are slower, and they don't hand the other team the game.
A safe 2 beats a shaky 4
Big clues are exciting and often end with a bystander on the third guess. Steady teams give clean twos and let the extra guess pick up a word they missed earlier.
Clue in your team's language
The best clue is the one your guessers will get, not the one that's technically correct. If your friends all watched the same show, use it. If one of them is a nurse and another a football fan, a clue only one of them reads correctly splits the table. Aim at the person who'll speak first.
Save the plus one
The extra guess is there so you can collect a word your team missed on an earlier clue. If you clued "Arctic, 2" last turn and they got one, this turn's clue can point at a new pair while your team quietly picks up the leftover.
Use zero on purpose
A clue of zero says "none of ours relate to this", which is a warning: "Desert, 0" tells your team to stay away from CAMEL and SAND. In Codenames and in Spy Grid a zero also gives unlimited guesses, which is useful late in the game when your team knows which words are left.
Late in the game, gamble if you're behind
If the other team needs one word and you need four, a cautious two won't save you. That's the moment for the ambitious clue.
For guessers: talk before you touch
Say your reasoning out loud, start with the word you're surest of, and stop when the table goes quiet. Most assassin hits happen on the guess somebody wasn't sure about but touched anyway.
Group size advice
2 players. Codenames Duet (free in Codenames Online) is the obvious pick. Our Five Letters works head to head too (see Wordle with friends), and so does Bookends, a two player race to find a word between two letters.
3 players. Team games strain at three. Choose a cooperative one: Just One, So Clover! or Wavelength in co-op mode. Mindline plays well at three because everyone takes a turn giving the clue.
4 to 8 players. The sweet spot for Codenames, Decrypto and Spy Grid. Four is two per team, which works but means each guesser carries a lot. Six to eight is ideal.
9 to 16 players. Grid games still work, but ten guessers crowding one board means the quiet ones never get a say. Rotate handlers every game, put a timer on guessing, or switch to games that use everyone at once: Hush, Mindline and Five Letters all take 16 on Rondovo. For more ideas at that size, see party games for large groups, or browse every style in our party games guide.
House rules worth trying
- Rotate the spymaster every game so nobody ends up only guessing.
- Use a timer for spymasters if one person takes three minutes per clue. Two minutes is plenty.
- No rhymes and no spelling clues. Codenames' rules ask for clues about meaning, not letters or positions. Agree on the edge cases before the first clue.
- Theme night. Codenames Online lets you add custom words: put in your group's in-jokes, places you've been, or names from a show you all watch.
Questions people ask
What is the closest game to Codenames?
Decrypto. It keeps the team clue giving and the risk of the other side reading your hints, but swaps the grid for a secret code. Codenames' own spin-offs, like Codenames Duet and Codenames Pictures, are closer still if you just want more of the same.
Can you play Codenames online for free?
Yes. The official Codenames Online at codenames.game is free in a browser, needs only a nickname, and you share a room link with friends. The separate Codenames app is a paid, one-off purchase.
Is there a 2 player version of Codenames?
Codenames Duet is the official two player version, and it's included in Codenames Online. Both players act as spymaster for each other and work together.
What game is like Taboo online?
Hush on Rondovo plays the same way, with six forbidden words and a buzzer for the other team, free in a browser. Taboo itself (from Hasbro) is a card game for 4 or more players aged 13 and up.
What is a game like Wavelength?
Mindline on Rondovo is a free browser take on the spectrum idea. Wavelength also has an official app, and the box game plays 2 to 12.
Can you play Codenames style games on a TV?
Yes. Codenames Online works in any browser, so a laptop on HDMI does it. Spy Grid is built for it: the grid sits on the TV and the handlers' keys stay on their own screens. Our guide to games to play on TV without a console covers every setup.
How many people can play Codenames?
The box says 4 to 8 or more. Codenames Online allows up to 64 in a session, though more than about ten per team gets crowded around a single board.
If you've got four or more people and a free evening, start a Spy Grid room and try the "read the danger first" habit on the first clue.
Codenames, Codenames Duet, Codenames Pictures, Czech Games Edition, Decrypto, Just One, Board Game Arena, Wavelength, So Clover!, Taboo, Hasbro, The Chameleon, Spyfall, Spiel des Jahres, Wordle, Zoom and Discord are trademarks of their owners. Rondovo is not affiliated with them.