Codenames

Codenames is the best party game for groups who want to think, and it is the one we have watched turn a quiet room loud. The whole thing runs on the gap between what a clue means to you and what it means to the people waiting on you to say something clever. We gave it 5/5 Pandas and 4/5 Bamboo. Everything we have written about it is collected here.

If you are deciding whether to buy it, the review covers what to expect and where it falls short. Read how many players you actually need before you plan the night around it, because the box says 2 to 8+ and the honest answer is different. That post ranks every count and names the one that works best.

If your clues keep dying on the table, our Spymaster tips are about giving clues your team can crack, which turns out to be a different skill from being clever. And if you are standing in a shop holding two boxes, Codenames vs Codenames Duet explains how different the two really are and whether your group has any reason to own both.