How to Play

Codenames: Duet

2-2 players 15-30 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

In Codenames Duet, partners cooperatively give one-word clues to help each other identify secret agents from a 5×5 grid of word cards. Each player sees different color-coded information about which cards represent agents versus dangerous assassins. Players alternate giving clues and making guesses, continuing until they successfully reveal all fifteen agents without accidentally selecting an assassin, which causes immediate defeat.

Published 2017

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Sit opposite your partner

You are both on the same team, but must sit on opposite sides so each sees a different side of the key card

Lay out 25 random words

Mix up the word cards, choose 25 at random, and arrange them in a 5×5 grid

Draw a random key card

Hold the deck upright, take a card from the middle, and place it in the stand with arrows on top and bottom edges

Position the key card

Place the key beside the words so each player sees only their own side

Keep 15 agent tiles within reach

Both players use green tiles to mark contacted agents, so keep them in the middle of the table

Place the assassin tile nearby

If you need this tile, you have lost the game

Use 9 timer tokens

Place timer tokens beside the grid to track how many turns remain

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Understand the key card

Your side shows what happens when your partner guesses a word (green = agent, tan = bystander, black = assassin)

Find a good clue

Look at the key card and try to find two or more green words that can be linked with a single clue

Give one clue

Your clue must be exactly 1 word and 1 number, where the word relates to target words and the number indicates how many words it relates to

Wait for guesses

After giving a clue, wait patiently without reacting while your partner thinks aloud and touches cards to indicate guesses

Mark correct guesses

If your partner guesses a word you see as green, cover it with a green agent tile facing your partner, and they may guess again

Handle bystanders

If your partner guesses an innocent bystander, take one timer token and place it on the card facing your partner, ending the turn

End turn voluntarily

The guesser can end their turn by taking a timer token and placing it face down on their side, after making at least one guess

Switch roles

After the guesser ends the turn, they become the clue-giver for the next turn

Guess previous clues

In addition to current clues, the guesser may also guess words from previous turns with no limit on guesses

Use zero clues

Give a clue like "tree: 0" to tell your partner not to guess words related to that concept

Pass if needed

You can say "Pass" to give no more clues, making your partner the clue-giver for all remaining turns

Limit communication

Do not give away information about your side of the key card or tell your partner how many words are left to guess

Winning

How to claim victory.

Win by finding all 15 agents

Once all green words from both sides of the key have been guessed, both players win the game

Lose by meeting an assassin

If either player guesses a word the other player sees as black, both players instantly lose

Enter sudden death

If you run out of timer tokens with words still unguessed, no more clues are given and both players make final guesses one at a time

Lose in sudden death

Any wrong guess during sudden death ends the game in a loss, even if it was just an innocent bystander

Announce completion

When all 9 green words on your side are covered by agent tiles, say so; your partner gives all remaining clues

Calculate optional score

Tokens used as bystanders earn 0 points each, tokens taken to end turns earn 1 point each, unused tokens earn 3 points each, and needing sudden death costs −1 point