FAQ

I have encountered an issue when playing Codenames Online – can you help me?

Please, contact us at support@czechgames.com and we will do our best to help you. :)
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How is it supposed to work?

It is a gaming table for you and your online friends. It does not find you players to play, neither plays it automatically – it sets up the game for you according to your preferences, lets you invite your friends, and then it allows the joined players to interact with the game. The best is if you and your fellow players gather using your favorite online communication tool, like you would gather around a real table. Then you just send them the link that can be found under the Players button.

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Do I need to know the Codenames rules?

Yes, the site provides a comfortable way to play, but leaves the rules to the players, like if you would be sitting around a real gaming table. You can either read the rules of classic Codenames or Codenames Duet on our website, or watch a short how to play video explaining the classic Codenames.
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Is this version official?

Yes – Codenames Online was developed by the same company that created the original Codenames, Czech Games Edition.
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How do I guess a word?

You need to click on the hand icon in the top right corner of the card to confirm your guess.

When you click anywhere else on the card, you add a tag with your name that shows to your teammates that you consider that word as the right answer.

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How many people do I need to play the game?

Classic Codenames require at least 4 players (two per team). The cooperative variant, Codenames Duet, can be played with at least 2.

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How many friends can I invite to play?

You can have as many as 64 friends in one room.
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How many games can I play in one room?

In one room, one game of Codenames can be played at one moment. After it is finished, you may start a new one (or, you may cancel the game in progress by starting a new one).

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If we don't finish the game in one session, how long will the room last?

The rooms are automatically deleted after 7 days, to keep space on the servers.
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Can I have more than one spymaster/operative on one team?

Yes – same as in the original board game, you can have more than one operative on your team, as well as more than one spymaster.
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Can someone join a game in progress?

Yes, people may freely join or leave during the game. They may even switch teams, or become spymasters if your original one leaves or needs a help. We are trying to reflect the options you would have around a real game table.
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How many languages do you support?

In Codenames Online, we have word cards in about 40 languages. The user interface is currently available in about a dozen different languages, but we are working on adding more.
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I don't see my language when creating a room.

While you can play the game with words from all 40 featured languages, not all of them are yet available for the website interface. When clicking the "Create room" button, you can pick a language for the interface.

In the next step you will be able to pick a language of the words together with the preferred word packs.

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I am missing a language. Can I help you with the translation?

The official translations are done by our distribution partners in various countries and in cooperation with them, we progressively add new translations of the game interface. If you would like to help us with a language that is missing even for the words, please contact us at support@czechgames.com. Thank you very much!
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I am colorblind and I have a problem distinguishing between the cards.

You can switch to a colorblind assistive mode. You'll find it after clicking your nickname in the top right corner. It adds an assistive symbol in the top left corner of the cards.

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Can more people play on the same device?

Yes, but it requires switching screens. When you click your nickname in the top right corner and then click the "Become Spectator" or "Switch to..." button, then you can join in a different role – change a team, switch from a spymaster to an operative, and vice versa. This way, the operators should look elsewhere while the spymaster is typing the clue, so they don't see the grid with colored cards. Once he is ready, he switches to operator and others can look and guess. When they are done with guessing, the operators look elsewhere again and you need to switch to the other team's spymaster and so on.

Also note that when you open the game in more browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc. ) or in a private (incognito) window, you can log in under a different nickname in each of them. Then you can simply switch windows based on who's turn it is.

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Can I play this browser version of Codenames on mobile phones?

Yes, you can!
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Do you plan to add a chat?

No. We recommend playing the game together with your favorite external video chat tool. Codenames Online were developed as a tool to help you play the game with your friends online in these rush times when meeting in person is often not possible. But don't worry, if you are looking for more, we work on an iOS and Android app that will definitely satisfy your needs.
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Is this the final version of Codenames Online?

Codenames Online is still in beta – we are working hard to improve it and will continue supporting and updating this implementation.
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Will you add Codenames Pictures?

We are considering it.
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What is the difference between classic Codenames and Codenames Duet?

In classic Codenames, red and blue teams compete over who will guess all their words first. Each team has a spymaster who gives clues and operatives who try to guess them.
In Codenames Duet, players form two teams as well, but the teams play together against the game. While the teams share the word grid, they each see a different distribution of agents. One team is giving clues to the other and vice versa and they need to find all green agents before they run out of clues.
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