# Codenames: Duet

Codenames: Duet is a board game for 2 players. It plays in 15–30 minutes and is meant for ages 11 and up. It is rated 7.1 out of 10 by 93 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $24.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2
- **Playing time:** 15–30 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 11+
- **Complexity:** 1.4 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2017
- **Categories:** Card Game, Word Game, Spies / Secret Agents, Deduction
- **Mechanics:** Cooperative Game, Memory, Communication Limits
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.1 out of 10, from 93 reviews
- **Owned by:** 285 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 1,193
- **Unique players:** 351

**Designers:** Vlaada Chvátil, Scot Eaton

**Artists:** Tomáš Kučerovský, Dávid Jablonovský, Štěpán Drašťák

**Publishers:** Czech Games Edition

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Miniature Market | 24.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/codenames-duet-second-edition-cge00126.html |
| Cardhaus Games | 24.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/codenames-duet-revised-edition/ |
| Atomic Empire | 24.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/378580 |
| Board Game Bliss | 23.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/codenames-duet-1 |
| eFantasy | 19.99 € | https://www.efantasy.gr/en/products/board-games/397407-board-game-codenames-duet-second-greek-edition |
| Rampi Games | 22.5 € | https://www.rampigames.com/juego-de-mesa/codigo-secreto-duo/ |
| Mathom | 24.3 € | https://mathom.es/es/codigo-secreto/38890-codigo-secreto-duo-8436017228878.html |
| Gamers@Hart | 13 £ | https://gamersathart.co.uk/product/codenames-duet/ |
| Spelexperten | 205 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/festspel/codenames-duet-eng.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 450 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/15150/codenames-duet-2025 |
| Zatu Games | 15.95 £ | https://zatu.com/products/codenames-duet-2025 |
| Good Games | 31.95 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/codenames-duet-2025 |
| World of Board Games | 225 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/codenames-duet-sve |
| Uplay | 19.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-codenames-duet.html |
| El Nucli | 20 € | https://www.elnucli.es/products/codigo-secreto-duo |
| Hyggeonkel | 149.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/codenames-duet-34527 |
| Gameology | 33.45 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/codenames-duet-2025-refresh |
| Reflexshop | 7730 Ft | https://reflexshop.hu/fedonevek-negyszemkozt-parti-tarsasjatek |
| Va de jocs | 22.5 € | https://vadejocs.es/producto/c%ef%bf%bddigo-secreto-d%ef%bf%bdo |
| Spielezar | 21.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/partyspiele/codenames-duet-en |
| TLAMA games | 569 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/kryci-jmena--duet-2025/ |
| Fantasiapelit | 23.8 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_239268 |
| Get Your Fun | 23.99 € | https://www.getyourfun.it/038466-nome-in-codice-duetto-ed-italiana-2025-giochi-per-2-giocatori.html |
| Spilforsyningen | 179.95 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/codenames-duet-eng |
| Zacatrus | 24.29 € | https://zacatrus.es/codigo-secreto-duo.html |
| La Gameria | 24.5 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/codigo-secreto-duo-183.html |
| Cogs Toys and Games | 24.95 € | https://www.cogstoysandgames.ie/products/codenames-duet |
| Game Ninja | 279 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/codenames-duet-en/ |
| Nexus | 3995 kr | https://nexus.is/vara/codenames-duet/ |
| Alphaspel | 395 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/103027-codenames-duet-xxl |

## Expansions

- [Codenames: Bonus Pack – Board Gaming (English)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-bonus-pack-board-gaming-english)
- [Codenames: Bonus Pack – CGE Games](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-bonus-pack-cge-games)
- [Codenames: Authors & Games](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-authors-and-games)
- [Tajniacy: Nowi Agenci](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tajniacy-nowi-agenci)
- [Codenames: Bonus Pack – Through the Ages](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-bonus-pack-through-the-ages)
- [Tajniacy: Sami Nieswoi](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tajniacy-sami-nieswoi)
- [Tajniacy: Obcy Agenci](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tajniacy-obcy-agenci)
- [Codenames: Sci-Fi Expansion Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-sci-fi-expansion-pack)
- [Codenames: Fairy Tales Expansion Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-fairy-tales-expansion-pack)
- [Tajniacy: Fantastyczne Światy](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tajniacy-fantastyczne-swiaty)
- [Codenames: Cartes promo – Personnalités](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-cartes-promo-personnalites)
- [Codenames: Cartes promo – Univers Geek](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-cartes-promo-univers-geek)
- [Tajniacy: Agenci na kwarantannie](https://www.ludoya.com/games/tajniacy-agenci-na-kwarantannie)
- [Código Secreto: Expansión promocional Argentina](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codigo-secreto-expansion-promocional-argentina)
- [Código Secreto: Expansão promocional Portugal](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codigo-secreto-expansao-promocional-portugal)
- [Código Secreto: Expansión promocional Américas](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codigo-secreto-expansion-promocional-americas)
- [Código Secreto: Expansão promocional Brasil](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codigo-secreto-expansao-promocional-brasil)
- [Codenames: Bonus Pack – Schweiz](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-bonus-pack-schweiz)

## Similar games

- [Codenames](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames)
- [Codenames: Pictures](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-pictures)
- [Decrypto](https://www.ludoya.com/games/decrypto-2)
- [The Same Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-same-game-2)
- [Just One: New Version](https://www.ludoya.com/games/just-one-new-version)
- [So Clover!](https://www.ludoya.com/games/so-clover)
- [Infiltraitors](https://www.ludoya.com/games/infiltraitors)
- [Hanabi Deluxe: What a Show!](https://www.ludoya.com/games/hanabi-grands-feux)
- [Cahoots](https://www.ludoya.com/games/cahoots-2)
- [Take Time](https://www.ludoya.com/games/take-time)
- [Archer: Once You Go Blackmail...](https://www.ludoya.com/games/archer-once-you-go-blackmail)
- [Letter Jam](https://www.ludoya.com/games/letter-jam)

## Rules questions

### Can I give a multi-word clue like "New York" or a phrase instead of one word?

No — a clue must be one word and one number, and you may say nothing else when giving it; multi-word names or phrases break that rule unless players agree to relax it as a house rule (pages 4, 10).

### Can I use a word that appears on the table or part of a compound (e.g., say "rain" for RAINBOW)?

No — you may not say any visible word or any form of a visible word, nor parts of a compound that appear on the table (e.g., "rain" for RAINBOW is invalid) (pages 4, 10).

### How many guesses does the guesser get after a clue?

The guesser may make additional guesses as long as each guess is correct (there is no fixed upper limit), but a wrong guess ends the turn immediately; the guesser may also stop after one or more correct guesses and take a timer token to end the turn (pages 4–5).

### What happens if we guess a bystander or the assassin?

Touching an assassin (a black word on the giver's key) ends the game immediately and you lose; touching a bystander (tan) ends the turn and you mark it with a timer token (arrowed to show who guessed), which may have further effects later (pages 4–5, 7).

### How do timer tokens and sudden death work — how many turns do we have and when do we lose from running out?

The number of timer tokens in the time bank equals the number of turns you have; each turn consumes a token (or tokens when penalized), and when you use your last token you play a sudden-death turn with no more clues allowed; if a turn would require more tokens than remain you lose immediately (pages 5, 9).

### Can the clue-giver give hints with gestures, tone, or tell the partner how many words remain?

No — clues must be limited to the single spoken word and number, and players must not reveal information about their side of the key card, advise when to stop, or tell how many words are left unless all of the words the speaker sees as green have already been covered (pages 4, 7).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/codenames-duet)
- [Codenames: Duet in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/codenames-duet)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224037)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._