Codenames Drinking Game: The Ultimate Tipsy Spy Party

If you thought Codenames was fun before, wait until you mix it with a little friendly drinking competition. This classic party game takes on a whole new life when paired with creative drinking rules, turning an already exciting guessing game into an unforgettable night of laughter and cheers.

So, grab your drinks, your spy hats, and let’s dive into the best way to transform Codenames into the highlight of your next gathering.

How to Play the Codenames Game?

Czech Games Codenames is a word-based board game that has become a staple for party nights and casual gatherings. Created by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition in 2015, the game blends strategy, teamwork, and word association into an exciting and interactive experience.

Codenames Rules:

1. Prepare the Grid:
   Lay out 25 word cards randomly in a 5×5 grid. These represent codenames for agents.
2. Assign Roles:
   • Each team chooses a spymaster (1 per team) to give clues.
   • Other players are field operatives, guessing the words.
3. Key Card:
   The spymasters draw a key card, showing which cards are:
   • Red agents
   • Blue agents
   • Neutral bystanders
   • The assassin (1 black square)
     The key card also indicates which team starts, gaining one extra agent to find.

P.S. With 200 unique cards and a randomized grid setup, every game feels fresh. Players can also use custom word packs or themes to tailor the experience.

Gameplay

1. Giving Clues:
   Each turn, the spymaster gives a one-word clue and a number.
   • The clue must relate to their team’s words.
   • The number indicates how many words the clue applies to.
   • Example: For “sun,” “desert,” and “sand,” the spymaster might say, “HOT: 3.”
2. Clue Rules:
   • The clue must be related by meaning (not phonetics).
   • It cannot use or hint at any revealed word.
   • Invalid clues result in the turn ending immediately, and the opposing team randomly reveals one of their agents.
3. Guessing Words:
   • Field operatives discuss and guess words related to the clue.
   • The spymaster places a tile over guessed cards:
     • Agent tile: If the guess is correct.
     • Bystander tile: For a neutral word (turn ends).
     • Assassin tile: If guessed, the game ends with a loss.
   • The operatives can make up to (clue number + 1) guesses but must make at least one.
4. Ending a Turn:
   A turn ends when:
   • The operatives decide to stop guessing.
   • They guess incorrectly (neutral/opponent’s agent).
   • The assassin is revealed.

Winning the Game

• A team wins by uncovering all their agents first.
• The game ends immediately if the assassin is revealed, resulting in a loss for the guessing team.

Who Is Codenames Board Game For?

Codenames is perfect for:

• Groups of 4+ people, though it can be played with 2 players using modified rules.
• Families, as it is suitable for players aged 10 and up.
• Word enthusiasts and strategy lovers looking for a creative and interactive challenge.

What Are the Codenames Board Game Variations?

The board game has several spin-offs to suit different preferences:

• Codenames Duet: A cooperative version for two players or teams working together.
• Codenames Pictures: Uses images instead of words for a visual twist.
• Codenames XXL: A larger version with bigger cards, perfect for larger groups or visually impaired players.

How to Play Codenames Online for Free?

• Codenames.game: It’s user-friendly, free, and designed to replicate the classic tabletop experience.
• Horsepaste: If you’re looking for a quick and straightforward alternative, this is a popular platform for playing Codenames online.

How to Turn Codenames into a Drinking Game

Turning Codenames into a drinking game starts with the essentials:

1. The Codenames game set: This can be the original version, Duet, or Pictures.
2. Drinks: Everyone’s beverage of choice – from cocktails to mocktails.
3. Drinking Gadgets (optional): Take the excitement up a notch with interactive props:
4. Custom word cards (optional): For an extra challenge, create themed word cards tailored to your group.

DIY Drinking Gadgets for Codenames

Add interactive props and gadgets to elevate the chaos of your Codenames drinking game:

• Spy Flask:
  A custom flask passed around for penalty shots. Decorate it with a spy logo or a funny slogan like “Top Secret Juice.” The player caught giving the worst clue of the round has to drink from it.
• Word Wheel:
  Create a spinning wheel with challenges. If a team guesses incorrectly, the spymaster spins the wheel to assign penalties like “Finish Your Drink,” “Take a Shot,” or “Do 10 Push-Ups.”
• Clue Decoder:
  Use a toy spy decoder or a random number generator to assign penalties. If a clue is too vague or misleading, the team has to decode their punishment.
• Bystander Bottle:
  Set up a bottle filled with challenges for every neutral bystander guessed. Challenges could include taking a sip, telling a funny story, or doing an impression of the opposing spymaster.
• Custom Timer:
  Use a funny timer like a lava lamp or a cocktail shaker to add tension. If the team doesn’t guess in time, everyone on the team drinks.

Custom Word Packs for Drinking Fun

Creating your own word packs can make Codenames even more hilarious and tailored to your group. Here’s how you can do it:

• Funny Categories:
  Include words related to embarrassing moments, pop culture, or shared experiences. Example categories could include:
  • Party Fails: “Hangover,” “Spill,” “Awkward Dance.”
  • Drinking Slang: “Shot,” “Buzzed,” “Tipsy.”
  • Pop Culture Icons: “Taylor Swift,” “Batman,” “Shrek.”
• Printable Word Templates:
  Offer a downloadable template so players can easily print custom word packs. Include suggestions for themes like “TV Shows,” “90s Nostalgia,” or “Office Jargon.”
• Wildcard Words:
  Add “wildcards” that come with extra penalties, like “Blackout” or “Mystery Shot,” requiring players to perform a specific challenge.
• Surprise Words:
  Incorporate funny or obscure inside jokes specific to your group. Example: If a friend once called a coffee machine “a bean juicer,” add “Bean Juicer” to the pack for a laugh!

Set up the board as usual, explain the rules to new players, and add this crucial twist: everyone drinks when their team makes a mistake or triggers a penalty! This ensures even the most serious players loosen up.

Standard Drinking Rules for Codenames

Here are some simple yet hilarious drinking penalties to get you started:

• Wrong guess: The guesser takes a sip.
• Neutral card guessed: Everyone on the team takes one sip.
• Opponent guesses your word: Both spymasters drink.
• Assassin card triggered: The entire team finishes their drink!

These rules are easy to remember and guarantee laughs as players fumble their way through clues and guesses.

Codenames Drinking Game House Rules

Add a little flair with these creative themes:

• Spy Training Camp: Each time a player says “uh” or hesitates too long, they drink. Trigger the assassin card? Take a shot to “toughen up.”
• Mission Failure: Spymasters must toast their failure with an extra sip whenever a clue backfires.

Codenames Duet Drinking Game

This two-player cooperative version of Codenames becomes even more fun with these rules:

• Shared Mistakes: Both players drink for every wrong guess.
• Neutral Words: Drink for each word that isn’t yours.
• Team Bonding: Successfully completing the game allows both players to assign drinks to others at the table!

Crazy Drinking Game Rules for Codenames

Ready to take your game night to the next level? With these ridiculously chaotic drinking rules, your spy skills are about to get tipsy. Let the madness begin!

1. Spy Academy

Theme: Train to be the ultimate spymaster while sipping your way through failures.
Rules:

• Every incorrect guess means the guesser takes a sip to “improve their skills.”
• If the spymaster gives a clue that their team doesn’t understand, they take a drink for “poor communication.”
• Successfully guessing all words in one turn lets the spymaster assign drinks to the opposing team for “failing the mission.”

2. Saboteur Spies

Theme: Introduce chaos with a saboteur hiding among the field operatives.
Rules:

• Assign one operative per team as the “Saboteur” (in secret).
• Saboteurs try to mislead their team with bad guesses without being caught.
• If the team catches the Saboteur, the Saboteur must drink. If they don’t catch them and lose the turn, the whole team drinks.
• Bonus: If the Saboteur leads the team to the assassin card, the opposing team takes a celebratory shot.

3. Double Agent Twist

Theme: Spymasters walk a fine line, trying to help their team while misleading the other.
Rules:

• Spymasters must include at least one unrelated or misleading word in their clue.
• If the opposing team guesses their word based on the clue, the spymaster drinks.
• Operatives can call out the spymaster for “double-agent tactics” if the clue seems too vague or misleading—if the accusation is correct, the spymaster drinks.

4. Word Association Roulette

Theme: Rapid-fire guessing with high stakes!
Rules:

• Use a timer (like an hourglass) for each clue.
• Operatives must make their first guess within 5 seconds of hearing the clue.
• If they hesitate too long or guess wrong, they take a drink.
• Successfully guessing all the words in one turn lets the whole team assign drinks to opponents.

5. Opponent Challenge Mode

Theme: Teams compete for the chance to sabotage their opponents.
Rules:

• After giving a clue, the spymaster can challenge the opposing team to guess a specific word on the board.
• If the opposing team guesses correctly, the spymaster’s team drinks. If they fail, the opposing team drinks.
• Successfully challenging the opposing team earns the spymaster’s team immunity from drinking for one turn.

6. Bystander Backfire

Theme: Neutral words bring unexpected penalties.
Rules:

• If a team guesses a neutral bystander word, the opposing team gets to assign them a drink.
• For an extra twist, each bystander card can have a pre-assigned challenge written on it (e.g., “sing a spy-themed song” or “take a shot”).
• The more neutral words guessed, the wilder the game becomes.

7. Assassin’s Revenge

Theme: Higher stakes for encountering the assassin.
Rules:

• If the assassin card is revealed, the entire guessing team finishes their drinks.
• The opposing team assigns the spymaster an extra punishment, like acting out a silly spy scene or wearing a goofy “Spy Hat of Shame.”
• Bonus: The losing team must also take a group selfie titled “Caught by the Assassin” as a memento.

8. Drunk Spy Decoy

Theme: Confuse the opposing team with a decoy operative.
Rules:

• Each team secretly designates one “Decoy Spy.” This spy gives intentionally terrible advice to mislead their own team.
• If the Decoy Spy’s suggestion is followed and results in a wrong guess, they drink. If the team figures out their role, the Decoy Spy must chug.
• Bonus: If the Decoy Spy manages to lead their team to a correct guess, they assign drinks to everyone!

9. Multi-Clue Mayhem

Theme: Push spymasters to their limits with simultaneous clues.
Rules:

• Both spymasters give their clues at the same time.
• Field operatives must guess under the pressure of knowing the other team is doing the same.
• For every wrong guess made before the opposing team finishes, the operatives take a drink.

10. “Shot in the Dark” Mode

Theme: Extreme risk and reward for the boldest spies.
Rules:

• Once per game, operatives can take a “Shot in the Dark” by guessing a word without any clues.
• If they’re correct, they assign a shot to any player in the game. If they’re wrong, they must take a shot themselves.
• Bonus: Successfully guessing the assassin card this way results in a penalty for the entire team.

Codenames Drinking Game for Couples and Small Groups

Codenames isn’t just for big parties—it’s just as fun with two people or a small group of close friends. These variations bring out creativity, laughter, and a little competition, making them perfect for date nights or intimate game sessions.

1. Romantic Spy Mission

Perfect for Couples
Turn your Codenames drinking game into a flirty and fun challenge for two.

• Rules:
  • If the spymaster gives a clue that their partner fails to guess, the clue-giver takes a sip and shares a compliment or a funny memory about their partner.
  • For every word guessed correctly, the guesser assigns a sip to the spymaster as a “reward.”
  • Revealing the assassin card means both players take a shot together in solidarity for “blowing the mission.”
• Pro Tip: Use a custom word pack filled with inside jokes or romantic themes to make it extra special.

2. Two-Player Bond Mode

A Cooperative Variation
In small groups or for just two players, switch to a cooperative mode to take on the board together.

• Rules:
  • Work together to uncover all the agents on the board, with drinking penalties for every wrong guess.
  • If a neutral bystander is revealed, both players take a sip.
  • Revealing an opposing agent means both players drink twice.
  • Triggering the assassin card? Finish your drinks—game over!

This variation fosters teamwork but keeps the stakes high with its drinking penalties.

3. Word Wars Showdown

For Competitive Small Groups
Make it a fast-paced showdown where the stakes are higher with every guess.

• Rules:
  • Each correct guess lets the guessing team assign drinks to the other team.
  • An incorrect guess forces the entire guessing team to take a drink.
  • If the assassin is revealed, the spymaster of the losing team must perform a fun or silly dare chosen by the winners.
• Pro Tip: Add a timer to keep the game moving quickly and increase the tension.

4. Clue Master’s Gamble

For Thrill Seekers
Put pressure on the spymaster in this high-risk, high-reward variation.

• Rules:
  • Before giving a clue, the spymaster can announce a “gamble” by stating how many words they think their team will guess correctly.
  • If the team meets the gamble, the spymaster assigns drinks to everyone else. If they fail, the spymaster drinks for each word they overestimated.
  • Triggering the assassin card doubles the penalty for the spymaster.
• Pro Tip: Encourage wild clues for maximum entertainment.

5. Secret Bystander Game

For Mysterious Fun
Add a twist with hidden challenges to keep players guessing.

• Rules:
  • Write hidden challenges (like “take two sips” or “tell a funny story”) on neutral bystander cards before the game starts.
  • When a bystander is revealed, the person who guessed it must complete the challenge.
  • If a player refuses to do the challenge, they take an extra drink instead.

This variation keeps everyone engaged and adds an element of surprise to every turn.

Keep Codenames Party Fun with Assassin’s Creed Game

Why stop at just one epic drinking game? Pair your Codenames session with the Assassin’s Creed Drinking Game for a night filled with stealth, strategy, and a whole lot of laughs. Whether you’re tackling digital missions in Valhalla or reenacting daring rooftop leaps, these rules will add a new layer of excitement (and a few drinks) to your game night.

How to Play the Assassin’s Creed Drinking Game

Basic Rules:

• Stealth Kills: Take a sip every time you perform a successful silent takedown.
• Leap of Faith: Toast and drink after every dramatic rooftop jump or cinematic dive.
• Treasure Hunts: Drink each time you discover hidden artifacts or side quests.

Advanced Challenges:

• Critical Hits: If you land a critical hit, everyone else raises their glass and drinks in your honor.
• Plot Twists: Take a shot whenever a hidden plot card reveals a betrayal or shocking twist in the story.

Pairing Assassin’s Creed with Codenames

To combine the two games, alternate between rounds of Codenames and missions in the Assassin’s Creed universe. Here’s how:

1. Start with Codenames: Teams battle to uncover their agents while sipping on mistakes and celebrating successes.
2. Transition to Assassin’s Creed: Use the drinking rules to enhance the stealth and strategy in the video or board game.
3. Bring It Full Circle: End the night with a toast to the Brotherhood and one final game of Codenames to crown the ultimate spy champion.

With these back-to-back games, your party will have a perfect balance of wordplay, stealth action, and unforgettable memories. Just remember to play responsibly and enjoy the ride! To the Brotherhood!

FAQs About Codenames Game