Spy themes, murder mysteries, and detective games often make for some of the most fun experiences, Codenames is a great example, but there are also games like Codenames that you have to try as well.
The rules of games like these usually require players to ask leading questions or use clues on offer to work out the answer, sometimes co-operating with fellow players to help.
See Also: Codenames rules
We’ve picked out some of what we think are the best party games of this genre to play, each one offering a different way for players to figure out how to win.
So read about the 12 best games like Codenames to play so you can figure out which of these games intrigue you the most.
12 Games like Codenames to Play
CLUE
Players: 2 – 6 players.
Playing Time: 45 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Board games.
Publisher(s): Hasbro.
Game Overview:
Clue is a mystery guessing game where players need to figure out who the murderer is, what weapon they used, and which room the murder got committed to. Take it in turns to roll the dice and enter different rooms to make a guess; players have cards that denote wrong answers. Whoever can correctly guess the 3 questions first wins the game.
RELATED: Clue game rules.
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MYSTERIUM
Players: 2 – 7 players.
Playing Time: 40 – 45 minutes.
Age: Ages 10+.
Game Type: Board games.
Publisher(s): Libellud.
Game Overview:
A cooperative game where players work together to solve the mystery, Mysterium requires players to use vision cards to piece together what happened. Players as a team work out the person, weapon, and place where the crime occurred with help from one of the players playing as the psychic.
RELATED: How to play Mysterium.
SPY ALLEY
Players: 2 – 6 players.
Playing Time: 15 – 30 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Board game.
Publisher(s): Spy Alley.
Game Overview:
Spy Alley begins with people choosing at random which country they will be representing. Players need to collect spy items from around the board before reporting back to their respective embassy. Whilst this is happening, players need to try and work out which player is part of which embassy. The winner is the first player to report back with all their items.
RELATED: Spy Alley rules
SIMPLY SUSPECTS
Players: 2 – 6 players.
Playing Time: 15 – 30 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party game.
Publisher(s): Spy Alley.
Game Overview:
6 suspects, 1 guilty culprit. In Simply Suspects, players draw a card that tells them which role they are playing and also whether they are the guilty party or not.
Each player needs to ask the other players questions, with everyone saying that they are the innocent party. Based on the answers to the questions, everyone picks who they think the guilty person is.
GUESS WHO
Players: 2 players.
Playing Time: 10 – 15 minutes.
Age: Ages 6+.
Game Type: Board game.
Publisher(s): Hasbro.
Game Overview:
Ideal for kids, Guess Who requires players to figure out the hidden character by asking questions to reduce the number of potential people who it can be. Both players take it in turns, with the winner being the player who guesses the hidden character first.
RELATED: Guess Who Instructions.
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MASTERMIND
Players: 2 players.
Playing Time: 30+ minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Board games.
Publisher(s): Pressman.
Game Overview:
Mastermind is a code-breaking game requiring 2 players to go head-to-head to crack the hidden code set by their opponent. Players guess until they get it correct, but the fewer guesses that players take, the more points they score for that round. At the end of the game, the player who has scored the most points wins the game.
RELATED: Mastermind game rules.
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INSIDER
Players: 4+ players.
Playing Time: 15+ minutes.
Age: Ages 9+.
Game Type: Party game.
Publisher(s): Oink games.
Game Overview:
Insider is a psychological game where one player is playing as the Insider, and the other players need to work out who it is. Players will answer questions in a quiz that reveals a hidden word whilst the hidden Insider manipulates the answers so that the group gets the word wrong. At the end of the quiz, players must guess what the hidden word is.
SPYFALL
Players: 3 – 8 players.
Playing Time: 10 – 40 minutes.
Age: Ages 13+.
Game Type: Board games.
Publisher(s): Cryptozoic.
Game Overview:
Catching the player who is actually the spy is the aim of Spyfall. Players achieve this by asking the group questions that they answer by playing as a designated character.
The hidden spy must make up a story to answer their questions to avoid detection. If the spy avoids detection, they win, but the player who can successfully identify the spy wins instead.
RELATED: Spyfall rules.
DIXIT
Players: 3 – 6 players.
Playing Time: 30 minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Party games.
Publisher(s): Asmodee.
Game Overview:
Dixit is a guessing game where players score points when they successfully guess players’ cards based on their descriptions. There are 5 different categories of descriptions that can be used, and players pick a card in their possession that best matches the description. All players (except the descriptor) vote for which card they think is the one being described.
RELATED: Dixit rules.
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DECEPTION: MURDER IN HONG KONG
Players: 4 – 12 players.
Playing Time: 30 – 60 minutes.
Age: Ages 13+.
Game Type: Board game.
Publisher(s): Grey Fox Games.
Game Overview:
Shuffle the role cards, so players get divided up the following way: 1 person is the murderer, 1 person is the forensic scientist, and the rest are investigators. In Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, the investigator’s task is to figure out who in the group is the murderer by using clues and help from the forensic scientist.
DECRYPTO
Players: 3 – 8 players.
Playing Time: 30+ minutes.
Age: Ages 12+.
Game Type: Party game.
Publisher(s): Self-published.
Game Overview:
Played in teams, players compete in Decrypto to attempt to decipher their opponent’s code whilst also keeping their own a secret.
Designed like a sci-fi show straight out of the 80s, teams get given clues throughout the game to help them in their mission. Played across 8 rounds, the team who wins the most rounds wins the game overall.
RELATED: Decrypto rules.
HANABI
Players: 2 – 5 players.
Playing Time: 30+ minutes.
Age: Ages 8+.
Game Type: Board game.
Publisher(s): R & R Games.
Game Overview:
Hanabi is a tricky game that requires players to work together to put all the cards in both color and numerical order to win the game. The twist is that players cannot look at their own cards. Players must only give hints to other players about what cards they have to solve the puzzle. There is a scoring element too, and players try to get as high a score as possible.
RELATED: Hanabi rules.
