News

Codenames Online possible downtime alert

3/21/2024

Unfortunately, our servers are under a DDoS attack, which can occasionally cause connection problems.

Why would someone try to blackmail us when we provide a completely free service without running ads or any form of monetization? We don't know. But one thing stays for sure. Any attempts at blackmailing us are absolutely pointless.

Meanwhile, we have contacted the authorities and are working on improving security. We have minimized the downtime to a maximum of a couple of hours in the past week, but it's still possible you can experience connection issues in the coming days. We're working on it! Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Codenames team

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CODENAMES: A BRAAAAAIN-TEASING GAME! 🧟🧠

10/30/2023

This Halloween, Codenames Online takes a spine-tingling twist with our Halloween Event, turning your word-guessing adventures into something spoooooky. 👻

Our board has transformed into a realm of horror, draped in cobwebs and crawling with charming creatures from the underworld. Say goodbye to your usual secret agents and welcome zombies, vampires, and other monsters.

Have fun with our special Halloween-themed bonus pack, or create your own deck of horror with the custom word pack. The choice is yours!

🎃 The Halloween event is playable until Nov 7 🎃

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UNMASKING CODENAMES

10/19/2023

Watch the Story Behind Your Favorite Game! 🕵️

Have you ever wondered about the roots of your favorite online word-guessing game? Did you know that the Codenames Online you love so much originated from an actual board game? Yes, that's right!

We're thrilled to share with you the latest episode from our documentary series on Czech Games Edition. This episode is dedicated entirely to our globally acclaimed board game.

⭐ Highlights of the Documentary: ⭐

  1. Journey to the Beginning: Step back in time and see how Codenames transformed from an idea into the iconic game it is today.
  2. Behind-the-Scenes: Exclusive insights and memories from the genius behind the game – our main designer, Vlaada Chvatil.
  3. Discover Codenames universe: Explore all versions of Codenames and learn how this game became a true cultural phenomenon of the last decade.

📺 Watch the documentary here

--------------------------

As always, a huge thank you for being part of our community. Whether you're laying down cards on a table or clicking on words in a browser.And if this documentary sparks your interest in the physical board game, don't hesitate to check it out and add it to your collection. You can find the board game in almost every local game shop around the globe since the game was translated into 46 languages.

Best regards,

The CGE Team

P.S. Spread the love for Codenames! Share our documentary with friends, family, and fellow players.

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Play Letter Jam Online — It's available now!

9/6/2023

We've released a juicy browser implementation of another board game. Go check it out!

If you're looking for another board game to play with your friends online and like having some fun with words, then we have good news for you. We've released another browser version of one of our board games called Letter Jam Online—it's available now and, same as Codenames Online, is entirely free!

Letter Jam is a cooperative word-spelling board game for 2–6 jammers. The online version of Letter Jam is now playable in English, German, and Czech. More languages will follow later! 

And if you're not familiar with the rules, don't worry—we've got your back. The game has an interactive tutorial that will teach you how to play on the fly.

Join our Instagram contest and win free signed copies of Codenames and Letter Jam board games!

How to join?

🍓 Post a picture or reel on Instagram with a strawberry in it – get creative!

🍓 Use the hashtags #codenamesgame and #letterjamgame.

🍓 Each post is one entry – enter as many times as you want!

🍓 The winner will be chosen by an expert jury, including the designer of

Letter Jam!

🍓 You can enter by Sunday, September 10th, we'll announce the winner the following week.

Good luck!

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Welcome to the Codenames Streamer Celebration!

5/12/2023

Did you know— There is a huge community of creators who live-stream their Codenames games?? We know it can sometimes be hard to get a group together to play with, so when that happens, why not browse the "Codenames" category on Twitch? There are tons of creators making live interactive Codenames content every day!

For the next month, we're celebrating just a handful of these amazing creators by making them into Codenames agents! By checking out the info below, we hope that you can find the Codenames streamer who's perfect for you!

And if not, don't worry, this is just the start of the celebration. We hope to feature more creators in the future!

NOTE: You must be 13 years or older to have a Twitch account. And while we encourage you to watch these streamers, we don't encourage you to watch with your children as many of these streamers are not family-friendly.

Sykkuno:

About: Sykkuno is one of the top streamers in the world, with almost 3 million subscribers on Youtube. Sykkuno often plays Codenames in between other party games with his friends. He is known for his calm and kind personality, his family's adorable poodle named Bimbus, and his risky Among Us moves.

Fun fact: Sykkuno was first introduced to Codenames by his uncle!

Time Zone: Pacific Time

Usually Streams Codenames: In the evenings

Watch:https://www.youtube.com/@Sykkuno


ChilledChaos:

About: ChilledChaos is an iconic member of the Codenames streaming community and has been streaming the game since late 2020. His games often include hilarious custom words sourced from his audience! He has also uploaded many of his Codenames streams to his youtube channel, so if you can't watch live you can always check those out instead!

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Sunday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/chilledchaos


KaraCorvus:

About: Kara is not only a streamer, but also a cosplayer, actress, and scientist. She streams almost every day, so if you’re looking for round-the-clock content, look no further than Kara! And if you’re lucky, you might see a guest appearance from her snakes Udon and Soba!

Time Zone: Pacific Time

Usually Streams Codenames: In the evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/karacorvus


Julien:

About: Julien has a long history of content creation— from cooking videos on Youtube, to podcasts with his partner Jenna, to curating some of the best vibes on Twitch! In addition to his content career, he also fosters greyhounds (who often make appearances on stream). So hop over to Julien’s stream to join his loving and tight-knit community known as Dinks!

Time Zone: Pacific Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/julien


Courtilly:

About: Courtilly is a variety streamer known for her cozy and welcoming community. While her teammates are screaming, Courtilly often keeps it wholesome and chill. In addition to playing Codenames, she also enjoys many social deduction games like Project Winter, Among Us, and First Class Trouble.

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Sunday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/courtilly


Katskratchh:

About: Kat is a streamer with a talent for being wonderfully cozy and incredibly chaotic at the same time! When not playing party games like Codenames, she often plays indie titles or just chats with her community.

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/katskratchh


AlfredoPlays:

About: Alfredo is known for his personal gaming content as well as for being a cast member of Rooster Teeth’s Achievement Hunter. He’s a big board game fan in his personal life! So if you’re looking to watch a Codenames streamer who likes other board games as well, then Alfredo is the creator for you.

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Sunday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/alfredoplays


JasonSulli:

About: Jason is a highly-caffeinated streamer (and sometimes screamer), who typically plays group games with his friends. His high-energy and big reactions make him a super fun Spymaster to watch!

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/jasonsulli


FeralWife:

About: After a long career on youtube, Alli now streams full-time on her Twitch channel under the username FeralWife. There she cultivates a wonderfully open and supportive community who love to watch her play all kinds of games! Stop by Alli’s stream and join the Feral Fam!

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/feralwife


Blizz:

About: Blizz is a host for Inside Gaming and a Producer at Rooster Teeth. He is well-known for his heartwarming community as well as his engaging and genuine on-stream presence.

Fun fact: Blizz Introduced many of the people in this promotion to Codenames— so we have him to thank in part for how many Codenames streamers there are to choose from now!

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: In the evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/blizz


ChrisMelberger:

About: Chris is the co-owner of the popular online clothing brand, Neat Dude, and the leader of a stream team by the same name. With this team, he brings together some of the most hilarious creators on Twitch.

Fun fact: In the past year, Chris has streamed the most hours of Codenames out of everyone featured in this promotion!

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/chrismelberger


MadiDuVernay:

About: Madi is an actor, cosplayer, and streamer with a focus on making her community an inclusive and safe space. When she’s not playing games with her friends, she is often reacting to the most recent K-pop news!

Fun fact: Madi’s portrait was based on a cosplay she did of Dolores from Encanto!

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Thursday and Friday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/madiduvernay


WhatifJulia:

About: Julia is not only a streamer, but also a professional photographer and lover of turtle necks. She plays a variety of games ranging from solo story games to Mario Party with her friends. So grab a warm drink and tune into Julia’s stream for the snowy atmosphere and cozy vibes!

Time Zone: Pacific Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Friday and Saturday evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/whatifjulia


DooleyNotedGaming:

About: Jeremy Dooley, often known for his prior work at Rooster Teeth, is a streamer, author, musician, and cat dad. In between his regular gaming content, you can catch him opening Pokemon cards (which he sometimes gives away to fans!)

Time Zone: Eastern Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Sunday evenings

Watch: https://www.twitch.tv/dooleynotedgaming


ZeRoyalViking:

About: Ze is a variety streamer who also posts regularly to his Youtube channel. So if you have trouble catching Codenames streams live— don't worry! You can often find them edited on Ze's Youtube. You can also find him playing other board game classics like Uno, Monopoly, and Catan.

Time Zone: Central Time

Usually Streams Codenames: Wednesday and weekend evenings

Watch:https://www.twitch.tv/zeroyalviking

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The expansion Galaxy Trucker: Keep on Trucking in the USA

12/7/2022

Exciting news for all experienced Galaxy Truckers: English copies of the new Keep on Trucking expansion have started to be available for sale in stores in the USA. Make sure to keep an eye out and support your favorite local games store or jump directly to Amazon, if you find it more convenient.

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Play with videochat

2/15/2022

...in Around

Codenames Online began as a simple tool, created to help you play your favorite board game remotely. As a result, players were supposed to use their own external chat solution. But not any more...


We discovered Around, a videochat tool that we can whole-heartedly recommend to use with Codenames Online. Luckily, the people from Around turned out to be big Codenames fans, so we were able to work together to create an even more integrated solution.



To give it a try simply click the "Play with videochat" button, and after starting the game in Around, invite other players in the same way you've always done it, by sending them the URL link.



You can play the game in Around both on desktop and mobile devices. At the moment, the mobile version of Around supports only a voicechat (without a video). The person who creates the videochat room must be on a desktop computer (and needs to sign in to Around), but other players can join as guests from any device.


So grab your friends and enjoy Codenames Online face to face.

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Happy Holidays

12/21/2021

A special event for Holidays 2021.

How are your Holidays preparations going? Some of our agents already dressed for the occasion. So gather your loved ones and invite them to a Holidays game of Codenames Online.

To set the right mood, you can turn on the Holiday word pack which is now highlighted among other bonus packs in the game settings. (the Holidays pack is available in EN, CZ, DE and ES).

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the whole Codenames Online team!

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Galaxy Trucker Week

11/11/2021

A special event for November 2021, celebrating the new edition of our very first game.


It all begun back in 2007, eight years before the Codenames board game even came out. A small group of enthusiasts associated in a company called Czech Games Edition released their first game named Galaxy Trucker - a frenetic action where you build a spaceship out of junk and test it against the perils of the universe.


From then on, the game got several expansions, it was released as an app and it even got its own book. And this year, we've decided to bring it back in a shiny new edition.


To celebrate the Galaxy Trucker Week we invited a few characters to join the fun and we added a thematic pack with the words from the Galaxy Trucker universe (available in CZ an EN), which you can find among the other bonus packs from now on. For an even better immersion, we recommend to play it with our dark mode feature. ;-)


Enjoy the party and to find out more, visit galaxytrucker.com.




You can always switch back to the original Codenames theme in the settings.


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Sound notification

11/5/2021

Let's you know when it's your turn.

Have you missed the clue? Turn on the sound notification to know right away. 

You can find it under the button with your nickname in the top right corner, together with other personal settings.

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Dark Mode

6/22/2021

Enjoy the new fresh look.

Whether the current screen might be too bright for your eyes or you simply want to try something different, we have a new dark mode for you.


You can find it under the button with your nickname in the top right corner.


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Timer

5/20/2021

Add some preasure with one of the three timer modes.

The game's host can setup the timer by clicking the button in the top left corner:



You can play as you've been used to, without a timer. But if you decide to use it, you can choose among the three possible modes:


Manual - Simply click the timer when someone thinks for too long.

Automatic for side - The time is shared by the whole team, and it is up to them how much of it they use for clues and how much for guessing.

Automatic for role - It allows you to set a different time for operatives and for spymasters.


If the time runs out, the game does not switch to the other team automatically. It is up to you how to solve the situation, just like when playing on a table.

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Custom Pack

5/12/2021

Add your own words with the custom pack feature.

The custom word pack can be found among the other word packs.

Simply fill in your words or write them down in a txt file (one word per line) and drag it in the box. You can simply mix your pack with the existing words or play just with the words you create.


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