Codenames Win Conditions: Agents, Assassin & Guess Limits
Codenames does not use victory points. The competitive game ends when one team has identified all of its agents, or immediately when a team reveals the assassin.
Normal victory: all of your agents are covered
The starting team has 9 agents and the other team has 8. The first team whose full set of agents has been identified wins.
This can happen during either team’s turn. If Red accidentally guesses a Blue agent and that card is Blue’s final unrevealed agent, Blue wins immediately.
Immediate loss: your team reveals the assassin
There is one assassin in the 5×5 grid. If a team guesses that word, the game ends immediately and that team loses, regardless of how many agents each side had already found.
What happens after a wrong guess?
- Guess your own agent: you may continue if you still have guesses available.
- Guess an opponent agent: cover it in the opponent’s color and end your turn.
- Guess a bystander: cover it as a bystander and end your turn.
- Guess the assassin: lose immediately.
How many guesses can a team make?
For a normal numbered clue, a team may keep guessing while correct up to the clue number plus one. For example, a clue of “Ocean: 2” permits up to three guesses if the first guesses are friendly agents. The extra guess can be used on an older clue.
Guessers may always stop voluntarily before using every available guess. A wrong identity ends the turn automatically.
Starting-team advantage is balanced by one extra agent
The key identifies which team begins. That team must find 9 agents instead of 8, represented by the double-agent tile matching the starting color.
Continue learning
Sources: Czech Games Edition: Codenames and the official rules. Checked September 20, 2026.