by W. Eric Martin

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Vlaada Chvátil's Codenames, publisher Czech Games Edition has revamped the three main titles in the Codenames line: the original game that won the 2016 Spiel des Jahres (among many other awards) and is currently available in 45 languages with more than 16 million copies sold, the two-player-only co-operative spinoff Codenames: Duet (co-designed with Scot Eaton), and the image-based version Codenames: Pictures.

Nothing has changed with the gameplay of Codenames. Rather everything that supports that gameplay has been updated, with new cover art and word card graphics, individual agent art, an eco-friendly game insert, a card stand made of RE-Wood (which is created from 80% shredded wood residue and 20% recycled binding materials), and a shorter, easier-to-learn rulebook.

What's more, CGE has used data from Codenames Online to tweak the word list included with the game, resulting in roughly 35 new word cards.

The second edition of Codenames will be released in July 2025, followed by Codenames: Duet in Q3 2025 and Codenames: Pictures at SPIEL Essen 25 in Essen, Germany.