In the original Codenames game, there is a 5x5 grid of words in front of all players. Each team has their own set of those words that they need to guess. Clue givers on each team take turns providing one word and one number. Their goal is to use a word that applies to multiple words from their set only. Several variations exist:

- Codenames: Duet
- Codenames: Pictures
- Codenames: Disney Family Edition
- Codenames: Marvel