Comparison

Codenames vs Dominion

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Codenames

Engage in a strategic word game of deduction and teamwork. Give one-word clues to help your team guess associated words before the opposing team. Enjoy a blend of casual fun and deep thinking with turn-based multiplayer matches.

Highlights
  • Turn-based multiplayer
  • One-word clue system
  • Teamwork and deduction
  • Multiple game modes
  • Spymaster and Operative roles
  • Logic and creativity challenges
Read full description

The official Codenames puzzle game from the makers of the award-winning board game. Built on the same clever clue-giving, but made for mobile: nearly 50 rule-bending game modes, daily solo puzzles, themed word collections and a deep meta-game. One purchase. No ads. No timers, no pay-to-win. Optional Duet expansion for two-player co-op. NOT JUST THE BOARD GAME ON YOUR PHONE This is a standalone Codenames game with its own content and style. Where the board game is a party game, this one is a puzzle game: every clue is a small riddle you crack at your own pace, and every mode adds a new twist to think through. HOW IT WORKS A grid of words hides your team's secret agents. As Spymaster, you give a single clue that links as many of your words as you dare. As Operative, you work out what your teammate meant and make the guesses. One wrong word helps the other team, and the assassin ends the game instantly. NEARLY 50 TWISTS ON THE RULES Every mode keeps the core of Codenames and bends one rule, turning each game into a fresh puzzle: • Mines: Codenames meets Minesweeper. Numbers on the cards tell you how many agents are hiding nearby. • Mirrors: the Spymasters' grids are symmetrical. Find the axis and you can deduce cards you were never given a clue for. • Convertor: before giving a clue, the Spymaster can swap the colors of two cards to set up a better clue or sabotage the other team. • Quantum Gadget: torn between two words? Mark both and the gadget reveals which one is the better pick. Use it wisely, you only get three per mission. • …and dozens more. SOLO PUZZLES EVERY DAY • Daily Cases: 16 cards, one clue. Find the right words, collect your reward and move on to the next case. Every puzzle is made by real players, not an algorithm. • Daily Spymaster Challenge: everyone gets the same board. Come up with your best clue, then see how it performs when other players try to guess it, and how it ranks against every other Spymaster's clue. COLLECT, LEVEL UP, EXPLORE • Open briefcases to collect themed word cards: video games, movies, travel, sci-fi, fantasy, history, the 20th century and more • Play themed missions with the words you've collected • Earn experience and level up your agent to unlock more daily cases, better rewards and new options PLAY WITH OTHERS AT YOUR OWN PACE • Turn-based matches for 2–4 players: take your turn whenever you have a minute • Get matched with players from around the world, on iPhone, iPad and Android • Invite friends to a private game, or pass one phone around with Pass & Play • Run several games at once, chat with your team and draw notes right on the board PLAY IN YOUR LANGUAGE English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. FROM THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL Codenames is designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition. The board game won the Spiel des Jahres 2016. This app won Best Design at the Czech Game of the Year Awards and was selected as an App Store Editors' Choice. CODENAMES: DUET EXPANSION (in-app purchase) The cooperative two-player version, based on the green-box Duet board game: • Work together instead of competing: take turns giving clues and guessing • Each player knows only some of the agents, and the same card can look different to each of them: a card one player sees as the assassin may be an agent the other player needs to contact • 28 VIP missions adapted from the original Duet, now for cooperative play • Dual Cases: probably the hardest puzzle in Codenames yet. First find the cards that connect to both clues, then the words that fit only one

About

Dominion

Build a powerful deck to expand your kingdom and earn victory points in this acclaimed deck-building strategy game. Explore vast card combinations, compete against AI or other players online, and enjoy endless replayability with numerous expansions.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Kingdom expansion
  • AI opponent
  • Online multiplayer
  • Daily puzzles
  • Cross-platform play
  • Expansion packs
Read full description

Expand a small kingdom to a mighty Dominion! Play the Spiel des Jahres winner beloved by millions of boardgame hobbyists around the world. This is the officially licensed implementation. REIGNING DECKBUILDER Discover the game that defined a genre, Dominion was first to popularize deck-building and remains a staple of tabletop. GROW YOUR KINGDOM Collect as many Victory Points as you can by building a powerful deck. Your deck starts out a small sad set of Estates and Coppers, but you hope that by the end of the game it will be brimming with Gold, Provinces, and the inhabitants and structures of your kingdom. BUILD YOUR ENGINE Choose wisely among the 10 cards available in the tableau to create the strongest combos to dominate your opponent. COLLECT ALL EXPANSIONS Make your games more exciting with additional cards and rules from up to 15 expansions including the recent Plunder expansion! NEAR INFINITE VARIETY Over one hundred thirty-two septillion possible Kingdom combinations, 500+ cards, 15 and counting expansions, and ongoing promo packs make Dominion one of the most extensive and replayable boardgames in the hobby. COMPETE WITH THE COMPUTER Sharpen your skills with solitaire style solo play against a robust AI, with four levels of difficulty. Our innovative AI learns through self-play. Earn Achievements and win in Recommended Sets against each AI level. PLAY FRIENDS OR STRANGERS Play with up to 6 players online through your device or pass and play among your friends. Join ranked or unranked matchmaking, with realtime and asynchronous modes. Set up a private table for a family game, challenge a stranger in the lobby, or invite a friend! DAILY PUZZLE A daily ritual to relax with over a cup of coffee. Try the Daily Dominion, a free puzzle level available to players around the world. Practice your strategy to keep up a winning streak and climb the leaderboard. CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY Play from any supported device, whenever you want, after verifying your email in-game. Join games with opponents on platforms other than your own. JOIN THE COMMUNITY With an active Discord and online community, make new friends or challenge new people to a game. Export and share kingdoms and game summaries to compare strategies. FREE TO PLAY Download the game that started it all for free! The base set of Dominion is available at no charge. Try the rotation of expansion cards in the Daily at no cost once per day. Jump into a lobby game with expansions enabled to try before you buy. Only the host needs to own the expansions. INTRODUCTION TO TABLETOP Learn the ropes in this easy to pick-up, hard to master title. Play one of the most highly regarded strategy tabletop games of all time through our simple tutorial. The core loop is easy to follow, but offers a wealth of strategy to explore. • 1 - 6 player support • Five-hundred plus cards • Solo play against 4 AI difficulties • Async & real-time multiplayer • Ranked & unranked matchmaking • Lobby & Private game tables • Cross platform multiplayer • Cross platform purchases • Daily challenge • Challenging AI that learns through self-play • Recommended Sets • Customize, save & share Kingdoms • Achievements, Stats & Leaderboards • Pass & Play mode • Automated score-keeping & hints • Smart-play options to streamline gameplay • Jumbo mode for readability on phones • Turbo mode to zoom through games quickly • Tutorial & Rules • 4 languages: English, Japanese, German, French • 15+ expansions plus three promo packs

Screenshots

Codenames4 screens
Dominion2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dominion at Free against Codenames's $4.99. Dominion also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (5.1K vs 1.2K). Codenames's advantage is chart position (#15 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dominion is free to download; Codenames costs $4.99 up front. Codenames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Dominion sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dominion holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 5.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Codenames's written reviews are positive against 68% of Dominion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codenames ships an update fortnightly, Dominion every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Codenames versus Dominion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodenamesDominion
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings)4.9 (5.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews68.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K5.1K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#15 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB423 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCGE Digital s.r.o.Temple Gates Games LLC

Customer experience

Codenames

All ratings1,150 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews444 reviews
Positive66.0%
Neutral14.6%
Negative19.4%

Dominion

All ratings4,729 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral12.6%
Negative19.0%

User reviews

Codenames

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and intuitive gameplay
  • 🎨 Excellent visual design
  • 💰 Good value for money
  • 🕹️ Engaging single-player modes
  • 🤝 Enjoyable multiplayer experience

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Long wait times for other players
  • 🌐 Connectivity issues and server problems
  • 🌍 Cultural differences and language barriers
  • 🔒 Restrictive clue-giving rules
  • 🤖 Jury system allowing questionable words

Dominion

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎮 Faithful adaptation of the board game
  • 👍 Challenging AI opponents
  • 🎨 Great visual design and animations
  • 📱 Convenient mobile experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. crashes, card interactions not working as expected)
  • 🤖 Inconsistent or overpowered AI behavior
  • 💰 Expensive expansion packs
  • 🕰️ Slow animation speed for AI turns
  • 🔀 Lack of customization options (e.g. disabling certain cards, saving game setups)

Bugs and requests

Codenames

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Initial launch with only Czech language support
  • Occasional app crashes and server disconnections

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Codenames Duet mode
  • Implement AI/bot players for faster games
  • Allow custom word packs and themes
  • Add a 'speed mode' for faster gameplay
  • Improve the jury system to maintain game integrity

Dominion

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Possession card not working correctly
  • Victory points not displayed properly
  • Inability to rejoin games after server disconnects

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to select specific card sets for randomized games
  • Option to complete games against AI when opponents forfeit
  • More detailed game statistics and player history tracking
  • Improved matchmaking filters for online play
  • Shareable in-app purchases for family members

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Codenames

One-time1
  • Krycí jména: Duet$4.99
10 purchases

Dominion

One-time10
  • Alchemy$4.99
  • Intrigue$4.99
  • Cornucopia$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Seaside$9.99
  • Renaissance$9.99
  • Prosperity$9.99
  • Dark Ages$9.99
  • Adventures$9.99
  • Empires$9.99
  • Rising Sun$9.99

Questions

Is Codenames free?
Codenames costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dominion free?
Dominion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Codenames or Dominion?
Dominion is rated higher. Codenames averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Dominion averages 4.9 from 5.1K ratings.
Do Codenames or Dominion have ads?
Neither Codenames nor Dominion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codenames or Dominion?
Codenames ships an update fortnightly, and Dominion every 5 days. Most recently, Codenames was updated on November 13, 2026 and Dominion on November 13, 2026.

Other comparisons