Codenames vs Everdell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Turn-based multiplayer
- One-word clue system
- Teamwork and deduction
- Multiple game modes
- Spymaster and Operative roles
- Logic and creativity challenges
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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
Everdell
Build a fantastical city by gathering resources, constructing buildings, and recruiting critters. Compete against others or AI in this strategic card-based city-building game adapted from a popular board game. The player with the highest-scoring city after four seasons wins.
- Worker placement for resource gathering
- Strategic card play for city building
- Build Constructions and recruit Critters
- Cross-platform multiplayer
- AI play and Solo Challenges
- Four-season game progression
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From Everfrost to Bellsong, many a peaceful year has passed in Everdell — but the time has come for new territories to be settled and new cities to be established... Adapted from the award-winning board game from Tabletop Tycoon, Everdell is a fantastical city building game combining worker placement and strategic card play to create a new civilization. Gather resources to build fanciful Constructions and recruit colorful Critters to make your city thrive. Each card in your city scores points, and after four seasons have passed the highest-scoring city wins! Face off against other founders in cross-platform multiplayer games, or test your civic wits with AI play and Solo Challenges! On each turn, you'll take one of three actions: 1.) Place a Worker. Send one of your helpful workers out into the valley to gather resources! Berries, Twigs, Resin, Pebbles...and of course Cards! You'll need them all to help your new civilization grow. 2.) Play a Card. Your city can hold up to 15 Construction and Critter cards. Cards generate resources, open up new abilities, and score points to win the game! Discover combos and synergies to race past your opponents. 3.) Prepare for the Next Season. When the seasons change, your workers come home and get ready for the next round. But plan your city carefully! After four seasons, the Winter Moon returns and the game will end. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host— you will have a busy year ahead of you! Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises? Welcome to Everdell!
Screenshots
Verdict
Codenames and Everdell both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Everdell's written reviews are positive against 66% of Codenames's. Codenames's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $5.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Codenames costs $4.99 and Everdell $5.99 up front. Codenames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Everdell sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Codenames against 4.8 for Everdell. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 2.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Codenames's written reviews are positive against 76% of Everdell's.
Codenames ships an update fortnightly, Everdell every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Codenames | Everdell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $5.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) | 4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.0% of reviews | 76.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | #20 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 221 MB | 384 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CGE Digital s.r.o. | Dire Wolf Digital |
Customer experience
Codenames
Everdell
User reviews
Codenames
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Everdell
From 2.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Smooth and seamless gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
- 🎶 Soothing soundtrack
- 🕹️ Faithful digital adaptation of the board game
- 🏆 Challenging and enjoyable solo challenges
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile devices
- 🔙 Lack of undo/cancel functionality
- 🤖 AI opponent issues (e.g., auto-regenerating critters)
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
Everdell
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to play certain cards or use locations
- Game freezes or crashes during online play
- Incorrect scoring or card interactions
- Placement issues with workers and cards
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for expansions and additional content
- Allow players to choose their character/critter
- Implement a confirm/undo button for actions
- Improve zoom and readability on smaller screens
- Add push notifications for online games
In-app purchases
Codenames
- Krycí jména: Duet$4.99
Everdell
- Glimmergold$5.99
- Bellfaire$8.99









