Comparison

Codenames vs Cascadia Digital

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

Cascadia Digital

A relaxing and strategic tile-laying board game set in the Pacific Northwest. Players explore habitats, discover wildlife, and cultivate the most perfect ecosystem. Offers solo, online, family, and pass-and-play modes.

Highlights
  • Tile-laying gameplay
  • Ecosystem cultivation
  • Wildlife and habitat discovery
  • Solo play
  • Online multiplayer
  • Family mode
  • Pass and play
Features
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Winner of the prestigious Spiel des Jahres board game award, Cascadia is a relaxing and strategic tile-laying game where wildlife and nature exist in beautiful balance. A Breathtaking Journey Embark upon a breathtaking journey through the Pacific Northwest. Explore new habitats and discover the animals who live there as you compete to cultivate the most perfect ecosystem! Wild Strategy Cascadia offers many ways to play and explore the game's strategy, including: Solo & Online Play - Head out into the world to find your opponents, or go it alone! Family Mode - Hone your skills in Family Mode with simpler scoring objectives! Pass and Play - Share your field research with local pass-and-play! 15 Solo Scenarios - Explore new approaches in unique scenarios! 14 Challenges - Push yourself to complete tricky Challenges! Daily Trek - A new objective every day pushes your strategic abilities!

Screenshots

Codenames4 screens
Cascadia Digital4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cascadia Digital at none against Codenames's 1. Cascadia Digital also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 66%) and update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Codenames's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99). On ratings volume, ads, monetization model and chart position 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

Codenames costs $4.99 and Cascadia Digital $9.99 up front. Codenames sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Cascadia Digital asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cascadia Digital holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Codenames's written reviews are positive against 89% of Cascadia Digital's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Codenames ships an update fortnightly, Cascadia Digital every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Codenames versus Cascadia Digital: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCodenamesCascadia Digital
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings)4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.0% of reviews88.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K1.2K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#15 — better#29
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size221 MB707 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCGE Digital s.r.o.Dire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Codenames

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

Cascadia Digital

All ratings1,065 ratings
Positive99.0%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.8%
Negative7.6%

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

Cascadia Digital

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Great adaptation of board game
  • 👍 Variety of solo challenges
  • 👍 Stable performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and online issues
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 👎 Suboptimal screen formatting

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

Cascadia Digital

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unexpected player disconnections
  • Notifications not working properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Full screen support
  • Improved cross-device sync
  • Better in-game scoring review

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Codenames

One-time1
  • Krycí jména: Duet$4.99
None

Cascadia Digital

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Codenames free?
Codenames costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Cascadia Digital free?
Cascadia Digital costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Codenames or Cascadia Digital?
Cascadia Digital is rated higher. Codenames averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Cascadia Digital averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.
Do Codenames or Cascadia Digital have ads?
Neither Codenames nor Cascadia Digital shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Codenames or Cascadia Digital?
Codenames ships an update fortnightly, and Cascadia Digital every 3 days. Most recently, Codenames was updated on November 13, 2026 and Cascadia Digital on November 12, 2026.
Which is more popular, Codenames or Cascadia Digital?
Codenames currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and Cascadia Digital at #29. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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