Secret Code
Two teams, one-word clues. Find your pictures and dodge the trap.
4-20 players15-30 min
Best with a TV
A picture game for two teams. 25 pictures sit on the shared screen; only the two clue givers see which are whose. They give one-word clues, their teams guess, and one wrong card can end it all. Clues work in any language, so mixed groups play together.
How to play Secret Code
Goal
- Two teams race to find all their pictures on a grid of 25 before the other team does.
- Each team has one clue giver. Only the clue givers see which pictures are red, blue, nobody's, or the trap.
How it works
- On your turn, your clue giver says one word and a number, like OCEAN 2. Any language is fine.
- The clue is about what the pictures show, not where a card sits on the grid. No other hints either, not even a face.
- Your team talks it over and taps pictures one at a time. You must guess at least one, and may guess one more than the number. With 0 or no limit, guess as many as you like.
- A picture of your colour lets you keep going. Any other picture ends your turn. You can also stop after one guess.
- Touch the trap and your team loses at once.
- The first team with all its pictures revealed wins. The team that starts has 9 pictures, the other 8.
- GatherPlay only checks that a clue is one word made of letters. If the table agrees a clue broke the rules, the host rules it out: the turn ends and the other team turns over one of its cards for free.
Learn to play: How to play Secret Code: rules and clue tips
Questions and answers
How many people can play?
4 to 20, in two teams. It plays best with 4 to 10.
What counts as one word?
One word in any language. A Vietnamese clue may have up to three syllables, like cá sấu, because Vietnamese writes each syllable apart.
Do we need the shared screen?
It helps: the grid and the clue show big for everyone. Without it, every phone shows the grid.
What if a clue breaks the rules?
The host can rule a clue out: the turn ends and the other team turns over one of its cards for free.