How to play Cipher — a free online team code game like Decrypto
Clue your team's secret code. Don't let the other team crack it.
- Players
- 4–8
- Length
- ~20 min
- Type
- Teams
- Price
- Free
Cipher is a word game for two teams. Each team has four secret words, numbered 1 to 4, and only your own team can see yours. Each round one player on each team gets a three-digit code, like 4-1-3, and gives one short clue per number. Your team has to work out the code from those clues.
The catch is that the other team hears every clue too. They can't see your words, but every clue you give gets written under its number, round after round. By round three or four, a sharp team can start to see what your words are and crack your code. If you've played Decrypto, you already know how it works. Cipher runs in the browser, so nobody needs to install anything.
Each team talks through its calls, so a voice call per team is ideal. A group chat per team works too. In one room, keep your voices down: the other team is listening.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.
How to play Cipher
The room splits into two teams
Red and Blue are picked for you when the game starts, so the teams come out even. You need at least four players. If you're short, Blips (the site's bot players) can fill seats.
Your team gets four secret words
They show up numbered 1 to 4 on everyone's screen on your team. The other team has four words of their own, and nobody sees the other side's words until the game ends.
The encryptor gets a code
Each round one player per team is the encryptor, and the job passes around the team. They get three different numbers from 1 to 4, like 4-1-3, and type one clue for each number, in order. A clue can be a word or a few words, but it can't use the secret word itself.
Try to crack the other team's code
From round two on, both teams first see the other side's clues and try to guess their code. Their old clues are listed under each number, which is how you start to see what their words are.
Decode your own code
Then each team names its own code. The encryptor stays quiet. Everyone else on the team taps the number they think each clue is for. If you disagree, the call most of the team made is the one that counts.
The codes are revealed
Both real codes are shown, the clues are filed under their numbers, and any tokens are handed out. Then the next round starts with new encryptors.
What Cipher looks like
How scoring works
Crack the other team's code and your team gets an interception token. Two interceptions win the game.
Get your own code wrong and your team gets a miscommunication token. Two of those and you lose.
If both teams finish on the same round, or eight rounds pass without a result, the team with more interceptions than miscommunications wins. If that's level too, it's a draw.
Each player also scores a few points when their team decodes or intercepts, but the team result is what decides the game.
Tips for winning Cipher
- Don't use the most obvious link to your word in round one. Save it. The other team gets better at reading you with every clue you give.
- Clues that only make sense to your team work well: an in-joke, a film you all watched, or someone's favourite food.
- Look at the other team's notes before you guess. If their number 2 has had "beach" and "wave", a clue like "salt" probably belongs there too.
- Watch your own notes from the other side. If all your clues for one word point the same way, mix it up before they crack you.
- Talk it through as a team before you lock in, but keep it down if the other team can hear you.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Cipher?
Four to eight, split into two teams. Teams of two work fine: one person gives the clues and the other decodes. Blips can fill empty seats.
Is Cipher the same as Decrypto?
It plays the same way: four secret words, three-number codes, interceptions and miscommunications. It's played online in a browser, and the words are dealt for you from our own word list.
Do we need to be on a call?
It's best when each team can talk, because deciding the code together is half the fun. A voice call per team works, and so does a group chat per team. If you're all in one room, the other team can hear you, so keep it down.
What happens if the encryptor runs out of time?
The game writes three clues for them, and the round goes on. Those clues are marked so everyone knows they weren't chosen by a person.
Can I play with Blips?
Yes. Blips give clues based on simple word links and make honest guesses. On a team with a person, the person always does the guessing. They're there to fill seats, not to win.
How long does a game take?
Around 20 minutes. Most games end before the eighth round, once a team gets two tokens.
Is it free?
Yes. It's free to play and free to host, and you don't need an account to join a room.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.