How to Play Decrypto: Setup, Rounds, Clue Rules and How to Win

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Decrypto is a team word game about sending secret messages. Your team shares four hidden keywords, and each round one player gives three clues that point to a three-digit code. Your teammates need to understand you, but the other team is listening and trying to crack your code too. It plays three to eight people, usually in about 15 to 45 minutes. Here is how to play Decrypto from the official Le Scorpion Masqué rulebook.

What comes in the Decrypto box

• 110 keyword cards with 440 words in total
• 48 code cards in two decks of 24, one white and one black
• 2 screens, one per team
• 4 interception tokens and 4 miscommunication tokens
• A 30-second sand timer and a pad of 50 note sheets

How to set up Decrypto

1. Split into two teams as evenly as you can, with two to four players each. The rulebook has a separate three-player variant.
2. Sit each team on its own side of the table, facing the other team.
3. Each team takes a screen and draws four keyword cards from the top of the deck, sliding them into the four numbered windows of the screen without showing the other team.
4. Each team takes the code-card deck matching its screen color and one note sheet.
5. Put the sand timer and all tokens in the middle of the table.

Your keywords stay the same for the whole game. Do not look through or shuffle the keyword deck first; the cards are printed so you will not spot other words by accident.

How a round of Decrypto works

Each round, both teams pick an Encryptor. The role passes around the team so everyone takes a turn. Then follow these steps in order:

1. Each Encryptor secretly draws a code card showing three digits from 1 to 4, such as 4-2-1.
2. Both Encryptors write three clues on their note sheet at the same time, one clue for each digit, in order. When the first Encryptor finishes, they can flip the sand timer to hurry the other.
3. The White Encryptor reads their three clues aloud. The Black team writes them down too.
4. Both teams quietly discuss and write down what they think the code is.
5. From round two onward, the Black team tries to intercept first by reading out its guess.
6. The White team then reads out its own guess.
7. The White Encryptor reveals the code. Then repeat the same steps for the Black team's clues.

Tokens: interceptions and miscommunications

If the opposing team guesses your code exactly, digits and order, they take an interception token. A wrong interception costs nothing. If your own team gets your code wrong, you take a miscommunication token. There is no reward for getting your own code right. In round one there is no interception attempt, because nobody has heard any clues yet.

How to win Decrypto

Finish the whole round, even if a team has already reached a target, then check. A team with two interception tokens wins. A team with two miscommunication tokens loses. The game lasts at most eight rounds and most games end in four to six.

If both teams hit a condition in the same round, or nobody has won after round eight, count points: plus one for each interception token and minus one for each miscommunication token. Still tied? Each team guesses the other team's four keywords, and the team with more correct words wins.

Decrypto clue rules

• Clues must refer to a keyword's meaning, never its spelling, letter count, position on the screen or sound.
• A clue can be a word or a phrase, and your group can allow humming or miming if everyone agrees.
• Use public knowledge only, not private jokes like a pet's nickname.
• Spell your clue if asked, never change a clue once spoken and never reuse a clue in the same game.
• Never say a keyword, a translation of one or the digits on your code card.

Decrypto strategy tips

• Early clues can be safe. In round one the other team has nothing to compare, so clear clues cost little.
• Vary your angle. If your keyword is shark, move from teeth to a sports team to a loan shark so the other team cannot spot the pattern.
• Use the note sheet. Writing clues under each number shows you what the other team has heard.
• Avoid private jokes. They break the rules and confuse your own team.

Decrypto is often compared with another team word game. Our Decrypto vs Codenames guide covers the differences, and Codenames (about $25) is a natural next game. For more ideas, see games like Decrypto.

How to play Decrypto FAQ

How many players do you need for Decrypto?

Three to eight. The standard game uses two teams of two to four, and the rulebook includes a three-player variant.

Can you intercept in the first round of Decrypto?

No. Interceptions start in round two, once both teams have heard some clues.

How do you lose Decrypto?

Your team loses if it collects two miscommunication tokens by failing to guess its own code twice.