Party word game

Just One

Write one-word clues together, but matching clues get wiped out

Word gamesClues and guessingCooperative

  • 3–7best with 5-7
  • 15–30 minper game
  • About 2 minto set up
  • 8+years
  • Very easy
  • Somereading

The official edition, on Amazon.in

Imported
Buy on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

The game in a nutshell

Just One is a cooperative word party game for 3 to 7 players aged 8 and up, and the 2019 Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) winner. One player tries to guess a mystery word from one-word clues written by everyone else, but any clue that two people wrote is wiped out before the guesser sees it. A game takes about 20 minutes, and it suits families, cousins and friends who are at ease with English words.

Is Just One right for you?

Great if

  • Family get-togethers and Diwali evenings with five to seven people, since everyone writes a clue every round
  • Mixed groups and first-time players: you all play on one team, so nobody loses on their own
  • A short game to start or end an evening; one game is 13 cards and about 20 minutes
  • Packing for holidays: the box is small and the rules take a minute to explain

Skip it if

  • Some players aren't comfortable reading and spelling English words
  • You want a competitive game with a winner; the group plays together for a score out of 13
  • You are usually just three; it works with a variant, but it's best with more

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year), 2019 (Winner)

International Gamers Awards, General Strategy: Multi-player, 2019 (Nominated)

How Just One plays

Each player takes an easel and an erasable marker. Shuffle the cards and put 13 face down as the deck: that's one game. Every card has five mystery words, numbered 1 to 5.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The mystery words are printed in English, and every clue is a single written word, so everyone needs to read and spell English comfortably; spelling matters because identical clues cancel. There is no Hindi edition. Groups can agree to allow Hindi or Hinglish clues, as long as nobody simply translates the mystery word, which the rules forbid.
The guesser's card sits on the easel, facing away · Photo: Repos Production

Just One · Repos Production · Official

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

Your turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Pick

    The guesser draws a card without looking, shows it to everyone else and calls a number from 1 to 5 to choose the mystery word.

  2. 2
    Write

    Everyone else secretly writes a one-word clue on their easel.

  3. 3
    Cancel

    Identical and invalid clues are wiped out before the guesser looks; the guesser then makes one guess or passes.

  4. 4
    Score

    Right guesses win cards; a pass loses one and a wrong guess loses two. After 13 cards, your team's total is rated out of 13.

Read the official rules (PDF)Just One rules (English) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Just One goes

On your turn you are the guesser. Draw a card without looking, stand it on your easel facing everyone else, and call a number from 1 to 5: that word is the mystery word. Everyone else silently writes a one-word clue for it on their own easel.

While the guesser closes their eyes, the others compare clues. Any clue that two or more people wrote is cancelled, and so are invalid ones: the mystery word in another language, a word from the same family, a made-up word, or a word that sounds the same. Cancelled easels are laid face down. The guesser then reads the clues that survive and makes one guess, or passes.

A right guess wins the card. A pass loses that card, and a wrong guess loses it plus the top card of the deck, so a wild guess is risky. When the deck runs out, count the cards you won; the rulebook rates every score from 0 to 13, with 13 a perfect game.

With three or four players, everyone except the guesser takes two easels and writes two different clues, so the guesser still sees enough. The fun is in second-guessing each other: the most obvious clue is the one most likely to be cancelled.

What's in the box

Easels, word cards and pencils · Photo: Asmodee Canada (Repos Production)
  • 110Word cards
    each with five mystery words, numbered 1 to 5
  • 7Easels
    wipe-clean stands for writing clues, with a lip that holds the card facing the other players
  • 7Erasable markers
  • 1Rulebook

Contents of the original English box, from Asmodee Canada's list. The 2025 new version has the same 110 cards and 7 easels, with 550 new words, 7 erasable pencils instead of markers, and 7 cloths for wiping the easels.

Where to buy

Amazon.inImported edition

The official edition, on Amazon.in

There's no Indian edition, so this is the official imported game. Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery.

Buy on Amazon.in

Opens Amazon.in in a new tab.

Just One has no Indian edition and no Indian distributor was found, so copies sold here are Repos Production's English box, imported. Our Amazon.in link goes to the listing for the original English edition, which comes with markers. Since mid-2025 Repos has also sold a new version with fresh words, erasable pencils and cloths, so either box may arrive; the game is the same.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyA little care before you click.
  • The box shows the Just One title and the Repos Production logo, and credits Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter
  • Inside: 110 cards with five numbered words each, 7 easels and 7 erasable markers (the 2025 version has erasable pencils and 7 cloths instead of markers)
  • The listing names Repos as the brand
  • The rulebook is in English and rates your final score out of 13

We link to one Amazon.in listing that we've checked against the maker's own information. We don't show prices: Amazon shows today's price, the seller and delivery. Paid link. We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers describe Just One as about as close to a can't-miss party game as there is: it takes a minute to explain, everyone plays every round, and the twist that matching clues cancel each other makes people think about what everyone else will write. Because it is cooperative, it suits families and mixed groups, and games are short enough to play two or three in a row. The easels are singled out as the best part of the box. The common criticisms are that the score out of 13 gives little at stake, that the mystery words range from too easy to too hard, and that the original box's marker caps can pull the ends off the markers.

What people love

  • Takes a minute to teach, and everyone is involved every round
  • Cooperative, so families and mixed groups play as one team
  • The double-think of writing a clue that is helpful but not the one everyone else will write
  • Short games that people happily play again straight away

Common complaints

  • The score out of 13 gives little at stake; some reviewers ignore it
  • Mystery words vary a lot, from too easy to too hard
  • In the original box, the marker caps can pull the ends off the markers
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Just One

Our picks if Just One isn't quite right

Feature
Just One box Just One
Decrypto box Decrypto Codenames box Codenames Wavelength box Wavelength
Players3–73–82–82–12
Best with5-76-86-86-12
Play time15–30 min15–45 min15 min30–45 min
Age8+12+14+14+
RulesEasyMediumEasyEasy
Indian editionImportImportImportImport
Why look at itThis pageA team word-clue game for groups who want more of a contestThe best-known one-word clue game, played in two competing teamsAnother party game about reading your group's minds from a single clue

Questions people ask about Just One

Is Just One available in India?

Yes, as an imported game. There is no Indian or Hindi edition, so copies sold here are Repos Production's English box. Our Buy on Amazon.in button goes to the listing for the original English edition.

Can 3 people play Just One?

Yes. With three or four players, everyone except the guesser uses two easels and writes two different clues, so the guesser still gets several clues. It is at its best with five to seven, when more clues can clash.

Is Just One competitive?

No, it is fully cooperative. Everyone works together through 13 cards, and the rulebook rates your team's score out of 13, so no one is left out or loses alone.

What is the difference between the original Just One and the new version?

The new version, released in 2025, has the same rules and number of cards but 550 new words. It comes with erasable pencils and cloths for wiping the easels, where the original box has erasable markers.

Can children play Just One?

The box says 8 and up, and players need to read the mystery word and write a clue, so confident readers do best. Younger children can team up with an older sibling or a parent and write clues together.

Game facts

Designed by
Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter
Publisher
Repos Production
First published
2018
Players
3–7
Language
Needs English – The mystery words are printed in English, and every clue is a single written word, so everyone needs to read and spell English comfortably; spelling matters because identical clues cancel. There is no Hindi edition. Groups can agree to allow Hindi or Hinglish clues, as long as nobody simply translates the mystery word, which the rules forbid.
Awards
Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year), 2019 (Winner); International Gamers Awards, General Strategy: Multi-player, 2019 (Nominated)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.