This is a follow up to Codenames – the best-selling, Golden Geek Award and Spiel des Jahres winning 2015 title.

Codenames: Pictures uses similar mechanics to the original game, but with a few differences:

There are nicely drawn pictures instead of words.
The grid is 5 × 4, instead of the original 5 × 5.
The rules for valid clues are simpler.
Each agent now has its own individual image underlining the spy theme.

The 280 black-gray-white pictures have been carefully picked and designed for interesting game play. The pictures usually contain two or more elements that create witty combinations, tell interesting stories, leave some space for imagination, while still being relatively simple for good playability. They are the work of great artists like Tomáš Ku?erovský (Codenames, Galaxy Trucker), David Cochard (Alchemists, Dungeon Petz), and others.

What are these strange symbols on the map? They are coded locations where spies must contact secret agents!

Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Operatives must be clever. A decoding mistake could lead to an unpleasant encounter with an enemy agent – or worse, with the assassin!

Both teams race to contact all their agents, but only one team can win.

Codenames: Pictures differs from the original Codenames in that the agents are no longer represented by a single word, but by an image that contains multiple elements.

Players: 2–8+ (competitive: 4–8+)
Age: 10+
Time: 15 min
Theme: spies, agents
Mechanics: team play, clue giving, picture association, deduction


Released: 16 September 2016