• Codenames Pictures
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Czech Games Edition (CGE)

Codenames Pictures

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Codenames Pictures is a fast, light team party game for 2–8+ players aged 10 and up. Over about 15 minutes, rival spymasters give one-word clues to help their teammates identify secret agents hidden in a grid of strange images — while steering clear of the assassin.

Players
2–8 players
Play time
Up to 1 hr
Age
Teens
Complexity
Easy

About the Game

In Codenames Pictures, two rival spy teams race to make contact with their agents hidden across a grid of strange, surreal images. Each team's spymaster knows which pictures are theirs and offers a single one-word clue, sometimes with a number, pointing to several images at once. The field operatives debate, guess and hope they have read their spymaster's mind — one wrong pick could uncover an enemy agent, or worse, the game-ending assassin.

Suited to 2–8+ players, a typical game runs about 15 minutes with light, party-friendly rules recommended for ages 10 and up. Notable mechanics include team-based play, communication limits, deduction and push-your-luck clue giving.

Designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition in 2016, Codenames Pictures followed the original Codenames, winner of the 2016 Spiel des Jahres. This edition replaces the original's single-word cards with detail-rich images, encouraging wilder, more interpretive associations.

History

Designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition in 2016, Codenames Pictures followed the original Codenames (2015), which won the 2016 Spiel des Jahres. It keeps the same spymaster clue-giving framework but swaps the original's word cards for layered, multi-element images, opening up looser and more creative associations.

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Shipping details

Codenames Pictures

$25.00

Watch: How to play

Rules of Codenames Pictures

  • Setup: Lay 20 picture cards face up in a 5x4 grid. Split into two teams (red and blue); each team chooses a spymaster.
  • The spymasters draw a shared key card showing which pictures are red agents, blue agents, neutral bystanders and the single assassin. The key card also shows which team starts; that team must find 9 agents, the other 8.
  • On your turn: Your spymaster gives a one-word clue plus a number saying how many pictures it relates to (for example, Wings, 2).
  • Field operatives discuss freely, then guess by touching a picture. The spymaster covers it with the correct card: your agent, an enemy agent, a bystander or the assassin.
  • You may keep guessing up to the clue number plus one bonus guess, but a wrong pick (a bystander or enemy agent) ends your turn immediately.
  • Picking the assassin ends the game on the spot and your team loses.
  • Winning: The first team to contact all of its agents wins.

Strategy

  • New spymasters should open with a safe clue for one or two obvious pictures rather than forcing a big multi-card clue.
  • Scan the grid for shared details — the surreal images overlap in unexpected ways, so look at shapes, colours and objects, not just themes.
  • Before giving a clue, check it cannot plausibly point to an enemy agent or the assassin; if an opponent's picture fits your word, choose a different clue.
  • Operatives: talk through every candidate aloud before touching a card, because your spymaster cannot correct you once you have guessed.
  • Remember the bonus guess: you may guess one more than the clue number, which is handy for finishing off clues from earlier turns.
  • Take note of pictures passed over in previous rounds, as a later clue may refer back to them.
  • When unsure, stop guessing and bank your correct picks rather than risking the assassin.