Check out the essential How to play Codenames Pictures Rules in simple steps. If you just need a refresher, click here to jump straight to our Codenames Pictures Rules quick steps guide.
Players: 2 to 8 | Game duration from: 10 mins | Game Complexity: EASY
How to play Codenames: Pictures rules in simple steps
Codenames: Pictures rules pdf / rulebook
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Czech Games Edition Codenames: Pictures, Standard, (CGE00036) for age 10 year and up | $28.75 | Buy on Amazon |
CODENAMES Pictures RULES FAQS
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How many people can play Codenames pictures?
2 to 8 players can play Codenames Pictures. A special setup is required for 2 players. Click here for the Codenames Pictures 2-player rules.
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Which is better Codenames or Codenames Pictures?
Both games are fun party games. Codenames require teams to guess clues related to words, while Codenames Pictures involve guessing pictures. It all depends on your preference.
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How do you play Codenames pictures with two players?
For two players, both of you play on the same team against a simulated opponent. Perform the usual setup, and the gameplay is similar. During the simulated opponent’s turn, the spymaster simulates the enemy team by covering up 1 of their pictures each time they get a turn. Click here for the Codenames Pictures 2-player rules.
What Are The Rules to Codenames Pictures?
The map has strange symbols. Spies must contact secret agents at these locations! Each spymaster knows the agent in each location. Using coded messages, they tell their field agents where to meet. Operatives must be clever. If you make a decoding mistake, you might encounter an enemy agent or, worse, an assassin! The two teams race to contact all their agents, but only one will win.
Setting Up Your Codenames Pictures Game
Team and Card setup
Split into two teams of similar size and skill. For a standard game, you need four players (two teams of two). Each team chooses a spymaster. Both spymasters are seated at the same side of the table. Everyone else is a field operative and sits across. Put 20 random pictures on the table in a grid of 5 by 4. These are locations where agents can meet field operatives. Card orientation is indicated in the upper left corner.
The Key
A key shows who can be found at each location in each game. Key cards should be randomly selected and placed on the stand between the spymasters, oriented similar to the 5×4 grid of pictures. Decide between the two possible orientations arbitrarily. Do not reveal the key to the field operatives. Grid on the table corresponds to key. Images with blue agents correspond to blue squares. A red square represents a location with a red agent (picture). Innocent bystanders are in pale squares, assassins are dark squares!
Gameplay
Teams take turns. The lights on the sides of the key card show the starting team.
On your team’s turn, the spymaster gives a one word clue that refers to one or more pictures. The field operatives try to guess the pictures. The team’s spymaster reveals who is in a location when a field operative touches a picture. Their operatives may keep guessing locations based on that one-word clue if it’s one of their team’s agents. Otherwise, the other team takes over. The first team to contact all their agents wins the game.
Giving the clue
The spymaster’s job is to give a clue related to the pictures your team tries to guess. Each clue has a word and a number that shows how many pictures relate to the word.
Making Contact
Once the clue is given, the team’s field operatives can discuss but the spymaster must keep a straight face. They make their official guess by touching one of the pictures. Spymasters place cards over pictures to reveal who is in each location:
If the team touches the team’s picture, the spymaster covers the picture with an agent card in that color. Operatives may continue guessing (but no further clues are given).
An innocent bystander card is applied to a location if the field operative touches it. This ends the turn.
Touching a picture belonging to the other team covers it with one of the other team’s agent cards. The turn ends.
The assassin card covers the picture if the field operative touches the location with the assassin. This ends the game! The team that contacted the assassin loses.
Ending the Turn
Each team’s turn always has one clue and one or more guesses.
Operatives may make a second guess if their first guess is one of their team’s pictures. Another guess may follow if correct and so on. The turn ends if they guess an incorrect picture. or they choose to not guess anymore, or if they have already made as many guesses as the clue specifies plus one.
instead of or along with the current clue. The “one more guess” rule gives you a chance to catch up.
Ending the Game
The game ends when one team uncovers all their pictures and wins. If they guess your last picture, you win on the other team’s turn. The game can end early if a field operative touches the location with the assassin. That operative’s team loses.
Keeping a Straight Face
Only one word and one number are allowed from spymasters. Add no additional comments to your clue. Once spymasters see the key card, they must never touch the pictures or appear to stare at one part of the board. Keep a straight face. Do not reach for an agent until they touch a picture card. You must act as if the picture a teammate chose was what you meant, even if it wasn’t. When making guesses, focus on the table. Do not make eye contact with the spymaster.
Advanced Codenames Pictures Rules
Two other clue types are described below for experts. The Assassin Ending is recommended for anyone who has played enough games to understand the basics of Codenames: Pictures.
Assassin Ending
It’s similar to eight ball in billiards. You must contact all your agents and the assassin to win. It cannot end until the assassin is found. Play continues even if all pictures of one color are guessed. Having already contacted all of his team’s agents, an operative who guesses the assassin’s location wins. A sudden death finish occurs if an operative guesses the assassin but their team still has pictures that have not been guessed. The team gets no more clues. They keep guessing, trying to guess all their remaining pictures.
Any number of guesses is allowed, regardless of the spymaster’s clue. If they successfully guess all their remaining pictures, they win. They lose the game when they guess wrong (innocent bystander or enemy agent).
Expert Clue Unlimited
Say unlimited instead of a number to allow your operatives to guess as many pictures as they want. This is useful if you’ve given clues for multiple pictures and your team hasn’t guessed them yet. However, the field operatives don’t know how many pictures are related to the newest clue.
Expert Clue Zero
You are allowed to use 0 as the number part of your clue. This means that none of your team’s agents relate to that clue. For example, feathers: 0 means, “None of our pictures relate to feathers.” If the spymaster gives 0 as the number, the usual limit on guesses does not apply. Field operatives may guess as many pictures as they want (as long as they keep guessing right, of course). They still must guess at least one picture.
Codenames Pictures 2-player rules
You can play on the same team if there are only two of you. You will try to get a high score against a simulated opponent. Set up the game as usual.
One player will be the spymaster, and the other the field operative. The simulated team has no players, but you will use their stack of agent cards. Your team starts. Pick a key card that makes you the starting team. Play your turns as usual.
The spymaster simulates the enemy team by covering up 1 of their pictures each time they get a turn. The spymaster strategises and chooses which picture is covered. If your team contacts the assassin, or if all the enemy agents are contacted, you lose. If your team wins, give a score based on how many agent cards are remaining in the opponent’s stack.
How to play Codenames Pictures Rules – Quick Steps
In Codenames Pictures, players are divided into 2 teams, each with a spymaster. Teams take turns, and the lights on the sides of the key card decide who starts. On your team’s turn, the spymaster gives a one-word clue that refers to one or more pictures that refers to the team’s agents. The team tries to guess that picture by touching it. Their operatives may keep guessing locations based on that one-word clue if the guess is correct. Otherwise, the other team takes over. The first team to contact all their agents wins the game.
Total Time: 25 minutes
Giving the clue
The spymaster gives a clue related to the pictures your team tries to guess. Each clue has a word and a number that shows how many pictures relate to the word.
Guess And Make Contact
The team discusses while the spymaster must keep a straight face. They guess by touching one of the pictures. If the team touches the team’s picture, the spymaster covers the picture with the team’s agent card’s color. The team may continue guessing (but no further clues are given).
End of Turn
An innocent bystander card covers the location if the team touches it. The team’s turn ends. Touching a picture belonging to the other team covers it with one of the other team’s agent cards. The team’s team also ends.
End of GAME
The game ends when one team uncovers all their pictures and wins. If your opponent guesses your last picture, you win on the other team’s turn. The game can end early if any team touches the location with the assassin. That team loses if they touch the assassin.
Related Links
Rules for Codenames Pictures PDF
