Nintendo Announces Camera-Based Smartphone Game Pictonico!
Pictonico! revives the camera-based minigame concept Nintendo last explored on the DSi, adapting it for modern smartphones with a WarioWare-style sensibility.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, KAI-YOU, Inside.
Nintendo announced a new smartphone game, Pictonico!, on May 19, 2026, with a release date of May 28 for iOS and Android. The game uses the device camera to take photos of people's faces, then turns those images into short minigames. The minigames are described as surreal and reminiscent of the WarioWare series, with 80 total minigames available. Some minigames can be played for free, but the full set requires purchase. Example minigames include making a boss with a dislocated jaw eat, shampooing a high school version of yourself, and turning a close friend into the final boss of a shooting game. Pre-registration is open on the App Store and Google Play. The announcement was made via the Nintendo Today! app. Nintendo previously released a similar camera-based minigame collection for the Nintendo DSi called Utsusu Made in Wario.
The game is free-to-start, with an in-app purchase to unlock the full set of 80 minigames. Inside notes that the store listing describes the experience as "surreal gameplay reminiscent of 'WarioWare'," with prompts like "Make them lick it!" and "Eat it up!."
- "The two who were active in the sports festival walk down the red carpet!"
- "Your boss's jaw is dislocated?! Feed him!"
- "Shampoo your high school self, wash away that dark history!"
- "Zip up your son's mouth that keeps talking!"
- "Two friends with zero connection get close during skydiving!"
- "Grandpa in a ballet costume, don't miss the smile, shutter chance!"
- "Mom's nose hair during a fight, now is the time to pluck it!"
- "Dad making a funny face gets skincare with a face mask!?"
- "A close friend turned into the final boss of a shooting game! You just have to keep dodging!"
- "That calm teacher becomes a bodybuilder!? Unexpectedly showing off muscles."
Inside also draws a direct lineage to Nintendo's DSi camera minigame collection, "Utsusu Made in Wario," calling the new title "nostalgic" for players from that era. 4Gamer.net notes that the game "allows players to take photos of people and then play minigames based on those photos," with funny faces generated automatically.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.