The Ghost of WarioWare Returns to Haunt Phones with Nintendo’s New Game

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Nintendo is jumping back into mobile gaming in May 2026 with a new game called Pictonico. It’s a collection of quick, fun minigames centered around photos, similar to the popular WarioWare series.

Nintendo tried mobile gaming before, during the time of the 3DS and Wii U. They released some test games like Miitomo and mobile versions of popular titles like Mario Kart Tour. However, most of those games are no longer available, as Nintendo has largely concentrated on making games for its own consoles.

Nintendo is trying its hand at mobile gaming again with a new game called Pictonico. Announced on their UK Twitter/X account, Pictonico is a game for smart devices that turns your photos into playable parts of quick, fun minigames – think of the fast-paced style of the WarioWare series.

Pictonico Is Nintendo’s Return To Mobile Market


Image Via Nintendo

Pictonico is a new game coming to Android and iOS on May 28, 2026. You can sign up to play early starting today! While details aren’t available yet, the game will likely let you unlock more content as you play.

Pictonico will start with 80 different minigames and a Score Attack mode where players can compete on a leaderboard. The game is unique because it uses photos of people taken with your device and puts them into the gameplay, similar to how the Nintendo 3DS game Face Raiders used photos for its enemies.

Pictonico is similar to the Nintendo 3DS game Face Raiders in that it uses photos of people taken by the player and turns them into in-game characters or enemies.

Although Pictonico is currently a mobile-only app, it might be playable on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 using the console’s camera – the same one used for Gamechat. Taking screenshots and playing in handheld mode would be simple.

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It’s unexpected to see Nintendo back in mobile gaming, considering how poorly their previous attempts—besides Pokémon Go and Fire Emblem Heroes—performed. It’s possible that their new game, Pictonico, was initially created for the next Nintendo Switch console and then adapted for mobile devices, as it might be a better match for that platform.

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2026-05-19 17:10