# Picross

Picross is a puzzle video game franchise by Nintendo, in which the player solves nonogram puzzles. The series started in 1995 when Jupiter Corporation developed Mario's Picross for the Game Boy. After many entries published by Nintendo for multiple platforms, Jupiter started self-publishing Picross games such as the Picross e and Picross S series on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch.
HAL Laboratory developed the Picross 3D spinoff series, with games on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

## Development

Due to the popularity of pen-and-paper nonogram puzzles at the time in Japan, Makoto Nakayama, founder of Jupiter Corporation, pitched a video game version of nonograms to Nintendo. Since Jupiter had little experience in game development, Ape Inc. (known now as Creatures Inc.) assisted with the game's development. Shigeru Miyamoto oversaw the process from Nintendo's side and proposed adding Mario to the game. Mario's Picross was released for the Game Boy in 1995. While it did not take off in the West, it sold well in Japan and led to several Japan-only entries, including Picross 2 for the Game Boy, Mario's Super Picross for the Super Famicom, the Picross NP series for the Nintendo Power service, and Tamori no Picross for Satellaview.
Picross DS was the first Picross title in 12 years to be released internationally, launching on the Nintendo DS in 2007. Shortly thereafter, HAL Laboratory, known for the Kirby series, developed Picross 3D for the Nintendo DS. The game used similar mechanics to traditional Picross but adapted them to a three-dimensional environment. The sequel, Picross 3D: Round 2, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015.
After unsuccessfully pitching a Picross DS sequel to Nintendo for the 3DS, Jupiter opted to self-publish Picross games under a licensing deal. They released nine titles and many spin-offs in the Picross e series for the Nintendo 3DS. Jupiter continues to self-publish Picross games on the Nintendo Switch, releasing nine titles and various spin-offs in the Picross S series.

## Games

| Game title | Developer | Publisher | System | Release | Notes |
| Mario's Picross | Jupiter Corporation, Ape Inc. | Nintendo | Game Boy | 1995 | First game in the Picross franchise, and first game in the Mario's Picross series. |
| Tamori no Picross | Jupiter Corporation, Ape Inc. | Nintendo | Super Famicom (Satellaview) | 1995 | Broadcast from April 23rd to September 2nd, 1995. Only released in Japan. |
| Mario's Super Picross | Jupiter Corporation, Ape Inc. | Nintendo | Super Famicom | 1995 | Second game in the Mario's Picross series. Originally only released in Japan, later received a European release on Wii, and a worldwide release on Nintendo Switch. |
| Picross 2 | Jupiter Corporation, Creatures Inc. | Nintendo | Game Boy | 1996 | Last game in the Mario's Picross series. Only released in Japan. |
| Satella de Picross | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo, St.GIGA | Super Famicom (Satellaview) | 1997 | Was broadcast on November 30th of 1997, and ran for 27 days. Only released in Japan. |
| Picross NP series | Jupiter Corporation, Nintendo | Nintendo | Super Famicom (Nintendo Power) | 1999-2000 | Series of 8 volumes that released for the Nintendo Power service. Only released in Japan. |
| Picross DS | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo | Nintendo DS | 2007 | First Picross game in 12 years to release outside of Japan. |
| Picross 3D | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | Nintendo DS | 2009 | First game not developed by Jupiter Corporation, and first game in the Picross 3D series. |
| Picross e series | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo 3DS | 2011-2018 | Received nine numbered entries. The first game is the first Picross game to not be published by Nintendo. Picross e9 only released in Japan. |
| Club Nintendo Picross | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS | 2012 | Given away as reward for the Club Nintendo loyalty program. Only released in Japan and South Korea. |
| Club Nintendo Picross+ | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS | 2014 | Given away as reward for the Club Nintendo loyalty program. Only released in Japan. |
| Picross 3D: Round 2 | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS | 2015 | Second game in the Picross 3D series. |
| Pokémon Picross | Jupiter Corporation | The Pokémon Company | Nintendo 3DS | 2015 | |
| My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS | 2016 | Given away as a reward for the My Nintendo loyalty program. |
| Picross S series | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo Switch | 2017-2025 | Received nine numbered entries, plus a few spin-offs: • Picross S: Genesis & Master System Edition (2021) - Crossover with properties owned by Sega, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Bonanza Bros., Puyo Puyo, and Golden Axe. • Picross S+ (2024) - A compilation of all 9 Picross e games' puzzles. • Picross S: Namco Legendary Edition (2024) - Crossover with properties owned by Namco, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Mappy. • Picross S: Doraemon & F Characters Edition (2025) - Crossover with the Doraemon manga series, and other works by the Japanese manga artist duo Fujiko Fujio. |
| Sanrio characters Picross | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo 3DS | 2018 | Crossover with characters and properties owned by Sanrio such as Hello Kitty, Bad Badtz-Maru, My Melody, and Kirimichan. |
| Kemono Friends Picross | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo Switch | 2018 | Crossover with the Kemono Friends media franchise. |
| Picross: Lord of the Nazarick | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo Switch | 2019 | Crossover with the Overlord light novel series. |
| Picross X: Picbits vs Uzboross | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo Switch | 2022 | |
| Logiart Grimoire / Picross -LogiartGrimoire- | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Windows, Nintendo Switch | 2024 | Is only considered to be part of the Picross franchise on Nintendo Switch. Originally released on Steam as Early Access on September 12 of 2023. |
| Picross: Records of The Shield Hero | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Nintendo Switch | 2024 | Crossover with The Rising of the Shield Hero multimedia franchise. |
| Juufuutei Raden's Guide for Pixel Museum / Picross: Juufuutei Raden's Guide for Pixel Museum | Jupiter Corporation | Jupiter Corporation | Windows, Nintendo Switch | 2025 | Is only considered to be part of the Picross franchise on Nintendo Switch. |

### Cancelled

| Game Title | Developer | Publisher | System | Revealed | Notes |
| Pokémon Picross | Jupiter Corporation | The Pokémon Company | Game Boy Color | 1999 | Originally shown in various Japanese magazines around spring of 1999, the game was cancelled for unknown reasons. The game was later found in a Nintendo data leak in 2020. The game is not directly tied to the game of the same name released for Nintendo 3DS in 2015. |