It was in 2021, during COVID, that I became addicted to the game Wordle. It wasn’t just me, though; it seemed like everyone around me was jumping on the viral game sensation.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would be unaware of the game’s premise but just in case you’ve had your head in the sand, let’s begin with a Wikipedia definition: “Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback through colored tiles that indicate correct letters and their placement.”
With one puzzle released every single day, I just kept coming back for more and had to make a concerted effort a year or so ago not to play it every day! This reality probably clues you in that I absolutely love puzzles, and that makes the NYT Games app a perfect fit for me.
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.
By providing a collection of word and logic puzzles in one place, users can keep their minds sharp while having a little bit of fun. The app is free to download, although there is a paid subscription option. More on that later. There are also puzzles for every skill level, so there’s literally no reason not to give it a try.
I’ve said enough about Wordle, but what else does the NYT Games app offer? Well, first up is the classic NYT daily crossword. It’s the same puzzle that is printed in The New York Times. In terms of the experience, you can click through clues but only see one at a time. Personally, I prefer to see everything at once and cross off my clues on a paper version, but if you’re not fussed about that, then this is a nice little game. If the full crossword is a bit much, there’s also a mini crossword alternative that can be solved in a matter of seconds.
I became much more addicted to the Spelling Bee, which requires you to see how many words you can make with 7 letters. I was already very familiar with the game Boggle, so this seemed like the best digital equivalent. The graphics are incredibly cute and the bright yellow branding color just brightens up any dull day!
The most recently added game to the roster is Strands. The aim is to find hidden words within a wordsearch and uncover the day’s theme. I found it rather challenging but incredibly satisfying each time I cracked the day’s puzzle. There are also games called Connections, Tiles, and Letter Boxes, but you’ll have to download the app to find out more about those.
For those who are more into numbers than letters, there’s a daily Sudoku puzzle with options to play easy, medium, or hard modes. Due to the simplicity of the game, I found this much easier to play on a phone compared to the crossword.
I imagine anyone who loves puzzles like these is a little bit competitive, which is why it’s great to be able to track progress. This includes monitoring average solve times for the crossword, streak lengths in Wordle, and tracking how often you reach each level in the Spelling Bee. You can also add up to 25 friends to see who can solve each day’s Mini puzzle the fastest. Bring on the competition!
The free version is pretty limited in terms of access to past and present puzzles, which is why a digital subscription makes so much sense. For only $5 / £2.99 per month, you can gain access to over 10,000 past puzzles from Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, and The Crossword.
If you’re interested in the fuller NYT experience, including news, cooking, The Athletic, and Wirecutter, as well as games, then you could upgrade to an All Access pass for $25 / £25 per month.
