The NYT games list has grown a lot. Beyond the Crossword and Spelling Bee, a New York Times Games subscription now covers thirteen games and puzzles, plus a large crossword archive. Several of them are free to play every day without a subscription.
This guide lists every game in the lineup as of 16 October 2026, what each one asks you to do, which are free, and how to choose a daily set that fits your time. The list comes from the NYT Help Center article on the New York Times Games subscription.
The full NYT games list
The NYT Help Center lists these games and puzzles in a Games subscription:
| Game | What you do | Free without a subscription? |
|---|---|---|
| The Crossword | The daily crossword; subscribers can play it the evening before it appears in print | No |
| The Midi Crossword | A mid-size daily crossword between the Mini and the full puzzle | No |
| The Mini Crossword | A small, quick daily crossword | No |
| Wordle | Guess the five-letter word in six tries | Yes |
| Spelling Bee | Make words from seven letters, always using the center letter | Limited access |
| Connections | Sort 16 words into four groups of four | Yes |
| Connections: Sports Edition | Connections with sports themes | Yes |
| Crossplay | A two-player word game in a standalone app | Yes |
| Letter Boxed | Make words from letters around a square | No |
| Pips | Place dominoes so each colored region meets its condition | Yes |
| Strands | Find themed words hidden in a letter grid | Yes |
| Sudoku | Number-placement logic puzzles | Yes |
| Tiles | A pattern-matching tile game | No |
A subscription also includes an archive of more than 10,000 crosswords, with daily puzzles back to 1993 and Minis back to 2014, a subscriber-only monthly bonus puzzle, and editorial companions. Analysis tools such as Wordle Bot and Cross Bot need a Games or All Access subscription for full features.
Word games
Spelling Bee
Seven letters arranged in a honeycomb, one in the center. Every word must use the center letter and be at least four letters long, and letters can repeat. Four-letter words score one point, longer words one point per letter, and a pangram that uses all seven letters earns seven extra points. Without a subscription, access is limited. Start with our Spelling Bee rules, then use today's hints when you get stuck.
Wordle
Guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries, with colored tiles showing which letters are in the right place, in the word but misplaced, or not in the word. It is free, and many people play it alongside Spelling Bee; our Wordle and Spelling Bee today page puts both in one place.
Connections and Connections: Sports Edition
Sixteen words, four hidden groups of four. You choose four words you think belong together, and four mistakes end the game. The Sports Edition uses the same format with sports themes. Both are free.
Strands
A grid of letters hides a set of themed words, plus a "spangram" that describes the theme and stretches across the board. Strands is free.
Letter Boxed
Twelve letters sit around the sides of a square. You build words by connecting letters, but consecutive letters cannot come from the same side, and each new word starts with the last letter of the previous one. The goal is to use every letter in as few words as possible.
Crossplay
Crossplay is NYT Games' first two-player word game. Players take turns placing letters from a hidden rack onto a shared board, building off existing words, and scoring depends on letter rarity and placement. It is available only as a standalone app on iOS and Android, and it is free to play with an NYT account.
Crosswords
The Crossword
The flagship puzzle. It has run in the paper since 1942, gets harder from Monday to Saturday, and has a larger Sunday grid. Subscribers can solve each daily puzzle online the evening before it appears in print. If you split your time between the Crossword and the Bee, our Spelling Bee vs crossword guide compares the skills each one trains.
The Midi Crossword
The newest crossword size. The NYT Help Center describes it as sitting between the Mini and the full Crossword, with grids from 9×9 to 11×11.
The Mini Crossword
A small daily grid you can usually finish in a minute or two. The Mini launched in 2014, and the archive goes back to then.
Logic and number games
Sudoku
Classic number-placement puzzles at several difficulty levels, free every day.
Pips
A dominoes logic game. You place every domino on the board so that each colored region meets its condition, such as a target sum, rotating pieces as needed. It has Easy, Medium and Hard puzzles and is free.
Tiles
A calm pattern-matching game: you clear the board by matching tiles that share a design element. It needs a Games, All Access or eligible Home Delivery subscription.
Playing in the app or in a browser
The Help Center says many NYT games can be played in a web browser or in the New York Times Games app for iOS and Android. Crossplay is the exception: it is only a standalone mobile app. Phones and tablets need a current operating system to run the Games app. Whichever you use, logging in keeps your streaks and statistics in sync, which matters most for Wordle and Spelling Bee streaks.
Which NYT games are best for beginners?
If you are new to NYT Games, start with the free puzzles that take a few minutes and teach you the house style:
- Wordle for a quick daily habit with one clear answer.
- The Mini Crossword if you want to try crosswords without a 15×15 grid. It needs a subscription, but it is the gentlest crossword in the lineup.
- Connections for lateral thinking; the first group is usually the easiest to see.
- Spelling Bee in short bursts. You do not have to find every word; reaching a mid rank is a good first goal.
Once those feel easy, move up to the Midi, Strands and Pips on Hard.
Which NYT games are free?
According to the Help Center, these can be played without a subscription that includes Games:
- Wordle
- Connections
- Connections: Sports Edition
- Spelling Bee (limited access)
- Crossplay
- Pips
- Strands
- Sudoku
The Crossword, the Midi and the Mini, Letter Boxed, Tiles and the archives need a subscription. Games subscriptions renew every 28 days or every year, depending on the plan, and Games is also included in Home Delivery and All Access subscriptions. For current prices, the NYT points readers to its subscription page. If you are thinking of giving one, our guide to an NYT Games gift subscription covers how the one-year gift works.
For the details on Spelling Bee, read what NYT Spelling Bee gives free players and what needs a subscription.
How to build a daily NYT games routine
With thirteen options, it helps to pick a set and stick with it. Three sample routines:
Five minutes: Wordle, Connections and the Mini. All three are quick, and two are free.
Fifteen minutes: add Strands and a first pass at Spelling Bee. Aim for the Good or Solid rank, then come back later. Our 15-minute Genius workflow shows how to get much further in short sessions.
Weekend: the Crossword, a full Spelling Bee session aiming for Genius, and a hard Pips puzzle.
Log in to your NYT account before you play. The Help Center notes that if you are not logged in, progress is stored only on that device and can be lost. Logged in, your streaks and statistics follow you across devices.
How Spelling Bee fits into the lineup
Spelling Bee is one of the few NYT games with no fixed number of guesses and no single right answer, which is why some players spend all day on it and others play it in short bursts. It rewards vocabulary and pattern spotting more than deduction. If you enjoy it, the three games that use the most similar skills are Strands (finding words in a set of letters), Letter Boxed (building words under letter constraints) and Crossplay (scoring words from a rack).
If you want even more word puzzles beyond the NYT, our roundup of the best Spelling Bee games online includes free alternatives. And if you already know the Bee well, the community's shorthand is worth learning; our new guide to what bingo means in Spelling Bee is a good place to start. Recent Bee guides that help with the daily puzzle include the longest word in Spelling Bee, NYT Spelling Bee badges and how to suggest a missing word.
Checklist: getting the most from NYT Games
- [ ] Decide which games you will play every day and which on weekends.
- [ ] Log in so streaks and stats sync across devices.
- [ ] Play the free games first: Wordle, Connections, Strands, Sudoku, Pips and Crossplay.
- [ ] Use the subscription archive for crosswords you missed.
- [ ] Keep Spelling Bee for a calm session; use hints sparingly.
- [ ] Check the NYT subscription page for the current price before you buy or gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
What games are on the NYT games list?
The Crossword, the Midi, the Mini, Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition, Crossplay, Letter Boxed, Pips, Strands, Sudoku and Tiles, according to the NYT Help Center as of October 2026.
Which NYT games are free?
Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition, Crossplay, Pips, Strands and Sudoku are free. Spelling Bee has limited free access. The crosswords, Letter Boxed and Tiles need a subscription.
Is Spelling Bee free on NYT?
Partly. The NYT lists Spelling Bee as having limited access without a subscription. Full access comes with a Games, All Access or eligible Home Delivery subscription.
How far back does the NYT crossword archive go?
The archive has more than 10,000 crosswords, with daily puzzles back to 1993 and Minis back to 2014, according to the NYT Help Center.
How often is an NYT Games subscription billed?
Depending on the plan, either every 28 days or once a year. Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel, and sales tax may apply.
Where can I play Crossplay?
Crossplay is available only as a standalone mobile app for iOS and Android. It is free to play with an NYT account.