NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword App Guide – What's Free in 2026

NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword is The New York Times’ free puzzle app for iPhone, iPad and Android, bundling Wordle, the Crossword, the Mini, Spelling Bee, Connections, Strands, Pips and more in one place. Several daily games, including Wordle, Connections and Strands, are free to play, while the full daily Crossword, puzzle archives and analysis bots require a Games subscription.

If you just spotted it climbing the App Store charts, here is what the app actually contains, what costs money, and how the newer additions like Crossplay and bonus puzzles fit in. Details are as of November 2026 and the Times adjusts its lineup and paywall regularly, so treat the specifics below as a snapshot.

What the app is (and why the name keeps changing)

This is the same app that has been on the App Store for years under different names. Store listings have called it “NYT Games: Word Games & Sudoku” and “NYT Games: Word, Number, Logic” before the current “NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword” title. The App Store ID (307569751) is the same, so if you already had the older app installed, you already have this one. The publisher is The New York Times Company.

According to the Google Play listing and the App Store listing, the app is free to download and offers in-app subscriptions. Third-party trackers show it receiving regular updates through 2026, including one in early November, though exact version numbers vary between platforms.

Games included

The lineup has grown well beyond the crossword the app was originally built around. Here is what the store listings and the NYT Help Center describe:

A few caveats worth flagging honestly:

• The Mini: The current Help Center page does not list the Mini among free games, and older help pages put it behind the subscription. The Google Play listing has, however, advertised limited-time periods when new Mini, Midi and Crossword puzzles were free.
• The Midi: The app’s release notes announced “the Midi,” and one report describes it as a 9x9 grid. Sources do not agree on whether it is free or subscriber-only, so check the app itself.
• Spelling Bee: Free players get limited access; the full experience and the recent archive are subscriber features.

What a Games subscription adds

The NYT Help Center describes these as the main subscriber extras:

• Ad-free play in the NYT Games app and in the separate Crossplay app.
• Archives of past puzzles for Wordle, Connections, Strands and Spelling Bee (the Spelling Bee archive covers the past 14 days), plus the Crossword archive. Store listings put the total archive at more than 10,000 past puzzles.
• Companion tools such as Wordle Bot, which analyzes your guesses, and Cross Bot for Crossplay.
• Weekly bonus puzzles (covered below).

A Games subscription and an All Access subscription both unlock these features. Prices vary by region, platform and current promotion, and I could not confirm a single current price from the sources, so check the in-app subscription screen or the Times’ own subscription page before you commit.

How to subscribe or sign in

1. Download NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open the app and play any of the free daily games right away; no payment is needed.
3. If you already subscribe through nytimes.com, use the app’s log-in option and sign in with that same New York Times account to unlock your subscription.
4. If you don’t subscribe, tap a locked puzzle or the subscribe prompt to see the current offer and pay through your app store.
5. To cancel an app store subscription, use your Apple ID or Google Play subscription settings. Subscriptions bought directly from the Times are managed through your NYT account.

Crossplay: the first two-player NYT game

On January 21, 2026, NYT Games launched Crossplay, its first two-player game. It is a turn-based word game in the Scrabble mold, where you build words off your opponent’s tiles. The Times says it differs from Scrabble in board layout, scoring and tiles.

Key points from launch coverage:

• It lives in its own free New York Times Crossplay app on iOS and Android, not inside the main Games app.
• You can play against another person or against the computer.
• It is the first NYT game with in-game chat so opponents can talk during a match.
• Subscribers get Cross Bot, a postgame analysis that highlights key moments and suggests stronger plays.

If you only want the daily solo puzzles, you don’t need Crossplay. If you miss playing word games against friends, it’s worth a look, and the Games subscription covers its ad-free mode too.

Weekly bonus puzzles

The Times has also introduced bonus puzzles for subscribers: a drop of five to six new puzzles every Wednesday, made by the same constructors and editors behind the daily games. They are twists on familiar formats. Coverage from Pocket Gamer and GamesBeat lists examples such as Wordle in 1, Connections 3x3, Colorful Strands, Mystery Mini, Easy Mode Crossword and a Special Crossword.

Subscribers can play the current week’s set and go back to previous weeks. A starter set was opened to all players at launch. The rollout was described as gradual, reaching Games and All Access subscribers over several months, so if you subscribe and don’t see bonus puzzles yet, it may simply not have reached your account.

Tips for getting the most out of the app

• Start with the free trio. Wordle, Connections and Strands are free, quick, and a good way to tell whether you’d use the app enough to pay for it.
• Try Pips if you like logic over words. It offers three daily difficulty levels, so you can scale up as you get comfortable.
• Use one account across devices. Signing in with your NYT account keeps your subscription tied to you rather than to one phone.
• Watch for free windows. The store listing has advertised limited-time free access to crosswords; those are an easy, no-risk way to try the Crossword before subscribing.
• Ignore anything promising “free” premium access. Only the official App Store, Google Play and nytimes.com sell or unlock subscriptions. Third-party “unlocked” versions are unofficial and not something to install.

Bottom line

NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword is the official, free home for the Times’ daily puzzles. You can play Wordle, Connections, Strands, Pips and Sudoku without paying a cent. The subscription is for people who want the full daily Crossword, archives, analysis bots, weekly bonus puzzles and no ads, including in the separate Crossplay app. Because the Times shifts what’s free from time to time, the app’s own subscription screen is the most reliable place to check current access and pricing.