NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword icon
NYT Games: Comprehensive Review of The New York Times Puzzle Platform

by The New York Times Company

4.8
IOSGames
The NYT Games app delivers premium daily puzzles including Wordle, Crosswords, and new domino-based Pips. Designed for puzzle enthusiasts seeking curated mental challenges with progressive difficulty scaling and professional editorial quality.

Detailed Review

The New York Times Games app consolidates the publication's renowned puzzle portfolio into a unified mobile experience, positioning itself as a premium destination for daily mental exercise. The app leverages The New York Times' decades of puzzle-making expertise, offering both classic favorites and new innovations like the domino-placement game Pips, which joins the roster with three daily difficulty tiers. Core functionality centers around daily refreshed content across multiple puzzle types. The signature Crossword follows the traditional weekly difficulty progression from simpler Monday puzzles to challenging Saturday editions. Wordle appears in its official incarnation with the familiar six-attempt word-guessing mechanics. The recently added Pips game introduces spatial reasoning challenges through domino placement puzzles. All games maintain synchronization across devices through NYT account integration, though full access requires a subscription beyond the free download. The interface employs clean, minimalist design with intuitive navigation between puzzle types. Users can track completion streaks and statistics, creating persistent engagement loops. Real-world usage patterns show strongest adoption during morning routines or short breaks, with many users incorporating multiple puzzles into daily rituals. The design prioritizes readability with adjustable text sizes and contrast options, though some interface inconsistencies emerge between puzzle types. User feedback consistently praises the quality and variety of puzzles, with reviewer TigerSnake02 noting on August 1, 2025: 'These puzzles are such high quality and super fun.' However, specific limitations are noted, including Dpoll33's August 2, 2025 observation about missing puzzle titles on iPad versions that appear on web platforms. The monetization model receives positive remarks for its non-intrusive advertising approach, though the subscription requirement for full access remains a consideration. The app excels in delivering professionally curated content with exceptional editorial standards, though platform-specific interface inconsistencies and the subscription barrier represent limitations. Ideal for dedicated puzzle solvers seeking daily mental stimulation through varied challenge types, with particular strength for users who value tradition-tested puzzle design over casual gaming experiences.

Key Features

  • Daily updated Crossword puzzles with progressive weekly difficulty scaling from accessible Monday to challenging Saturday editions
  • Official Wordle integration maintaining the original word-guessing mechanics with streak tracking and social sharing capabilities
  • New Pips domino-placement puzzles offering three daily difficulty tiers for spatial reasoning challenges
  • Cross-platform synchronization through NYT account system enabling puzzle progress maintenance across devices
  • Minimalist interface design with focus on readability and distraction-free puzzle solving experience
  • Comprehensive statistics tracking including completion streaks, solve times, and puzzle performance analytics

Why Users Love It

Premium puzzle curation quality
Minimal intrusive advertising

Perfect for: Puzzle enthusiasts seeking daily mental challenges with professional curation

Screenshots

NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 1NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 2NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 3NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 4NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 5NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword screenshot 6

Ranking History

Track NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword's performance in Games over the last 30 days

Top 5
Top 10
Top 15
Below 15

Current Rank

#4

+23 from last week

Best Rank

#3

All-time high

Average Rank

#20

30-day average

User Reviews

SoftJay917
Oct 2, 2025

I love the app! I’ve been paying for it for ten years to do the crossword, and now that I get all the other games I enjoy them too! It’s nice having wordle etc on the same app so I don’t have to use the website. I wish I could access the archive of all the games rather than just 4 Love I love the app! I’ve been paying for it for ten years to do the crossword, and now that I get all the other games I enjoy them too! It’s nice having wordle etc on the same app so I don’t have to use the website. I wish I could access the archive of all the games rather than just 4

Emi<3 !
Sep 29, 2025

I really enjoy the puzzles offered. I do have a subscription, so it’s unlimited in that sense. I just wish there was an option to play past spelling bee puzzles since that game in particular is my favorite. Amazing — just one thing! I really enjoy the puzzles offered. I do have a subscription, so it’s unlimited in that sense. I just wish there was an option to play past spelling bee puzzles since that game in particular is my favorite.

Leah R
Sep 29, 2025

NYT Games is part of my daily routine, great way to de-stress while keeping my brain active. Love my NYT Games! NYT Games is part of my daily routine, great way to de-stress while keeping my brain active.

Nick nicknamed Nickname Nick
Aug 2, 2025

Solid variety of puzzles with a pretty generous monetization model and extremely non-obtrusive ads. It's a great little thing to work into your daily routine for waking up or maintaining lateral thinking skills. Good stuff Solid variety of puzzles with a pretty generous monetization model and extremely non-obtrusive ads. It's a great little thing to work into your daily routine for waking up or maintaining lateral thinking skills.

Dpoll33
Aug 2, 2025

My only complaint for the iPad app is that the puzzle title (when there is one) doesn’t appear. Sometimes when I go online to NYT for help, it will mention that the title of the puzzle clues us in. My in-app view of the puzzle only shows the date. I do see the titles if I just go to the web browser to play, but then what’s the point of having the app? Rounded Up to Five Stars My only complaint for the iPad app is that the puzzle title (when there is one) doesn’t appear. Sometimes when I go online to NYT for help, it will mention that the title of the puzzle clues us in. My in-app view of the puzzle only shows the date. I do see the titles if I just go to the web browser to play, but then what’s the point of having the app?

App Details

Developer

The New York Times Company

Platform

ios

Rating

4.8

Last Updated

10/7/2025