For many of us students, the school day begins the same way: opening our laptops to check emails and assignments before quickly switching over to Wordle and Connections! What starts off a simple habit rapidly becomes something more—a small but satisfying ritual that offers many a sense of completion before the day has even fully begun. Behind daily entertainment, these puzzles offer more than just a way to pass long hours of lecture. They create a moment of focus, allowing us to direct our attention toward manageable, engaging experiences.

Beyond well-known puzzles like Wordle or Connections lies a much larger ecosystem of The New York Times (NYT) games designed to challenge different forms of thinking. While some games are free to play, others require a subscription.

Ranging from wildly popular titles to lesser-known hidden gems, these are some of our favorite original NYT games.

The Mini Crossword

The Mini Crossword, introduced in 2014, offers a condensed version of a traditional crossword puzzle. The Mini is designed to be completed in just a few minutes and presents a small grid (5×5) with simple clues on vocabulary, general knowledge, and word association. Access to the puzzle, along with its archives, requires a subscription to the NYT.

In the Mini, players fill in words based on short clues, ranging from straightforward definitions to complex wordplay—just like a typical crossword puzzle. However, unlike standard crosswords, which generally take longer to complete, the limited grid emphasizes speed, making it an ideal daily puzzle for casual players.

The Mini Crossword remains a deceptively challenging game. The limited grid makes every letter matter more, as one incorrect answer can disrupt multiple intersecting words and sometimes, even, the entire puzzle.

Strands

Introduced to the NYT in 2024, Strands reimagines the classic word search with a thematic twist. In the game, players are presented with a grid of letters and must uncover words that all relate to one central theme.

Strands starts with a clue phrase displayed beside the puzzle that hints at the central theme. Using this prompt, players must uncover connected words hidden throughout the board. However, the clue is intentionally broad and often polysemous, making the puzzle especially challenging. To make better sense of the board, players often begin by identifying the “spangram”—a word or phrase that ties all of the answers together. For example, if the clue phrase is “on the rise,” the spangram may be “higher ground,” helping players identify related words such as “hill,” “slope,” or “mound.”

What makes Strands particularly engaging is its balance between structure and exploration. Rather than traditionally scanning for random words, players must think conceptually about how words relate to a broader idea. Success depends on analyzing how words connect under a unifying concept, strengthening players’ ability to categorize and organize information.

Spelling Bee

The Spelling Bee, launched in 2018, challenges players to create as many words as possible from a set of seven letters arranged in a honeycomb shape. Full access to the Spelling Bee requires a subscription to the NYT.

At the center of the honeycomb lies one letter that every word must include. Players score points by using the letters to form words consisting of four or more characters. Each word is worth points based on its length: four-letter words earn one point, while longer words secure one point for every letter used. Players can also earn additional recognition for finding all possible words or identifying a “pangram,” a word that uses every letter at least once.

At first glance, Spelling Bee seems straightforward, but its difficult nature makes the game quickly addictive. The challenge lies not in understanding the rules, but in exhausting all possible word combinations.

Tiles

Renowned for specializing in word-based puzzles, the NYT decided to create a little something different—Tiles. In 2019, Tiles became the first-ever non-word game in the history of the NYT. Access to tiles requires a subscription.

In the game, players are presented with a 5×6 board featuring tiles with multiple visual elements, such as colors, shapes, and backgrounds. Players must identify and select pairs of tiles with matching elements. Once matched, the alike element will disappear from the tiles, while the other elements remain. For example, if two tiles both contain a yellow star, players can match them together. The yellow star then disappears from both tiles, while all else remains. The goal of the game is to continue matching until the board is cleared.

Unlike other fast-paced or logic-heavy games, Tiles is intentionally designed to be a calming, visual experience. There is no clock, measured attempts, or pressures that drive the brain to think laboriously. The game encourages relaxation and sustained attention, allowing players to remain mentally engaged while also giving their minds space to slow down.

Pips

Released in 2025, Pips is one of the newer additions to the NYT puzzle collection, focusing on numerical valuation and strategic placement.

In Pips, players place two-sided domino tiles onto a grid following certain rules assigned to each section. These rules may involve matching numbers, reaching a value, or arranging dominoes in a specific order. Once all dominoes are placed in an arrangement that satisfies all conditions, the game is complete.

Unlike word games, which prioritize vocabulary and wordplay, Pips shifts the focus toward numerical intuition and reasoning. Players must analyze patterns, predict sequences, and make mathematical connections.

The rules of Pips are easy to grasp, but the solutions require careful thought.

Letter Boxed

Launched in 2019 and earning its place as the third-ever game in the NYT Games collection, Letter Boxed challenges players to spell words by connecting letters around a square.

Players are presented with letters distributed across the four sides of a box and must form words while following several rules: consecutive letters cannot come from the same side, and each new word must begin with the final letter of the previous word. The puzzle is completed once every letter in the box has been used at least once.

Although the concept appears straightforward, these restrictions make Letter Boxed both challenging and exciting. Players must think strategically about the sequential order of words, carefully planning transitions from one word to the next while also considering unused letters that still need to be incorporated.

Whether uncovering the hidden spangram in Strands or slowly and leisurely clearing away each visual element from Tiles, each NYT game offers its own uniquely satisfying sense of challenge. So, if Wordle and Connections have already secured a place in your daily routine, perhaps it is time to add another puzzle to your search bar.