The New York Times Games (NYT Games) has revolutionized the puzzle industry, transforming casual gaming into a cultural phenomenon with over 10 million daily players worldwide. What started as a single crossword puzzle in 1942 has evolved into a comprehensive collection of addictive online games that generate billions of plays annually.

The History of NYT Games

Interestingly, The New York Times initially resisted crossword puzzles, calling them “a primitive form of mental exercise.” However, after Pearl Harbor’s bombing in December 1941, editors reconsidered—believing readers needed mental distractions during wartime blackouts. The first official crossword appeared on February 15, 1942, published under the pseudonym “Anna Gram,” and quickly became a beloved fixture in the newspaper.

The legendary editor Will Shortz has been editing the crossword since 1993, and his editorial influence has shaped the game’s difficulty progression throughout the week, with Monday puzzles being the easiest and Saturday puzzles the most challenging. Over the following decades, the crossword became syndicated to more than 300 other newspapers and journals worldwide, establishing The New York Times as the gold standard for puzzle creation.

How Each Game Is Played

Wordle

The simplest yet most addictive game in the collection requires strategic word selection. Players type five-letter words and receive color-coded feedback: green (correct letter in correct position), yellow (correct letter in wrong position), and gray (not in the word). With only six attempts, players typically start with common words featuring popular vowels and consonants before narrowing possibilities.

Connections

This requires thematic thinking rather than word knowledge. Four groups of four words hide within a 4×4 grid, each connected by a category (e.g., things that are orange, members of a band, words ending in “tion”). Players make four selections, and the puzzle resets if incorrect. Difficulty escalates based on how obscure the connections are.

Spelling Bee

The hexagonal grid contains one central letter (always present in valid words) surrounded by six outer letters. Words must be at least four letters long and contain the center letter. Scoring increases with word length, and players earn the maximum “Genius” rank by finding all valid words or a specific target score.

Strands

This word-search variant challenges players to connect adjacent letters forming words that share a hidden theme. Some letters form “spangram” words spanning all theme connections. Players typically receive themed clues and must identify the category before solving becomes intuitive.

Crossword

Players fill intersecting horizontal and vertical words using numbered clues. Monday puzzles introduce beginners to wordplay patterns; by Saturday, constructors employ misdirection and sophisticated wordplay. Sunday crosswords balance moderate difficulty with massive grids requiring 45+ minutes for experienced solvers.

Letter Boxed

Words are formed using letters positioned around a square’s perimeter, with the constraint that consecutive letters cannot be from the same side. Players typically create a chain where the last letter of each word becomes the first letter of the next.

Pips

Players place dominoes on a gameboard where each domino must satisfy specific numerical or positional conditions derived from clues. This logic-based puzzle appeals to Sudoku enthusiasts seeking different mental challenges.