I’m a fan of the New York Times Mini Crossword—a sporty, streamlined companion to the newspaper’s legendary regular daily crossword. Typically, a mini crossword (we publish answers every day) has about a dozen clues to work through—six across and six down—and you can finish it in less than a minute if all goes well.
It makes me feel smart, unlike the big crossword puzzle that sometimes makes me throw things away.
But in late August, some mini-crossword players suddenly ran into a paywall. From now on, anyone who doesn’t pay for a Times subscription with a game package must comply if they want to continue solving the mini-crossword.
Of course, the players were… well, what’s the five-letter word that was thrown out? Confused?
Read more: CNET’s daily answer sheet for wordle, connections, directions, mini crossword and connections: Sports Edition
“With every passing day, a little bit of happiness is being placed behind the paywall,” wrote one Reddit user in the area.
Another wrote: “Doing this crossword puzzle every day when I get home from work was my little ritual.”
Pay to play: game subscriptions for all-access
Even if you have a digital subscription to the New York Times, you probably don’t have full access to the games. The Times charges a Games subscription separate from its news, which costs $6 per month. There are annual subscription options that could save you money, totaling about $50 per year. You might also occasionally see various promotional opportunities or introductory sales.
Some puzzles are still free
While some puzzles are still free (see below), the fee for access to full games comes shortly after the New York Times added another online game, Piparis domino form.
“We now offer 10 distinct puzzles, a rich and diverse portfolio that reflects both the breadth of gameplay and the depth of experience created by our team of puzzle editors and designers,” a spokesperson for The Times told me in a statement. “With several games being free-to-play for everyone, our portfolio features a dynamic mix of free puzzles and subscription-only offerings, creating opportunities for any type of solver to engage with us each week.”
Obviously, a newspaper has to pay its puzzle designers, editors, and journalists. The old saying about there being no free lunch also applies to games.
“Subscribers not only support our journalism, they also help us make high-quality puzzles that people enjoy playing,” the statement said. “While we hope that solvers will see value in subscribing, we are committed to ensuring that there is still a rich and enjoyable experience for those who don’t.”
These New York Times puzzles are still free to download:
Non-subscribers also have limited access to the Spelling Bee puzzle, which allows you to make words from a certain number of letters. This puzzle allows non-subscribers to play up to a certain point number, after which a subscription is required to continue playing.
Your library is your friend
If you simply can’t afford a gaming subscription, sign up at your local public library.
I’m in Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library offers library cardholders free access to its expanded New York Times subscription, which includes access to sports and access to other specials like Cooking and the Athletic.
