Wordle, Connections, Pips—Why NYT Games?

Tiffany Sun

August 29, 2025

What’s a 5-letter word ending with “th”? How do “shell, mushroom, wax, banana” relate to each other? What words can you form with the letters “e, n, u, k, o, d, c”? These are the questions the New York Times mini games are stirring up in everyone’s brain. The games are short and sweet, with just the right balance of accessibility and rarity, as well as simplicity and intellectual stimulation.

On the train, in the Starbucks order line, or during short breaks, people pull out their phones and search for “nyt games” as a short pastime for those snippets of in-between space. What makes these mini games so attractive is the clever balance of accessibility and rarity. They’re completely free of charge, but only 1 puzzle is presented per day, preventing players from getting bored with the simplistic mechanics. In contrast, the daily and timely refresh urges users to return the next day, and the next, and the next, almost like accumulating a streak.

But more so, what has led to the surge of popularity for the NYT games in recent years is the freshness and originality, in stark contrast to the brain rot and doom scrolling so embedded into phone culture. When people choose to play an NYT game instead of scrolling through TikTok or Reels, they feel empowered. The willing choice of playing an intellectually stimulating game in one’s pastime feels like self-improvement in a fun and enjoyable way. And in some ways, it really is beneficial, as these games, though simplistic in mechanism, require full focus and utilization of multiple regions of the brain. For example, the game Connections really forces users to think outside of the box and discover patterns that normally would not be perceived.

In total, there are 10 games, 6 of which are free. 1 was newly added just this month, while on the other hand, 3 well-loved and previously free games, The Mini, Letter Boxed, and Tiles, became subscription-only (to much dismay). However, there are still many options accessible to all, including Connections, Spelling Bee, Wordle, Pips, Strands, and Sudoku.

Connections features 16 words that players need to group into 4 pre-determined categories. The categories vary from conventional to utterly absurd. Some words may form a category solely because when they’re placed before the word “___ split,” they form a coherent term.

Spelling Bee is where players are given 6 letters with a center letter. The player must form as many words—longer than 3 letters—as possible that include the center letter.

Wordle, which might be the most popular of them all, is where players get 6 tries to guess a 5-letter word. When the letter is in the right position, it turns green; when the letter is in the wrong position but is included in the word, it turns yellow.

Pips is a brand-new addition that just came out this month. It involves arranging dominoes in a certain arrangement to satisfy the constraints of the map.

Strands is like Word Search, except all the letters are used. Players can connect letters in every direction, and together they form words relating to a certain theme.

Lastly, Sudoku is exactly like all the other versions out there.

Whether you’re seeking a better way to pass time than scrolling or simply enjoy fun and challenging games that spur creativity and thinking outside of the box, the NYT games are definitely worth a try (better to try now than watch them all transform into subscription-only, am I right?).