Games Like NYT Games
About Games Like NYT Games
The New York Times puzzles, Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Strands, the Mini crossword and the rest, turned a few minutes of word play into a daily habit for millions of people. The appeal is easy to name: short puzzles with clean rules, a satisfying finish, and the same puzzle for everyone, so you can talk about it afterwards. The games on this page are free puzzles of the same families, each matched below to the kind of NYT game it is closest to.
They are our own games, not versions of the Times's, and Gamefinity is not affiliated with The New York Times. Some are daily and the same for everyone; others are unlimited, so you can keep playing when the day's puzzle is done. All of them run in a browser with no app, no subscription and no account. For every puzzle that resets each day, see our Daily Games and daily puzzles beyond words.
For Wordle and Spelling Bee players
Wordlock is a 5-letter word guessing game with the colour clues Wordle players know: green for the right letter in the right place, gold for the right letter in the wrong place. The difference is that it never runs out: there is no guess limit, and you solve word after word against a clock that every solve tops up, with fewer guesses scoring more. Anagram Blitz is the nearest thing to Spelling Bee: seven letters, 90 seconds, as many words as you can make, and a big bonus for the word that uses all seven. Unlike Spelling Bee there is no compulsory centre letter, and the clock makes it a sprint.
For Strands and the word search fans
Strands hides themed words in a grid of letters. Word Search Rush is the classic version of that hunt: three word search grids that grow from 8×8 to 10×10, six words each, and two minutes to circle them all. It has no theme to work out and no spangram, so it is quicker and simpler, closer to a newspaper word search on a clock.
For Sudoku and numbers
The Times publishes daily 9×9 sudoku. Sudoku Sprint is a faster cousin: 6×6 mini sudokus against a clock that wins time back for every grid you solve, with the same rule that every row, column and box holds each number once. Exactly is a daily math puzzle in the style of a Countdown numbers round: six cards, one target and the four signs, three sums a day from easy to hard, the same for everyone.
What is missing, honestly
We have no crossword yet, and nothing like Connections, where you sort sixteen words into four hidden groups. If those are the puzzles you play first each morning, these games are a companion to them rather than a replacement.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gamefinity affiliated with The New York Times?
No. Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections and Strands are games of The New York Times Company. Gamefinity is not connected to it; these are our own puzzles of similar kinds.
Which game here is most like Wordle?
Wordlock: guess a hidden five-letter word from green and gold clues. It has no guess limit and is unlimited, so you can play as many words as you like.
Do I need a subscription?
No. Every game on Gamefinity is free to play in your browser, with no subscription, download or account.
Which of these are daily puzzles?
Exactly is daily: the same three sums for everyone, new at midnight Eastern Time. Wordlock, Anagram Blitz, Word Search Rush and Sudoku Sprint deal fresh puzzles every time you play.