What the New York Times just added
New York Times Games has started shipping bonus puzzles, a weekly batch of five to six extra puzzles that build on the formats the paper already runs. The New York Times Company announced the feature on 2 September 2026, and the puzzles appear every Wednesday in the NYT Games app and on the website.
The company says the puzzles are made by its own constructors and editors rather than licensed or bought in. Each one takes an existing game and changes a single dimension of it, so the mechanics stay familiar while the session feels different. The company also notes that the types available may change from week to week.
The six new formats
Six named formats sit in the rotating pool: Wordle in 1, Connections 3x3, Colorful Strands, Mystery Mini, Easy Mode Crossword and Special Crossword. Wordle in 1 compresses the guessing loop. Players get one clue and only one word fits it, across five rounds, and all five words must be solved to win. A timer mode lets solvers compare completion times with friends.
Connections 3x3 shrinks the grid to three groups of three, a nine-item board instead of the usual sixteen items sorted into four groups. Colorful Strands keeps the rules of Strands but redesigns the board to be more visually striking. Mystery Mini does the same for the Mini crossword, keeping the rules and adding a twist to how the grid or clues are presented.
Easy Mode Crossword takes the Friday Crossword, usually one of the hardest of the week, and supplies gentler clues on the same grid; it also runs in the Easy Mode Newsletter every Friday. Special Crossword is the outlier: per Beebom it lands monthly, on the first of each month, with celebrity constructor collaborations.
“Bonus puzzles are an exciting addition to continue diversifying our portfolio, with each puzzle built on mechanics that our solvers already know and love, but with novelty to make them feel distinct from the daily puzzles.”
Who gets them, and when
The bonus puzzles are aimed at NYT Games and All Access subscribers. The launch drop was free for everyone to try, but future Wednesday drops are subscriber-only.
The Times frames them as flexible, low-pressure play with no daily streak to protect, a contrast with Wordle and Connections, where a missed day breaks a run. That framing is deliberate: the pitch is more ways to play rather than another daily obligation.
Why the Times is doing this
The move deepens a Games catalog that already sits alongside news and sports among the paper's most engaging products, and it gives subscribers a reason to open the app midweek beyond the daily puzzles.
The Times also draws a line between the two kinds of change on offer. In four of the six formats the tweak is structural, altering the rules or the size of the board rather than just the look; the other two, Colorful Strands and Mystery Mini, keep their rules and change how the puzzle is presented.
It also lands as rivals crowd the daily-puzzle space, so leaning on formats solvers already know, then twisting them, is a low-risk way to add volume without asking players to learn something new.
Frequently asked
When do the NYT bonus puzzles come out?
The New York Times releases five to six bonus puzzles every Wednesday, in the NYT Games app and on the website. The feature was announced on 2 September 2026.
Do you need a subscription to play them?
The first drop was free for everyone to try. After that, bonus puzzles are available to NYT Games and All Access subscribers.
What is Wordle in 1?
A variation where you get one clue and only one word fits, across five rounds. You must solve all five to win, and a timer mode lets you compare times with friends.