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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
User consensusAlternativesIs it worth it?
Better options than

NYT Games alternatives

NYT Games users often seek alternatives due to recurring bugs, high subscription costs, and intrusive review prompts. Alternatives like Words of Wonders and Wordle! offer free-to-play experiences, though often with significant ad interruptions, while Words With Friends focuses on social play.

Why users look for alternatives to NYT Games

The alternatives

Words of Wonders
4.9★ · 1,007,581 ratings · Free

Words of Wonders offers a challenging word puzzle experience designed to keep your mind alert and thinking R55. It's described as relaxing and fun .

Better for: This app is better for users who enjoy a challenging and relaxing word game experience R55. However, be aware that many users report an excessive number of ads, some of which are difficult to close, even after paying for a no-ad version R51R53R54R56.

Head-to-head: NYT Games vs Words of Wonders
Wordle!
4.6★ · 835,303 ratings · Free

Wordle! provides a fun and challenging word-guessing game R66R69. It's a good option for those who enjoy a daily word challenge.

Better for: This app suits users who like a challenging word game and might only want to play a few rounds at a time R69. However, it is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of intrusive ads that can appear mid-game and make the app less enjoyable R65. Some users also report it drains battery and overheats phones R67.

Head-to-head: NYT Games vs Wordle!
Words With Friends Word Game
4.6★ · 744,716 ratings · Free

Words With Friends offers a classic word game experience, allowing users to play against friends or strangers R80.

Better for: This game is better for users looking for a social word game experience, playing against others R80. However, it is heavily criticized for an excessive amount of ads and pop-ups, often appearing after every move and sometimes without an exit option, making the game unplayable for many R79R81R82. Users also report issues with notifications and potential scam attempts .

Head-to-head: NYT Games vs Words With Friends Word Game
Crossword Jam
4.9★ · 515,134 ratings · Free

Crossword Jam is described as a super fun and engaging game that helps with memory and can be played offline R94. It's good for passing time, even without Wi-Fi .

Better for: This app is suitable for users who want an engaging and challenging word game that can be played offline, such as during commutes or on airplanes R94. However, a significant drawback is the overwhelming number of ads, which often interrupt gameplay and can open browser windows with trackers R93R96. Users also report glitches where puzzles reset and background audio is stopped R95.

Head-to-head: NYT Games vs Crossword Jam
Word Cookies!®
4.6★ · 196,980 ratings · Free

Word Cookies! is a fun and challenging word game that can be played without a WiFi connection . It offers mental challenges and helps exercise the brain .

Better for: This app is ideal for users who enjoy a mentally challenging word game that doesn't require an internet connection and offers progressive difficulty . While some users appreciate the challenges, others are frustrated by the introduction of timers and an excessive amount of 'nonsense' like mini-promos, trading cards, and multiple clicks required to start a game R107R109.

Head-to-head: NYT Games vs Word Cookies!®
Stick with NYT Games if

You should stick with NYT Games if you value the consistent quality and challenge of the New York Times puzzles, such as the crosswords, Wordle, and Connections, and are willing to pay for a premium, ad-free experience . The app is generally seen as a great way to keep the brain sharp and is a daily ritual for many users .

Evidence note: All alternatives have sufficient reviews to judge.

Frequently asked

Why do users find NYT Games expensive?
Users find NYT Games expensive because they perceive the subscription price as 'beyond insane' for what they consider a collection of simple 'flash games from the 2000s' R12.
Does NYT Games have technical issues?
Yes, NYT Games has several technical issues, including frequent crashes, puzzles not registering as completed, unreadable clue text due to poor contrast, and significant battery drain R4R10R13R19.
Are the alternative word games free?
Most of the alternative word games, such as Words of Wonders, Wordle!, Words With Friends Word Game, Crossword Jam, and Word Cookies!®, are free to download and play, but they are heavily monetized through an excessive number of intrusive ads R51R53R54R56.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R4] NYT Games 2/5 · US GIANT BUG in Purchased packs: When you reset a crossword puzzle that you’ve already played it no longer shows that that puzzle is unfinished. This makes it significantly harder to tell which puzzles you have not already played. Since I purchased those puzzles, I should have the right to replay them as many times as I want and it should not be difficult to do so. What the heck New York Times?? PLE
  2. [R9] NYT Games 3/5 · US Lost high score and streak: Because there was an issue with crossword, but they made me reinstall before posting a fix. I lost my wordle streak and higher score. Thanks for taking care of subscribers.
  3. [R10] NYT Games 1/5 · US Unreadable clues: The new dark blue background for the crossword clues on the iPad version makes them extremely hard to read. There’s simply not enough contrast. Please go back to a lighter blue so we can actually read the clues.
  4. [R11] NYT Games 4/5 · US Fix the highlight color, please!: I love the puzzles but recently, the color of the clue highlight has changed to a darker shade of blue that makes it difficult for this vision-impaired player to read. Please change it back to the light blue.
  5. [R12] NYT Games 3/5 · US Love it but $$$: I love these games and would pay a buck or two a month for the rest. That subscription price is beyond insane for what amounts to a pile of flash games from the 2000s.
  6. [R37] NYT Games 2/5 · US shame: App runs slower than my grandma. NYT keeps paywalling games so only half are available.
  7. [R1] NYT Games 1/5 · US Enough already: This pops up every time. Please make it stop.
  8. [R31] NYT Games 1/5 · US One star for constant review prompts: I’ve already reviewed this and I’m STILL getting prompts after every puzzle, go away!
  9. [R39] NYT Games 3/5 · US Two problems in the newest version: Before the latest upgrade I would have given it five stars. Two things bug me now: 1. It asks for a review every time you complete the daily crossword. 2. Hints don’t open in the NYT app anymore, so it’s hard to go back and forth if it’s a particularly tough puzzle. You always have to scroll through everything you’ve already read. And as of yesterday it start
  10. [R40] NYT Games 1/5 · US Stop asking me if I’m feeling stuck when I select check puzzle during the crossword.: Give me the ability to not have it ask if I’m feeling stuck and just have it check.
  11. [R13] NYT Games 1/5 · US Battery drain: Current version of the app is terrible. It completely drains my year-old iPad mini battery within an hour of use. Never had this problem before. It affects both my older pad running ios18 and the newer one on ios26. Please fix this!
  12. [R19] NYT Games 1/5 · US Very high battery usage: This app has always used a lot of battery on my iPhone 13, but with the latest update, it has become an absolute hog. Spending a 30 minutes in a puzzle drains 20% of my battery and it makes my phone get HOT! There must be a lot of background activity or the app is poorly optimized, because my battery health is still decent. A crossword puzzle is simple, low refresh rate, n
  13. [R6] NYT Games 3/5 · US Very annoying that App is no longer supported on older devices: NYT should not be forcing paying customers to buy new devices and render older devices that are otherwise perfectly ok obsolete to the point of becoming landfill
  14. [R28] NYT Games 2/5 · US No longer available: On my old iPad Sad day
  15. [R43] NYT Games 1/5 · US Doesn’t support slightly older OS: Super annoying that it doesn’t support OS 17.7
  16. [R3] NYT Games 3/5 · US The Acrostic puzzle needs to be online again: We miss it!
  17. [R26] NYT Games 5/5 · US Spelling Bee archive please: I love you but I need more Spelling Bee
  18. [R41] NYT Games 5/5 · US Fun but needs 1 thing: I really like all the New York Times Games, but Spelling Bee is my favorite. I wish instead of just 2 weeks, you could play all of them. On sbsolver.com there is an archive of every spelling bee so why can’t there be a full archive? This review was really negative, but I like this app way more than this review suggests.
  19. [R50] NYT Games 5/5 · US Spelling Bee: Would love to have an archive for the Spelling Bee! And more Crosswords to purchase that aren’t Monday or Tuesday.
  20. [R51] Words of Wonders 1/5 · US Impossible to get past ads: It is literally impossible to get past the obnoxious mass amount of ads. 99% have no way to close out or get past. You have to close the entire app repeatedly. Idiotic.
  21. [R53] Words of Wonders 3/5 · US Game great tired of ads: Love the game but I paid for no ads and every start up I still receive ads, that’s disappointing.
  22. [R54] Words of Wonders 1/5 · US Not so fun: I’m used to playing games that require you to watch advertisements to get points, energy, etc. this game you play you win you have to watch advertisement which I don’t get it but on every time you watch then you have to hit the X to get out then it loads a webpage then you go back you click the X again then it takes you to another Paige this is so annoying every time you play one game
  23. [R55] Words of Wonders 5/5 · US Challenging: It’s a game to keep my mind alert and thinking.
  24. [R65] Wordle! 1/5 · US Instant delete because of ads: This game was fine and the ads were fine but now you have to watch an ad before you can even play the game. instantly deleted the game once this was realized it wasn’t always like this.
  25. [R66] Wordle! 5/5 · US Great: It’s a great idea to make words
  26. [R67] Wordle! 3/5 · US Fun but battery draining: This game is Fun but man both my apple phone and mini get super hot and just drains my batteries. They're I cannot play as long as I would like.
  27. [R69] Wordle! 5/5 · US Great: Great game very entertaining
  28. [R79] Words With Friends Word Game 1/5 · US WORST GAME SO MANY ADS: Play this game if your goal is to get rage baited. So many pop ups and ads. An ad after Every. Single. Move. And the ads won’t let you click out of them. Deleting this game after redownloading for only 10 minutes. Wanted to play Words with Friends, not Words with Ads.
  29. [R80] Words With Friends Word Game 5/5 · US WWF: Great game
  30. [R81] Words With Friends Word Game 3/5 · US Fun game: Great but way too many advertisements , especially the exact same ones over and over . It’s hampering the enjoyment of playing . Temu is beyond annoying and it’s why I won’t buy anything from them . Inconsiderate to the point of harassing
  31. [R82] Words With Friends Word Game 1/5 · US Unplayable: Their is an add after every word played and most of them don’t have an exit so the screen is just stuck on the ad, have to close the game out after every word played. Do better.
  32. [R93] Crossword Jam 2/5 · US Fun but now ads ruin it: I have always enjoyed this game but recently I spend more times with ads than actually playing the game. Understand developer needs revenue but unfortunately this is too much for me.
  33. [R94] Crossword Jam 5/5 · US Best ever: This game is the best ever. We can’t stop playing it. I love this helps with my memory
  34. [R95] Crossword Jam 3/5 · US Game is fun but…: There are so many glitches in this game. It’s super frustrating. You complete an entire puzzle, stop to do something else and come back and the same puzzle appears and you have to do it all over again in order to proceed. This happens over and over.
  35. [R96] Crossword Jam 1/5 · US Too many advertising: Can’t play game, too many advertising
  36. [R107] Word Cookies!® 2/5 · US Get rid of the cards: I love the game but the cards are stupid and annoying. Have to click too many times to get them off the screen and get back to the game. They have nothing to do with creating words.
  37. [R108] Word Cookies!® 5/5 · US MJL: Been playing this game for quite some time. Here and there noticed certain words not used. Today SAINT is not a word. THE END OF THE LINE FOR ME WITH JUST ANOTHER COMMIE PLATFORM GO AWAY!!!!!!
  38. [R109] Word Cookies!® 3/5 · US What Happened?: Hello, Wondering what happened to the holiday album pictures? There hasn’t been one since Easter. All the new challenges are nice, but the album is still my favorite thing. Thanks
  39. [R110] Word Cookies!® 1/5 · US I love word cookies: It’s a great app, but unfortunately my app just disappeared today. Now I have to start all over. Very disappointed.
  40. [R56] Words of Wonders 3/5 · US Too many ads!: Fun game, goes from game to game quickly without a lot of annoying graphics but there’s an ad after every one or two games that I don’t have time to sit through

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store