If you are the kind of person who finishes Wordle and immediately goes around looking for another word game, The New York Times has good news for you. NYT Bonus Puzzles, a brand-new lineup of weekly games that will put fresh twists on some of its most popular puzzles.
Starting September 2, NYT Games will release six Bonus Puzzles every Wednesday through its app and website. Only NYT Games and All Access subscribers can access the Bonus Puzzles, but the initial drop is available for everyone to try, even without a subscription.
The first batch features six NYT Bonus Puzzles:
- Wordle in 1
- Connections 3×3
- Colorful Strands
- Mystery Mini
- Easy Mode Crossword
- Special Crossword
All New NYT Bonus Puzzles Explained
So what exactly makes these weekly “bonus” puzzles different from the NYT Games like Strands and Connections you already know and play daily? Let’s take a closer look at the six new Bonus Puzzles making their debut on The New York Times Games platform.
Wordle in 1
While the regular Wordle gives you six attempts to find the answer, this variation gives you just one attempt.
You get a partially completed board with color-coded clues. Now, using these clues, you have to figure out the only possible answer. But that’s not all!
You get five rounds in total, so if the first one seems easy, don’t get overconfident (well, I made that mistake). And yes, there’s an optional timer too if you want to add some extra pressure.
Connections 3×3
NYT Connections is cutting down its board by one row, or four words, for the weekly bonus variant. So, instead of 16 words and four groups, you get 9 words and three groups.
That should make things quicker, but I wouldn’t call it easy just yet. We know how NYT Connections has a special talent for making perfectly obvious words suddenly look like they belong everywhere.
There are several other common NYT Connections mistakes people make that can easily be avoided if you just be careful.
Colorful Strands
This bonus puzzle will make you feel right at home. Like regular Strands, you have a theme, and you have to find hidden words related to it.
The hints system and Spangram in Strands are also available to help you crack the puzzle. The big difference? The words you find will be highlighted in different colors, giving the familiar word hunt a more colorful and unique visual appeal. Check out Strands hints today
Mystery Mini
If you enjoy the NYT Mini but want a little mystery thrown into the mix, this one’s for you. Mystery Mini keeps the basic crossword format but adds a twist to how the clues are presented.
While you still have a small grid to solve in this NYT Bonus Puzzle, the clues are presented in ways you wouldn’t normally see in the Mini. The Down and Across clues are interrelated, as you can see below.
Easy Mode Crossword
If you find the regular Crossword a little intimidating, especially the large Friday grid, this could be a good place to start. Easy Mode Crossword uses the same puzzle as the previous Friday, but with easier clues.
So, if you’re still making the jump from the Mini or NYT Midi Crossword to the regular Crossword, this gives you a chance to get familiar with the bigger grid without feeling completely lost.
Special Crossword
As the name suggests, this is where things actually get special. Unlike other Bonus Puzzles released every Wednesday, the Special Crossword will be released on the first day of every month.
However, The New York Times states that there may even be more than one Special Crossword in a month. These Crosswords will have their own themes and will be released in collaboration with celebrity constructors, so crossword fans can expect something a little different from the regular daily puzzles.
These are all the games you can play in the first batch of NYT Bonus Puzzles. But knowing what they are is only half the fun. The next question is, where can you actually find them?
How to Access NYT Bonus Puzzles
Here’s what you need to do to access the New York Times Bonus Puzzles:
- Head to the New York Times website or open the NYT Games app.
- Look for Bonus Puzzles: You will find the new Bonus Puzzles option alongside other NYT Games. Since these are new, you may see a pop-up as soon as you visit the website or open the app. Click on ‘Solve now,’ and you’ll get the list of Bonus Puzzles.
- Select the game: From the list of all available Bonus Puzzles, click the one you want to play. I’d say try all of them at least once to find the perfect new puzzle for you. Most are pretty easy to get through, although a few might take you a little longer than expected.
- Check back on Wednesdays: Remember, NYT will release five or six new puzzles every Wednesday, so there’s always something new to try.
Don’t forget to come back every Wednesday to the NYT Games website and enjoy the latest Bonus Puzzles.
Beyond all these new game variants, NYT seems to have a bigger idea in mind with Bonus Puzzles. Jonathan Knight, head of NYT Games, says that the idea is to take the games and mechanics that people already know and give them a little more room to experiment. The team wants these Bonus Puzzles to be low-pressure and flexible instead of a daily obligation.
And honestly, I like this approach. Sometimes you finish your daily Wordle or Connections and just want one more puzzle. Now, NYT Games has given you six brand-new ways to scratch that itch, with another batch coming your way every Wednesday!
NYT Games has introduced six Bonus Puzzles: Wordle in 1, Connections 3×3, Colorful Strands, Mystery Mini, Easy Mode Crossword, and Special Crossword.
The initial six NYT Bonus Puzzles are available for everyone to try, including non-subscribers. However, future weekly New York Times Bonus Puzzle releases will be available only to NYT Games and All Access subscribers.
You can play NYT Bonus Puzzles through the New York Times website or the NYT Games app. The Bonus Puzzles appear alongside the publication’s other games.
Bonus Puzzles are designed as additional games. Since they are separate from the regular daily games, playing them does not affect your usual Wordle, Connections, or other daily game statistics.
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