Free Alternatives to NYT Games
The same daily ritual — the daily puzzles are free. Always.
If your morning puzzle habit has been drifting behind a subscription, you're not alone — and you don't have to give the ritual up. DailyGrid is ten daily puzzles in one place — free, always: no paywall, no app to download, no account to create. A fresh set drops every night at midnight Eastern, and one streak ties all ten games together.
The lineup, side by side
Here's how the familiar NYT Games shelf maps to DailyGrid. We only make claims about our side of the table — every DailyGrid game below is free, every day.
| If you play… | Play this at DailyGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Sudoku | Grid — classic 9×9 Sudoku with a solver-verified unique solution, in three weekly difficulty steps. | Play free → |
| The Mini (Mini Crossword) | Mini Crossword — a quick 5×5 with real interlocking clues, free since day one. | Play free → |
Looking for a Wordle or Connections equivalent? We don't offer one — our word games are the cryptogram, word ladder, mini crossword, and word search below.
Games NYT doesn't have
Eight of our ten games have no NYT Games counterpart at all:
- 🔐 CipherA daily cryptogram — crack the code to reveal a quotation.Play free →
- 🖼️ PixelNonogram (picross): paint by number clues to reveal a picture.Play free →
- 🪜 LadderWord ladder: turn one word into another, one letter at a time.Play free →
- ➕ KakuroCrossword meets Sudoku — fill runs that sum to their clues.Play free →
- ➰ SlitherlinkDraw one loop that satisfies every numbered cell.Play free →
- 🌉 HashiConnect the islands with bridges into a single network.Play free →
- 🔍 Word SearchFind the hidden words in the letter grid.Play free →
- 💣 MinesweeperThe classic — except every board is logic-solvable, no guessing.Play free →
Why players switch
- 💸 The daily puzzles are free. Always. No paywall, no locked games — funded by keeping costs near zero.
- 🚪 No signup. No email, no password, no account. Your streak lives on your device and you're playing in one tap.
- 📱 No app required. It runs in your browser — and if you like, you can add it to your home screen like an app.
- 🔥 One streak across all ten. Solve any game to keep the day alive; clear all ten for a Perfect Day.
- 🏆 Every game counts socially. All ten games have daily leaderboards — plus private leagues where your group competes across the whole catalog, not just a few favorites.
- 🔁 No repeats. Every puzzle is checked against everything we've ever published, so regulars don't see the same puzzle twice.
- 🌅 Same daily rhythm. Fresh puzzles every midnight ET, a gentle Monday ramp to a harder weekend — the cadence you're used to.
More ways to switch
Also comparing? See the free Mini Crossword page, our free alternative to Puzzmo, games without LinkedIn, and free alternatives to Apple News+ Puzzles.
The New York Times, NYT Games, Wordle, Connections, and The Mini are trademarks of The New York Times Company. DailyGrid is an independent puzzle site and is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by The New York Times Company. Names are used only to identify the games being compared.