What is the New York Times Mini Crossword? For some, a fun pastime– for others, a daily routine. The New York Times Mini Crossword, also known as “the Mini,” has existed since August 21, 2014. Essentially, the Mini is a 5×5, bite-sized version of a traditional crossword puzzle.
According to the New York Times, the purpose of the Mini was initially to encourage beginner puzzle-solvers to try the New York Times main crossword. The Mini quickly rose to popularity among New York Times puzzle-solvers. Taking only one or two minutes to solve, the Mini catered to the shorter attention spans of newer generations. For beginner crossword enthusiasts, the Mini was the perfect segway to the complex main puzzle.
Imagine the abject horror of loyal puzzle-solvers when they delightfully open the New York Times app only to be hit by a paywall. On August 27, 2025, the Mini was locked behind a subscriber-only paywall. Before making this controversial change, The New York Times announced a discount on its annual games subscription. In recent years, the addition of Wordle and Connections has brought increasing attention to The New York Times. A recent study from ValueAct reveals that from 2020 to 2023, New York Times readers spent more time on the puzzle games than consuming news from the outlet. Consequently, the removal of the Mini was met with outrage from players. Maya Whiteman, a student at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Illinois, was on her phone in class when she received the news. “I opened up the crossword and it asked me to pay, and I was like – what? I don’t need to pay for this.” Perplexed, she reloaded her page and logged into her school account only to be met with the same subscriber-only paywall screen.
“The entire point of the (mini) crossword is that you can play it when you don’t have a membership.” She expressed, “And now they’ve taken that away from us.”
Many New York Times puzzle solvers mirrored Maya’s discontent. A recent post on X from the NYT Games account mentioning the Mini has received over 100 replies, many of which critique the new development. “Our family’s tradition of playing NYT games at dinner died tonight because you became too greedy and placed the Mini behind the paywall,” reads one of the countless upset replies.
Why would the New York Times make a decision that angers a significant portion of its community? Many assume that The New York Times moved the Mini behind a paywall to boost subscribers and revenue. The company has been relying on its games recently due to print subscriber losses and advertising difficulty, according to The Hill. Whether this change will increase subscriptions or drive customers away is yet to be seen. What’s certain, however, is that the Mini, once a ritual for thousands, has now become a symbol of how the simplest pleasures online often come at a price.