Is Letter Boxed Free? What the NYT Charges and How to Play for Free
No. The official NYT Letter Boxed puzzle is not free. The New York Times moved it behind a paid subscription on August 27, 2025. You can still play without paying, through a library pass or on independent sites that run their own boards.
This guide covers what the NYT says today, what a plan costs, which NYT games stay free, and the free options that work.
| Question | Answer |
| Is the official daily puzzle free? | No. It needs a subscription. |
| Which plans include it? | Games, All Access and Home Delivery |
| When does a new puzzle appear? | 3 a.m. Eastern, every day |
| Free route to the official puzzle | A library card pass, where your library offers one |
| Free route to similar puzzles | Independent unlimited versions |
Is Letter Boxed Free on the New York Times?
The NYT Help Center says Letter Boxed is available to Games, All Access and Home Delivery subscribers. It does not appear on the NYT’s list of games that stay free.
It was not always this way. Sam Ezersky, a puzzle editor at the Times, created the game, and it launched in 2019. For years, people could play without a subscription.
That ended in late August 2025. Kotaku reported that on August 27, players opened the Mini Crossword, Tiles and Letter Boxed and found them locked. Book Riot noted the Times made no announcement first.
We found no NYT statement about returning Letter Boxed to the free tier.
What You Need to Play Letter Boxed Today
The NYT offers three official routes:
- Games subscription. It covers every NYT puzzle. It does not include news, Cooking, Wirecutter, Audio or The Athletic.
- All Access subscription. Games comes bundled with it.
- Home Delivery subscription. Games is included here too.
You can play in the Games app, at nytimes.com/puzzles/letter-boxed, or in the Games section of the NYT News app.
Log in to your NYT account before you play. The NYT says progress stays on your device when you are logged out, so you can lose it.
How Much Does a Letter Boxed Subscription Cost?
The NYT does not print a price on its Help Center page. It points readers to nytimes.com/subscription/games for current pricing. Independent price guides put the standalone Games plan near $39.99 a year, or about $5 a month. Treat that as a guide, not a quote.
Billing runs every 28 days or once a year. Plans renew automatically unless you cancel. New subscribers often see introductory offers. Kotaku noted the NYT ran a discount on games subscriptions when it locked these games. App Store prices can differ from the website, so compare before you buy.
Which NYT Games Are Still Free?
The NYT lists these games as free without a subscription. Letter Boxed is not one of them.
| Game | Free without a subscription? |
| Wordle | Yes |
| Connections | Yes |
| Connections: Sports Edition | Yes |
| Strands | Yes |
| Pips | Yes |
| Sudoku | Yes |
| Crossplay | Yes |
| Spelling Bee | Limited access |
| Letter Boxed | No |
| The Mini Crossword | No |
| The Midi Crossword | No |
| Tiles | No |
| The Crossword | No |
The NYT also says Wordle Bot and Cross Bot need a subscription for full features. The Word Finder tracks this list and rechecks it every quarter.
How to Play Letter Boxed for Free
Two routes work. One gets you the official puzzle. The other gets you similar puzzles.
Use a Library Card Pass
Many public libraries partner with the NYT. Pass terms vary. San Mateo County Libraries offers a 24 hour Games pass. Wright Library describes a renewable 24 hour All Access pass that includes Games, starting May 2026. The Kansas City Public Library also lists free NYT Games passes.
The steps follow the same pattern:
- Open your library’s New York Times page and sign in with your card.
- Create a free NYT account, or sign in to one without a paid plan.
- Redeem the code the library page gives you.
- Repeat when the pass expires.
If Letter Boxed still shows a paywall, log out and back in. Wright Library says this can be needed, especially in the app. Not every library offers a pass, so search your library’s site for “New York Times.”
Play an Independent Free Version
Several sites run Letter Boxed style games with no account. They use their own boards, so you will not see the NYT’s daily puzzle. Word lists differ too, because NYT editors curate theirs.
Be careful with any site that says it offers the same NYT daily board for free. The official board sits behind the NYT subscription. Check the claim before you trust it.
Our Letter Boxed Unlimited page is one free option. This site is independent and has no link to The New York Times. The boards are our own.
Official Letter Boxed vs Free Versions
| Official NYT puzzle | Free independent versions | |
| Cost | Subscription | Free |
| Board source | NYT puzzle editors | The site’s own boards |
| New board | One a day at 3 a.m. Eastern | Varies, often on demand |
| Word list | Curated by NYT editors | Set by each site |
| Account | Log in to save progress | Usually none |
| Scoring | Par score at the end | Varies by site |
The NYT says its word list may leave out some dictionary words. Proper nouns and hyphenated words are not accepted, but adjectives are.
Is the Letter Boxed App Free?
The NYT Games app is free to download. Its App Store listing offers subscription options inside. Letter Boxed in the app needs an eligible plan, the same as on the website.
Do not mix it up with Letterboxd. That is a separate social site for logging and rating films. It has no link to the puzzle.
