The Mini Crossword from The New York Times will no longer be available for free as of late August 2025. This unexpected shift has disappointed numerous long-time fans who discovered that The Mini Crossword is now behind a paywall without prior warning.

After celebrating its 11th anniversary, the Mini Crossword was revealed to be paywalled on August 25, as users first reported the change. Speculations about accidental removal were quickly dismissed by an update on the FAQ page, clarifying that the popular puzzle is only accessible to subscribers of The New York Times.

This change has agitated dedicated players who considered the quick puzzle part of their daily routine. While many expressed their disappointment, some responded with anger, leading a few current subscribers to terminate their subscriptions in protest, though such instances appeared to be limited.

Game Rant conducted tests on Mini Crossword’s web version while cycling through various countries, confirming that the new paywall applies worldwide.

The New York Times indicated in a statement that this change is part of its broader game portfolio, which includes ten titles, most of which remain free. However, they did not rule out the possibility of additional games going behind a paywall, as they continue to evaluate strategies that work best for subscriber growth.

In the larger context, this strategy has been effective, with the Times adding nearly 250,000 new subscribers in the second quarter of 2025, totaling approximately 11.88 million paying members, 11.3 million of whom are digital subscribers. The paywall for The Mini Crossword highlights the increasing reliance on subscription revenue across digital media, even though many fans feel that the puzzle’s charm was in its open accessibility.