If you play NYT Games every morning, a couple of PerDiem's 23 free daily puzzles will feel familiar right away. That's the easy way in. The fun part is what's next to them: games built around ideas you won't find in a newspaper.
PerDiem Games isn't affiliated with The New York Times. Connections, Wordle, Strands and the other names here are theirs.
Start with something familiar
- Association is a word-grouping puzzle: sixteen words, four groups of four, four mistakes. Connections players know the drill.
- Mini is a 5 by 5 crossword with a fresh grid every day.
- Throughline is our take on Strands: a themed word search where every letter is used once and one key word stretches across the board.
Play one of those today. Then use the rest of this page to find the one you'll still be playing next month.
If you like the aha of Connections, try Packline
The best moment in Connections is when the hidden link clicks. Packline is built around one big click. You draw district lines on a map of orange and purple voters, and you learn, fast, that the side with fewer people can win more districts. It's a spatial puzzle with a real idea underneath. Read how to play Packline.
If you like the deduction in Wordle, try Scope
Wordle is about learning something from every guess. Scope takes that further. You get a panel of knobs, sliders and switches with no labels, and a wave to match. Every control does something different each day, so you work out what each one does by trying it. Read how to play Scope.
Want deduction in its purest form? Enigma is a code breaker: four hidden colors, eight tries, and pins that tell you how close you are. Hearsay is a deduction puzzle about who to believe: everyone is honest or a liar, and you prove who is which. Read how to play Hearsay.
If you like finishing the crossword, try Delve
The crossword's pleasure is a long solve that finally comes together. Delve gives you that with a deck of cards. Each room shows four cards, you take three, and your weapons wear down as you use them. The order you take things in decides everything, every deck can be won, and you can retry as often as you like. Read how to play Delve.
If you like a quick game with your coffee, try Ticker
The Mini is over before your coffee cools. So is Ticker: one fictional company, a stream of headlines, and 90 seconds to buy, sell or short your way to a good day. Play money only. Read how to play Ticker.
If you like Sudoku-style logic, try Seams
Seams is an edge-matching puzzle. Place the tiles so every edge matches its neighbor by color, number or a sum of 10. Each puzzle has exactly one answer, and you never have to guess. Read how to play Seams.
If you like chasing a better score, try Cliques
Spelling Bee keeps you going for one more word. Cliques keeps you going for one more point. Drop dominoes to grow big matching groups, which score again every time they grow, and chase bronze, silver and gold against the best score the game found. Read how to play Cliques.
How does PerDiem work?
Every game is free and runs in your browser, with nothing to install. A new puzzle arrives in each game at midnight, your local time, and it's the same for everyone. You don't need an account. If you make one, most games keep your streaks across devices, and you get leaderboards with a friends-only board.
Pick a few games and build a playlist on the home page. When you finish one, the results screen takes you straight to the next. Or browse every game by type.