NYT Crossplay Tips & Strategy
Crossplay is the New York Times' first 2-player word game. Build words on a shared board, outscore your opponent, and climb the ranks with these expert strategies.
What is NYT Crossplay?
Crossplay launched on January 21, 2026 as the NYT's first competitive multiplayer word game. Two players take turns building words on a shared board, similar to Scrabble but with a curated dictionary, unique tile values, and a built-in AI coach called Cross Bot. You can play against friends, family, or random opponents in real-time matches.
Unlike the daily solo puzzles (Wordle, Connections, Strands), Crossplay is always available and supports unlimited games. It uses the NWL23 dictionary with some modifications, meaning certain words valid in Scrabble may not work in Crossplay.
Crossplay scoring: how tiles are valued
Crossplay uses its own tile scoring system that differs from Scrabble. The bag contains 100 tiles, including 3 blanks (one more than Scrabble). Common consonants like N, R, S, and T are worth only 1 point, while mid-tier letters like K, V, W, and Y score 5 points. High-value letters (Q, Z) score 10 points each, and J and X score 8.
| Points | Letters |
|---|---|
| 0 | Blank (3 tiles) |
| 1 | A, E, I, N, O, R, S, T |
| 2 | D, G, L, U |
| 3 | B, C, M, P |
| 4 | F, H |
| 5 | K, V, W, Y |
| 8 | J, X |
| 10 | Q, Z |
The board has 56 premium squares: 20 double-letter (DL), 20 triple-letter (TL), 8 double-word (DW), and 8 triple-word (TW). Using all 7 tiles in one turn earns a 40-point bonus on top of your word score. Note: there are only 5 S tiles in the bag, so pluralizing words is a limited resource.
5 strategies to win at Crossplay
1. Control the center early
Your first word must cross the center tile. Use a 5-6 letter word that opens multiple connection points without giving your opponent easy access to bonus tiles. Words ending in common letters (E, S, R) create more options for your next turn.
2. Think two moves ahead
Before placing a word, ask: “What can my opponent do with this board state?” Avoid opening triple word score tiles for your opponent. Sometimes a lower-scoring word that blocks a bonus tile is worth more than a high-scoring word that opens one.
3. Save blank tiles for 7-letter words
Crossplay has 3 blank tiles (one more than Scrabble), each acting as a wild card for any letter. While it is tempting to use them for quick 20-point plays, saving them to complete a 7-letter word (which earns a 40-point bonus) is almost always the better long-term strategy.
4. Learn 2-letter words
Two-letter words are the secret weapon of competitive word games. They let you play parallel to existing words, scoring points for every adjacent tile. Words like QI, ZA, XI, and JO are valid in Crossplay and can create massive scoring opportunities.
5. Use Cross Bot to improve
After every game, Cross Bot reviews your match and highlights key moments, missed opportunities, and strategic insights. Review your Cross Bot analysis after each game to identify patterns in your play and learn from mistakes.
Cross Bot: your AI coaching companion
Cross Bot is Crossplay's built-in AI coach. After every 2-player game, Cross Bot reviews your match and highlights key moments, missed opportunities, and strategic insights to help you improve. It analyzes board positions, suggests better word placements you could have made, and identifies patterns in your play style.
Think of Cross Bot as a post-game film review: it shows you the plays that mattered most and helps you understand why certain moves were stronger than others. Over time, these insights compound into noticeably better play.
How a Crossplay game ends
A Crossplay game ends when the tile bag is completely empty and both players have completed one final turn, or when neither player can make a valid move. At that point, any unplayed tiles in your rack are subtracted from your score. This means managing your endgame rack is critical: avoid getting stuck with high-value letters (Q, Z, X) that you cannot play, as they will cost you 8-10 points each.
Download Crossplay
Crossplay is a free standalone app, separate from NYT Games. Available on iOS and Android.
Frequently asked questions
Is NYT Crossplay free?
Crossplay is available as a separate free app on iOS and Android. It is not part of the NYT Games subscription. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
How is Crossplay different from Scrabble?
Crossplay uses different tile values, a modified dictionary (based on NWL23), built-in AI coaching via Cross Bot, and an in-game chat feature. Some words valid in Scrabble are not accepted in Crossplay.
Can I play Crossplay against strangers?
Yes. Crossplay supports matches against friends (via invite) or random opponents through matchmaking.
What is Cross Bot?
Cross Bot is Crossplay's built-in AI coach that reviews your completed games. It highlights key turning points, missed high-scoring opportunities, and strategic mistakes to help you improve.
Does Crossplay have a daily puzzle?
No. Unlike Wordle and Connections, Crossplay is an anytime multiplayer game. You can play unlimited matches whenever you want.
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