New York Times Games just made wordplay officially competitive, so get ready to bring your A-to-Z game.
The puzzle powerhouse has launched Crossplay, its very first two-player word game, marking a major evolution in how fans connect, compete, and flex their vocabulary skills. And to celebrate the milestone? They’re bringing in some of music’s most iconic wordsmiths to challenge fans nationwide — including Leslie Odom Jr., BRELAND, and Amy Allen.
Running now through February 15, puzzlers can submit completed Crossplay boards for the chance to go head-to-head against Grammy-nominated hitmakers Leslie Odom Jr., BRELAND, and Amy Allen directly inside the app. Select players will be chosen to face off against the stars — turning casual word games into full-on main character moments.
And for fans lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time? Leslie Odom Jr. and BRELAND will also be popping up at surprise locations in New York City and Nashville this winter for real-life Crossplay matches. Yes, IRL word battles. Yes, iconic behavior.
“Words have always been at the center of my life, from memorizing lines to writing songs,” Odom shared. “Playing Crossplay feels instinctive — and thinking about words on the spot in the game is a similar process I use when writing music. As a longtime fan of New York Times Games, I can’t wait to play alongside fellow puzzlers in New York and beyond.”
If you’re wondering what Crossplay is, we got you. It’s pretty much like Scrabble, but faster, smarter, and way more social.
Crossplay is a real-time, two-player word game where players take turns building off each other’s words on a shared board. You start with seven hidden letters, earn points based on tile rarity and placement, and race against your opponent until the tile bag runs dry — then it’s one final round to crown the winner.
And for the first time ever in NYT Games history, players can chat with each other mid-game, making trash talk (or word admiration) part of the experience. You can also play against the computer at multiple difficulty levels, use smart matchmaking to find worthy opponents, and even get post-game breakdowns from Cross Bot, which analyzes your moves and helps you level up. Basically, Crossplay isn’t just a game, it’s your new daily obsession.
For years, New York Times Games has been a daily ritual for millions, with fans sharing Wordle streaks, solve times, and leaderboard wins like digital badges of honor. In 2025 alone, players solved more than 11 billion puzzles across the platform — and Crossplay officially kicks off 2026 by turning solo puzzling into a shared, competitive experience.
Jonathan Knight, Head of Games at The New York Times, explained: “Crossplay builds on that foundation by introducing real-time competition and social play in a way that shares the joy of classic word games, but is designed to be unique. We wanted it to feel focused, intuitive, and genuinely enjoyable from the moment you open it — while helping players improve and connect with real people.”
If you want to play a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, you can submit a completed Crossplay board between January 21 and February 15, which could be selected to compete directly against Leslie Odom Jr., BRELAND, or Amy Allen inside the app. Think your wordplay can outscore a professional lyricist? Now’s your chance to prove it.
Whether you’re in it for the competition, the celeb moment, or just a new daily brain boost, Crossplay makes puzzling feel fresh, fast, and way more fun with friends. Plus, you can play it now as a standalone app — and its free to download on iOS and Android.
