What is The Atlantic Crossword?
The Atlantic Crossword is a daily crossword with a neat twist: it grows during the week. Monday's grid is a tiny five-by-five that takes a minute or two, and the puzzle gets a little larger and a little trickier each day, so by the end of the week you are working on something closer to a classic crossword. It is the longest-running game on The Atlantic's games page and is edited by its in-house puzzle team. Starting small each Monday makes it friendly for newer solvers who want to build up to bigger puzzles. The most recent puzzles are free to play in the browser; older ones are kept for subscribers. It suits anyone who likes the NYT Mini but wants a gentle step up, and people who enjoy watching their solving time grow along with the grid as the week goes on.
How to play
- Tap a square and type. Switch between across and down by tapping again.
- Early-week grids are small; the puzzle grows and gets harder each day.
- Fill every square to finish the day's grid.
