When Do NYT Games Reset? New Puzzle Times for Each Game

It depends on the game. Wordle, Connections, Strands and Pips switch at midnight in your own time zone, Spelling Bee and Letter Boxed at 3 a.m. Eastern, and the crosswords come out the evening before their date. All times below come from the Times’ own help pages.

The short version

Game	New puzzle	Clock
Wordle	Midnight	Your local time zone
Connections	Midnight	Your local time zone
Strands	Midnight	Your local time zone
Pips	Midnight	Your local time zone
Spelling Bee	3 a.m.	Eastern
Letter Boxed	3 a.m.	Eastern
Mini Crossword	10 p.m. the evening before (Sunday’s puzzle: 6 p.m. Saturday)	Eastern
Midi Crossword	10 p.m. the evening before (Sunday and Monday puzzles: 6 p.m.)	Eastern
Crossword	10 p.m. the evening before (Sunday and Monday puzzles: 6 p.m.)	Eastern
Sudoku	10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday	Eastern

Games that follow your local midnight

The NYT Help Center says the daily Wordle “releases at midnight in your timezone,” that Connections is “released daily at midnight in your timezone,” that Strands “releases at midnight in your timezone,” and that Pips puzzles are “published every day at midnight, local to the player’s time zone.”

A player in Tokyo therefore gets a new Wordle many hours before a player in Los Angeles. Everyone still gets the same puzzle for the same calendar date. If you travel, the puzzle follows the clock on your device, so check the date before you start.

Games on 3 a.m. Eastern

The help pages say new Spelling Bee puzzles are “released at 3 a.m. EST every day of the week,” and Letter Boxed puzzles “at 3 a.m EST every day of the week.” Because the time is tied to Eastern rather than your local midnight, it is one moment for the whole world: midnight on the US West Coast, and early morning in Europe.

The crosswords and Sudoku: the evening before

Mini Crossword

Per the help page, “weekday and Saturday puzzles are available at 10 p.m. EST the previous day,” and “Sunday puzzles are available at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.” So Wednesday’s Mini appears on Tuesday night, and Monday’s Mini on Sunday at 10 p.m. The Mini’s early Sunday release is the only exception to its 10 p.m. rule.

Midi and full Crossword

The Midi and the full crossword share a schedule that differs from the Mini’s. Tuesday through Saturday puzzles are “available at 10 p.m. E.T. the previous day,” and Sunday and Monday puzzles are available at 6 p.m. the previous day. That means Sunday’s puzzle arrives Saturday at 6 p.m. and Monday’s arrives Sunday at 6 p.m.

Because the times are Eastern, a player in California sees a typical weekday crossword at 7 p.m. local time, and someone in Europe sees it in the early hours of the next morning.

Sudoku

The help page says Sudoku puzzles are “released Tuesday - Saturday at 10 p.m. EST; Sunday-Monday at 6 p.m. EST,” the same pattern as the crossword.

Why does my friend already have tomorrow’s crossword?

Because the crossword is released the evening before the date it carries. Seeing it at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before is normal.

Does the Mini follow the Crossword’s schedule?

Nearly. Both use 10 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern, but the Mini moves to 6 p.m. only for Sunday’s puzzle, while the Crossword does it for both Sunday and Monday.

Where do I find hints right after a reset?

Our hint pages update daily: Wordle hints, Connections hints, Strands hints, Mini Crossword answers, Midi Crossword answers and Crossword answers. Hints stay spoiler-light until you ask for more.

Games from other publishers, such as Quordle, Octordle and Contexto, run on their own sites and clocks.

Word Game Clues is an independent hint site and is not affiliated with The New York Times or any of the game publishers mentioned here.