The closest strike-era replacements were the Tech Guild’s own games, including Strikle and Connections: Strike Edition. The Guild asked readers to avoid Wordle, Connections, other New York Times Games and the NYT Cooking app during its eight-day strike, which ran from November 4 to November 11, 2024. The strike and boycott are over, so this is now a historical guide to the alternatives created for that digital picket line and to independent games that can replace an NYT Games routine.
The Guild later said its first contract was ratified in December 2024. See the Guild’s timeline and the CWA account of the strike’s end for that outcome.
What the 2024 digital picket line covered
The request was aimed at NYT digital products, especially Wordle, Connections, other NYT Games and the NYT Cooking app. It was a voluntary solidarity action, not a claim that every crossword constructor, editor or game writer had walked out.
The Tech Guild represented technology workers including analysts, designers, engineers, product managers and program managers who built and maintained the company’s digital products. The Guild described the request in its strike announcement; CWA also documented the request to avoid Games and Cooking at its strike report.
Start with Guild Builds
The most direct alternatives were collected on the Guild’s Guild Builds page. The page identifies these projects as made by union members and supporters and says they are not affiliated with The New York Times.
| Game or feature | Closest replacement | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Strikle | Wordle | A strike-themed five-letter guessing game. |
| Connections: Strike Edition | Connections | A strike-themed grouping puzzle. |
| Mini Crossword: Strike Edition | Mini Crossword | A compact crossword-style game. |
| Word Search | Word-search games | A conventional letter-grid search format. |
| Match Strike | Casual puzzle play | A matching game with strike branding. |
| Frogger 8th Ave | Arcade break | An arcade-style game rather than a word puzzle. |
| Scabby’s Fair Contract Builder | Interactive diversion | A themed builder experience. |
| STRIKEMAN, Guild Adventure and Wide Guild Brick Breaker | Arcade or adventure play | Additional small games listed by the Guild. |
The collection also includes trivia, jokes, strike chants and other interactive features. Because it was built for a 2024 event, links, layouts and playable status may have changed; check the page itself before relying on a particular game.
Rank #2
Best replacements for Wordle’s format
Choose by the habit you want to preserve rather than treating every clone as interchangeable.
| Choice | Best for | Main difference from Wordle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strikle | Strike solidarity | Guild-created and strike-themed. | Guild Builds |
| Quordle | More challenge in one sitting | Four Wordle-style boards at once. | Merriam-Webster |
| Waffle-style games | Letter rearrangement | You swap letters to complete several words instead of guessing one word sequentially. | Verify the current official host before linking; availability and ownership can change. |
| Octordle, Sedecordle or Duotrigordle-style games | Maximum puzzle volume | Multiple simultaneous boards, with different guess limits and interfaces. | Check the current domain, owner, advertising, privacy terms and mobile layout first. |
Quordle and other independent games are not official Wordle alternatives and are not endorsements by The New York Times. Word lists, scoring, streak rules and replay options can differ substantially.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Preserving a streak without reopening NYT Games
- Screenshot your streak and record the date and number in a notes app before stopping.
- Do not open the NYT site or app merely to protect a streak if avoiding NYT engagement is your goal.
- Check a replacement’s current settings for streak recovery, but do not assume that a recovery feature existed during the 2024 strike.
If you had already played that day, there was nothing to undo. You could simply stop from the next puzzle onward.
Connections replacements
Closest match: Connections: Strike Edition
The Guild’s version is the clearest direct substitute because it uses the same basic task—sorting words into related groups—while remaining a Guild-created strike project. Use the official collection rather than assuming that an unrelated clone is endorsed by the Guild.
Community-made connecting walls
Fan and community versions can provide daily grouping puzzles, but quality varies. Before playing, check whether the puzzle has clear clues, a usable mobile layout, an archive, reasonable advertising and a stated owner. A fan archive or mirror is not an official NYT archive, and reproducing NYT puzzles may conflict with the spirit of the boycott even when it does not load the NYT website.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Replace the whole five-to-15-minute NYT routine
If your goal is a morning sequence rather than one exact clone, combine different mechanics:
- Begin with a Guild Builds game, if the page’s current link still works.
- Play one five-letter guessing game such as Strikle or a current independent option.
- Add a vocabulary game from Merriam-Webster Games; Quordle is available at its dedicated page.
- Use a connecting-wall or other categorization puzzle for the Connections-style step.
- Finish with a broader puzzle collection such as Puzzmo or LinkedIn Games.
Puzzmo is a platform rather than a one-game Wordle substitute, so it suits readers who want variety. LinkedIn Games is account-linked and may not suit people who avoid social-network logins. Check each service’s current account, advertising, pricing and mobile requirements before committing to a routine.
How to judge an independent alternative
- Similarity: Does it use one five-letter word, several boards, letter swapping or a different mechanic?
- Access: Does it work in a desktop browser and on a phone, and does it require an account or app?
- Cost: Is ordinary play free, and are there subscriptions, ads or purchases?
- Editorial quality: Are clues human-made and fair, or generated from an opaque word list?
- Privacy and trust: Who operates the site, what information does it request and how aggressive are its ads?
- Streaks and archives: Can you replay missed puzzles, and is progress stored locally or with an account?
- Labor connection: Guild Builds is directly tied to the protest; an independent game mainly avoids NYT engagement and does not necessarily support the Guild financially.
What happened after the strike?
The Tech Guild’s strike lasted eight days, from November 4 through November 11, 2024. Workers returned to work, and the boycott was called off; supporters were told they could resume NYT Games and NYT Cooking. The Guild later reported that its first contract was ratified in December 2024. The timeline is summarized by the Guild at nytimesguild.org/times-tech and by CWA at cwa-union.org/news/new-york-times-tech-guild-ends-strike-continues-contract-fight.
That history matters: playing a third-party puzzle today is not participation in an ongoing boycott. If you want to revisit the labor action itself, start with the Guild’s official pages and distinguish Guild-created games from commercial, community-made and unofficial archive projects.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
