The Mini Crossword (Greatest Games)

Rate it

A 5x5 daily crossword built to be solved in a minute or two.

Play The Mini Crossword (Greatest Games)

on greatest.games

The Mini Crossword on Greatest Games is a 5x5 crossword, new every day at midnight Eastern. It has the same across-and-down mechanic as a full crossword without the long sessions or obscure trivia, and your solving time is your score.

About The Mini Crossword (Greatest Games)

The Mini is a compact crossword: always a 5x5 grid, built to be solved in a minute or two. Only the black-square pattern changes from day to day, and everyone gets the same grid and clues.

You tap a square and type, tap the square again or press space to switch direction, and use Tab or the clue lists to jump around. On a phone the board sits above the current clue and an on-screen keyboard, so nothing covers the grid. If an across answer will not come, solving the downs that cross it usually spells it out. Check marks wrong letters and Reveal fills a square or a word, at a cost to your score.

Every solve earns points: 100 for finishing, a bonus for a flawless grid with no wrong letters, a speed bonus for finishing inside 30 seconds, one minute or two minutes, and one point for each day of your streak. Reveals take points off. Your points across all the site's dailies add up on its leaderboard.

The Mini Crossword is one of the daily games on Greatest Games, a site of word and logic puzzles. A new puzzle goes up every day at midnight US Eastern, and it plays free in the browser with no account or download. The page carries ads, which a paid Greatest Games Plus membership removes. A free account plays the last seven days of puzzles, and Plus opens the whole archive. The site also has a 4x4 Nano and a larger Midi crossword.

How to play The Mini Crossword (Greatest Games)

Open The Mini Crossword on greatest.games; the clock starts with the grid.
Tap a square and type an answer, using the on-screen keyboard on a phone.
Tap the square again or press space to switch between Across and Down.
Fill the crossing answers to crack the harder clues, using Check if a letter seems wrong.
Complete the grid to stop the clock and see your points.

Screenshots

The Mini Crossword on a phone: the 5x5 grid above the current clue bar and an on-screen keyboard

An earlier day's Mini Crossword on Greatest Games: an empty 5x5 grid with its clues, starting with Metric land measure

Tips

Read all the clues quickly before typing; a few will be instant.
Work the downs to solve a stubborn across, and the other way round.
Use Tab to jump straight to the next unsolved clue.
Try the Nano for an even quicker warm-up.

Questions

Is it always a 5x5?

Yes, a fresh 5x5 every day at midnight Eastern. Only the black squares change.

How is it scored?

A solve is worth 100 points, with bonuses for a flawless grid, for speed and for your streak. Revealing a square or a word takes points off.

When does The Mini Crossword reset?

Every day at midnight US Eastern Time, with the same puzzle for everyone.

Is The Mini Crossword free?

Yes. Today's puzzle plays free in the browser with no account. The page shows ads, which Greatest Games Plus removes. A free account plays the last seven days, and Plus the whole archive.