The New York Times to offer bonus puzzles which put a twist on their best-known games

• The New York Times are expanding their games offerings with Bonus Puzzles
• These weekly offerings put distinctive twists on their existing hits, such as Wordle
• Work out Wordle with only one clue, solve Colourful Strands or the Special Crossword each month

While it may be best known as one of America's oldest newspapers, The New York Times has also made a comfortable side business in mobile gaming. Now, they're introducing Bonus Puzzles, a new offering for Games and All Access subscribers that put distinct twists on their existing catalogue.

The Bonus Puzzles include examples such as Worlde 1: Where you only have a single clue to go off of, and one accepted answer. Alongside that, you'll find Colorful Strands, which puts a more visually interesting spin on the puzzler, and Special Crossword offers a themed format for the first day of each month.

I only bought it for the crossword

It's rather ironic that puzzles, which were originally a neat tidbit to add into a newspaper, have taken on a life of their own. Of course, Wordle was famously bought up by the NYT and has become a cornerstone of this growing gaming footprint.

Other examples to look out for are Connections 3x3, which changes from groups of four to groups of three, Mystery Mini for a creative twist on the original, and finally Easy Mode Crossword that offers a simpler version of the New York Times' traditionally fiendishly difficult Friday puzzler.

There's definitely an argument to be made about the New York Times shifting its perspective from pure journalism to this kind of side business. But if nothing else, it does mean that puzzle fans who check in for some high-quality brain teasers will have lots more to pick from when they check in on the New York Times Games app.

But if you're looking for even more ways to train your brain, then you'll find even more options available than just in the New York Times' catalogue. Why not check out our list of the best puzzle games on iOS for some of our own favourite picks?