I'm a fan of the New York Times Mini Crossword -- a sporty, streamlined companion to the newspaper's legendary regular daily crossword. Typically, the Mini Crossword (we publish the answers daily) has roughly a dozen clues to work through -- six across-clues and six down-clues -- and you can complete it in less than a minute if all goes well.
It makes me feel smart, unlike the big crossword, which sometimes makes me throw things.
But in late August, some Mini Crossword players suddenly ran into a paywall. From that point on, anyone who doesn't pay for a Times subscription with a Games package has been required to subscribe if they want to continue solving the Mini Crossword.
Naturally, players were... well, what's a five-letter word for bummed out? UPSET?
Read more: CNET's daily answer page for Wordle, Connections, Strands, the Mini Crossword and Connections: Sports Edition
"Each day that passes, a bit of happiness is placed behind a paywall," wrote one Reddit user.
Another wrote, "Doing this crossword on the way home each day from work was my little ritual."
Pay to play: Games subscription for full access
Even if you have a digital subscription to the New York Times, you might not have full Games access. The Times has priced a Games subscription separate from its news, which costs $6 a month. There are annual sign-up options that could save you money, totaling about $50 a year. You also might see different promotional options or introductory sales on occasion.
Some puzzles are still free
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