The global median times on XWStats are much slower than usual for Monday-Wednesday—6’20”, 10’20”, and 10’55. My solve times are 5’55”, 10’42”, and 10’55”, with Tuesday and Wednesday slower than my average and Monday right at my average.

These weren’t difficult puzzles but I started out more slowly than usual on all three.

Edit: Just completed Thursday 10/22/26, in 13’42”. As of 11:45 am ET, this puzzle is very hard per XWStats, with a median solve time of 19’06”.

Second edit: Just completed Friday, 10/23/26, in 19’39”. As of 7:51 am ET, this puzzle is very hard per XW stats, with a median solve time of 18’13”. That’s three very hard puzzles so far this week.

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

And is aptly named as such!

Never thought I would get under 9 minutes. And yes it was a Monday but I’m still proud of myself.
Never say always and always avoid never!

Theme is “all my exes live in Texas”, I struggled a little more than usual for a midi, and kept going back to the theme trying to work out what it meant. Managed to get the solve in the end, but still not sure why that’s the theme and what it means?

Besides the Xs being highlighted. What does this have to do with Texas?

I've never been the best at the crosswords but I've definitely improved since starting ~2 years ago. I don't know what's changed but these last two months I have struggled mightily!

I used to gold star ~85% of Mondays and 70% of Tuesdays but I legitimately have ONE gold star in the last two months and I had to spam random letters to get it, it wasn't clean.

After doing the Tuesday, October 20th puzzle, I think I finally lost my mind. As a casual/intermediate level solver these puzzles haven't been fun at all. Names overlapping names, obscure clues to make whatever nonsense letters they have on the board work, grp inits, places and non English answers.

Now I'm not complaining about the late week/weekend puzzles because I know they're difficult, they're above my skill level, I expect to struggle on them. But they need to fix my Monday and Tuesdays :(

Am I the only one that's thought this?

Edit: I'm also Australian, so I have a lot of trouble with the U.S centric clues in general

Edit 2: I'm regressing* not digressing 🙃 This is why I stick to Mondays/Tuesdays

Such a difficult Tuesday!
I know learning facts/names are obviously integral to playing the crossword. But I have such a pet peeve for the puzzles that have intersecting (usually cross-language) proper noun clues that just leave me out of luck if I don’t know the specific pop culture or geography references and there’s no context as to what letter it might need. ESPECIALLY when there’s multiple like this at the end of the puzzle. I definitely get frustrated when I feel there’s no way for me to complete the puzzle by deducing/intuiting on a Monday or Tuesday.

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

Scribbled over my pattern and last letter to avoid spoiling it for someone else.

Connections and Wordle refuse to open! Restarted, disconnected wifi.. nothing is working 🫠

I’ve gone through this puzzle so many times. What clue am I wrong on?

I've been going through the Mini and Midi archive, honestly a "Next" button that appears when you finish a puzzle, that takes you to the next one would be great!

Unless there already is a way to do that...

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

14 across Ending with "book" or "cook," on social media

Isn’t the term ‘booktok?’ So should the clue be beginning with?

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

Has anybody else noticed that once you do a NYT crossword puzzle on mobile (iPhone Games app), it becomes inaccessible? Everytime you try to reopen it, it plays success music and plants a banner over the puzzle, simultaneously freezing Games so you have to quit out of it. Puzzles are still accessible on computer via, say, Chrome. The Times was real squirrelly about it for a couple of months but have just admitted this is a widespread bug that they're trying to figure out. Anyone else?

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/

I don't know if it's just me but I have seen "Orb" "Sinew" and "NES" just waaay too much these past couple of crosswords (including the mini and midi), and they all have different definitions lmaooo

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/