Play crosswords with friends

Which mode should we choose?

Choose Race for a friendly competition, Co-op when you want to help each other, and Duel when taking turns sounds more fun than typing at once.

How do we start a room?

1. Open the Arena and choose Race, Co-op or Duel.
2. Create a room and copy its invite link.
3. Send the link to the people you want to play with. Each person opens it in their browser.
4. In Race, guests mark themselves ready and the host starts. Co-op shares the grid as you type. A human Duel begins when the second player joins.

A link is an invitation. Anyone with it can try to join, so share it with your intended group. You can set a recognisable display name from your profile.

How does a crossword Race work?

Up to eight players receive the same grid at the same start. The host chooses a 5×5 or 7×7 grid, and connected guests mark themselves ready before the start. Each player fills their own copy, while the room shows live progress. The fastest correct finish wins after penalties. Submitting an incorrect full grid adds five seconds, and a round lasts at most ten minutes. The host can start another round in the same room; session wins stay visible.

Complete a few Rush minis to warm up. In a race, solving easy crossing clues first is usually more useful than staring at one stubborn answer.

Can we solve the same crossword together?

Yes. Co-op puts up to twelve people on one shared 5×5 or 7×7 grid. Letters appear for everyone as they are entered, and live cursors show where teammates are working. The host can choose the grid size before the first letter and deal the next puzzle when the current one is done.

Spread out across the grid. If a teammate is filling a word, take a crossing somewhere else. Co-op works well when people know different things: one person's uncertain clue may be another person's instant answer.

What makes Duel different?

Duel is one against one. Players take turns placing letter tiles, earning points from letters and star squares. Each turn has a 90-second clock. You can play a friend or choose the built-in computer opponent at Easy, Medium or Hard. Both connected human players accept a rematch, with the opener alternating each round.

The computer opponent is a game bot. It is separate from the optional AI clue hints used for solo crossword help.

Do multiplayer games work offline?

Live rooms need an internet connection to keep every player's game in sync. If a connection drops, let the room reconnect before sending another action. Reopen the same room link in the same browser to return with your current identity.

For solo play with an unreliable connection, open the daily crossword while you are online so its offline copy is ready. See the full rules for ranked results, streaks and sharing.