Crossplay rules in brief
- Crossplay is a two-player word game on a 15 × 15 board.
- Each player holds seven tiles on a tray that the opponent cannot see. The bag has 100 tiles, including three blanks.
- The first word must cover the center square. Every later word must connect to tiles already on the board.
- After you play, your tray is refilled to seven tiles while the bag lasts.
- Instead of playing a word you can swap tiles or pass; either one uses your turn.
Source: NYT Help Center: The Crossplay App.
How scoring works
Your score for a turn is the sum of the letter values in every word you form. Double and triple letter squares multiply the tile placed on them; double and triple word squares multiply the whole word. Bonus squares count only on the turn a tile is first placed on them. Blanks are worth 0 points. See every value on the Crossplay letter values page.
Using all seven tiles from your tray in one turn is called a sweep and earns 40 bonus points (NYT Help Center: The Crossplay App).
How a Crossplay game ends
When the tile bag is empty, each player gets one final turn and then the game ends. Tiles left on your tray are not subtracted from your score (TheWordFinder: Crossplay vs Scrabble (September 24, 2026)).
Crossplay vs Scrabble
| Crossplay | Scrabble | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2 | 2 to 4 |
| Blanks | 3 | 2 |
| Bonus for using all 7 tiles | 40 (sweep) | 50 (bingo) |
| Center square | No bonus | Double word |
| Leftover tiles at the end | Not counted | Subtracted |
Comparison from TheWordFinder: Crossplay vs Scrabble (September 24, 2026). The tile values differ too: G is worth 4 instead of 2, K is 6, V is 6, W is 5 and J is 10, while H drops to 3. With no word bonus near the center and triple word squares close to the corners, Crossplay rewards opening, and blocking, lanes toward the edges.
Crossplay vs Words With Friends
Both are two-player word games on a 15 × 15 board, but the bonuses differ: using all seven tiles earns 40 points in Crossplay and 35 points in Words With Friends (TheWordFinder: Crossplay vs Scrabble (September 24, 2026)). The ENABLE list on this site may differ from either game's dictionary.
SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the United States and Canada and of Mattel, Inc. elsewhere; Words With Friends is a trademark of Zynga Inc. This site is not affiliated with these companies.
Is Crossplay free?
Crossplay is a free app for iPhone and Android, and you need a New York Times account to play. NYT Games subscribers also get a full postgame review of their games from Cross Bot, the built-in coach (TheWordFinder: Crossplay vs Scrabble (September 24, 2026)). This site is a separate, free helper: the Crossplay analyzer reviews any position you enter.
Practice tips
- Learn the Crossplay two-letter words in our ENABLE list. JO, AX, XI and XU let you place high-value tiles in tight spots; confirm them in the game.
- Before playing a big word, look at which triple word squares it opens for your opponent.
- Keep a blank for a sweep rather than spending it for a few points.
- Know a few Crossplay Q words without U, such as QAT and QAID, so a Q is not stuck on your tray.
- Unscramble your tray with the Crossplay word finder, then review hard turns with the Crossplay helper, which lists every legal move with its score.