Best Cryptic Crosswords Apps & Games

201+ iOS apps & games curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
19 free apps & games
Updated July 2026

Every iPhone needs a few good cryptic crosswords apps and games. We benchmark 201+ of them on App Store rating, freshness, and pricing, then surface the standouts so you don't have to scroll the App Store yourself.

Compare top Cryptic Crosswords Apps & Games (July 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Best Cryptic CrosswordsBest Cryptic CrosswordsFree4.8★ (298)NoYesJul 2026
2Cryptic CrosswordCryptic CrosswordFree4.8★ (1K)NoYesJul 2026
3Crossword - by puzzling.comCrossword - by puzzling.comFree4.5★ (43K)YesYesJul 2026
4Telegraph Puzzles: Word GamesTelegraph Puzzles: Word GamesFree4.3★ (30)NoYesJul 2026
5Crosswords With FriendsCrosswords With FriendsFree4.5★ (62K)YesYesJul 2026
6Minute CrypticMinute CrypticFree4.8★ (81)NoNoJul 2026
7Crossword ExplorerCrossword ExplorerFree4.9★ (61K)YesYesJul 2026
8Crossword Puzzles!Crossword Puzzles!Free4.6★ (8.6K)YesYesJul 2026

Top Picks for Cryptic Crosswords

Best Cryptic Crosswords#1

Best Cryptic Crosswords by Teazel

Relax with a puzzle
Editor's Choice
🎮 Games
4.8😊(298 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 1
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 2
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 3
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 4
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 5
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 6

Engage with 300 professionally crafted cryptic crosswords designed for accessibility. Enjoy a smooth puzzle experience on your devices with features like zooming, landscape mode, and helpful tools.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great puzzles
  • 👍 Enjoyable challenge
  • 👍 Reasonably difficult
  • 👍 User-friendly interface

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Clues with barely any connection to answers
  • 🐛 Repeated clues and answers
  • 🐛 Lack of explanations for clues
Cryptic Crossword#2

Cryptic Crossword by Teazel

Improve your word power
Strong Contender
🎮 Games
4.8😊(1K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 1
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 2
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 3
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 4
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 5
Cryptic Crossword screenshot 6

Engage with over 260 professional cryptic crosswords designed for experienced puzzle solvers. Enjoy a full-featured experience with 29 free puzzles, including pinch zooming, mistake highlighting, and resume functionality.

What We Love

  • 👍 Great mind workout
  • 👍 Excellent value for money
  • 👍 Fantastic and addictive challenges
  • 👍 Not too hard not too easy

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional freezing and crashing issues
  • 🐛 Backup/restore not working
  • 🐛 Purchased puzzles disappearing after device change
Crossword - by puzzling.com#3

Crossword - by puzzling.com by AppyNation Ltd.

The World's Biggest Puzzle
Worth Considering
🎮 Games
4.5😊(43K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 1
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 2
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 3
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 4
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 5
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 6

Engage your mind with a vast collection of crossword puzzles and word games. Solve thousands of clues, complete daily challenges, and collect trophies across multiple game modes. Enjoy a new puzzle experience every day with this extensive library of brain-teasing fun.

What We Love

  • 👍 Entertaining and user-friendly
  • 🧠 Educational and practical
  • 🤔 Challenging but not too difficult
  • 🕰️ Good for passing time

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Tokens/coins required to play more puzzles
  • 📺 Excessive ads that interrupt gameplay
  • 🇬🇧 Some clues use British slang/terms

More Cryptic Crosswords apps to explore

4
Telegraph Puzzles: Word Games
Telegraph Puzzles: Word Games
Telegraph Puzzles: Word Games
Daily Crosswords and Sudoku
Free

Engage your mind with a wide variety of daily brainteasers, including crosswords, Sudoku, and word games. Track your progress with streaks and achievements, and access thousands of past puzzles.

Daily crosswordsSudoku puzzlesWord games
🎮 Games
(30)
subscription
5
Crosswords With Friends
Crosswords With Friends
Crosswords With Friends
A new crossword puzzle daily!
Free

Engage your mind with daily crossword puzzles featuring themes from current entertainment, pop culture, and sports. Compete with friends, earn rewards, and access a vast archive of puzzles. Offers mini and midi puzzles alongside themed daily challenges.

Daily themed crossword puzzlesMini and midi puzzlesLeaderboard competition with friends
🎮 Games
(62K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Minute Cryptic
Minute Cryptic
Minute Cryptic
Solve a daily cryptic clue
Free

Engage with a daily cryptic crossword clue designed to be accessible and fun. This app offers hints and video explanations to help you solve challenging puzzles, making cryptic crosswords enjoyable for newcomers and enthusiasts alike.

One daily cryptic clueAdjustable difficultyHints and letter reveals
🎮 Games
(81)
free
7
Crossword Explorer
Crossword Explorer
Crossword Explorer
Daily Fun Tiny Crosswords!
Free

Engage your mind with a vast collection of daily crossword puzzles. Offers endless challenges, daily rewards, and progress tracking. Customize your experience with themes and utilize hints to improve your wordplay skills.

Endless crossword puzzlesDaily challenges and rewardsProgress tracking and achievements
🎮 Games
(61K)
free with in-app purchases
8
Crossword Puzzles!
Crossword Puzzles!
Crossword Puzzles!
Daily Crosswords and Puzzles
Free

Enjoy daily crossword puzzles with stunning travel destination backgrounds. Thousands of puzzles are available for all skill levels, with hints and solution checking. Unlock more content and features with an optional subscription.

Daily new puzzlesThousands of puzzles for all skill levelsBeautiful travel destination backgrounds
🎮 Games
(8.6K)
free with in-app purchases
9
Daily Themed Crossword Puzzles
Daily Themed Crossword Puzzles
Daily Themed Crossword Puzzles
Fun New Crossword Every Day!
Free

Engage your mind with daily themed crossword puzzles. Enjoy a new puzzle every day, covering diverse topics like movies, sports, and technology. Improve vocabulary and general knowledge while having fun.

New themed puzzle dailyHundreds of puzzles availableHints for difficult words
🎮 Games
(124K)
free with in-app purchases
10
Classic Crossword Puzzles
Classic Crossword Puzzles
Classic Crossword Puzzles
Play American Crosswords
Free

Engage with classic American crossword puzzles designed for all skill levels. Choose from six grid sizes and utilize helpful features like error display and hints to solve word challenges. Track your progress and compete on leaderboards.

Six grid sizes for all abilitiesDisplay errors for incorrect wordsShow word hints
🎮 Games
(6.7K)
free with in-app purchases
11
Crossword Champ
Crossword Champ
Crossword Champ
by Monster Brain Studios Ltd
Free

Engage in daily brain training with free online crossword puzzles. Learn new words and facts while challenging yourself and others globally. Enjoy a classic, interactive puzzle experience with beautiful designs and no third-party ads.

Daily free crossword puzzlesCryptic crossword puzzlesMemory and vocabulary improvement
🎮 Games
(420)
free with in-app purchases
12
NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword
NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword
NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword
Play Word & Logic Game Puzzles
Free

Engage your mind with a daily collection of popular word, number, and logic puzzles. Enjoy classic challenges like Wordle and The Crossword, alongside new brain teasers. Track your progress and compete with friends.

Daily Crossword puzzlesWordle word-guessing gameConnections category grouping
🎮 Games
(292K)
free with in-app purchases
13
Wordalot – Picture Crossword
Wordalot – Picture Crossword
Wordalot – Picture Crossword
Best thing since crosswords
Free

Engage your mind with hundreds of picture-based crossword puzzles. Solve over 1,000 levels where visual clues guide you to the answers. This elegant and simple word game offers a fun challenge for word enthusiasts and a great way to exercise your brain.

Hundreds of picture crossword puzzlesOver 1,000 levelsClues are in the pictures
🎮 Games
(2.6K)
free with in-app purchases
14
Puzzazz Crossword & Puzzle
Puzzazz Crossword & Puzzle
Puzzazz Crossword & Puzzle
Best UI + Sudoku, KenKen, more
Free

Solve a vast library of puzzles, including daily KenKen and Sudoku, plus the NYT Crossword faithfully reproduced. Features innovative handwriting recognition and an optimized user experience designed for puzzle enthusiasts.

Ad-free puzzle experienceDaily KenKen and Sudoku puzzlesFaithful NYT Crossword reproduction
🎮 Games
(117)
free with in-app purchases
15
Devarai Crosswords
Devarai Crosswords
Devarai Crosswords
The best American crosswords!
Free

Enjoy a wide variety of high-quality American crosswords on your mobile device. This app offers puzzles ranging from easy to difficult, with features designed for a smooth and engaging experience. Improve your vocabulary, concentration, and general knowledge with daily challenges.

Weekly puzzles in multiple languagesFull-screen puzzle viewLandscape and portrait mode
🎮 Games
(148)
free with in-app purchases
16
Daily Crossword Puzzles·
Daily Crossword Puzzles·
Daily Crossword Puzzles·
Easy Mini Crosswords & Games
Free

Engage your mind daily with new crossword puzzles designed to enhance spelling and vocabulary. Enjoy a user-friendly interface with zoom and dark mode options, plus helpful hints to tackle challenging clues. This app offers a fun way to improve cognitive skills with a fresh puzzle every day.

New crossword puzzles dailyZoom feature for easy viewingDark mode for nighttime play
🎮 Games
(3.2K)
free with in-app purchases
17
Crossword+
Crossword+
Crossword+
Daily Crosswords & Puzzles
Free

Start your day with two new themed crossword puzzles daily, ranging from classic literature to movie magic. Enjoy a satisfying yet gentle challenge, with helpful hints and auto-check features. Solve puzzles offline and adjust text size for a comfortable, ad-free experience.

Two new themed puzzles dailyOver 3,000 puzzles in archiveHelpful hints and AutoCheck
🎮 Games
(11K)
free with in-app purchases
18
Picture Perfect Crossword
Picture Perfect Crossword
Picture Perfect Crossword
100s of great crosswords!
Free

Engage in a unique crossword experience where each clue is a picture. Identify what you see to solve hundreds of themed puzzles. It's a fun way to test your word skills and take a break with a challenging game.

Picture clue crosswordsHundreds of themed puzzlesInstant hints available
🎮 Games
(6.6K)
free with in-app purchases
19
Daily POP Crossword Puzzles
Daily POP Crossword Puzzles
Daily POP Crossword Puzzles
Play Fun & Easy Crosswords!
Free

Engage your mind with daily themed crossword puzzles focused on pop culture. These free brain games offer a fun way to test your knowledge of movies, TV, music, and celebrities while sharpening your cognitive skills. Enjoy a variety of puzzles suitable for all skill levels.

Daily themed crossword puzzlesPop culture and celebrity triviaBrain and logic games
🎮 Games
(28K)
free with in-app purchases
20
Crosswords Classic
Crosswords Classic
Crosswords Classic
by Stand Alone, Inc.
$9.99

Play daily crossword puzzles from various newspapers directly on your device. Download new puzzles, get hints, track your progress, and even sync with a Mac version. Offers a vast library of puzzles and competitive features.

Daily puzzle downloadsHints and clue lookupsSolve time tracking
🎮 Games
(73)
free with in-app purchases

FAQ about Cryptic Crosswords

What are the best cryptic crosswords apps & games for iPhone?
Best Cryptic Crosswords tops our cryptic crosswords apps & games ranking as of July 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 298 App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 19 of the top cryptic crosswords apps & games we rank are free to download, including Best Cryptic Crosswords and Cryptic Crossword.
Best Cryptic Crosswords has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of July 2026.
We track 201+ cryptic crosswords apps & games on the iOS App Store as of July 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Key features include a pinch and zooming grid, landscape mode with a clue list, cheat and answer checking functionality, a resume button, and British-style puzzles. The app also offers 12 free puzzles with all features enabled and no ads.