Best Cryptic Crosswords Apps & Games

250+ iOS apps & games curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
20 free apps & games
Updated August 2026

Every iPhone needs a few good cryptic crosswords apps and games. We benchmark 250+ 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 (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Best Cryptic CrosswordsBest Cryptic CrosswordsFree4.8★ (312)NoYesAug 2026
2Crossword - by puzzling.comCrossword - by puzzling.comFree4.5★ (43K)YesYesSep 2026
3Daily Cryptic - Solve & LearnDaily Cryptic - Solve & LearnFree4.7★ (3)NoYesAug 2026
4Minute CrypticMinute CrypticFree5.0★ (3)NoYesAug 2026
5Cryptic CrosswordCryptic CrosswordFree4.8★ (1.1K)NoYesSep 2026
6Cryptic Words: Crossword GameCryptic Words: Crossword GameFree4.7★ (192)YesYesSep 2026
7CrypticCrab CrosswordCrypticCrab CrosswordFree4.7★ (9)NoYesAug 2026
8Crosswords With FriendsCrosswords With FriendsFree4.5★ (62K)YesYesSep 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😊(312 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Best Cryptic Crosswords screenshot 1
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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
Crossword - by puzzling.com#2

Crossword - by puzzling.com by AppyNation Ltd.

The World's Biggest Puzzle
Strong Contender
🎮 Games
4.5😊(43K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Crossword - by puzzling.com screenshot 1
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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
Daily Cryptic - Solve & Learn#3

Daily Cryptic - Solve & Learn by TF Daily

Cryptic Crosswords & Puzzles
Worth Considering
🎮 Games
4.7(3 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Daily Cryptic - Solve & Learn screenshot 1
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Daily Cryptic - Solve & Learn screenshot 6

Learn to solve cryptic crosswords with daily clues, progressive hints, and step-by-step explanations. Build your skills through a structured learning series and practice with weekly crosswords and monthly prize challenges.

More Cryptic Crosswords apps to explore

4
Minute Cryptic
Minute Cryptic
Minute Cryptic
Solve a daily cryptic clue
Free

Learn cryptic crosswords with a daily, handcrafted clue and a short video explanation. Features a hint system, progress tracking, and a beginner-friendly guide. Offers an optional membership for access to past clues, mini crosswords, and clue creation.

Daily cryptic cluesBite-sized video explanationsHint system and letter reveals
🎮 Games
(3)
freemium
5
Cryptic Crossword
Cryptic Crossword
Cryptic Crossword
Improve your word power
Free

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.

260+ professional cryptic crosswords29 free puzzlesPinch zooming grid
🎮 Games
(1.1K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Cryptic Words: Crossword Game
Cryptic Words: Crossword Game
Cryptic Words: Crossword Game
Solve puzzle - boost iq
Free

Challenge your mind with logic puzzles and brain teasers. This game offers a variety of word puzzles and challenges on different themes, with adjustable difficulty levels. Keep your brain sharp and active anywhere, anytime.

Adjustable difficulty levelsFascinating word puzzles and challengesIntuitive and user-friendly interface
🎮 Games
(192)
free with in-app purchases
7
CrypticCrab Crossword
CrypticCrab Crossword
CrypticCrab Crossword
Your #1 cryptic crossword app
Free

Learn to solve cryptic crosswords with interactive lessons and practice. Features daily puzzles, unlimited solving across difficulty levels, and real-time multiplayer duels. Track your progress and access a reference library of indicators and abbreviations.

Interactive lesson systemDaily and archived puzzlesUnlimited solving across difficulty tiers
🎮 Games
(9)
free with in-app purchases
8
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
9
Omni Crosswords
Omni Crosswords
Omni Crosswords
Solve good crosswords daily
Free

Enjoy daily crosswords from major publications with this free and simple iOS app. It offers a quick solving experience with helpful features like error highlighting and customizable settings. Track your progress with statistics and compete with friends using the built-in timer.

Daily puzzles from major outletsError highlightingCustomizable settings
🎮 Games
(220)
free
10
Crosswordie - Daily Crosswords
Crosswordie - Daily Crosswords
Crosswordie - Daily Crosswords
Fun themed crosswords
Free

Engage your mind with thousands of themed crossword puzzles across diverse subjects. Learn new languages with bilingual clues and enjoy daily challenges. Play offline with a modern interface and integrated dictionary.

Thousands of themed puzzlesBilingual mode for language learningDaily challenges and streaks
🎮 Games
(1)
free
11
Learn Cryptic Crosswords
Learn Cryptic Crosswords
Learn Cryptic Crosswords
Develop your solving skills
Free

Master the art of cryptic crosswords with this interactive guide. It breaks down clue types, offers step-by-step learning through six chapters, and includes practice exercises and puzzles to build your solving skills.

Step-by-step clue explanationsInteractive exercisesPractice puzzles
📚 Education
(448)
free with in-app purchases
12
The Big Crossword
The Big Crossword
The Big Crossword
Biggest single grid crosswords
Free

Engage with massive, single-grid crossword puzzles featuring over 1300 clues. Choose between quest-based or classic modes, with helpful hints and a mini-grid to guide you. Sharpen your wits with cryptic clues in this challenging brain game.

Massive single-grid crosswordsOver 1300 clues per gridQuest mode with 80+ quests
🎮 Games
(42)
free with in-app purchases
13
Crossword Genius
Crossword Genius
Crossword Genius
Enjoy cryptic crosswords
Free

This app offers a daily cryptic crossword and a collection of tutorial puzzles to help users improve their skills. It features an AI assistant that can provide hints, explain clues, or solve entire crosswords, and supports importing puzzles from various sources.

AI-powered cryptic crossword solverDaily free cryptic crosswordTutorial crossword packs
🎮 Games
(74)
free with in-app purchases
14
Crossword Unlimited
Crossword Unlimited
Crossword Unlimited
Play three types of crossword
Free

Enjoy an endless supply of custom-made crossword puzzles. Configure grid size, difficulty, and clue types to match your preferences. Save and reload games, and utilize helpful aids to solve challenging crosswords in multiple languages.

Unlimited custom crossword generationConfigurable grid size and difficultyThree crossword grid types (British, Barred, Arrow)
🎮 Games
(3K)
free with in-app purchases
15
Astraware Crosswords
Astraware Crosswords
Astraware Crosswords
Quick-style daily crosswords!
Free

Enjoy daily crossword puzzles on the go with this app. It offers free daily and weekly puzzles, with options to purchase additional packs for offline play. A subscription unlocks all puzzles and removes ads.

Daily quick-style crosswordsFree weekly larger puzzlesOffline puzzle packs
🎮 Games
(330)
free with in-app purchases
16
Crossword Puzzles +
Crossword Puzzles +
Crossword Puzzles +
Classic crossword word puzzles
Free

Enjoy a vast collection of classic crossword puzzles on your iPhone and iPad. This app offers over 800 puzzles across various types, with a modern design and intuitive controls. Participate in a community rating system with thousands of players.

800+ free crossword puzzlesMultiple puzzle types (classic, keywords, anagrams, scandinavian)Modern design with multitouch gestures
🎮 Games
(2)
free with in-app purchases
17
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
(122)
free with in-app purchases
18
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
19
Small Crosswords
Small Crosswords
Small Crosswords
Unlimited crossword minis
Free

Enjoy an endless supply of free mini crossword puzzles. Track your progress with detailed statistics and revisit past challenges. This game is designed for quick, engaging mental workouts.

Unlimited mini crossword puzzlesReview previous puzzlesMonitor solving statistics
🎮 Games
(9)
free
20
Crossword Puzzles...
Crossword Puzzles...
Crossword Puzzles...
72 layouts included
Free

Challenge your vocabulary and deduction abilities by filling in blank squares with letters to complete crosswords. Each word is accompanied by a helpful hint phrase to guide your solving process.

Vocabulary testingGuessing skills challengeFill empty squares with letters
🎮 Games
(2.3K)
free

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 August 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 312 App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top cryptic crosswords apps & games we rank are free to download, including Best Cryptic Crosswords and Crossword - by puzzling.com.
Best Cryptic Crosswords has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 250+ cryptic crosswords apps & games on the iOS App Store as of August 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.