Wordle board game
The New York Times

Wordle is the hit word-based puzzle game that suddenly spiked in popularity earlier this year, and then was purchased by the New York Times. Now, the news organization is taking Wordle to new frontiers: board games.

The New York Times is partnering with Hasbro to release Wordle: The Party Game, which is more or less a physical version of the online game. If you’ve never played it, Wordle tasks you with guessing a random five-letter word in six tries, and correctly-guessed letters are highlighted as you try again. The board game version requires the ‘Wordle Host’ to pick a five-letter word, and the other players use the included dry-erase boards to guess the word.

Worlde board game set
The New York Times

There are additional play methods in the board game, including fast play, timed, or teams. The New York Times said in its announcement, “the fewer tries a player needs, the fewer points they score. The player with the fewest points at the end of the game wins! Best of all, Wordle: The Party Game can be played repeatedly with the included dry-erase Wordle boards and markers.”

Even though Wordle might not be the viral sensation it was back in January, it still has “millions of daily players around the world” according to the NYT. It’s also continuing to spawn clones and similar games, such as ‘Heardle,’ the game Spotify just acquired which tasks you with guessing a song from short segments.

The game is available for pre-order now at Amazon, Hasbo Pulse, and Target. It will start shipping (and showing up on store shelves) on October 1, 2022. The game is priced at $19.99.

Source: The New York Times