Wordle is becoming a physical, party-friendly board game
Hasbro and New York Times Games are collaborating to make the popular word-guessing game just as fit for a family party as a work commute
Ever wished, after missing a painfully-obvious Wordle even with six full tries, you could angrily sweep the virtual tiles off the table a-la-Scrabble? If so, consider that wish granted—Wordle is becoming a physical party game you can feel, hold, touch, and spar at a family board game night over.
Originally designed and released by Josh Wardle in October 2021, Worlde became a hallmark activity of the pandemic’s second-wave isolation. Although the virtual game is intended to be played alone, players can share their daily process (and express pride or frustration based on how long it took them to crack the daily word) via social media. New York Times Games, which previously snapped up the rights to Wordle in January, and Hasbro are collaborating on the physical, party-friendly edition.
In this version of the puzzle (appropriate for ages 14 and up), players will select a “Wordle Host” among them, who will select the secret word everyone else will then work to identify. Like in the virtual version, players will have six attempts to get the word right. A series of tiles indicate how close a player is to cracking the code: green tiles identify correctly-chosen letters in their correct spots, yellow tiles letters that belong in the word but somewhere else, and no tiles are placed on letters that aren’t involved in the Secret Word at all. The fewer tries it takes a player to guess a word, the fewer points they’re given; whoever ends the game with the most points is the champion.
The physical Wordle also has multiple modes of game play: players can decide whether to use classic play, fast, timed, or teams.
“Wordle truly brought us all together and that’s what makes it so special. With each daily puzzle, we’re connected with friends and family through social play,” Jonathan Knight, head of Games at the New York Times, announced in a statement. “At New York Times Games, we’re focused on quality crafted puzzles that everyone can experience together, which is why we’re so excited to team up with Hasbro to bring a fresh new format to the global sensation of Wordle.”
Wordle: The Party Game will be on shelves as soon as early October, and is available for pre-order now.