Crossword Master is a slick, Scandinavian-style crossword that pits you against a virtual opponent on the same board. The brain-teasing puzzle play and vocabulary payoff are genuinely good, but constant ads and repeating grids will test your patience. Worth a try for word lovers who can stomach the monetization.
At a glance
- Developer
- Easybrain
- Platforms
- Android
- Players
- Single-player
- Language
- English
- Cost
- free
- Offline
- No
- Daily puzzle
- Yes
- Best for
- Casual
What we liked
- Clever clue-within-cell design is easy to pick up
- Learning new words and meanings while you play
- No time limit, so you solve at your own pace
- Auto-save keeps progress safe on exit
What we didn't
- Ads interrupt frequently, especially between turns
- Puzzles start repeating and get stale
- Occasional freeze or crash for some players
What is Crossword Master?
Crossword Master by Easybrain is a turn-based word puzzle for Android with a 4.8 rating and over 10 million installs. You share a crossword grid with an opponent and compete for the highest score from the same letters. It is free, and it turns the classic newspaper puzzle into a fast game.
The layout comes from Scandinavian-style crosswords, where clues sit inside the cells rather than in a separate list, and some clues are pictures. A virtual rival fills letters and scores as you do, keeping the pressure on without forcing you to wait on a real human.
You draw letters from a deck and place them one at a time via blue clue cells and a set of five letters each turn. It stays simple enough that a casual commuter and a hardcore word nerd settle in within minutes.
How to win?
Outscore your opponent by the time every word on the board is complete. The highest total at the end takes the win.
- Place all your letters each turn to squeeze out maximum points
- Build longer words, since a word is worth its full letter count
- Hold back a key letter when it can win a longer word next turn
Rules
Think of it as a shared crossword where two players take turns. Each correct letter earns a point, and finishing a word pays out its letter count.
- Use blue clue cells to figure out what word fits each slot
- Pick letters from a set of five and place them one by one from your deck
- Tap Hint when stuck to see possible letter placements
- Press Submit once your turn's letters are set
- The game ends when every word on the board is completed
Scoring Pattern
Points reward precision and ambition. One point lands for every correctly placed letter, and finishing a whole word adds a bonus equal to its length.
- Every correct letter earns 1 point
- A completed word scores the number of letters it contains
- Longer words and finishing two words in one move push your total highest
- Holding a key letter can unlock a bigger word and swing the score
What Players Say
Around half of reviewers are delighted. Fans call it fun, laid back, and a genuine brain workout, and several say it helps them learn new words and remember old ones on the go. The relaxed pace and easy-to-grasp rules come up again and again as selling points.
The happy camp has real company. Roughly four in ten reviewers are frustrated, and nearly all point to the same things: ads that pile up after every turn, puzzles that start repeating, and the occasional freeze. A few miss an older build and dislike the finger that always shows where a letter goes. The core game wins praise often enough to be worth your time, but the monetization and repetition are honest trade-offs.
How to Set Up the Game
- Get Crossword Master free from the Google Play Store
- Install and open it, no account needed
- Let it load the daily puzzle board
- Read the on-screen clue cells and start your first turn
- Auto-save will hold your spot when you leave
FAQ
Is Crossword Master free?
Yes, the base game is free to download and play. It earns money through ads, and reviewers consistently warn those ads get heavy, especially between turns. A paid option removes them, though several players found the price steep.
Does Crossword Master work offline?
Yes, you can solve puzzles without an internet connection. You only need to be online to fetch fresh puzzles or watch ad-supported hints.
Is Crossword Master good for kids?
It leans on adult vocabulary and general knowledge, so teens enjoy it while younger kids may struggle with the clues. Nothing is inappropriate, but the vocabulary skews older, so it lands best as a family or teen puzzle.
Tips from the Geeks
- Open each turn by scanning every clue cell, then place the sure bets first to bank easy points
- Hunt for prefixes and suffixes like re-, un-, -ing, and -ed to stretch one letter into a long word
- Pair vowels early and save a strong consonant for the move where it finishes two words at once
- Do not burn Hint coins on obvious slots; save them for clues that genuinely stall your turn
- When puzzles repeat, switch to a fresh daily board or another word game to keep your brain engaged
