Zynga's Crosswords with Friends is the natural extension of Words with Friends

Remember when you and your pals played Words With Friends? The mega-popular mobile word game from Zynga may not be quite the phenomenon it once was, but it’s still one of the most played smartphone games in the US. Now, Zynga has launched what seems to be the most natural extension of Words with Friends. That’s right; it’s time for Crosswords with Friends.

The game offers players a new crossword every day for free, with each day getting its own theme. For example, the crossword for Wednesday will have a “Wayback” theme, while Friday’s theme is all about sports. Zynga has also partnered with People magazine to launch a “People Sunday” crossword in the game. In addition to the free crossword, the app will have a number of bonus puzzles to solve via in-app purchases.

The “with friends” part of the app comes as players try to solve each crossword faster than their buddies, with online leaderboards to show which person figured out the answer for “sci-fi movie; eight letters” first. Crosswords with Friends can even be played alongside Words with Friends, as players can flip back and forth between the two word games.

Crosswords with Friends looks like it is going after the already established mobile version of the New York Times Crossword, and it will be interesting to see how the two apps compare with each other. Zynga claims each daily puzzle in its app have been “created by some of the world’s most published crossword writers”.

Keep in mind that while Crosswords with Friends is free to download and play, there are in-app purchases for currency and extra content that range from $0.99 to $99.99. Are you a big crossword fan who wants to try something new? Let us know your impressions in the comments!