LinkedIn now has three free games but none of them will help you get a job, virtual or real-world
Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb are three puzzle games on LinkedIn that you can play on desktop or mobile.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
Yes, you read that correctly.LinkedInis now offering three free games — Pinpoint, Crossclimb, and Queens — for people to play on desktop or mobile (thanks,The Verge). These games don’t have anything to do with work skills and they aren’t life sims that allow you to get a pretend, virtual job, either.
In apost on LinkedIn, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President Daniel Roth explained these are a “suite of once-per-day, fast, thinking-oriented games.” He went on to explain that you can play these games each morning and then check the leaderboards to see how you stack against other players.
So what’s the goal in each of these LinkedIn games, anyway? Here’s a quick rundown:
I played all three of these games to see what they are like. What I discovered is that they are all simple, “once-per-day” puzzle games — in a similar vein to Wordle. In other words, they are intended to make you think without being too stressful. Additionally, they’re meant to give you that Wordle buzz that keeps you coming back each day for more.
Why does LinkedIn have puzzle games now?
So, why is LinkedIn suddenly offering three free puzzle games? An official video seems to market the games as a way to break up the stressful workday with a form of entertainment that doesn’t take too long and thus doesn’t distract from your job too much. However, the reason these games exist is more strategic than that. To really understand why LinkedIn now offers games, you’ve got to take a look at Wordle and the impact it’s had on The New York Times.
•Best Xbox / PC headsets in 2024•Best upcoming Xbox/PC games•Best Xbox controllers•Best Xbox accessories•Best small gaming PCs•Best gaming laptops in 2024•Best gaming handhelds 2024
As a refresher, Wordle became a household name in 2021 when its creator, Josh Wardle, made it public for family and friends to play. It then unexpectedly gained a massive recurring player base that was far larger than what Wardle expected for it. Eventually in 2022, The New York Times acquired the word puzzle game. The New York Times Head of Games Jonathan Knight has even explained in aninterview with Digidaythat Wordle has helped keep readers engaged while also enticing more people to its site and its subscriptions. “If you’re a subscriber," said Knight, “and on any given week, you engage with both news and games, the likelihood that you’re going to retain [your subscription] over a long period of time is much higher.”
Ever since then, other publications have also started adding free games to their sites in order to encourage daily engagement and the potential of selling subscriptions. LinkedIn is just the latest website to follow suit.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Self-professed gaming geek, Rebecca Spear, is one of Windows Central’s editors and reviewers with a focus on gaming handhelds, PC gaming, and laptops. When she isn’t checking out the latest games on Xbox Game Pass, PC, ROG Ally, or Steam Deck; she can be found digital drawing with a Wacom tablet. She’s written thousands of articles with everything from editorials, reviews, previews, features, previews, and hardware reviews over the last few years. If you need information about anything gaming-related, her articles can help you out. She also loves testing game accessories and any new tech on the market. You can follow her@rrspearon X (formerly Twitter).
