Technologies
These Relaxing Games Are Like a Warm Blanket for Your Brain
A few minutes in games like Spiritfarer or A Short Hike feels like a reset button for your mind.

Sometimes, the best way to deal with a stressful world is to take a step back, and the right game can offer exactly that. Between rising costs, relentless news cycles and nonstop digital noise, it’s easy to feel burned out. But cozy games give you permission to slow down, breathe and reset. And no, self-care doesn’t have to mean meditation or scented candles. Sometimes it just means curling up with a game that makes you feel good.
Whether you’re nurturing crops on a peaceful farm, solving gentle puzzles, decorating a virtual home or exploring a low-stakes fantasy world, these relaxing games are the perfect way to unplug without tuning out completely. They’re accessible, often affordable, and ideal for casual gamers or anyone needing a mental health break.
You can find a bunch of these on the best game subscription services, and some you might have to hunt down, but they’re all worth it. Bonus: Many are available on Switch, PC, mobile or even Game Pass, so they’re easy to fit into your routine. If you’re searching for stress relief, escapism or just a reason to smile, these cozy games are worth the download.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 3 #518
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 3 No. 518.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a funny one. Some of the words were easy, but others took me a little thought to unscramble. If you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: «Sorry, didn’t catch that.»
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Messed it up!
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- TORT, TORTS, PORT, PORTS, POLE, BIFF, BORE, BORES, BELL, BELLS, FELL, BUTS, POOL, PORE, PORES, LOOP, FORT, FORTS
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- MUFF, ERROR, FAULT, WHIFF, BOBBLE, FUMBLE, BLOOPER
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is SPORTSGOOF. To find it, look for the S that’s five letters down on the first row to the left, and wind across and down.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Aug. 3, #1506
Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Aug. 3, No. 1,506.
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle might be tough. The letters aren’t ones I guess right away, and it has the least-used vowel, plus a sometimes vowel. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel and one sometimes vowel.
Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with L.
Wordle hint No. 4: TV time
Today’s Wordle answer was the first name of one of Wally Cleaver’s friends on the sitcom Leave It To Beaver.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to having a number of bumps.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is LUMPY.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Aug. 2, No. 1505 was DAUNT.
Recent Wordle answers
July 29, No. 1501: OMEGA
July 30, No. 1502: ASSAY
July 31, No. 1503: FRILL
Aug. 1, No. 1504: BANJO
Technologies
A US-Only TikTok? What We Know So Far About the Potential Replacement App
A new app to replace the current version of TikTok for people in the US is reportedly being developed right now.
A new version of the TikTok mobile app for people in the US is reportedly being developed by the vertical video social media network’s owner ByteDance. It will replace the current version of TikTok being used in the US ahead of a September deadline for the Chinese company to divest ownership, according to a report last month by The Information.
The new app, codenamed «M2,» could launch on Sept. 5. If you’re in the US, you would then be required to switch from the existing app to the new one, the report said, citing anonymous sources. US President Donald Trump recently extended a deadline for the owner to sell its US-based TikTok assets by Sept. 17.
In July, Trump said he found a buyer for the company, which he called a group of «very, very wealthy people.»
The administration has continued to extend deadlines for TikTok to remain operational since January when it was shut down for less than 24 hours. The company reportedly has 170 million users in the US.
A representative for TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
According to The Information, the reason for the new app version is also due to an Apple App Store restriction that does not allow multiple versions of an app for different regions to appear in the same listing.
What a US TikTok app would mean for you
If the report is accurate, it would mean that at the very least, anybody who uses the TikTok mobile app would eventually be required to migrate to a new US-centric version.
But there’s likely to be a lengthy grace period, according to The Information’s sources: the old app may not disappear completely until March 2026, giving you six months to make the transition.
Still, it could be disruptive for those whose business or brand relies on the platform. «Anytime there is a migration or a major feature revamp on any network, it certainly creates work and worry,» said Jennie Smythe, an author and founder and CEO of Girlilla Marketing, which has worked with clients including Willie Nelson, Terry Crews and Iliza Shlesinger.
«There are concerns that audiences will also make the move and if the migration will be worth the effort,» Smythe told CNET in an email. «The bigger concern besides the migration are the features and data that will be available to us in the creator economy as well as the audience restrictions (i.e. is our content/audience also restricted to US only?).»
It’s unclear if the new app would include any other major changes or improvements over the existing app or if it would restrict or filter viewing content from other regions in ways that differ from the current version.
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