The New York Times has added a new game to its growing collection, and puzzle fans are already hooked. Pips, which launched in August 2025, takes inspiration from dominoes but adds its own colorful twist. According to Mashable, the game is designed as a single-player experience that could easily become a daily habit for fans of Wordle and Connections.
How to play NYT pips?
In Pips, tiles are placed either vertically or horizontally, just like in dominoes. The big difference is that players must follow special color-coded rules rather than simply matching numbers. Mashable explains that these conditions might ask players to make all domino halves equal, all different, or have them add up to a specific number. Sometimes the challenge is to keep the total less than or greater than the number shown. If there is no color coding, then the space has no conditions.
Also Read: NYT Pips: How to play, rules, and everything you need to know about the new logic puzzle
Currently, if players get stuck, the game only lets them reveal the entire puzzle, meaning they must move on to a new difficulty level. To help with that frustration, here are piecemeal hints and answers for each difficulty level on August 25.
Easy hints and answers
{{/usCountry}}Currently, if players get stuck, the game only lets them reveal the entire puzzle, meaning they must move on to a new difficulty level. To help with that frustration, here are piecemeal hints and answers for each difficulty level on August 25.
Easy hints and answers
{{/usCountry}}For the easy level, one puzzle shows a Number (2) space. The solution is the 2-5 domino placed vertically. Another Number (15) puzzle is solved with 5-3 placed horizontally, 2-5 placed vertically, and 5-1 placed horizontally. In a Number (3) puzzle, the solution is 5-1 placed horizontally and 1-1 placed vertically.
Medium hints and answers
On medium difficulty, one Not Equal space can be solved with 4-3 and 4-1 placed horizontally. An Equal (5) condition is solved with 5-5 placed vertically. For Equal (0), the solution includes 0-6 and 0-5 placed vertically. Another Equal (5) in a dark blue space is solved with 0-5 vertically and 5-2 horizontally.
Hard hints and answers
The hard level brings tougher challenges. For example, Equal (3) can be solved using 1-3, 2-3, 0-3, and 3-4 dominoes. Equal (0) requires 0-0 placed vertically, along with 1-3 and 0-2 horizontally. A Number (11) puzzle is solved using 0-5 vertically and 4-6 vertically, according to Mashable.
With its clever rules and layered puzzles, Pips is shaping up to be the next addictive brain teaser in the New York Times’ catalogue.
FAQs
Q1: What is Pips?
Pips is a new puzzle game from The New York Times based on domino-style tiles.
Q2: How do you play Pips?
You place tiles to match color-coded rules like equal, not equal, or adding up to a number.
Q3: Is Pips free to play?
Yes, Pips is included with a New York Times Games subscription and can be played online.