NYT Pips
Pips is a new visual logic puzzle from The New York Times. In this game, players need to arrange the dominoes while fulfilling certain mathematical conditions in the color-coded grid.
The Pips game is a visual logic puzzle from the New York Times. It has become a daily favorite for many puzzle solvers since its release. The players need to fill a grid using dominoes (with dots, aka pips) based on the spatial and numerical conditions. You can rotate and drag the dominoes to place them and fulfill the conditions. There are three Pips puzzles with varying difficulty – Easy, Medium, and Hard – released every day. If you want to learn more, let’s deep dive into the NYT Pips game and understand its basics:
What Is the NYT Pips Game?
Pips are tiny dots, numbered 0 to 6, that are placed on a dice or a domino. In the NYT Pips game, each puzzle presents you with grids filled with color-coded numerical restrictions. Your task is to combine them in a calculated way to reach the goal, i.e. place dominoes in the grid while fulfilling the defined conditions, such as having equal numbers, a sum greater than or less than a number, numbers adding up to, and more.
The New York Times released the Pips game on August 18, 2025. It was their first-ever digital logic puzzle. Like Wordle and Connections, NY Times Pips focuses on giving players a quick and stimulating challenge every day. Pips relies on arithmetic patterns, spatial reasoning, and quick mental calculations to solve the puzzle.
NYT Pips: Basic Game Rules Explained
Before you start playing NYT Pips, you first need to understand these basic concepts to familiarize yourself with the game:
| Game Elements | Explanation |
|---|---|
| The Goal | The Pips puzzle has a designated grid with numerical and spatial conditions. Players need to place available dominoes in the grid while satisfying these conditions to win the game. |
| The Grid | The game board is divided into color-coded and empty regions where dominoes need to be placed. |
| Dominoes | Dominoes are tiles with two halves, each containing pips (dots) from 0 to 6. These can be rotated, dragged, and placed in the grid to solve the game. |
| Difficulty Levels | The NYT Pips game has three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. The game starts in easy mode and becomes more challenging as you progress. |
Every puzzle has its own ruleset, and so does the Pips game. Here are the simple but essential NY Times Pips conditions that you need to remember:
| Conditions | Meaning |
|---|---|
| = (Equal) | The pips (dots) on the dominoes in this region should be the same number. |
| ≠ (Not Equal) | The pips on the dominoes in this region are not equal. |
| > (Greater than) | The total of the domino dots in the region should be greater than the number next to this symbol. |
| < (Less Than) | The total of the domino dots in the region should be less than the number next to this symbol. |
| A Number | The domino numbers in the region must add up to the specific number in this condition. |
| Empty/ Blank | The empty or blank region has no conditions and can contain any valid domino. |
Does that sound intimidating? Well, if you are a math lover and have good reasoning abilities, you can solve this game easily.
How to Play the NYT Pips Game?
We hope the game rules give you a fair idea of how the Pips game works. If you still have any doubts, we have tried to explain how to play Pips in lucid terms below:
- Visit the official Pips game page on The New York Times Games website.
- Choose the difficulty level on the main page to see today’s Pips puzzle.
- Once the puzzle opens up, you should first note the colors and conditions on the grid. Then, go over all available dominoes.
- Now, with the conditions in sight, click on the dominoes at the bottom and drag them to the correct position in the grid.
- Click on the domino tile to rotate it, if needed, before placing it within the grid with conditions and color codings.
- You will win the game once you’ve placed all dominoes in the NYT Pips puzzle grid.
Each day, NYT releases three new Pips puzzles with Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty, respectively. The puzzle refreshes at midnight local time every day.
NYT Pips: Why Is This Game So Popular?
The NY Times Pips game attracts a huge number of players daily. Here are some of the reasons why players love this logical reasoning puzzle:
- Quick and engaging: Each level of the puzzle takes a few minutes to complete. Thus, it is a quick and exciting puzzle that people play whenever they find a little time during the day.
- All age groups enjoy: NY Times Pips is a number and reasoning game popular among kids, adults, and the elderly. Students and adults who love sharpening their maths skills and minds love to play this game.
- Similar to dominoes/ dice games: If you enjoy games such as Dominoes, Mastermind, or Sudoku, Pips will feel instantly familiar. If you are already good at Dominoes, you are ready to dive headfirst into this NYT game.
- You can share the result: Pips encourages you to share your game results without revealing the solution. It’s a built-in feature that lures more people on social media to give it a try.
If you are a puzzle lover, you should also check out today’s Connections hints since the puzzle can be a little tricky to solve at times.
Tips to Play the NYT Pips Game
The NYT Pips game rewards logical thinking and smart number combinations. You can solve this puzzle efficiently with these tips:
- Start with the highest domino first: Start by selecting dominoes with larger Pip values. It narrows possibilities and spots patterns faster.
- Break down the target number into smaller ones: For example, if your target number is 10, break it down into 6+4 or 3+3+4, depending on the colors in the grid. It shows you multiple solutions.
- Do not click randomly: Every move matters. So, before picking a tile, scan the entire board for higher-value combinations.
- Memorize common totals: Recognize totals like 7, 8, 9, 12, or 15. It speeds up decisions.
- Play Pips unlimited to practice: Practising more than just the daily puzzle enriches your play.
What Is the Pips Unlimited Version?
Since the official NY Times Pips only offers one puzzle per difficulty per day – only three puzzles in total. So, many players look for ways to play this game without having to wait for a whole day. This has led to the rise of the Pips Unlimited websites, which offer:
- An unofficial replica of the Pips game
- Websites offering endless Pips-style boards
- These unlimited NYT Pips games are tools that can help sharpen your skills before you play the actual game.
The NYT Pips is a cool math puzzle for all age groups from the New York Times Games team. It is a mix of numbers, logic, and planning.
So, if you’re a daily puzzle-solver or new to this game, I hope we made it easy for you to understand the Pips game. Give it a try now, as it builds creative thinking and tests patience. As NY Times Pips continues to grow among the puzzle community, we will see more puzzle-heads flip dominoes and complete the grid in the least time possible.
There are set rules you need to follow while playing the NYT Pips game. Select dominoes with pips that correspond to the color-coded conditions. Plan each move carefully and complete the puzzle by placing all dominoes in the puzzle grid.
New Pips puzzles are released every day at midnight as per the player’s time zone. So, you can play a new puzzle with three difficulties – Easy, Medium, and Hard – every 24 hours.
The NYT Pips game is not unlimited. You can play Pips unlimited only after buying the NYT Games subscription. However, you can play the unofficial version of the NYT Pips unlimited. These unlimited versions of the Pips game are good for practising and sharpening your math skills.
The NYT Pips game offers limited access for free. However, to access its full features, you need a New York Times Games subscription.
