What to know

  • Pips challenges you to place dominoes on a grid to satisfy unique conditions.
  • Play daily on the NYT Games app or website, with new puzzles at midnight.
  • Earn cookies by solving Easy, Medium, or Hard puzzles under time limits.

Get ready to domino-ate Pips!

Ever stared at a pile of dominoes and thought, "I could make something brilliant with these"? Welcome to Pips, the New York Times’ clever visual logic puzzle that’s equal parts brain workout and satisfying fun. You’re not just slapping dominoes on a board—you’re solving a daily puzzle that keeps you hooked with its quirky conditions and cookie-chasing glory.

Here’s your guide to mastering Pips with style, wit, and maybe a few victory dances.

How to play Pips (NYT tutorial)

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Think of Pips as a puzzle where you’re the maestro of a domino orchestra. Your mission? Arrange a set of dominoes on a game board to meet specific conditions. No timers ticking down to doom, no “game over” screens—just you, a grid, and the sweet thrill of cracking the puzzle.

Each board comes with color-coded regions, and each region has a condition hanging out in its bottom-right corner. These conditions are your puzzle commandments. Follow them, and you’ll be greeted with a congratulatory page. Mess up? You’ll get a polite nudge to rearrange those dominoes and try again.

Image: NYT

Crack the code of region conditions

The heart of Pips lies in its region conditions. These little rules keep you on your toes, and they change every game. Here’s the rundown:

  • =: All domino dots in the region must match. Same number, no exceptions.
  • =/=: The dots can’t be equal. Variety is the spice of this region.
  • >: The dots need to be greater than the number next to the symbol.
  • <: Keep those dots lower than the listed number.
  • A number: The dots in the region must add up to this exact figure.
  • Blank: No rules, just vibes. Place those dominoes however you like.

Every puzzle is a fresh challenge, so expect to flex your logic muscles daily.

Who doesn’t love a cookie? In Pips, solving a puzzle under a set time earns you a virtual cookie to flaunt on your results page. The game offers three difficulty levels—Easy, Medium, and Hard—and each comes with its own cookie challenge.

Nail all three in record time, and you’ve got yourself the Cookie Trifecta. It’s like a gold star, but tastier. Pro tip: Keep an eye on the timer if you’re cookie-hungry!

Where and when to play

Ready to jump in? You can play Pips on the NYT Games app for iOS or Android, or head to nytimes.com/games/pips. New puzzles drop every day at midnight, local to your time zone. Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, there’s always a fresh board waiting.

No subscription? No problem. You can try Pips for free, though a Games subscription unlocks unlimited play and access to other NYT brain teasers like Wordle and Connections.

Share your Pips prowess

Solved a puzzle and feeling smug? Share the love! After you conquer a board, hit the Share button on the congratulatory page. Depending on your device, you’ll get options to post your results to social media, text, email, or wherever you want to flex your puzzle-solving skills.

Copy the results to your clipboard, and paste them anywhere to show off. Your friends might just bow to your domino wizardry.

Tweak your Pips experience

Want to customize your game? Head to the settings:

  • Show timer: Track your speed to chase those cookies.
  • Play sound: Add some audio flair to your puzzle-solving.
  • Feedback or bugs: Got thoughts or glitches? Send them via the NYT Games feedback form.

These little tweaks make Pips feel like your own personal playground.

Tips to become a Pips pro

  • Start with the conditions: Scan the board and tackle regions with strict rules first, like “=” or a specific number.
  • Experiment freely: There’s no penalty for wrong moves, so shuffle those dominoes until something clicks.
  • Think visually: The grid’s colors are your friends. Use them to group your moves logically.
  • Chase the cookie: If you’re aiming for the Cookie Trifecta, practice on Easy puzzles to get a feel for speed.

Need more help? Check out the official NYT Pips help page for extra guidance or to report any issues.

Why Pips WILL BE your new obsession

Pips isn’t just a game—it’s a daily dose of “aha!” moments. Its ever-changing conditions keep things fresh, and the lack of a lose condition means you can puzzle at your own pace. Whether you’re a logic nerd or just love a good challenge, Pips has a way of sneaking into your routine.

So, grab your virtual dominoes, fire up the NYT Games app or website, and start puzzling. Who knows? You might just snag that Cookie Trifecta and become the Pips champion you were born to be.

Happy puzzling!