Pips is the newest entry in the New York Times games lineup. Debuted in August 2025, this fresh game delivers a unique spin on dominoes, offering an entertaining single-player experience that could become your daily gaming habit.

As of now, if you’re in a bind, the game lets you reveal the entire puzzle, which necessitates moving on to a higher difficulty level and starting afresh. But fret not, we’re here to assist! Below, you will find detailed answers that serve as hints to help you master each difficulty tier.

How to play Pips

If you have prior experience with dominoes, you will grasp the basics of how Pips operates. Just like dominoes, the tiles are arranged either vertically or horizontally and interconnect. The principal distinction between standard dominoes and Pips lies in the color-coded requirements you must fulfill. The adjoining tiles do not always need to correspond.

The requirements you need to satisfy are particular to the color-coded areas. For example, when a single number is indicated, every edge of a tile within that area must sum up to the specified number. It may be the case – and it often is – that merely part of a tile lies within a color-coded area.

Here are typical examples you will face across the different difficulty settings:

• Number: All the pips in this area must total the assigned number.

• Equal: Each domino half in this area must display the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this area must show a different number of pips.

• Less than: Each domino half in this area must sum to less than the specified number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this area must sum to more than the specified number.

If an area does not feature color coding, it signifies that there are no restrictions on the sections of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for Aug. 31 Pips

Number (10): Everything in this area must total 10. The solution is 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.