Greetings to your comprehensive guide on Pips, the newest entry in the New York Times game lineup.
Released in August 2025, Pips presents a distinctive variation of dominoes, crafting an enjoyable single-player experience that might just become a staple in your daily gaming routine.
If you find yourself in a bind, the game presently requires you to unveil the whole puzzle, which prompts a move to the next level of difficulty and a fresh start. However, there’s no need to fret, we’ve got your back! Below are some hints to assist you through each level of difficulty.
How to engage with Pips
If you’ve dabbled in dominoes, Pips will feel somewhat known to you. As highlighted in our earlier tips for Pips, the tiles can be arranged either vertically or horizontally and connect similarly to dominoes. The key distinction lies in the color-coded conditions you’ll need to consider, as the adjacent tiles don’t have to correspond.
The conditions pertain to the designated color-coded regions. For instance, if a single digit is indicated, each side of a tile situated in that region must sum to that digit. It’s routine for only a portion of a tile to fall within a color-coded area.
Here are typical examples you’ll face across various levels of difficulty:
Number: All pips in this area must total the specified number.
Equal: Every domino segment in this area needs to display the same number of pips.
Not Equal: Each domino section in this area should exhibit a distinct number of pips.
Less than: Each domino portion in this area must sum to less than the specified number.
Greater than: Each domino segment in this area must total more than the indicated number.
If a section lacks any color coding, there are no stipulations regarding the domino parts within those areas.
Hints for easy difficulty, solutions for Oct. 21 Pips
Number (16): Everything in this region must total 16. The solution is 6-6, arranged horizontally; 5-4, laid horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this region must sum to 8. The solution is 5-4, positioned horizontally; 3-0, set vertically.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this orange region must exceed 4. The solution is 3-5, arranged horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this orange area must be under 2. The answer is 3-0, oriented vertically; 1-5, arranged vertically.
Hints for medium difficulty, solutions for Oct. 21 Pips
Equal (3): Everything in this area must equal 3. The answer is 3-0, oriented vertically; 3-2, also placed vertically.
Number (21): Everything in this region must sum to 21. The solution is 5-5, positioned horizontally; 5-4, oriented vertically; 6-2, set vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this region must total 4. The answer is 3-0, arranged vertically; 5-4, set vertically; 0-1, positioned vertically.
Less Than (3): Everything in this blue area must be below 2. The answer is 6-2, set vertically.
Less Than (3): Everything in this green area must be under 2. The answer is 0-1, positioned vertically; 1-3, laid horizontally.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, oriented vertically; 2-2, positioned vertically.
Hints for hard difficulty, solutions for Oct. 21 Pips
Less Than