Stuck on Easy, Medium, or Hard? We’ve got you covered. Explore the guide to Pips, the New York Times’ newest game introduced in August 2025. A fresh take on dominoes, Pips offers an engaging single-player experience perfect for daily play. If you find yourself stuck, the game typically reveals the entire puzzle, pushing you to the next level. But don’t worry! We’ve compiled hints that will help you navigate each difficulty level successfully.
How to play Pips:
Familiar with dominoes? You’ll grasp the basics of Pips quickly. The tiles connect vertically or horizontally, but unlike traditional dominoes, Pips features color-coded conditions. Matching numbers on touching tiles isn’t necessary. The requirements are defined by the color-coded spaces. For instance, if a space specifies a number, all tiles touching that space must sum to the given number. It’s common for only part of a tile to fall within a space.
Examples across difficulty levels:
– Number: Tiles in this space must add up to the given number.
– Equal: All domino halves in the space must show the same number.
– Not Equal: Domino halves must display distinct numbers.
– Less than: The sum must be less than the given number.
– Greater than: The sum must exceed the given number.
If a space lacks color coding, there are no special conditions on the tiles.
Easy level hints for April 4:
– Number (6): Sum to 6 with tiles 6-1 placed horizontally.
– Equal (6): Equals 6 with tiles 6-2 and 6-4 placed horizontally.
– Equal (2): Equals 2 with tiles 6-2 horizontally and 2-0 vertically.
Medium level hints for April 4:
– Less Than (6): Use 5-2 vertically.
– Number (10): Sum to 10 with 5-5 vertically.
– Number (6): Sum to 6 with 3-2 horizontally and 3-0 vertically.
Hard level hints for April 4:
– Number (9): Sum to 9 with 4-5 vertically.
– Greater Than (9): Exceeds 9 with 6-4 vertically.
– Number (6): Sum to 6 with 6-3 vertically.
For more puzzles, explore Mashable’s game hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, crosswords, and more. Stay connected with the latest stories and entertainment by signing up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter.