Earlier this week New York Times introduced Pips, the newest addition to the New York Times Games portfolio, and its first original logic puzzle. As the Games team continues to build the destination for digital puzzle games, Pips is a brand new puzzle that expands beyond the word games the publisher is known for, into a new space that challenges your mind in a whole new way.
The publisher says in Pips, players arrange dominoes on a board to satisfy specific conditions. It’s all about pattern recognition, and the result is an experience that’s tactile, intuitive and seriously satisfying.
The New York Times explains how Pips works:
- Fill the board with dominoes
Drag and drop the dominoes into place. Need to rotate? Just tap to spin them 90°.
- Meet the region conditions
Each section of the board has a condition: it could be that both domino values must be equal (=), not equal (≠), greater than (>), less than (<), or add up to a specific number. Some regions have no condition at all—just place and go.’
- Complete the puzzle
When all dominoes are placed correctly and every condition is met, you’ll get a satisfying “you did it!” moment. And if not? No pressure. Just keep tinkering until everything clicks into place.
“With Pips, we wanted to create something that felt fresh yet familiar. Dominoes evoke nostalgia for many people, and we leaned into that comfort while adding our signature NYT Games human-crafted twist,” said Jonathan Knight, head of Games at The New York Times. “It’s also the first game in our collection to include drag-and-drop gameplay and an interactive ‘How to Play’ experience, making it our most tactile and approachable game yet. We’ve also introduced difficulty levels, with easy, medium, and hard daily puzzles so that solvers can find the challenge that’s right for them.”
To mark the launch, the publisher says it is inviting fans to join them at the perfect namesake venue: Pips, a cozy spot in Brooklyn and a favorite hangout of actor and NYT Games superfan Chris Perfetti.
From Thursday, August 28 to Saturday, August 30, NYC locals can stop by Pips and play IRL amongst fellow puzzlers.
“As a NYT Games superfan I am pumped beyond belief to add Pips to the lineup,” Perfetti said. “What better way to celebrate the launch of Pips than at PIPS itself!? Excited for other peeps to experience one of my favorite Brooklyn spots and put their logic to the test over a round.”
Whether you’re a domino pro or new to the genre, Pips is easy to pick up and hard to put down, the publisher continued. You can play Pips in the New York Times Games app for iOS and Android devices, or on mobile or desktop web, starting this week.
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