Fans of Wordle, Connections and more can get ready for a new game from The New York Times: Pips.
Pips is the first-ever original logic puzzle from the Times, the newspaper said in a press release. In the game, players use dominoes to satisfy specific conditions on the game board.
The exclusive news of the puzzle launch aired exclusively on TODAY on Monday, Aug. 18, and the game will be launching globally around 12 p.m. ET.
“With Pips, we wanted to create something that felt fresh yet familiar. Dominos evoke nostalgia for many people, and we leaned into that comfort while adding our signature NYT Games human-crafted twist,” Jonathan Knight, head of games at The New York Times, said in a statement.
“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,” Knight added.
To play Pips, players will need to first fill the board with dominoes, the Times said. Then they can drag and drop the dominoes into place. To rotate dominoes, just tap and spin them around.
Players will find out that each region of the board has a condition.
“It could be that both domino values must be equal (=), not equal (≠), greater than (>), less than (
Once all the dominoes have been placed and every condition has been met, players have won Pips for the day.
The Times also introduced difficulty levels for Pips, so players can choose between easy, medium and hard daily puzzles to find the right amount of challenge for them.
To celebrate the launch of Pips, players in the New York City area can stop by PIPS, a cozy wine bar in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood that is also a favorite hangout of “Abbott Elementary” actor and Times Games superfan Chris Perfetti, per the press release.
NYC-based solvers can stop by PIPS from Aug. 28 to 30 to enjoy a specialty beverage curated by Perfetti himself, and to play together in real life.
Plus, if a player solves any level of the day’s Pips, they can show their bartender and score a complimentary cocktail.
“It’s our way of bringing the game to life and saying thank you to the puzzle lovers who inspire us every day,” the Times said. “Whether you’re a domino pro or new to the genre, Pips is easy to pick up and hard to put down.”
Pips will be available to play on the New York Times Games app on iOS or Android, or on mobile or desktop browsers, starting around 12 p.m. ET on Aug. 18.
“Start with ’crane,’” says bronze medalist Casey Dawson. Teammate Joe Mantia’s recommendation for that first guess? Audio.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
