A Fresh Puzzle Experience
The New York Times has a knack for creating fun games. Their latest game, Pips, is no different. Every day, millions of people visit The New York Times Games to play crosswords, keep their Wordle streak going, or solve the Connections puzzle. Many players enjoy two or more games, and half play four or more.
The Times doesn’t release new games often—usually just one a year. That’s why the launch of Pips on Monday is a big deal. Unlike other games that focus on words, Pips is a logic puzzle. After a beta test in Canada earlier this year, people loved it. When the game went offline for final tweaks, fans on Reddit were upset and eagerly awaited its return. They called it a smart mix of classic games and modern puzzle design.
“We wanted Pips to feel new but familiar,” says Jonathan Knight, head of games at The New York Times.
How Pips Works
Pips is a puzzle inspired by dominoes. Players can choose from three difficulty levels. Each puzzle has a board with rules, like making sure the dots (called pips) on dominoes match or add up to a specific number in certain areas. Like sudoku, it’s about finding the right balance to place the dominoes.
Easy puzzles use four or five dominoes, while harder ones use up to 16. There’s no time limit, so you can take as long as you need. If you make a mistake, the game shows you where to fix it.
“Finishing something feels great,” says Ian Livengood, the puzzle editor for Pips. “This game gives you that satisfaction.”
Why People Keep Playing
The New York Times Games are super popular. Last year, their puzzles were played 11.1 billion times. Wordle alone was played 5.3 billion times, with over 2,000 people sharing their scores every minute. Connections, launched in 2023, was played 3.3 billion times.
The team doesn’t obsess over these numbers. Instead, they focus on making games that are fun and keep people coming back. They get lots of game ideas every year, but most don’t make it. Some, like Zorse (a phrase-guessing game), reach beta testing but get cut if they’re not fun enough.
“We focus on making the game mechanics fun,” says Knight.
Designing for Fun
For Pips, the team didn’t change much from the original idea. They mostly worked on making the puzzle rules clear and easy to understand visually.
Livengood says Times games are designed to be simple to figure out. You can look at Pips and quickly know what to do. Unlike some games that use AI to create levels, all Times puzzles, including Pips, are made by people. “There’s always a human behind our games,” Livengood says. “That feels special in a world full of AI.”
The games are also quick to play, so they fit into your day. “We don’t want you glued to our app all day,” Knight says. “We want you to have fun and move on.”
Pips’ Bright Future
Pips might keep players around a bit longer, though. With three daily puzzles, you can play more than once if you want. It’s also the first Times game to launch on both the web and the app at the same time.
“That shows we’re getting better at what we do,” says Knight.