NYT Pips Hints and Answers for October 18th

Happy Thursday and welcome to your guide to Pips, the newest game in the gaming world New York Times Catalog.

Released in August 2025, Pips offers a unique twist on the game of dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that can become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we’ve got you covered! Below are segmented answers that will serve as hints so you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play pips

If you have played dominoes before, you will have a passing knowledge of how to play dominoes a point I played. As we shared in previous Dot Tips stories, squares, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connected to each other. The main difference between a traditional domino game and a dot game is the color-coded conditions you have to address. Touching tiles do not necessarily have to match.

The conditions you must meet are specific to color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, the sum of each tile side in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half of the tiles to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you’ll encounter across difficulty levels:

• number: All points in this space must add up to the number.

• equal: Every half of a domino in this space must have the same number of dots.

• Not equal: Each half of a domino in this space must have a completely different number of dots.

• below: Every half of a domino in this space must sum less than the number.

• Greater than: The sum of each half of the domino in this space must be more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means that there are no conditions on the dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for October 18 with points

Greater than (5): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 5. The answer is 5-3, laid out horizontally.

No. (9): Everything in this red space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-6, laid out horizontally.

Less than (3): Everything in this orange space must be less than 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

equal (3): Everything in this space must equal 3. The answer is 5-3, laid out horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

Less than (3): Everything in this orange space must be less than 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for October 18 with points

Greater than (4): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-2, laid out horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must equal 12. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

equal (3): Everything in this space must equal 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must equal 10. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.

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Less than (4): Everything in this orange space must be less than 4. The answer is 4-2, laid out horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must equal 10. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 4-1, in horizontal position.

Number (10): Everything in this space must equal 10. The answer is 10-10, laid out horizontally.

No. (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 6-1 horizontally..

No. (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Less than (1): Everything in this orange space must be less than 1. The answer is 3-1, laid out horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.

equal (4): Everything in this purple space must equal 4. The answer is 0-4, laid out horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

equal (5): Everything in this purple space must equal 5. The answer is 0-5, laid out horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Less than (5): Everything in this orange space must be less than 5. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Hard Difficulty Hints, Answers for October 18 with Points

No. (8): Everything in this space must add to 8. The answer is 6-2, laid out horizontally.

unequal: Everything in this purple space should be different. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (29): Everything in this space must equal 29. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally; 6-1, in vertical position; 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

No. (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 6-1, in portrait position.

Greater than (3): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically.

No. (7): Everything in this space must add to 7. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.

equal (4): Everything in this purple space must equal 4. The answer is 4-4, laid out horizontally.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable has games now! Check out our gaming center Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.