[REVISION HISTORY]

NYT Connections popularity and Pips logic puzzle launch

Updated 16 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-21 07:11 UTC → 2026-10-22 04:48 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The New York Times continues to expand its digital gaming portfolio with various daily word and logic puzzles. Alongside the popular Connections game, the company has introduced Strands, a beta word-search game where players must identify themed words and a central ‘spangram’ within a grid. Connections remains a central part of this expansion, requiring players to group sixteen words into four distinct categories based on shared characteristics, ranging from yellow (easiest) to purple (hardest). Expanding its offerings further, the New York Times has launched a new weekly suite of bonus puzzle games specifically for subscribers, including Pips. Released in August 2025, Pips is a single-player logic puzzle that utilizes domino tiles placed horizontally or vertically within color-coded regions. Each region is governed by specific rules that players must satisfy, such as ‘Number’ (where pips must sum to a specific value), ‘Equal’ (where all halves must match), ‘Not Equal’, ‘Less than’, or ‘Greater than’. In areas where no color coding is present, no specific conditions are applied to the tiles. The game features Easy, Medium, and Hard boards, which increase in complexity based on how tightly the rules are arranged. Notably, the game currently lacks incremental hints; if a player becomes stuck, the only option is to reveal the entire puzzle, which necessitates restarting at a different difficulty level. A specialized Sports Edition of Connections, developed in collaboration with The Athletic, is available on web browsers and mobile devices. This edition features daily puzzles with sports-themed categories, such as NFL injury report designations, Champions League winners, or specific team rosters. ~~Due to the game’s mechanics, players often seek guides and walkthroughs to navigate the various difficulty tiers and mathematical constraints.~~

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.