Domino Regions vs NYT Pips
Domino Regions vs Pips: Daily Domino Logic Puzzles Compared
Pips brought domino logic to a mainstream daily audience: place dominoes so every marked region satisfies its constraint. Domino Regions is our free daily version, built around drag-and-drop placement with rotation, and every board is verified solvable by a solver before it ships.
The short verdict
Domino Regions is the free daily domino puzzle to play if you like Pips: same constraint-satisfaction logic, smoother placement, difficulty levels, and no subscription.
Play Domino Regions freeDomino Regions vs NYT Pips at a glance
| Domino Regions | NYT Pips | |
|---|---|---|
| Core rule | Fill the grid so every region meets its constraint | Fill the grid so every region meets its constraint |
| Placement | Drag and drop with tap-to-rotate | Drag and drop |
| Constraint types | Sum, equal and comparison regions | Sum, equal and comparison regions |
| Difficulty levels | Easy, normal, hard | Daily difficulty progression |
| Solvability | Every board verified by a backtracking solver | Editorially set |
| Reveal solution | Yes, with confirmation | Reveals on failure |
| Archive | Last 30 days (Pro) | Games subscription |
| Price | Free, no signup | Free tier, paid archive |
Start with the most constrained region
In domino logic there is almost always one region with a single valid combination — a two-cell region needing a high sum, or an equality region forcing a repeated value. Placing that first removes the tiles it consumed from every other region's options, which is what makes the rest of the board fall.
Count the pips before you place anything
The total pips available are fixed. Adding up every region's demand and comparing it to what remains in your tray tells you quickly whether a promising placement can possibly be part of a full solution — much faster than discovering it four moves later.
Drag, rotate, undo
Placement should never be the hard part. Domino Regions uses pointer-based dragging with collision detection, tap-to-rotate while holding a tile, and free undo, so the only difficulty on the board is the logic itself.
Play Domino Regions if…
- You want a free daily domino puzzle without a subscription
- You want difficulty levels rather than a fixed daily
- You want guaranteed-solvable boards and a clean reveal
Play NYT Pips if…
- You like the NYT daily difficulty curve and its community
- You already subscribe to NYT Games
Domino Regions vs NYT Pips: frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to NYT Pips?
Yes. Domino Regions is a free daily domino logic puzzle with the same region-constraint rules, drag-and-drop placement and rotation — no subscription and no account required.
How do you play Domino Regions?
Drag dominoes onto the grid so that every marked region satisfies its constraint — a sum, an equality, or a comparison. Tiles can be rotated while held, and every board has at least one valid solution.
Are all Domino Regions boards solvable?
Yes. Each generated board is checked by a backtracking solver before it is published, so no daily puzzle is ever impossible.
Can I see the solution?
Yes, a reveal button shows the full solution after a confirmation step so you never trigger it by accident.
Can I play older domino puzzles?
Pro members can play the last 30 days from the archive; today's board is free for everyone.
Keep reading
NYT Games Pips Explained: How to Play (2026)
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Domino Puzzle Games You Can Play Online Free (2026 Guide)
A guide to free online domino puzzle games — from classic matching to logic-based placement puzzles like Domino Regions.
Free Online Logic Puzzles: The Best Games to Stretch Your Brain
A practical guide to the best free online logic puzzles — from Sudoku and category-sorting to domino placement — and how to pick the right one for the way you think.