Dominex is a free daily domino strategy game where you face an AI opponent across three difficulty levels. Using a standard double-six set of 28 tiles, you take turns placing dominoes end-to-end on a shared chain, matching pip values to extend the line. The goal is to empty your hand before the AI does — or end the game with the lowest pip count when neither player can move. If you enjoy domino puzzle games like the NYT Pips game, you'll feel right at home with Dominex. It brings the same satisfying domino brain teaser experience to your browser — completely free, with no account required and no data collected. Unlike many online domino games cluttered with ads, Dominex is clean, private, and works offline. Dominex is part of PuzzleBoxs, a collection of 10 free daily puzzle games. Each day's tile shuffle is seeded by the date, so every player on the same difficulty faces the same game — share your results and compare strategies!
How to play Dominex: You and the AI each start with 7 tiles drawn from a shuffled double-six set (28 tiles total, numbered 0–0 through 6–6). The remaining tiles form the boneyard draw pile. On your turn, select a tile from your hand that matches either the left or right open end of the board chain — click the arrow buttons to choose which side to play. If no tiles match, tap "Draw Tile" to draw from the boneyard until you can play (or pass if the boneyard is empty). The game ends when a player empties their hand (they win the sum of the opponent's remaining pips), or when neither player can move (lowest pip total wins). Higher pip values in your hand hurt your score, so play strategically!
Play doubles (6-6, 5-5, 4-4) early — they're the hardest tiles to place later when their matching numbers get blocked by the chain. Try to keep the two open ends of the board at different pip values; when both ends show the same number, your options dry up fast. Track which numbers have already appeared on the board to anticipate what tiles the AI might hold. Keep your hand's total pip count low: if the game blocks with neither player able to move, the player with the lowest pip total in hand wins. On Hard mode the AI uses lookahead, so counter it by diversifying the open ends — varied ends give both players more options and prevent the AI from forcing a block in its favor.
Dominex vs NYT Pips: Both are daily domino puzzle games using the classic double-six tile set. The key differences: Dominex is 100% free with no subscription or paywall, requires no account or login, collects zero user data, and works offline as a Progressive Web App. Dominex also offers three AI difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard) with an actual Minimax algorithm powering the Hard opponent. It's an independent game inspired by the domino puzzle genre, not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times.
Why play Dominex? You get a genuine daily domino strategy challenge — completely free, forever. No ads interrupt your game. No trackers follow you across the web. No email or account required. The AI opponent scales from a casual Easy mode to a challenging Hard mode powered by alpha-beta minimax search. Install Dominex as a Progressive Web App and play offline anywhere — on the subway, a plane, or wherever you are without Wi-Fi. Your progress is saved privately on your own device.
Dominex is inspired by daily domino puzzle games like NYT Pips, but it's a completely independent game. Unlike the NYT version, Dominex is entirely free, requires no account or subscription, collects zero data, and works offline.
Yes — Dominex is 100% free with no paywalls, no subscriptions, and no ads. It always will be free.
You and the AI each start with 7 domino tiles. Take turns matching tile ends to either side of the shared chain on the board. If you can't play, draw from the boneyard. The first to empty their hand wins — or if both players get stuck, the lowest pip count wins. Select a tile from your hand, then click the left (←) or right (→) arrow on the board to place it.
Dominex offers three difficulty levels: Easy (AI plays a random valid move), Medium (AI prefers tiles with high pip values to minimize its hand score), and Hard (AI uses an alpha-beta minimax algorithm with lookahead — a genuine strategic challenge). You can switch difficulty at any time to start a new game.
No. Dominex runs entirely in your browser with zero data collection. There are no cookies, no analytics scripts, and no tracking of any kind. All game data is stored locally on your device and never sent to any server.
Yes! Install Dominex as a Progressive Web App (PWA) from your browser and play without an internet connection. The game logic, tile set, and everything else runs locally — no network required.
Each day's tile shuffle is determined by a date-based seed, so all players on the same difficulty setting see the same starting arrangement on any given day. This makes it fun to compare strategies with friends — you're all playing the same puzzle.
Pips are the dots on a domino tile that indicate its value. A standard double-six domino set has tiles numbered from 0 (blank) to 6 pips on each half, for a total of 28 tiles. The total pip count of your remaining hand at game end determines your score — the goal is to finish with as few pips as possible.