States Connections drops 16 US states into a 4x4 grid. Your job: sort them into 4 groups of 4 by a shared attribute. Each board is built with overlap, so several states look as if they fit more than one group. The skill isn't knowing facts; it's knowing which category to lock in first. This guide covers the twelve categories the game uses, the overlaps that cost mistakes, and the order to play.
How the puzzle is built
The game holds three boards and deals one of them at random each time you press Start. Each board uses four categories, and every category is a closed list of real states, with no wordplay and no judgement calls. Each board is built so that:
- Every group on it has exactly 4 states.
- Some tiles also fit a second category on the same board (the overlap trap).
- There is exactly one way to split the 16 states into the four groups.
Knowing this structure changes how you play: never commit on a category if one of its 4 states could be the missing piece of another category.
The 12 categories
| Category | States nationally |
|---|---|
| Border Mexico | CA, AZ, NM, TX (4) |
| No state sales tax | AK, DE, MT, NH, OR (5) |
| Gulf Coast | TX, LA, MS, AL, FL (5) |
| Pacific coast | WA, OR, CA, AK, HI (5) |
| 2024 swing states | AZ, GA, MI, NV, NC, PA, WI (7) |
| No income tax | AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY (9) |
| On the Mississippi River | MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA (10) |
| Confederate states | SC, MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX, VA, AR, NC, TN (11) |
| Border Canada | WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, MI, OH, PA, NY, VT, NH, ME, AK (13) |
| Original 13 colonies | MA, VA, NY, PA, NJ, CT, MD, NC, SC, GA, NH, DE, RI (13) |
| Capital is the largest city | AR, AZ, CO, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, MA, MS, OH, OK, RI, TN, UT, WV, WY (17) |
| Landlocked | AR, AZ, CO, IA, ID, KS, KY, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, SD, TN, UT, VT, WV, WY (20) |
Landlocked here means no ocean coast and no Great Lakes shoreline, which is why Illinois, Michigan and Ohio are not on the list.
Trap categories and how to spot them
Trap #1: Confederate vs Original 13 colonies
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia are on both lists. If the board shows both categories, count the candidates for each: the one with exactly four candidates is settled, and the shared states fall to the other.
Trap #2: Pacific coast vs Border Mexico vs Border Canada
California borders Mexico and has a Pacific coast. Washington and Alaska border Canada and have a Pacific coast. A western state on the board is rarely as obvious as it looks.
Trap #3: No income tax vs everything
The nine no income tax states are scattered: Washington and Alaska also border Canada, Texas borders Mexico and sits on the Gulf, Tennessee and Florida were Confederate, Nevada was a 2024 swing state. This category is the most common source of red herrings.
Trap #4: Landlocked vs the rest
Twenty states are landlocked, so this group usually has more than four candidates on a board. Montana is landlocked and has no state sales tax; Arizona is landlocked, borders Mexico and was a 2024 swing state. Solve landlocked last when it appears.
The optimal play order
- Count the candidates for each category. For every category you can guess from the tiles, count how many of the 16 states could belong to it. A category with exactly four candidates is settled.
- Lock the settled category first. It removes four tiles, and often leaves another category with exactly four candidates.
- Save the largest category for last. Landlocked or capital-is-largest-city usually takes the leftovers.
- If you're stuck, don't guess. You get 4 mistakes per board. A wasted guess on an ambiguous category leaves you little margin.
Quick reference: the short lists
These categories have so few members nationally that they are the easiest to spot:
- States bordering Mexico: CA, AZ, NM, TX
- No state sales tax: AK, DE, MT, NH, OR
- Gulf Coast: TX, LA, MS, AL, FL
- Pacific coast: WA, OR, CA, AK, HI
Three boards, one game
States Connections deals one of its three boards at random. Learn the twelve categories and every board becomes a counting exercise.
Play States ConnectionsFrequently asked questions
Is States Connections related to the NYT Connections game?
No, States Connections uses the same grid format that the New York Times Connections popularized (16 items, 4 groups of 4), but it's an independent game focused entirely on US state attributes.
How many mistakes do you get?
Four. A wrong group clears your selection and counts one mistake, and the fourth mistake ends the board. Your score is the number of groups solved out of four.
Are there wordplay categories?
No. All twelve categories are factual lists of states: borders, coasts, taxes, history, the Mississippi River, the 2024 swing states, capitals and landlocked states.
Which category should I solve first?
The one that has exactly four candidates among the 16 tiles. Locking it in removes 4 tiles and usually settles the next group.
Related guides
Ready to play?
Sixteen states are waiting. Find the 4 groups before your mistakes run out.
Now play States Connections