Solitaire — Play Free Online: Klondike, Spider & FreeCell

What Is Solitaire?

Solitaire is a family of single-player card games — also known as "patience" in British English — that has been enjoyed for centuries. Originating in northern Europe in the late 1700s, these games of patience spread across the world and became a staple pastime. The goal is typically to sort a shuffled deck into ordered foundations by suit, using a set of rules that vary from game to game. While "solitaire" technically refers to any single-player card game, the name is most commonly associated with Klondike Solitaire, the version that Microsoft bundled with Windows 3.0 in 1990 and introduced to hundreds of millions of players worldwide.

The digital era transformed solitaire from a physical card game into one of the most-played computer games in history. What began as a tool to teach users how to drag and drop with a mouse became a global phenomenon. Today, browser-based solitaire lets you play instantly on any device — desktop, tablet, or phone — without downloading software or creating an account. Pure Solitaire offers 38 different solitaire card games, from beginner-friendly Klondike to expert-level Forty Thieves, all free and playable in your browser.

How to Play Solitaire — The Basics

While each solitaire variant has its own rules, most share a common structure. A standard 52-card deck is dealt into a tableau (the main playing area of columns or rows), and your goal is to move all cards to foundation piles, typically building each suit from Ace up to King. Cards in the tableau are usually stacked in descending order, either by alternating colors (red on black) or by same suit, depending on the variant.

Some games include a stock pile (undealt cards you draw from during play), waste pile (where drawn cards are placed), and reserve (a special holding area). The challenge lies in uncovering hidden cards, managing temporary storage, and making strategic decisions about which moves to prioritize. Some variants are almost entirely skill-based (like FreeCell, where all cards are visible), while others involve significant luck (like Clock Solitaire, which is purely determined by the deal).

Solitaire Game Families Explained

The 38 solitaire games on Pure Solitaire are organized into 8 families. Each family shares core mechanics, so learning one game in a family makes it easy to pick up the others.

Klondike — The Classic

Klondike is the solitaire game most people simply call "Solitaire." Seven tableau columns are dealt in a staircase pattern (1 card, 2 cards, up to 7 cards), with only the top card of each column face-up. You draw cards from a stock pile and build the tableau in descending rank with alternating colors. The Turn 1 variant (draw one card) is the most accessible, with about 79% of deals being solvable. Turn 3 (draw three cards) and Vegas (no redeals) add progressively harder challenges. Variants like Australian Patience, Double Klondike, and Whitehead introduce different rules for building and movement.

Spider — The Sequence Builder

Spider Solitaire uses two decks (104 cards) dealt across 10 columns. Instead of building foundations from Ace to King, you build descending sequences from King to Ace within the tableau. Complete sequences are removed automatically. The difficulty scales with the number of suits: 1 Suit (~99% solvable) is perfect for beginners, 2 Suit (~60% solvable) is the most popular difficulty, and 4 Suit (~33% solvable) is an expert challenge. Spider became hugely popular after Microsoft included it in Windows XP.

FreeCell — The Logic Puzzle

FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up into 8 columns, eliminating luck entirely. Four "free cells" provide temporary single-card storage, and the game is almost perfectly solvable — 99.99% of deals have a winning solution. This makes FreeCell a pure test of logic and planning ability. Related variants include Baker's Game (same-suit building), Eight Off (8 free cells), and Seahaven Towers (10 columns of 5 cards).

Yukon — The Open Builder

Yukon deals all cards at the start with no stock pile. The distinctive feature: any face-up card can be moved along with all the cards on top of it, regardless of whether they form a proper sequence. This creates deeply strategic gameplay where every move has ripple effects. Russian Solitaire adds same-suit building for extra difficulty, while Alaska allows any-suit building for a more relaxed experience.

Forty Thieves — The Expert's Game

Forty Thieves is a notoriously difficult two-deck game with 10 columns of face-up cards, same-suit building, and single-card moves only. With approximately a 10% win rate, it rewards patient, precise play. Variants like Streets and Alleys (single deck) and Lucas (pre-placed Aces) offer more accessible entry points to this challenging family.

Canfield, Pairing, and Special Games

The remaining families include Canfield (casino-style solitaire with a reserve pile and wrap-around building), Pairing games (Pyramid, TriPeaks, and Golf, where you remove cards by matching rather than building foundations), and Special games (Clock, Accordion, and Calculation, each with completely unique mechanics unlike any other solitaire game).

Choosing the Right Solitaire Game for You

Skill Level	Recommended Games	Win Rate	Why
Complete Beginner	Klondike Turn 1, Spider 1 Suit, Klondike Relaxed	79–99%	High win rates, simple rules, forgiving mechanics
Casual Player	FreeCell, TriPeaks, Yukon	80–99%	Good strategic depth without excessive difficulty
Intermediate	Spider 2 Suit, Klondike Turn 3, Canfield	30–60%	Meaningful challenge that rewards improving skill
Advanced	Spider 4 Suit, Russian Solitaire, Scorpion	20–33%	Demanding games where every move matters
Expert	Forty Thieves, Klondike Vegas, Baker's Game	5–15%	Low win rates that make each victory an achievement

Benefits of Playing Solitaire

Solitaire is more than just entertainment. Research suggests that playing card games regularly offers several cognitive and emotional benefits. Strategic solitaire games like FreeCell and Spider require planning multiple moves ahead, exercising working memory and executive function. Pattern recognition improves as you learn to identify favorable card configurations and optimal move sequences. Decision-making under uncertainty — a valuable real-world skill — gets constant practice in games like Klondike where hidden cards force probabilistic reasoning.

Beyond cognitive benefits, solitaire provides a calm, focused activity that many people use for stress relief and relaxation. The meditative quality of sorting cards and building sequences can help quiet an overactive mind. Unlike competitive multiplayer games, solitaire moves at your own pace with no time pressure or social anxiety. Whether you have five minutes between meetings or an hour to unwind before bed, solitaire fits naturally into any schedule.

History of Solitaire

The earliest references to solitaire card games appear in Scandinavian and German literature from the late 1700s. The games were originally called "patience" — a name still used in British English — reflecting the calm, methodical nature of play. By the mid-1800s, patience games had spread across Europe and North America, with dozens of variants documented in books like Lady Adelaide Cadogan's "Illustrated Games of Patience" (1870).

Solitaire's modern explosion came in 1990 when Microsoft intern Wes Cherry programmed Klondike Solitaire for Windows 3.0. The game was intended to teach users how to use a mouse through drag-and-drop interactions. It worked beyond all expectations — Microsoft Solitaire became one of the most-used Windows applications and introduced hundreds of millions of people to card games. Spider Solitaire followed in Windows 98, and FreeCell in Windows 95, establishing the three most popular digital solitaire variants.

Today, solitaire has migrated from desktop software to web browsers and mobile apps. Browser-based platforms like Pure Solitaire offer the same experience without installation, making these classic games accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Types of Solitaire Games

Klondike Family

Klondike (Turn 1): The most popular solitaire variation. Cards are dealt into seven tableau columns, and you draw one card at a time from the stock. Build foundations from Ace to King by suit.
Klondike (Turn 3): The same layout as Turn 1, but three cards are drawn from the stock at once. Only the top drawn card is playable, making this version more challenging and strategic.
Klondike Vegas: Casino-style Klondike where you only get one pass through the stock with no redeals. Every draw is a critical decision.
Klondike Vegas (Turn 3): The hardest Klondike variant combining three-card draws with no redeals. A true test of planning and card counting.
Australian Patience: Seven columns of four face-up cards with same-suit tableau building. Full visibility meets strict placement rules for a unique challenge.
Klondike Relaxed: A forgiving Klondike variant where any card can fill empty columns, not just Kings. Higher win rate and great for learning.
Double Klondike: Two decks, nine columns, and eight foundation piles. A grand-scale Klondike experience for longer, more strategic sessions.
Whitehead: All cards face-up with same-color building and same-suit group moves. A unique twist on the Klondike formula with full information.

Spider Family

Spider Solitaire (1 Suit): Played with two decks across ten tableau columns. Build descending sequences of the same suit from King to Ace to remove them from the board. One of the most popular solitaire variants worldwide.
Spider Solitaire (2 Suit): Medium-difficulty Spider using two suits. Requires careful suit management while building sequences — about 60% of deals are solvable.
Spider Solitaire (3 Suit): A unique mid-to-high difficulty Spider using three suits. The asymmetric suit distribution creates interesting strategic wrinkles.
Spider Solitaire (4 Suit): The hardest Spider variant using all four suits. Only about 33% of deals are solvable, making it a true expert challenge.
Spiderette: A compact single-deck Spider with 7 columns in a Klondike deal pattern. Quick games with the core Spider mechanics.

FreeCell Family

FreeCell: All 52 cards are dealt face-up into eight columns. Four free cells serve as temporary holding spots. Nearly every deal is solvable, making it a game of pure skill and logic.
Baker's Game: The predecessor to FreeCell with same-suit tableau building instead of alternating colors. Only about 75% of deals are solvable.
Eight Off: A FreeCell variant with 8 free cells (4 start with cards) and same-suit building. More storage space offsets the stricter rules.
Seahaven Towers: Ten columns of 5 cards with 4 free cells. Only Kings can fill empty columns, requiring precise strategic planning.
ForeCell: A FreeCell variant where all 4 free cells start occupied. Must free up cell space immediately, changing the opening strategy dramatically.
Double FreeCell: The grand FreeCell variant with 2 decks, 10 columns, and 6 free cells. A larger, more complex puzzle for FreeCell enthusiasts.

Yukon Family

Yukon Solitaire: A Klondike variant where all cards are dealt at the start with no stock pile. Any face-up card can be moved along with the cards on top of it, creating a deeply strategic experience.
Russian Solitaire: Yukon with same-suit tableau building. Considered one of the most difficult solitaire variants, requiring expert-level planning.
Moosehide: A Yukon variant that restricts moves to properly ordered sequences. No more moving arbitrary face-up stacks — every move must be planned.
Alaska: Yukon with any-suit building for maximum flexibility. The most forgiving Yukon variant with over 90% win rate.

Forty Thieves Family

Scorpion: Seven columns of seven cards with same-suit building and free face-up card movement. A challenging game with about 20-30% win rate.
Forty Thieves: A notoriously difficult 2-deck game with 10 columns of face-up cards. Same-suit building and single-card moves only. About 10% win rate.
Streets & Alleys: All 52 cards dealt into 13 columns with any-suit building and no stock. A more accessible single-deck entry to the Forty Thieves family.
Limited: Twelve columns of 3 face-up cards with a large stock. Same-suit building with more workspace than standard Forty Thieves.
Lucas: All Aces start pre-placed on foundations, giving a head start. Thirteen columns with same-suit building for a more accessible challenge.

Canfield Family

Canfield: A classic casino solitaire with a 13-card reserve pile, random foundation start rank, and wrap-around building. Turn 3 draws.
Rainbow: An easier Canfield variant with any-suit building and single-card draws. Higher win rate while retaining Canfield's unique mechanics.
Agnes Bernauer: Klondike-style 7 columns with same-suit building and random foundation start rank. Wrap-around sequences add strategic depth.

Pairing Family

Pyramid: Remove pairs of cards summing to 13 from a pyramid layout. Kings are removed alone. A classic matching game with tactical depth.
TriPeaks: Clear three peaks by playing cards one rank higher or lower than the waste pile top. Fast-paced with about 90% win rate.
Golf: Play cards from 7 face-up columns to the waste pile by matching one rank higher or lower. Your score is cards remaining.
Gaps (Montana): Arrange a 4x13 grid by sliding same-suit cards into gaps left by removed Aces. A unique sliding puzzle with cards.

Special Family

Clock: Flip cards and place them at clock positions matching their rank. A purely luck-based game with simple, meditative mechanics.
Accordion: Compress a row of 52 cards by merging matches with neighbors 1 or 3 positions away. One of the hardest solitaire games.
Calculation: Build 4 foundations using different counting intervals (by 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s). A mathematical puzzle that rewards planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest solitaire game?: Spider Solitaire 1 Suit (~99% solvable), FreeCell (~99.99% solvable), and Klondike Relaxed (~85% solvable) are the most accessible games. Spider 1 Suit is great for learning sequence building, FreeCell rewards logical planning, and Klondike Relaxed teaches Klondike fundamentals without frustration.
What is the hardest solitaire game?: Forty Thieves (~10% win rate), Spider 4 Suit (~33% solvable), and Russian Solitaire (~15–20% solvable) are among the most challenging variants. These games demand precise strategic planning, patience, and expert-level card management. Klondike Vegas (no redeals) is also extremely difficult at ~10–15% win rate.
Can I play solitaire on my phone?: Yes. Pure Solitaire is fully responsive and works on all devices — phones, tablets, and desktops. All 38 games play directly in your browser with no app download required. Touch controls are optimized for mobile play.
Do I need to download anything or create an account?: No. All games on Pure Solitaire play directly in your web browser. There is nothing to download, install, or sign up for. Just visit the site and start playing immediately.
Is solitaire good for your brain?: Research suggests that strategic card games improve working memory, executive function, and pattern recognition. Solitaire encourages planning ahead, making decisions under uncertainty, and maintaining focus. Many players use solitaire as a daily mental exercise or a calming activity for stress relief.
What is the difference between solitaire and patience?: They refer to the same category of games. "Solitaire" is the standard term in North American English, while "patience" is the traditional term in British English and most European languages. Both describe single-player card games.
How many solitaire games are there?: Hundreds of solitaire variants have been documented over the centuries. Pure Solitaire offers 38 of the most popular and well-designed variants, organized into 8 game families: Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Yukon, Forty Thieves, Canfield, Pairing, and Special.
Which solitaire game should I start with?: Start with Klondike Solitaire Turn 1 — it is the most recognized solitaire game and has a friendly learning curve with about 79% of deals being solvable. Once comfortable, try Spider 1 Suit for a different style of play, or FreeCell for a pure logic challenge with no luck involved.

Klondike Solitaire

Free Online Solitaire Games