Types of Solitaire Games: 15 Games Compared

There are hundreds of solitaire games, and most people only ever play one. That is a shame, because the games feel very different. Some are relaxing and mostly luck. Others are puzzles where every move matters.

Here are ten that cover the range, with notes on each. The ratings in the table are editorial judgment, not measured data.

The quick comparison table

Ratings are editorial judgment, not measured. Times vary a lot by player, so use them as a rough guide only. The last five rows are newer games on the site; each links to its own page with the full rules.

The fifteen games

Every game below is playable on King to Ace, and the games hub lists them all in one place.

Klondike

The one everyone means by "solitaire." Seven columns, build down in alternating colors, move cards to four foundations by suit. Skill matters but luck still has a say: with every hidden card visible, our solver won about 79 percent of Draw 1 deals and 71 percent of Draw 3 deals within its search limit, and you cannot see those cards. Start here for the standard game. Details are on our Solitaire page, and the Draw 1 or Draw 3 choice is covered in Draw 1 vs Draw 3.

Spider

Two decks, ten columns, eight King-to-Ace runs to complete, in one, two or four suits. One-suit Spider is easy and soothing (our solver wins 99.8 percent of deals). Four suits is a serious test, with a solver win rate of about 42 percent. It rewards long-range thinking, because a careless move in the first minute can haunt you at the end. Try it at Spider Solitaire.

FreeCell

All cards are dealt face up, and four free cells give you temporary storage. With no hidden information, skill dominates. Of the classic Microsoft deals 1 to 32,000, only #11982 is unwinnable, so if you lose you can usually point to the move that cost you. A good pick if you hate feeling that luck beat you. See FreeCell.

Pyramid

Cards form a pyramid, and you remove pairs that add up to 13. Kings go alone. It is fast and has a quirky arithmetic feel. Winning is genuinely hard, so do not expect a high win rate. Our Pyramid strategy guide covers the key habits. Play at Pyramid Solitaire.

TriPeaks

Three peaks of cards, cleared by playing any card one rank higher or lower than the card showing. It is forgiving, quick and built around streaks. If you want something light, this is it. Read the TriPeaks strategy and play TriPeaks Solitaire.

Golf

Seven columns of five face-up cards. You play column cards one rank higher or lower than the waste card, with a 16-card stock that goes through once. A game takes only a few minutes, and the goal is to leave as few cards as possible. See the Golf strategy guide and Golf Solitaire.

Yukon

It looks like Klondike, but any face-up card can move with all the cards on top of it, even when they are not in sequence. There is no stock, so everything is in the layout from the start. That freedom makes it feel more like a puzzle, and many Klondike players enjoy it as a next step. Try Yukon Solitaire.

Scorpion

Seven columns, building down in suit, and any face-up card can move with all the cards on top of it. The last three cards are dealt once onto the first three columns, so plan for that moment. It is demanding, because early decisions about which columns to expose matter a lot. Play Scorpion Solitaire.

Forty Thieves

Two decks, ten columns of four face-up cards, and eight foundations. You build down in suit, move one card at a time, and turn the stock one card at a time in a single pass. An Easy mode lets you move suited runs. It is one of the harder games here, and it also takes longer. Patience in the old sense of the word. See Forty Thieves Solitaire.

Canfield

A 13-card reserve, four tableau columns, and foundations that start at the rank of the first card dealt to them and wrap from King to Ace. The stock is Draw 3 by default, with a Draw 1 option, and passes are unlimited on King to Ace. Empty columns fill from the reserve automatically. It looks simple but is notoriously tough, so treat a win as a good day. Try Canfield Solitaire.

How to choose

If you want to relax

TriPeaks and one-suit Spider. Both give you a steady feeling of progress. Klondike works too, as long as you are fine with losing some deals.

If you want to think

FreeCell is the obvious pick. Yukon and Scorpion are good runners-up. Because all or most information is visible, these games reward planning more than luck.

If you have five minutes

Golf, TriPeaks and Pyramid are short. You can finish a deal during a coffee break.

If you want a challenge

Forty Thieves, Canfield and four-suit Spider. Expect to lose more than you win, and expect to enjoy the wins more.

If you are new

Start with Klondike, then try FreeCell or TriPeaks. Our beginner guide has the basic rules and habits.

A note on "luck versus skill"

Every solitaire game has some luck, because the shuffle decides what you get. The question is how much your choices can change the result. In FreeCell, with nothing hidden, your choices matter most. In TriPeaks, the order of the stock matters more than almost anything you do, so there is less room for skill. Neither is better, just a different kind of fun.

A low win rate does not make a game better, either. Some people want to win often and others want to be tested. Pick based on the evening you want to have.