Which Solitaire Game Should You Play? A Guide to Seven Classics
A friendly guide to seven kinds of solitaire: Klondike, Yukon, FreeCell, Spider, Pyramid, TriPeaks and Golf. How each plays, how hard it is, and where to start.
Sunroom Games · Updated
"Solitaire" isn't one game. It's a whole family of card games for one player, and they feel surprisingly different: some are quick and breezy, some are slow puzzles, and some depend more on luck than others. Here's a guide to the seven we offer, so you can pick the one that suits your mood, or find a new favorite.
The seven at a glance
| Game | Best if you like | How hard | Always winnable here? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klondike | The classic everyone knows | Medium | No |
| Yukon | Klondike without the luck of the stock | Medium to hard | No |
| FreeCell | A puzzle to think through | Medium to hard | Yes |
| Spider | A long, absorbing game | Easy to very hard | No |
| Pyramid | Quick sums and pairs | Easy | Yes |
| TriPeaks | Fast games, long runs | Easy | Yes |
| Golf | Seeing every card | Medium | Yes |
"Always winnable here" means every new and daily game we deal can be won. Each game's section below explains why, and how often.
Klondike: the classic
Klondike is the solitaire most people picture: seven columns, most cards face down, and four foundation piles to build from Ace to King. It mixes skill with luck. Good choices help a lot, but some deals simply can't be won. Researchers estimate about 90% of Draw 1 deals could be won by a player who could see every card, and fewer in Draw 3.
Try it if you want a familiar, relaxing game where a win feels earned but a loss is nobody's fault. Start with Draw 1, the easier version. In our own tests, following the hint button alone won about 4 Draw 1 games in 10, so there's plenty of room to do better. Our Klondike strategy guide shows how.
Yukon: Klondike without the stock
Yukon looks like Klondike, but every card is dealt at the start and there's no stock to turn. The big difference: you can move any face-up card together with everything on top of it, even when those cards aren't in order. That makes it a game of planning, where the right order of moves can dig out almost any card.
Try it if you like Klondike but want luck to matter less. Some deals still can't be won, but in our tests, following the hint button alone won about half of all deals. Our Yukon strategy guide shows how to plan a few moves ahead.
FreeCell: the thinking player's solitaire
In FreeCell every card is dealt face up, and four free cells give you room to move cards around. With nothing hidden, almost every deal can be won: only 8 of the first million deals are known to be impossible, and our new and daily games skip them.
Try it if you enjoy working things out. FreeCell rewards planning a few moves ahead, and when you lose, there was almost always a way. Our FreeCell strategy guide explains how to keep your free cells open.
Spider: one game, three difficulties
Spider uses two decks and ten columns, and the goal is to build full runs from King down to Ace. The number of suits changes everything. With one suit it's gentle, and most games can be won with patience. With two suits it takes real thought, and with four it's one of the hardest solitaire games there is.
Try it if you'd like a longer game to settle into. Start with one suit and move up when it feels easy. Our Spider strategy guide covers all three.
Pyramid: pairs that add up to 13
Pyramid lays out 28 cards in a triangle. You remove pairs that add up to 13, like a 9 and a 4 or a Jack and a 2, and a King on its own. It's quick and easy to learn, with a little arithmetic in every move.
Try it if you want something short and satisfying. About a third of random Pyramid deals can't be cleared at all, so every new game we deal is checked to be winnable first. Our Pyramid guide has tips for spotting the right pairs.
TriPeaks: fast and cheerful
TriPeaks has three peaks of cards and one pile to play onto. Any card one higher or one lower than the top card can go on it, so you build long, quick runs: 7, 8, 9, 8, 7. Games are short and lively.
Try it if you like a fast game with the occasional long streak. Every new game here is checked to be winnable, and you can choose to see every card face up for an easier game. See our TriPeaks guide for how to make your runs longer.
Golf: everything in view
Golf deals seven columns of five cards, all face up, and you clear them onto a single pile, one card higher or lower. It looks like TriPeaks, but because every card is visible, it's really a planning game. You score like golf: the lower, the better.
Try it if you like seeing the whole problem at once. By the classic rules fewer than half of all deals can be cleared, so we only deal ones that can. For an easier game, let Kings and Aces go on each other in Settings. Our Golf guide explains how to plan a chain.
Where to start
- New to solitaire? Start with TriPeaks or Pyramid. Both are quick to learn and every new game can be won.
- Played Klondike for years? Try FreeCell next. It feels familiar, but almost every game can be won if you plan.
- Want Klondike with less luck? Try Yukon: every card is dealt from the start, and you can move cards in groups.
- Want a long game? Try Spider with one suit.
- Like puzzles more than luck? Try Golf or FreeCell, where every card is in view from the start.
Every game has a Hint button and unlimited time, and your game saves itself, so there's no pressure to finish in one sitting. For how often each kind of solitaire can be won, and why, see Can every game of solitaire be won?
Beyond solitaire
If you'd like a change from cards, Mahjong solitaire is a tile-matching game with the same quiet, one-player feel, and Sudoku, Minesweeper and Word Search are pure puzzles. And if you miss having someone across the table, you can play Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Cribbage, Gin Rummy and Checkers against friendly computer players.