Best Browser Solitaire Games to Play Free Online

A shuffled deck, one player, and a layout that looks impossible until it suddenly is not. That loop has kept solitaire games on screens for decades. This list covers the best ones you can play free in a browser right now, with a plain-English rules summary for each, the controls, and who each game suits best.

Quick picks

If you want…	Play
The classic Windows-style game	Klondike Solitaire
Long sessions with a two-deck challenge	Spider Solitaire
Pure skill, almost no luck	FreeCell
Quick arithmetic matching	Pyramid Solitaire
A five-minute speed game	Golf Solitaire or TriPeaks
A harder Klondike cousin	Yukon

1. Klondike Solitaire

Klondike Solitaire is the game most people picture when they hear the word solitaire. It shipped with Windows 3.0 in 1990, and that version taught a generation how to drag and drop with a mouse.

How it plays: Seven tableau columns hold 28 cards, from one card in the first column to seven in the last, with only the top card of each face up. The other 24 cards sit in the stock. You build down the tableau in alternating colors (a black 7 on a red 8), and you build the four foundations up by suit from Ace to King. Only a King, or a run starting with one, can fill an empty column.

Controls: Click or drag cards to move them, and click the stock to turn cards onto the waste pile. Best for: Anyone new to the genre, and anyone who wants the familiar classic with no setup.

2. Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire uses two full decks, 104 cards in all, across ten columns. It is the pick for players who want a longer, deeper game.

How it plays: The first four columns get six cards and the other six get five, with only the top card face up. You can place any card on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit, but only a same-suit run moves as a group. When you complete a King-to-Ace run in a single suit, it leaves the table. Clear all eight runs to win. When you are stuck, the stock deals one new card onto every column.

Controls: Click or drag cards and runs; click the stock to deal a new row. Best for: Players who like planning several moves ahead. Start with the one-suit mode, then step up to two and four suits.

3. FreeCell

FreeCell is the thinking player’s solitaire. Paul Alfille programmed the first computer version on the PLATO system in 1978, and it later became a Windows staple.

How it plays: All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns, so there is no hidden information. You build down in alternating colors, send cards to four suit foundations, and use four free cells to park single cards while you untangle the columns. Almost every deal is solvable. Of the 32,000 numbered deals in the classic Microsoft version, deal 11982 is the famous one that cannot be won.

Controls: Click or drag cards between columns, free cells, and foundations. Many versions let you move a whole run at once when enough free cells are open. Best for: Players who hate losing to bad luck and want every loss to feel like their own mistake.

4. Pyramid Solitaire

Pyramid Solitaire swaps building for matching. It plays faster than Klondike and feels more like a number puzzle than a sorting job.

How it plays: Twenty-eight cards form a seven-row pyramid, and the remaining 24 form the stock. You remove pairs of uncovered cards that add up to 13. Jacks count as 11, Queens as 12, and Kings are worth 13 on their own, so they go straight off. A card is only playable once nothing overlaps it, which means the order you clear the bottom row matters.

Controls: Click two cards to pair them, or click a King to remove it. Click the stock to draw. Best for: Quick sessions, and players who enjoy mental arithmetic.

5. Golf Solitaire

Golf Solitaire is the speed round of the genre. A deal takes a few minutes, and like real golf, a lower score is better.

How it plays: Thirty-five cards sit in seven face-up columns of five. You play the bottom card of any column onto the waste pile if it is one rank higher or lower than the current waste card, and suits do not matter. When nothing fits, you turn a new card from the stock. Under the standard rule there is no wrap between King and Ace, so a King only takes a Queen. Our version lets you switch wrapping on if you want an easier game.

Controls: Click or tap a card to play it, Space or a tap on the stock to draw, and Z to undo. Keys 1 to 7 play a column. Best for: Coffee-break players and anyone who likes chasing long chains.

6. Solitaire (the family overview)

Our Solitaire page is a starting point for the whole family. It sorts the variants into groups: builders like Klondike and FreeCell, packers like Spider and Scorpion, and matchers like Pyramid and TriPeaks. Use it to work out which style clicks for you before you commit to one game.

Best for: Newcomers who are not sure what kind of solitaire they like yet.

7. TriPeaks Solitaire

TriPeaks Solitaire lays 28 cards out as three overlapping peaks, with the lower row face up. It plays like Golf with a mountain on top.

How it plays: You clear cards that are one rank above or below the waste card, and each removal can uncover new cards in the peaks. Most versions let Kings and Aces wrap around, which makes long runs possible. When a run breaks, you draw from the stock. Our version scores streaks, adds peak bonuses, and lets you replay any deal by number, take on the daily deal, or play a five-deal session. Controls: Click or tap a card to play it; click the stock to draw. Best for: Players who love Golf and want a little more structure.

8. Google Solitaire

Type “solitaire” into Google Search and a playable Klondike game appears right in the results. Google added it in 2016, and it offers Easy and Hard modes.

How it plays: Standard Klondike rules with a clean, minimal layout. Controls: Click or drag cards, with an undo button. Best for: A quick deal when you are already on a search page. It has fewer variants than a dedicated site, so most players move on to the games above once they want more.

9. Yukon

Yukon looks like Klondike but plays very differently. There is no stock at all, since every card is dealt to the tableau at the start.

How it plays: You still build down in alternating colors and up on the foundations by suit. The twist is that you can move any face-up card along with everything on top of it, even if those cards are out of order. That freedom opens up big, messy plays. Controls: Click or drag a card to move it and the cards above it. Best for: Klondike veterans who want a fresh puzzle with the same building rules.

Solitaire vs. patience: same thing

In the UK and much of the Commonwealth, these card games are usually called patience, while Americans say solitaire. The names cover the same family of single-player games, and the British term goes back to the 19th century. If you see a site or book listing “patience games,” it means the same Klondike, Spider, and FreeCell you know. Wikipedia’s entry on patience has a good overview of the history and the hundreds of variants.

So whether you call it a patience card game or solitaire, the rules on this page apply either way.

How to choose the right solitaire game

• You want to win most games: FreeCell, where skill decides almost every deal.
• You want a long session: Spider, especially two-suit or four-suit.
• You have five minutes: Golf, Pyramid, or TriPeaks.
• You want the classic: Klondike, with draw-one if you want an easier game.
• You want a twist on the classic: Yukon.

Tips that work across most solitaire games

• Uncover hidden cards first. In Klondike and Spider, a move that flips a face-down card is usually worth more than one that just tidies a column.
• Do not rush to empty columns. An empty column is your most valuable resource. Fill it only when the move clearly helps.
• Keep free cells free. In FreeCell, every occupied cell shrinks how many cards you can move at once.
• Scan before you play. In Golf and TriPeaks, trace the longest possible chain before you commit to the first card that fits.
• Use undo to learn. Most free solitaire games include undo. Rewinding a lost game shows you exactly where it went wrong.

How we picked these games

Every pick is a real, well-known solitaire variant you can play in a standard browser with no plugin or download. We put the games you can play on Dinogame first, because they load instantly with no signup and no ad wall. We also aimed for range: building games, matching games, quick games, and slow ones, so there is something here for every mood.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular solitaire game?

Klondike is the most widely played solitaire game, largely because it came bundled with Windows starting in 1990. When most people say “solitaire,” they mean Klondike. Spider and FreeCell are close behind.

Which solitaire game is the easiest to win?

FreeCell is the easiest to win with good play, since almost every deal is solvable and all cards are visible. One-suit Spider is also very forgiving. Klondike, Pyramid, and TriPeaks depend more on the shuffle, and some TriPeaks deals can’t be cleared at all.

Are these free solitaire games safe to play at work or school?

Yes. They run in the browser with no download, so there is nothing to install. Whether they load depends on your network’s filter, not the games themselves.

Why is solitaire called patience?

Patience is the traditional British name for single-player card games, and it is still the common term in the UK. Solitaire became the standard American name. Both words describe the same games.

Deal yourself in

Start with Klondike if you want the classic, try FreeCell when you want a fair fight, and keep Golf around for short breaks. Every one of these solitaire games runs right in your browser. When you want a change from cards, the Chrome dino game is one click away.

Related: How to Play Solitaire — Beginner Guide to Klondike · Mahjong vs Mahjong Solitaire: Not the Same Game · How to Play Yukon Solitaire (Rules and Strategy)