Solitaire — Play Free Online

What is Solitaire?

Solitaire is a single-player Klondike card game. This version is Google Solitaire, the solitaire game Google made for its search page. The game puts your logic and card-sorting skills to work as you organize a shuffled deck across tableau columns into dedicated suit piles. Unlike fast-paced sports simulations, a round of Solitaire emphasizes forward planning, methodical card movement, and puzzle resolution. You can play directly in your web browser with no download or setup.

Key features

• Tableau sequencing: Build descending cascades of cards by alternating red and black suits.
• Four foundation slots: Assemble complete suit piles from Ace up to King.
• Stockpile rotation: Flip through surplus cards from the draw deck to unlock fresh moves when the layout stalls.
• Two difficulty modes: Easy mode turns over one card from the stock at a time, while Hard mode turns over three.
• Score, moves and timer: The top bar tracks your points, the number of moves played and the time taken.
• Undo button: Take back your last move whenever a play does not work out.
• Browser compatibility: Enjoy smooth touch and cursor input on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones.

How to play

1. Choose Easy or Hard mode when the game asks you to pick a difficulty.
2. Scan the initial layout to identify immediately playable face-up cards across the columns.
3. Move eligible cards between columns in descending rank with alternating suit colors.
4. Uncover face-down cards underneath moved stacks to reveal new sorting pathways.
5. Transfer Aces and ascending suit sequences into the upper foundation slots whenever available.
6. Draw from the stockpile when no constructive moves remain on the board.
7. Fill empty tableau columns with available Kings to reorganize blocked cascades.
8. Clear every column and fill all four foundations to complete the round.

Controls

Action	Keyboard / mouse	Touch
Move cards	Click and drag with mouse cursor	Tap and drag with finger
Draw from stock	Left-click stockpile	Tap stockpile
Undo / new game	Click Undo or New	Tap Undo or New

Tableau and foundation mechanics

Success in Solitaire relies on managing two distinct playing areas: the tableau cascades and the upper foundation slots. The tableau serves as a temporary sorting ground where you construct descending chains of alternating colors. For instance, a black Queen must land on a red King, followed by a red Jack. Moving entire structured stacks allows you to expose face-down cards underneath, which expands your available options.

Meanwhile, the four foundation slots require ascending builds of matching suits, beginning with an Ace and progressing upward to a King. Balancing moves between the tableau and foundations is essential; advancing low cards too early can limit your ability to relocate longer runs across the columns.

Tips and strategy

• Prioritize hidden cards: Always favor moves that reveal face-down cards in deeper columns, as uncovering hidden assets provides greater flexibility.
• Keep foundation paths open: Avoid rushing every card into the foundation piles immediately, since mid-rank cards often serve as vital bridges for moving tableau columns.
• Reserve empty columns for Kings: Do not clear a column unless you have a King ready to occupy the column or need access to the bottom hidden card.
• Cycle the draw deck with care: Review the entire stockpile before committing to a move that might alter the sequence of available draw cards.

Versions and similar games

Players looking for more card games on Retro Bowl have several options. Freecell lays every card face up and gives you four free cells to work with, Spider Solitaire builds runs within each suit across ten columns, and Classic Hearts is a trick-taking game against computer players. Solitaire remains a good choice when you want a relaxed card puzzle between football matches.

Developer and history

This version of Solitaire is Google Solitaire, made by Google and first offered inside Google Search. It adapts the time-honored Klondike ruleset into a lightweight web game with Easy and Hard modes that works on mobile and desktop devices.