The fastest way to choose: if you are new or just want to win, play TriPeaks. If you want a quick game, play Golf. If you want a deep, pure-skill challenge with almost no luck, play FreeCell. If you want the classic everyone knows, play Klondike. And if you want the hardest test on the site, play Spider 4-Suit. The rest of this guide walks through each goal in detail and points you to the right game and difficulty.
Card & Puzzle has eight solitaire games, and several of them have difficulty settings that change the experience completely. That is a lot of choice if you do not already have a favorite. The good news is that picking the right one is easy once you know what you are looking for — so this guide is organized by what you want out of a game, not by the games themselves.
Every deal at Card & Puzzle is winnable by default, so the win rates below reflect how forgiving each game is to play, not luck of the shuffle.
Pick by What You Want
| If you want… | Play this | Casual win rate |
|---|---|---|
| To win most of the time | TriPeaks | ~85% |
| A quick two-minute game | Golf | ~65–70% |
| The classic everyone knows | Klondike Turn 1 | ~30–35% |
| A pure-skill challenge, no luck | FreeCell | nearly all deals solvable |
| A relaxing logic puzzle | Addiction 7 | ~70–85% |
| Something genuinely different | Yukon or Pyramid | ~25–30% / ~15–20% |
| The hardest game on the site | Spider 4-Suit | ~5–10% |
For the full ordering, see Solitaire Games Ranked by Difficulty.
“I’m brand new to solitaire”
Play TriPeaks. It has the highest win rate of any common solitaire game (around 85%) and the simplest rule there is: remove any exposed card that is one rank above or below the current waste card, regardless of suit. No alternating colors, no foundations to manage, no hidden setup to learn. Games last a few minutes and the chain reactions make winning feel earned rather than accidental.
From there, a natural learning path builds the skills each next game needs: TriPeaks → Golf → Klondike Turn 1 → Spider 1-Suit → FreeCell. The full reasoning is in Best Solitaire Games for Beginners.
“I want to win most of the time”
Stick with the forgiving games: TriPeaks (~85%), Addiction 7 (~70–85%), and Golf (~65–70%). These are the games to play when you want a relaxing session that usually ends in a win rather than a fight.
“I want a quick game”
Play Golf or TriPeaks. Both resolve in two to five minutes and need no long-range planning — you make one chain decision at a time. Addiction 7 is also fast thanks to its small 28-card deck. These are the games for a coffee-break sitting.
“I want a real challenge”
For a low win rate and high tension, play Spider 4-Suit (~5–10%) — the hardest game here — or Klondike Turn 3 (~10–15%). For a hard game that rewards study rather than punishing mistakes, try Yukon or Pyramid.
“I want pure skill, not luck”
Play FreeCell. All 52 cards are face-up from the start and four free cells let you hold cards while you reorganize, so there is almost no hidden information and nearly every deal is solvable. When you lose, it is because you missed the line — not because the deal was unfair. It is the most satisfying game on the site for players who dislike luck.
“I want the classic”
Play Klondike — the seven-column game that shipped with Windows and defined what most people mean by “solitaire.” Start on Turn 1 (~30–35% win rate); switch to Turn 3 when you want it harder. See Draw 1 vs Draw 3 for the difference.
“I want something different”
Addiction 7 (slide cards into gaps in a grid) and Pyramid (remove pairs that add up to 13) both break from the standard tableau-and-foundations formula and exercise different kinds of thinking. Yukon looks like Klondike but lets you move any face-up card regardless of order — a surprisingly different game.
Still Not Sure?
When in doubt, play TriPeaks. It is the easiest to pick up, the most likely to end in a win, and it teaches the chain-reading instinct that helps in every other game. Once it feels routine, work down the difficulty ranking until you find the level of challenge you enjoy — that sweet spot is different for everyone, and trying a few games is the fastest way to find it.