Klondike Solitaire — Classic Card Game
Play classic Klondike Solitaire in your browser. Draw 1 or Draw 3, auto-move to foundations, no installation needed.
Loading Klondike Solitaire — Classic Card Game… If nothing happens, please enable JavaScript.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move cards on desktop and mobile?
Is my game progress saved?
What is the best strategy for winning?
What is the history and origin of Klondike Solitaire?
What is the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3?
What percentage of Klondike Solitaire games are winnable?
Can I undo moves?
Is the game accessible for players with disabilities?
How is the deck shuffled — is it truly random?
Are there other Solitaire variants besides Klondike?
About Klondike Solitaire — Classic Card Game
Klondike Solitaire is the most recognised single-player card game in the world, and for many people born before the smartphone era it was simply called "Solitaire" — no further specification needed. The Klondike variant originated in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory, where prospectors during the Gold Rush of 1896–1899 allegedly played it to pass long nights. The rules were formalised and widely published in hoyle card-game compendiums through the early 20th century, but it was Microsoft that transformed it into a global phenomenon. Wes Cherry, then an intern at Microsoft, developed a digital version that shipped with Windows 3.0 in 1990. Its original purpose was, like Minesweeper, to teach mouse skills — specifically drag-and-drop. For the next 25 years it remained one of the most-played computer applications ever created.
The game uses a standard 52-card deck. Seven tableau columns are dealt at the start, with the first column containing one card, the second two, the third three, and so on up to seven — only the top card of each column is face up. The remaining cards form a stock pile in the top-left corner. Four empty foundation piles sit in the top-right, one per suit. The goal is to move all 52 cards to the foundations, building each suit from Ace up to King in sequence. In the tableau, cards are moved in descending order and must alternate between red and black suits — for example, a black 7 can be placed on a red 8. Face-down tableau cards flip automatically when exposed. Kings can be placed on empty columns.
Winning at Klondike requires both planning and patience. A crucial early move is to expose face-down cards as quickly as possible — the more tableau cards you can see, the more options you have. Prioritise uncovering the longest columns first since they hide the most unknown cards. In Draw 3 mode, cycling through the stock pile multiple times is expected, so do not panic if the right card does not appear on the first pass. Avoid moving cards to the foundations prematurely if leaving them in the tableau could unlock valuable moves below. And always look for moves that reveal a face-down card before making neutral reshuffling moves that gain nothing.
This browser version faithfully recreates the classic Windows Solitaire experience. Choose Draw 1 for a more accessible game or Draw 3 for the traditional challenge. Click to select a card and click a valid destination to place it, or double-click any face-up card to automatically send it to a foundation pile if the move is legal. An undo button lets you step back one move at a time. No account is required, no data is stored, and nothing leaves your browser — just a clean, fast card game ready to play the moment the page opens.
Solitaire: How a Mouse Tutorial Became the World's Most-Played Game
When Microsoft shipped Windows 3.0 in 1990, the operating system came with an unexpected piece of software: a digital card game called Solitaire. It was written by Wes Cherry, a summer intern, and the purpose was entirely practical — Microsoft's user-research team had found that many new PC buyers struggled with the concept of dragging and dropping with a mouse. Solitaire was a non-threatening way to build that muscle memory. The game had no formal scoring, no ads, and no competitive element. It was a training tool disguised as entertainment, and it worked spectacularly well.
Over the following decades, Windows Solitaire accumulated a staggering audience. Microsoft estimates suggest that by the mid-2000s, more than 400 million people worldwide had played it — easily making it the most-played computer game of its era, ahead of every contemporary console title. Remarkably, Wes Cherry received no royalties for creating it. He was an intern and the work belonged to Microsoft. The game's card artwork was created by Susan Kare, the designer also responsible for iconic early Apple Macintosh icons, including the original trash can and lasso tool.
When Microsoft removed Solitaire from the Windows 8 default application set in 2012 (replacing it with a new version in the Windows Store), the backlash from users was immediate and vocal. The game had become so ingrained in the daily habits of PC users that its removal felt like losing a familiar piece of furniture. Productivity researchers have cited Windows Solitaire as one of the most economically significant pieces of software ever shipped — not for what it created, but for the billions of hours of office-hours gameplay it facilitated over more than two decades.