The 5 best card games to play by yourself are Klondike Solitaire, FreeCell, Spider Solitaire, Pyramid Solitaire and Golf Solitaire. They use a standard deck, need no opponent and offer different levels of strategy.
One-player card games are generally called solitaire in the United States and patience in the United Kingdom and some other countries. Most involve arranging, matching or removing cards from a layout.
Best Solo Card Games at a Glance
| Card game | Deck required | Main objective | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klondike Solitaire | 1 deck | Build four suit piles from Ace to King | A classic all-round game |
| FreeCell | 1 deck | Move every card to the foundations | Strategy and careful planning |
| Spider Solitaire | 2 decks | Create complete descending suit sequences | A deeper challenge |
| Pyramid Solitaire | 1 deck | Remove exposed pairs that add up to 13 | Quick, simple games |
| Golf Solitaire | 1 deck | Remove tableau cards one rank above or below the waste card | Fast, easy-to-learn games |
| Yukon | 1 deck | Build cards down by alternating colors, then up by suit | A harder Klondike-style game |
| Grandfather's Clock | 1 deck | Complete 12 suit foundations arranged like a clock | A mostly straightforward puzzle |
| Aces Up | 1 deck | Remove cards until one Ace remains in each pile | Simple rules with difficult deals |
1. Klondike Solitaire
Klondike Solitaire is the best game to try first if you want a traditional solo card game.
Deal seven tableau columns, with only the top card of each column face up. Build tableau piles downward in alternating red and black colors. The aim is to move all cards to four foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King. Only a King can normally fill an empty tableau column.
Klondike is a good choice if you want:
- Familiar rules
- A mix of luck and decision-making
- Games that usually take only a few minutes
- A game you can play with physical cards or digitally
"Solitaire" often refers specifically to Klondike, although Klondike is only one member of the larger solitaire family.
2. FreeCell
FreeCell is the best solo card game for deliberate strategy.
FreeCell uses one deck, with all cards dealt face up into eight tableau columns. Four temporary spaces, called free cells, can each hold one card. You build tableau sequences downward in alternating colors and move cards to four suit foundations from Ace to King.
Because nearly every card is visible from the start, FreeCell depends less on hidden information than Klondike. The main challenge is deciding when to use free cells and empty columns.
Choose FreeCell if you prefer:
- Planning several moves ahead
- Very little guesswork
- Puzzle-like gameplay
- Games that reward learning from mistakes
3. Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire is a good choice when you want a more difficult and longer game.
Spider uses two decks and deals cards into ten tableau piles. You build cards downward by rank. A complete sequence from King down to Ace in the same suit is removed from the table. Spider commonly has one-suit, two-suit and four-suit versions. The one-suit version is easiest, while the four-suit version is considerably harder.
Spider suits players who enjoy:
- Building long card sequences
- Managing several partially completed piles
- More complex decisions than Klondike
- Moving from easier games to harder ones
If you are new to Spider, start with the one-suit version before trying two or four suits.
4. Pyramid Solitaire
Pyramid Solitaire is one of the quickest solo card games to learn.
Arrange 28 cards in a pyramid. Remove exposed pairs whose values add up to 13. Aces count as 1, Jacks as 11 and Queens as 12. Kings count as 13 and can be removed by themselves. The aim is to clear the pyramid and, in many versions, the remaining stock as well.
Examples of valid pairs include:
- Ace and Queen
- 2 and Jack
- 3 and 10
- 4 and 9
- 5 and 8
- 6 and 7
Pyramid works well for a short break because the rules are simple and a game can be completed quickly.
5. Golf Solitaire
Golf Solitaire is a fast game based on playing cards one rank higher or lower.
Deal seven columns of five cards. The exposed card at the bottom of each column can be played onto the foundation if it is one rank above or below the current foundation card. Suits do not matter. When no tableau card can be played, draw another card from the stock.
For example, if the foundation shows a 7, you can play either a 6 or an 8. Aces may be treated as connecting to Kings in some versions, so check the rules before starting.
Golf is a good option if you want:
- Very short games
- Simple rules
- Minimal setup
- An alternative to Klondike
Other Card Games You Can Play Alone
Yukon
Yukon resembles Klondike but gives you more freedom when moving face-up cards. You can move a face-up card along with the cards above it, even when the cards being moved are not already arranged as a complete sequence. Tableau cards build downward in alternating colors, and the foundations build upward by suit.
Yukon is a good next step after Klondike because it uses familiar mechanics but creates more tactical possibilities.
Grandfather's Clock
Grandfather's Clock uses one deck and places the foundation piles in the shape of a clock. The objective is to build ascending suit sequences, while the tableau uses descending sequences. The game has simple rules and is often easier to manage than Klondike.
Aces Up
In Aces Up, the objective is to remove cards until one Ace remains on each playing pile. When two exposed cards share a suit, the lower-ranking card can be discarded. You then deal additional cards when no more moves are available.
Aces Up takes little space and is easy to set up, but winning depends heavily on the deal.
Simple Simon
Simple Simon is a one-deck game in which you build card sequences and eventually move complete same-suit sequences to the foundations. It is more demanding than basic Klondike because cards often need to be arranged into suit sequences before they can be removed.
Bowling Solitaire
Bowling Solitaire turns a deck of cards into a bowling-style scoring puzzle. Different versions use different numbers of cards, including a 20-card version based on ten-pin bowling.
Which Solo Card Game Should You Choose?
Choose based on the kind of game you want:
- For the classic experience: Klondike Solitaire
- For the most strategic play: FreeCell
- For a harder challenge: Spider Solitaire
- For a quick game: Pyramid Solitaire or Golf Solitaire
- For a Klondike alternative: Yukon
- For simple rules and little table space: Aces Up
- For something unusual: Bowling Solitaire
If you only have one standard deck, start with Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid, Golf or Yukon. Spider Solitaire traditionally requires two decks, although digital versions can handle the setup automatically.