The Most Difficult Solitaire Game, Ranked

Voting rules: Choose the game you think is the most difficult!

Updated on Apr 23, 2024 06:41

In the myriad world of solo card games, the challenge varies immensely from one variant to another. Some players might spend hours, or even days, attempting to crack a particularly stubborn game. Knowing which games are notoriously tough can help new players adjust their strategies or even set the right expectations before they dive into a new game. That's where this dynamic ranking comes in. By seeing which games fellow enthusiasts vote as the toughest, every player gains insights into what might lie ahead. Whether you're a seasoned card wielder or a curious newcomer, your vote helps shape this ever-shifting leaderboard, guiding others in finding the game that best suits their skill and challenge desires.

What Is the Most Difficult Solitaire Game?

1

49
votes
Spider Solitaire

Microsoft

Spider Solitaire is considered to be one of the most challenging Solitaire games due to its complexity and the large number of cards involved. The game requires a lot of strategy and planning to win.
Spider Solitaire is a popular card game that requires skill and strategy. It is played with two decks of cards, making it more challenging than traditional Solitaire games. The game objective is to build eight foundation piles in descending order from King to Ace for each suit. The cards can be moved and arranged in tableau columns, but only a full sequence of descending cards in the same suit can be moved together. The game is won when all cards are successfully moved to the foundation piles or when no more moves are possible.

Number of Decks: 2

Foundation Piles: 8

Cards in the Deck: 104

Target Sequence: King to Ace

Tableau Columns: 10
2

32
votes
Yukon Solitaire

Richard A. Canfield

Yukon Solitaire is another challenging Solitaire game that requires a lot of skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with all 52 cards, and there are no stock piles, which makes it more difficult.
Yukon Solitaire is a challenging variation of the classic Solitaire game. It was created to provide a more difficult and strategic gameplay experience for Solitaire enthusiasts.

Number of decks: 1

Cards dealt to the tableau: 7

Initial face-up cards per tableau stack: 1

Cards turned up from the stock pile at a time: 3

Ability to move groups of cards: Yes
3

27
votes
FreeCell Solitaire

Paul Alfille

FreeCell Solitaire is another challenging game that requires a lot of strategy and planning. The game is played with all 52 cards, and there are four free cells that can be used to move cards around.
FreeCell Solitaire is a popular and challenging variation of the classic Solitaire card game. It was created by Paul Alfille in 1978 as a modification of an earlier game called Baker's Game. In FreeCell Solitaire, the player's objective is to move all 52 cards to the foundation piles, following specific rules and utilizing the four available empty cells.

Deck: Standard 52-card

Number of Cards: 52

Foundation Piles: 4

Tableau Piles: 8

Empty Cells: 4
4

16
votes
Pyramid Solitaire

Pyramid Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with a pyramid of cards, and the player must remove pairs of cards that add up to 13.
Pyramid Solitaire is a challenging card game where the objective is to remove all cards from the pyramid by pairing them up with a total value of 13. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and the pyramid is formed by dealing out 28 cards in the shape of a pyramid, with each row having a different number of cards. The remaining 24 cards form the stockpile.

Number of Players: Single-player

Deck: Standard 52-card deck

Objective: Clear the pyramid by pairing cards that have a total value of 13

Number of Cards in Pyramid: 28

Number of Cards in Stockpile: 24
5

8
votes
TriPeaks Solitaire

TriPeaks Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of strategy and planning. The game is played with a deck of cards, and the player must remove all the cards from the table by building sequences that go up or down.
TriPeaks Solitaire is a challenging variation of the classic Solitaire card game. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and the goal is to clear all the cards from the three peaks on the tableau. The peaks are pyramid-shaped and consist of overlapping facedown cards, with only the top card visible. When playing TriPeaks Solitaire, players can move cards from the peaks to a waste pile, and then onto a foundation pile, following certain rules. The game requires strategic thinking and careful planning to successfully clear all the cards.

Deck: 52 cards

Objective: Clear all cards from the three peaks

Tableau: Three pyramid-shaped peaks with overlapping facedown cards

Visible Cards: The top card of each peak is visible

Moves: Cards can be moved from peaks to a waste pile and then onto a foundation pile
6

16
votes
Golf Solitaire

Golf Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with a deck of cards, and the player must remove all the cards from the layout by building sequences that are either higher or lower than the top card in the discard pile.
Golf Solitaire is a challenging variation of Solitaire that requires strategic thinking and careful planning. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. It is a single-player card game where the objective is to clear all the cards from the playing field.

Number of Decks: 1

Number of Cards: 52

Deck Type: Standard Playing Cards

Initial Setup: 7 columns with 5 cards each

Objective: Clear all cards from playing field
7

10
votes
Clock Solitaire

Clock Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with a deck of cards, and the player must remove all the cards from the layout by building sequences that go around the clock.
Clock Solitaire is a challenging solitaire card game that was invented in the 18th century. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards and is known for its unique gameplay mechanics.

Number of Players: Solitaire game

Deck of Cards: Traditional 52-card deck

Objective: To move all the cards from the tableau onto the foundation pile by building sequences in a clockwise manner

Setup: One card is placed in the center as the foundation card, and the remaining cards are shuffled and placed face down in a circular pattern, forming the tableau. Each card in the tableau represents an hour on the clock face.

Number of Players: Single player
8

4
votes
Baker's Dozen Solitaire

Baker's Dozen Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of strategy and planning. The game is played with all 52 cards, and the player must build 13 foundations of cards, each with a different suit.
Baker's Dozen Solitaire is a challenging variation of the classic solitaire game, played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. The goal of the game is to build up all foundation piles, starting from Ace and ending with King, in each of the four suits.

Deck: Standard 52-card deck

Number of Decks: 1

Foundation Piles: 4

Tableau Columns: 13

Tableau Rows: 4
9

12
votes
Canfield Solitaire

Richard A. Canfield

Canfield Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with all 52 cards, and the player must build four foundations of cards, each with a different suit.
Canfield Solitaire is a challenging variation of Solitaire that requires skill and strategic thinking. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and aims to build four foundation piles in ascending order from Ace to King.

Deck: Standard deck of 52 playing cards

Goal: Build four foundation piles in ascending order from Ace to King

Tableau: Seven tableau piles with the first card face-up, rest face-down

Move Rule: Cards can be moved to the foundation piles or onto other tableau piles if top card is one rank lower and alternating in color

Stock: One stock pile that deals cards one at a time to a waste pile
10

3
votes
Aces Up Solitaire

Aces Up Solitaire is a challenging game that requires a lot of strategy and planning. The game is played with a deck of cards, and the player must remove all the cards from the layout by eliminating all the cards that are not an Ace.
Aces Up Solitaire is a challenging variation of the classic solitaire game that tests players' decision-making skills and card manipulation ability. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and the goal is to remove all the cards from the tableau by stacking them on top of each other according to specific rules.

Number of Players: Single-player

Deck Size: Standard deck of 52 cards

Card Rank: From Ace to King

Objective: Remove all the cards from the tableau

Tableau Layout: Four columns with cards

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Discussion

Ranking factors for difficult game

Rules complexity

The more intricate and elaborate the rules are, the harder the game will be to learn, play, and master.
Skill vs. luck

A game that relies heavily on luck and has little room for strategic choices can be considered more difficult, as it leaves the outcome mostly up to chance. On the other hand, games that require careful planning, tactics, and strategy can also be seen as challenging.
Number of possible moves

The more choices players have at each step, the harder it can be to decide on the best course of action.
Amount of information available

Some Solitaire games may hide cards from the player, such as having a significant number of face-down cards. This can make the game harder as it becomes difficult to plan moves based on incomplete information.
Number of suits and ranks

Games with more suits or higher ranks of cards increase the complexity of the game, resulting in a more challenging playing experience.
Number of tableau stacks and the way cards can be moved

A higher number of tableau stacks can lead to more possible moves, making it difficult to figure out the best strategy.
Win condition

The requirements for winning a particular solitaire game can play a significant role in determining its difficulty. A difficult win condition can make a game harder to complete successfully.
Scoring system

The scoring system can influence the difficulty if it adds a layer of complexity. For instance, a game may require players to maximize points while trying to win, thus adding a new level of challenge to the entire process.
Variability in gameplay

Some games can be relatively straightforward and predictable, while others can include random elements that create unique challenges each time the game is played.
Popularity and available resources

Less popular solitaire games may be seen as more difficult when it's hard to find helpful resources, such as tutorials, strategies or tips.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most difficult Solitaire game. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or game is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

4299 views
173 votes
10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each game once every 24 hours. The rank of each game is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most difficult solitaire game

Solitaire is a classic card game that has been enjoyed by millions of people for generations. The objective of the game is to sort a deck of cards into four suits, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. While the game may seem simple, there are actually many variations of Solitaire that can be quite challenging. One of the most difficult Solitaire games is called Spider Solitaire. In this game, the player must sort cards into eight columns, each with a different number of cards. The player can only move cards that are in descending order and of the same suit. The ultimate goal is to create a full suit of cards in each column, starting with the King and ending with the Ace. Another challenging Solitaire game is called Yukon Solitaire. In this game, the player must sort cards into seven columns, with the last card in each column face up. The player can move cards in descending order and alternating colors. The goal is to move all of the cards to the foundation piles in ascending order, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Overall, Solitaire is a game that requires patience and strategy. With so many different variations to choose from, there is always a new challenge to be found. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, Solitaire is a game that can provide hours of entertainment and mental stimulation.