Features / 8 games featured
Solo Puzzles and Card Games
Published:
Last updated 2026-10-19 · Run by Qdan, Inc.
Compare solo puzzles and card games through rearranging, matching, deduction and memory.
Check player counts, time per round and ways to recover, then follow Play to try a game.
Three Games to Try First
- Two-Corner Mahjong
Start by connecting visible matching tiles through open paths.
- Sudoku
Use the smaller Intro grid to check the constraints one at a time.
- Concentration
Try revealing and remembering pairs with the 24-card setting.
Choose the Actions You Enjoy
Start with Nikakudori to connect visible tiles, Sudoku to narrow number candidates, or Concentration to remember locations. For card movement, compare the three solitaire games below by visible information and the sets you complete.
Compare Time, Chance, Thinking and Recovery
Players, approximate time and learning effort come from each game’s metadata. Chance and thinking describe available information and decisions, rather than ranking your chances of winning. Comparisons mainly use BGJ defaults and identify relevant settings. A solvable starting deal or layout can still leave you stuck after particular choices. Recovery distinguishes undoing a move from reshuffling what remains.
1–20 players
5–10 min
- Quick to learn6 games
- Learn step by step2 games
- More to learn0 games
- Mostly skill5 games
- Luck and skill2 games
- Mostly luck1 game
Player counts and times span the smallest to largest values in this group. Learning and luck describe each game, rather than a quality score.
| Game | Players and time per round | Chance and thinking | Undo and recovery | Can it be unsolvable? | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solitaire | 1–20 players, About 8 min | Hidden cards and deal matter; plan what to uncover | Undo on by default; can be disabled | Solvable start; choices can still block progress | Build each suit from ace to king |
| FreeCell | 1–20 players, About 8 min | Deal affects difficulty; all cards visible for planning | Undo on by default; can be disabled | Solvable start; choices can still block progress | Use temporary spaces to complete the foundations |
| Spider Solitaire | 1–20 players, About 10 min | Hidden cards and stock matter; organize longer runs | Undo on by default; can be disabled | Solvable start; choices can still block progress | Complete eight same-suit king-to-ace runs |
| Mahjong Solitaire | 1–20 players, About 5 min | Layout affects difficulty; plan which tiles to uncover | No undo; three reshuffles by default | Clearable start; removals can still leave you stuck | Remove all accessible matching pairs |
| Two-Corner Mahjong | 1–20 players, About 5 min | Layout affects difficulty; look for open routes | No undo; three reshuffles by default | Clearable start; removals can still leave you stuck | Link matching tiles with at most two turns |
| Minesweeper | 1–8 players, About 5 min | Deduction by default; compare neighboring counts | No undo for opened squares; flags can be removed | Deduction guaranteed by default; other setting may need guesses | Open every square without a mine |
| Sudoku | 1–20 players, About 6 min | No random draws during play; narrow candidates by logic | Undo, erase and candidate notes available | Puzzles have a solution; incorrect entries can be corrected | Fill the grid with no repeats in a row, column or box |
| Concentration | 1–6 players, About 10 min | Unknown cards add chance; remembered positions guide choices | No undo; missed pairs automatically turn face down | Every card has a match; misses allow another attempt | Solo: clear all pairs in fewer tries |
Types of Solitaire: Rearrange Cards
Choose a move order to complete runs or suit foundations. For example, keeping a temporary space free in FreeCell leaves more options for the next move.
Solitaire
Build every suit from ace to king in the foundations. Hidden cards make revealing the next card part of the puzzle. BGJ starts with a solvable deal, allows undo by default and lets you choose one-card or three-card draws. Your choices can still leave you stuck; a solvable start does not make every move successful. [1]
- Chance and thinking
- Hidden cards and deal matter; plan what to uncover
- Undo and recovery
- Undo on by default; can be disabled
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Solvable start; choices can still block progress
FreeCell
Build the foundations while using temporary spaces to rearrange the face-up cards. You can see the whole deal, so the challenge is planning a sequence rather than waiting for a hidden draw. BGJ supplies solvable deals and enables undo by default. Filling the available spaces carelessly can still stop your progress. [1]
- Chance and thinking
- Deal affects difficulty; all cards visible for planning
- Undo and recovery
- Undo on by default; can be disabled
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Solvable start; choices can still block progress
Spider Solitaire
Clear eight complete king-to-ace runs of the same suit. Dealing from the stock adds a card to every column, so consider the available moves before adding more. BGJ uses solvable deals, with one suit as the default and two suits as an option. Undo is enabled by default, giving you room to try a different order when progress stops. [1]
- Chance and thinking
- Hidden cards and stock matter; organize longer runs
- Undo and recovery
- Undo on by default; can be disabled
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Solvable start; choices can still block progress
Find and Remove Pairs: Compare Accessible Tiles
Select matching tiles in pairs, with different conditions for a legal match. For example, Nikakudori also asks whether the path between them can turn at most twice.
Mahjong Solitaire
Remove matching pairs until the tile stack is clear. Choose among accessible pairs while considering which tiles underneath will become available. BGJ generates a clearable starting layout, but a particular sequence of removals can leave no pair available. The default allows three reshuffles of the remaining tiles, rather than taking a removal back. [2]
- Chance and thinking
- Layout affects difficulty; plan which tiles to uncover
- Undo and recovery
- No undo; three reshuffles by default
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Clearable start; removals can still leave you stuck
Two-Corner Mahjong
Clear the board by linking matching tiles with a path that turns at most twice. In BGJ the path may also use the space outside the board, so open routes matter as much as matching pictures. Starting layouts are clearable, but your removal order can still leave you stuck. Three reshuffles are available by default; there is no single-move undo. [3]
- Chance and thinking
- Layout affects difficulty; look for open routes
- Undo and recovery
- No undo; three reshuffles by default
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Clearable start; removals can still leave you stuck
Deduce Numbers and Locations: Compare the Clues
Use visible numbers to narrow down what belongs in unknown squares. For example, a one in Minesweeper means exactly one mine among the eight surrounding squares.
Minesweeper
Open every safe square by using the numbers to locate mines. Each number counts mines in the eight surrounding squares; flags help track your conclusions. BGJ defaults to boards that can be solved by deduction. The alternative opening-only setting can require a guess. There is no undo for an opened square, and hitting a mine ends a solo round. [4]
- Chance and thinking
- Deduction by default; compare neighboring counts
- Undo and recovery
- No undo for opened squares; flags can be removed
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Deduction guaranteed by default; other setting may need guesses
Sudoku
Fill the empty squares without repeating a digit in any row, column or bold box. Use the given numbers to narrow the candidates; there is no random draw during solving. BGJ offers notes, erase and undo, so an incorrect entry can be corrected. Intro uses a smaller six-by-six grid, while the other levels use the usual nine-by-nine grid. [5]
- Chance and thinking
- No random draws during play; narrow candidates by logic
- Undo and recovery
- Undo, erase and candidate notes available
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Puzzles have a solution; incorrect entries can be corrected
Remember Locations: Find Face-Down Pairs
Remember each revealed picture and its position to choose a pair later. For example, seeing a familiar picture lets you target the matching card you saw earlier.
Concentration
Find matching pictures and clear every pair in as few tries as possible. Unseen cards add uncertainty, while remembered locations let you choose known pairs. BGJ uses emoji pictures by default and counts each two-card attempt as one try. A miss turns both cards face down in their original places; taken pairs leave gaps, so the remaining positions stay useful. [6]
- Chance and thinking
- Unknown cards add chance; remembered positions guide choices
- Undo and recovery
- No undo; missed pairs automatically turn face down
- Can it be unsolvable?
- Every card has a match; misses allow another attempt
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play every game here alone?
Yes. Start a table with just yourself to play solo. These games also support multiple players, with formats such as racing on the same puzzle or competing for pairs, depending on the game.
How do the types of solitaire in this guide differ?
Solitaire uncovers hidden cards and builds each suit from ace to king. FreeCell shows every card from the start and uses temporary spaces and empty columns. Spider Solitaire completes eight same-suit runs from king to ace. This guide compares these three card games.
Are the solitaire deals always solvable?
BGJ starts Solitaire, FreeCell and Spider Solitaire with solvable deals. Your choices can still block progress; undo is enabled by default so you can try another sequence. This starting-deal guarantee does not apply to every solitaire game or dealing method elsewhere.
Do all the games have the same undo controls?
The three card-rearranging games and Sudoku offer undo. The two tile games reshuffle remaining tiles instead of undoing a removal. Minesweeper cannot undo an opened square, and hitting a mine ends solo play. Concentration automatically turns missed pairs face down so you can remember them for a later attempt.
Which games let me rely on deduction?
Sudoku uses given numbers to narrow candidates. Minesweeper defaults to boards solvable by deduction; the opening-only option may require a guess. FreeCell also shows every card at the start, letting you plan the move order.
Sources and How BGJ Plays
- KDE e.V. — Rules for Individual GamesKlondike, Freecell and Spider: sequences and goals; see BGJ rules for deal guarantees and undo settings / Checked: ↩
- KDE e.V. — How to playObjective, accessible tiles and removing pairs; BGJ rules specify clearable layouts and reshuffle limits / Checked: ↩
- KDE e.V. — How to PlayObjective: horizontal and vertical paths with at most two bends; see BGJ for the outside path and reshuffles / Checked: ↩
- GNOME Foundation — Game rulesAdjacent mine counts and opening safe squares; see BGJ for deduction guarantees and solo round endings / Checked: ↩
- 世界パズル連盟 / World Puzzle Federation — Instruction Booklet — Round 8 (Japan)p.3: Classic Sudoku, digits 1–9 once in each row, column and bold region; see BGJ for 6×6, notes and undo / Checked: ↩
- John McLeod (rules author) — Pelmanism — card game rulesPreparation, Play and Scoring: revealing pairs and replacing misses; see BGJ for emoji pictures and solo tries / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — SolitairePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — FreeCellPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Spider SolitairePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Mahjong SolitairePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Two-Corner MahjongPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — MinesweeperPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — SudokuPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — ConcentrationPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, deals, puzzles, actions and settings in meta.json rules / Checked: ↩