TL;DR: Your best bet is Solitaire, our from-scratch tribute - fifty-two cards, one tap at a time, all the way home. Below it: six Puzzle Arcade row-mates that scratch the Solitaire itch.
Solitaire (Microsoft, 1990) defined its corner of the arcade as a patience / card solitaire. Everything on this Solitaire list is free, loads instantly in the browser, and runs the same daily seeded challenge system, so any patience / card solitaire fan can find a new scoreboard obsession.
The Top Pick: Solitaire
Solitaire rebuilds the Solitaire formula from scratch: build all four foundations from Ace to King by dragging cards across the tableau, one honest move at a time. The house card rates it "patience with sharp edges" with a "your pace, until the deck fights back" tempo. Want the backstory first? Read the history of Solitaire.
6 More Picks That Share the Instincts
Why these picks?
All of them live on the Puzzle Arcade row with Solitaire's spirit: different machines, same instincts. Browse the full Puzzle Arcade row for even more Solitaire-adjacent picks.
- Coin Clicker - idle math, active fingers, at a pace that's a two-minute gold rush
- Block Roller - spatial reasoning in two states, at a pace that's patient - until the edge
- Mahjong - one input tells the story: tap a tile to select it
- Trick Quiz - one input tells the story: tap an answer to choose
- Candy Stash - economics with a sugar rush, at a pace that's an idle adventure on a stopwatch
- Pipemania - lay random pipe pieces ahead of the flowing goo and hit each level's pipe count before it spills
Compare them at a glance
| Game | Challenge | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Solitaire | Patience with sharp edges | Your pace, until the deck fights back |
| Coin Clicker | Idle math, active fingers | A two-minute gold rush |
| Block Roller | Spatial reasoning in two states | Patient - Until the edge |
| Mahjong | Pattern-matching with consequences | Meditative, then suddenly tight |
| Trick Quiz | Your own brain is the boss fight | Ten seconds of doubt at a time |
| Candy Stash | Economics with a sugar rush | An idle adventure on a stopwatch |
| Pipemania | Placement is easy, foresight is not | Shorter countdowns, faster goo |
