Play FreeCell Solitaire — A Game of Skill
FreeCell is a solitaire game where almost every deal can be won with skill. All 52 cards start face-up — no hidden cards, no luck of the draw. Play free in your browser on a phone, tablet, or computer. Once the page loads, the game keeps working even without an internet connection.
How Do You Play FreeCell?
Goal: Move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building up by suit from Ace to King.
Setup
- Tableau: Eight columns, all face-up. The first four hold seven cards each; the last four hold six.
- Free cells: Four empty spaces, top-left. Each holds a single card.
- Foundations: Four empty spaces, top-right. One per suit, built up from Ace to King.
Rules
- Build tableau columns down by alternating colors. A black 7 goes on a red 8.
- Move one card at a time. (Our version moves whole sequences when there's room — see below.)
- Any card can fill an empty column.
- Foundations build up by suit, Ace to King. You win when all four are complete.
How Many Cards Can You Move at Once?
FreeCell's strict rule is one card at a time. With empty free cells and empty columns, you could move a sequence by hand and reach the same end state. Our version does this in one move. The math is simple — and worth memorizing:
(1 + empty free cells) × 2(empty columns)
| Empty free cells | Empty columns | Cards you can move |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | 2 | 20 |
Each empty column doubles your moving power. Empty columns matter more than free cells.
What's the Best FreeCell Strategy?
- Move Aces and 2s out fast. They free up cards above them and start your foundations.
- Empty a column when you can. An empty column doubles your supermove power. Two empty columns quadruple it.
- Don't fill all four free cells. Each one you keep open is one more card you can move at once.
- Look at the whole board first. All 52 cards are visible. Plan three or four moves before you make the first.
About This Version
This FreeCell runs in your browser — free, with no download or sign-up. Install it as an app on your phone or computer, and it works even without internet. Supermoves are auto-calculated, undo is unlimited, and the daily challenge gives the same deal to everyone that day, so you can compare times.
Other Solitaire Games to Try
- Klondike — the classic Microsoft Solitaire
- Spider — clear King-to-Ace runs across 10 columns
- Yukon — like Klondike, but every card face-up
- Eight Off — FreeCell's nearest cousin, with eight free cells
- Forty Thieves — two decks, deeper challenge
For deeper strategy and the full history of FreeCell, see our FreeCell guide.