Solitaire on Windows: The Complete History (1990 to Today)

Solitaire on Windows: The Complete History

Microsoft Solitaire is the most played computer game in history. Over 35 million people still play it every month. But it started as a mouse tutorial coded by an unpaid intern.

Here’s the full story.

1989-1990: The Birth of Windows Solitaire

The Problem: Nobody Knew How to Use a Mouse

In 1989, personal computers were still command-line machines for most people. Microsoft was preparing to launch Windows 3.0, the first version of Windows that would reach mainstream consumers. But there was a problem: most users had never used a mouse before, and the graphical interface depended on skills like clicking, dragging, and dropping.

Microsoft needed a way to teach these skills without making users feel like they were in a training program.

An Intern’s Side Project

Wes Cherry, a Microsoft intern from the University of Idaho, had been working on a Solitaire game in his spare time. He’d written it in C for his own entertainment, using a card-rendering library created by another Microsoft employee, Susan Kare (who had previously designed the original Macintosh icons).

When Brad Silverberg, the VP of Windows, saw Cherry’s Solitaire, he realized it was the perfect mouse tutorial. Dragging cards teaches drag-and-drop. Clicking the stock pile teaches single-clicking. Double-clicking to auto-move teaches double-clicking. All without ever reading a manual.

Windows 3.0 Ships with Solitaire

On May 22, 1990, Windows 3.0 launched with Solitaire bundled in. It was Klondike Solitaire — the standard 7-column, alternating-color version that most people simply call “Solitaire.”

Wes Cherry received no royalties. As an intern, his work was Microsoft’s property. The game he wrote for fun would go on to become the most-played computer game in human history.

1991-1995: Solitaire Becomes a Cultural Phenomenon

The Workplace “Productivity Problem”

By 1992, Windows was on millions of desktops — and bosses began noticing that employees were spending alarming amounts of time playing Solitaire instead of working. News articles described it as a “workplace epidemic.”

Some companies reportedly deleted the game from office computers. Others disabled it through group policy. But it kept spreading — partly because it was so quick to alt-tab away from.

Minesweeper and the Companion Games

Windows 3.1 (1992) kept Solitaire and added Minesweeper (which taught precise clicking) and Hearts (which demonstrated network play). Together, these three games defined casual PC gaming for a generation.

Windows 95: FreeCell Arrives

Windows 95 (August 1995) was a landmark release, and it included a new Solitaire variant: FreeCell. Programmed by Jim Horne, FreeCell offered a fundamentally different experience — all 52 cards were visible from the start, making it a pure strategy game.

FreeCell’s inclusion created a generation of players who discovered that Solitaire could be more than casual time-killing — it could be a genuine mental challenge.

The game famously included 32,000 numbered deals, and players raced to solve them all. Deal #11982 became legendary as the only one suspected of being unsolvable (it was later proven to be unsolvable).

1998-2006: The Spider Era

Windows 98: Plus! Pack Games

Windows 98 Plus! (a paid add-on) included additional games but didn’t change the core Solitaire and FreeCell.

Windows ME/2000: Spider Solitaire Debuts

Spider Solitaire arrived with Windows ME (2000) and Windows 2000. Using two decks and 10 columns, Spider was significantly more complex than Klondike — offering 1-suit (easy), 2-suit (medium), and 4-suit (hard) difficulty levels.

Spider quickly became the second-most-popular Windows game after Klondike. Its depth attracted serious card game enthusiasts who found Klondike too luck-dependent.

Windows XP: The Golden Age

Windows XP (2001) shipped with the definitive versions of all three games: Solitaire, FreeCell, and Spider Solitaire. The XP versions featured updated graphics and remained pre-installed through XP’s extraordinarily long lifespan.

For millions of people, the XP versions of these games were their primary introduction to computer gaming. XP ran on office computers worldwide until the mid-2010s, meaning workers played these exact versions for over a decade.

2007-2012: Vista, 7, and Peak Solitaire

Windows Vista: The Visual Upgrade

Windows Vista (2007) overhauled the card games with new graphics, animations, and the addition of several new games. The updated suite included:

• Solitaire (Klondike) — Enhanced with animations and statistics tracking
• FreeCell — Visual refresh
• Spider Solitaire — Updated graphics
• Hearts — Overhauled network play

The Vista versions were divisive aesthetically but added genuinely useful features like game statistics and the ability to track win rates.

Windows 7: The Last of the Bundled Classics

Windows 7 (2009) refined the Vista game suite with polished graphics and smooth animations. Crucially, the games were still free, bundled, and available offline with zero friction.

The Windows 7 Solitaire is arguably the most-played version of any Solitaire game ever. Windows 7 sold over 600 million licenses, and Solitaire was installed on every single one.

This was the golden age — beautiful, free, no ads, no subscriptions.

2012-2015: The Great Solitaire Controversy

Windows 8: Solitaire Disappears

When Windows 8 launched in October 2012, something unprecedented happened: Solitaire was gone. For the first time in 22 years, a new version of Windows shipped without Solitaire pre-installed.

Microsoft believed users would find games through the Windows Store instead. The backlash was swift and intense. For many users — especially office workers and older adults — Solitaire was the only game they played, and its sudden absence was genuinely upsetting.

Microsoft Solitaire Collection (2012)

Microsoft quickly released the Microsoft Solitaire Collection app on the Windows Store. It was free to download and included five games:

1. Klondike — The classic
2. Spider — 1, 2, and 4-suit modes
3. FreeCell — The strategy game
4. Pyramid — New to Windows
5. TriPeaks — New to Windows

The Collection was well-designed and added modern features like daily challenges, star awards, and Xbox achievements.

But there was a catch: the free version showed full-screen video ads between games. Removing ads required a premium subscription ($1.99/month or $9.99/year).

Windows 10: Solitaire Returns (With Ads)

Windows 10 (2015) pre-installed Microsoft Solitaire Collection, bringing Solitaire back to every Windows PC. But the ad-free experience of 1990-2011 was gone. The game that Microsoft had originally given away free — the game an intern received zero royalties for — now generated subscription revenue.

The internet was not amused.

2015-Present: Modern Solitaire

By the Numbers

Microsoft Solitaire Collection today (2026):

• 35+ million monthly active players
• 100+ million total installs
• Available on Windows, iOS, and Android
• Daily challenges with global leaderboards
• Event-based special challenges throughout the year

The Hall of Fame

In 2019, Microsoft Solitaire was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame — joining titles like Tetris, Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros. The Hall cited its role in introducing personal computing to millions of people.

The Legacy

Windows Solitaire’s impact goes far beyond gaming:

• Taught an entire generation to use a mouse — its original purpose
• Proved that casual games have massive appeal — predating the mobile gaming revolution by two decades
• Established “time-killing” as a legitimate game category — paving the way for mobile gaming
• Generated billions of hours of play — more than most AAA video games combined
• Created the template for every free-to-play card game that followed

Timeline Summary

Play Free Solitaire — No Ads, No Subscriptions

Miss the simplicity of the old Windows Solitaire? Play all the classic variants free in your browser:

• Klondike Solitaire — The original Windows classic
• FreeCell — The Windows 95 strategy game
• Spider Solitaire — The Windows ME/XP favorite
• Pyramid Solitaire — Clear pairs that sum to 13
• TriPeaks — Fast-paced peak clearing
• Yukon Solitaire — A strategic variant worth discovering