Solitaire Difficulty Ranking: Which Game Is Hardest to Win?

1. FreeCell - Easiest (99.999% solvable; players won 58.1%)
2. Spider Solitaire 1-Suit - Very Easy (players won 59.4%)
3. Klondike Turn-1 - Easy-Medium (about 90% solvable; players won 35.3%)
4. TriPeaks - Medium (97.0% of deals solvable, our solver)
5. Pyramid Solitaire - Medium on the rule used here (67.5% of deals solvable, our solver; about 5% under a strict one-pass rule)
6. Klondike Turn-3 - Medium-Hard (about 82% solvable; players won 15.5%)
7. Spider Solitaire 2-Suit - Hard (players won 33.0%)
8. Scorpion - Very Hard
9. Spider Solitaire 4-Suit - Very Hard (players won 24.2%)
10. Forty Thieves - Hardest

Key Insight: A game with one extremely difficult winning path counts as "solvable" in theory, but in practice, it's nearly impossible to win. This helps explain why a solver finds 99.999% of FreeCell deals winnable, yet TrySolitaire players won 58.1% of the FreeCell games they started in August 2026.

Solver Tip: TrySolitaire's built-in solver bridges this gap — it checks in real time whether your current game position is still winnable. When the solver detects your game has become unsolvable (due to a wrong move or an impossible deal), it offers to undo back to the last winnable position. This means you can focus on learning strategy rather than wasting time on impossible games.

Solver: Winnable Deals: 99.999% of random deals (Blake & Gent, 2026); of Microsoft's original 32,000 deals, only #11982 has no solution

Our Players Won (Aug 2026): 58.1% of games started, with unfinished games counted as not won

Why It's Easy: All cards are visible from the start, allowing complete information planning. The four free cells provide tremendous flexibility for moving cards.

Perfect For: Players who enjoy strategic puzzle-solving with minimal luck factor.

1-Suit Spider: players won 59.4% of games started (easiest Spider variant)

2-Suit Spider: players won 33.0% of games started (moderate challenge)

4-Suit Spider: players won 24.2% of games started (extreme difficulty)

Source: TrySolitaire players, August 2026; unfinished games count as not won. We found no published solver figure for Spider.

Why Difficulty Varies: More suits exponentially increase the complexity of building complete sequences. The visibility of all cards doesn't help when there are so many blocking patterns.

Turn-1 Klondike: players won 35.3% of games started (August 2026)

Turn-3 Klondike: players won 15.5% of games started (August 2026)

Solver: Winnable Deals: about 90% (Turn-1) and about 82% (Turn-3), for a solver that sees every card (Blake & Gent, 2026)

Why It's Challenging: Hidden cards in the stock pile create uncertainty. Drawing three cards at a time (Turn-3) severely limits access to needed cards, making many winnable games practically unwinnable.

Solver: Winnable Deals: 67.5% of 10,000 deals under the rules played here (our exhaustive solver); about 5% under a strict one-pass rule

Player Win Rate: We have no sourced figure. The solver figure is a ceiling for perfect play, not a human win rate.

Why the Deal Decides It: The initial pyramid layout determines winnability more than player skill. If needed pairs are blocked or buried too deep, the game becomes mathematically impossible regardless of strategy.

Note: "Relaxed Pyramid" (only need to clear the pyramid, not the entire deck) is what this site plays, and an exhaustive solver puts it at 67.5% of deals solvable. That makes it a different game from the strict rule.

• Spider 1-Suit: 59.4%
• FreeCell: 58.1%
• Klondike Turn-1: 35.3%
• Spider 2-Suit: 33.0%
• Spider 4-Suit: 24.2%
• Klondike Turn-3: 15.5%

1. Master One Variant First

Instead of playing all variants casually, focus on mastering one game. Deep familiarity with patterns and strategies will dramatically improve your win rate.

2. Use Undo Strategically

When learning, use the undo feature to explore "what if" scenarios. This helps you understand why certain moves work better than others.

3. Study Your Losses

After losing, try to identify the critical turning point. Was the game unwinnable, or did you make a mistake? This analysis builds better decision-making.

4. Play With Perfect Information

Start with FreeCell or Spider (where all cards are visible) to develop strategic thinking without the luck factor of hidden cards.

5. Learn Variant-Specific Strategies

Each solitaire game has unique optimal strategies. Read our comprehensive guides for your favorite variant.

6. Use the Built-in Solver

TrySolitaire's built-in Klondike solver checks if your game is winnable in real time. Use "Deal Winnable" to practice only on solvable games, and "Undo to Winnable" to recover from mistakes. This way every loss teaches you strategy, not bad luck. Learn more →

Want to Win Often? Play FreeCell or Spider 1-Suit

🧠 Want Strategic Depth? Play FreeCell or Spider 4-Suit

⚡ Want Quick Games? Play Pyramid or TriPeaks

🎲 Like Classic Challenge? Play Klondike Turn-3

😊 Just Starting? Begin with FreeCell or Spider 1-Suit

Is every solitaire game winnable?

No. A solver finds 99.999% of FreeCell deals winnable (Blake & Gent, 2026). Pyramid under a strict one-pass rule clears only about 5% of deals, though the rule this site plays measures 67.5% with our own solver. For many variants no solver figure has been published.

What's considered a good win rate in Klondike?

In August 2026, TrySolitaire players won 35.3% of the Turn-1 games they started and 15.5% of the Turn-3 games, counting unfinished games as not won. A solver that sees every card can win about 90% of Turn-1 deals and about 82% of Turn-3 deals, so there is room to improve.

Why is Spider 4-suit so much harder than 1-suit?

With 4 suits, you need exact suit matches to build sequences, creating exponentially more blocking patterns. With 1 suit, any card of the right rank works, giving much more flexibility.

Can I improve my win rate with practice?

Absolutely! Strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and experience can raise your win rate a lot. FreeCell especially rewards skill over luck.

How do I know if my game is winnable before I waste time on it?

TrySolitaire has a built-in solver that checks your Klondike game's winnability in real time. You can also use "Deal Winnable" to only play games with a guaranteed winning path. This eliminates the frustration of spending 15 minutes on an impossible deal.

What's the fastest solitaire game to play?

Pyramid and TriPeaks typically take 3-5 minutes per game. Klondike and Spider can take 10-20 minutes, while FreeCell can take 15-30 minutes for difficult deals.