Card Games Online: Solitaire, Matching, Rummy and Battles
Updated
Card games online come in four main kinds: solitaire, where you sort a deck alone; matching games, where you flip cards to find pairs; rummy-style and other table games, where you meld sets or win a round of high cards; and battle or puzzle games built from cards. Below is each kind with games to play and the rules guides that go with it.
| Kind | What you do | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Solitaire | Sort the whole deck into order on your own | Solitaire Treasures |
| Matching and memory | Flip cards and remember where the pairs are | PyroPairs |
| Rummy and table games | Meld sets and runs, or beat the other side's card | Rummy Multiplayer |
| Battle and puzzle cards | Use cards as units, spells or numbers | Castle Wars: Legacy |
Solitaire
Solitaire games ask you to put a shuffled deck into order by yourself. Klondike is the version many people mean by plain solitaire, and how to play solitaire explains it, while solitaire types explained compares the rest.
- Solitaire Treasures is classic Klondike with one card drawn at a time, and its description says every deal is guaranteed winnable. You collect card decks, backs and backgrounds from treasure chests.
- Solitaire: Card Master is Klondike with timed challenges. Move cards in alternating colors and descending order, build foundations from Ace to King, and use auto-complete when all moves are clear.
- Solitaire Quest asks you to organize cards, build sequences and clear the tableau. It plays with the mouse.
- Spider Solitaire Pro uses two decks. You stack cards in descending order in the tableau and click the stock for another row when you run out of moves. The rules are in spider solitaire rules.
- Solitaire World holds 125 types of solitaire in one game.
- Solitaire 8 Collection gathers Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, TriPeaks, Pyramid, Golf, Yukon and Scorpion. N deals anew, P gives a hint and Z undoes. FreeCell, Pyramid and TriPeaks have rules guides too: FreeCell and Pyramid and TriPeaks.
- Solitaire Story - Tripeaks is a TriPeaks game where you clear face-up cards that follow or precede the card at the bottom of the screen.
- Black Hole Solitaire has you move every card into the black hole by counting up or down in value. Easy mode lets you move cards to empty spaces, and hard mode makes you plan ahead.
Matching and memory cards
The cards lie face down, you flip them to find matches and you clear the board. More of these are in memory games online.
- PyroPairs gives you 8 or more cards a round. Match two of the same type to move on to the next level.
- SweetFlip asks you to match similar cards out of 8 or more each level, and the faster you do it, the higher the score.
- Mischievous Pairs has you flip cards, remember their positions and clear the board before time runs out, matching pairs or triples across hundreds of levels. You can challenge a friend in local two-player mode, where you keep your turn by finding matches before a 10-second timer ends.
- Animal Pair Card Match has you open two cards at a time to find animal pairs, collect target animals and clear the board.
- Mythiq is a memory game with cards of dragons, phoenixes, griffins and mermaids. Each level brings new challenges and rising difficulty.
Rummy, war and other table games
In rummy you try to be first to get rid of every card. On the standard rules, described on pagat.com, a set is three or four cards of one rank and a run is three or more cards of one suit in order. Each turn you draw from the stock or the discard pile, may meld, and then discard one card. House rules differ, so check the help of the game you open.
- Rummy Multiplayer is a version of classic rummy with three modes: multiplayer, play against the computer and challenge a friend on the same device. You select and move cards with the mouse or a finger.
- Whot is a card game whose cards carry shapes: circle, triangle, cross, square and star. You play a card that matches the shape or the number of the face-up card, or draw one, and the 20 Whot cards are wild. Each player starts with 6 cards, and you can play against the computer or friends in real-time multiplayer. Matching games like it are covered in crazy eights rules.
- Triple Combo is a fast card game with a poker deck: make three of a kind, flushes and straights.
- The Battle is a version of the classic game War. You and your opponent each turn a card, the higher card wins, and the goal is to take all of your opponent's cards. The standard rules note that no strategy is involved, so the cards decide.
Battle and puzzle cards
- Castle Wars: Legacy is a tactical multiplayer card game. You build a deck, defend your castle and break through enemy walls, stacking resources, summoning armies and casting spells. You can battle friends online, enter daily tournaments, play the campaign or fight the computer in quick matches.
- Dungeon Solitaire is a dark fantasy card roguelike: fight monsters, equip weapons, collect potions and survive dungeon rooms.
- Merge Royal 2048 mixes solitaire and 2048. You combine matching number cards into higher values, dragging cards from one stack to another with the mouse.
Habits for card games
- Look at the whole layout before your first move, in solitaire and in matching games alike.
- Use the tools a game gives you. Solitaire 8 Collection says hints are free and undo is unlimited, and Solitaire: Card Master has auto-complete.
- In matching games, remember positions rather than guess. Mischievous Pairs says so in its first sentence, and SweetFlip scores speed.
- Draw when you cannot play. In Whot you take one card, play it if it fits and otherwise skip your turn.
Card games FAQ
Can I play card games online with friends?
Yes, in several of them. Whot has real-time multiplayer, Rummy Multiplayer has a multiplayer mode and a same-device mode, Mischievous Pairs has a local two-player mode and Castle Wars: Legacy says you can battle friends online.
Which card games are for two players?
War is a two-player game by nature, and The Battle puts you against one opponent. Mischievous Pairs has a two-player mode too.
What is the difference between Klondike and Spider solitaire?
In Klondike you build foundations from Ace to King, as in Solitaire: Card Master. Spider uses two decks and has no foundation slots: you stack cards in descending order and eliminate the stacks, as in Spider Solitaire Pro.
Are there free card games with no download?
Yes. Every game above plays free, right in the browser, with no install and no registration, on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
More cards to flip and stack are in the puzzle games category.
