FreeCell
NEWWorks on both desktop and mobile. Tap or click to play.
About This Game
Play FreeCell Solitaire free online. Use the four free cells to sort every card to the foundations. The solitaire that's almost always solvable.
How to play FreeCell
Objective: Move all 52 cards up to the four foundation piles, each built by suit from Ace to King, to win.
FreeCell deals a full 52-card deck face up into eight tableau columns; the left four hold seven cards each and the right four hold six. Above them sit four empty free cells, marked with a small circle, and four empty foundations, marked A. Nothing is hidden, so success comes from planning rather than luck. Tap a card to pick it up, then tap a pile to place it.
Build the tableau downward in alternating colours: a black five drops onto a red six, a red four onto that black five. Foundations build upward by suit from the Ace, so the heart pile runs ace, two, three, up to the king. Only single cards reach a foundation. Tap an already-selected card a second time and the game tries to send it straight to a matching foundation.
Each of the four free cells parks one card of any kind, giving you space to unbury cards. Moving several cards at once is limited: you can shift (open free cells + 1), doubled for every empty column, in a single action. With all cells full and no empty columns that is one card, so keep space open before a big relocation.
A group of cards only lifts if it already forms a run: descending one rank at a time with colours alternating. Anything else moves card by card. The Undo button rewinds your last forty moves, and New Game deals a fresh board at any time. Your Games won total sits at the top, saved in your browser between visits.
Tips and strategy
Keep a free column open
An empty tableau column doubles how many cards you can move at once, so it is often worth more open than filled. Before dropping a card into one, check whether keeping it clear lets you shift a longer run.
Dig out aces early
No foundation can start without its ace, and an ace stuck near the bottom of a column freezes a whole suit. Read the opening deal, spot the buried aces and twos, and plan the digging order that frees them soonest.
Keep a cell spare
Filling all four free cells early traps you at a one-card move limit. Try to leave at least one cell open so you can reshuffle single cards and still make the larger group moves that empty cells allow.
Delay sending low cards
A legal foundation move is not always a good one. A two or three left in the tableau can still receive an alternating-colour card. Send it up too early and you may strand the card that needed it.
The history of FreeCell
Solitaire card games are centuries old, but FreeCell in its current form was designed by Paul Alfille, who built a computer version in 1978 on the PLATO educational system. Its free cells, which let you set cards aside for later, made it far more a game of skill than older solitaires. FreeCell reached a wide audience when Microsoft bundled it with Windows in the 1990s.
Frequently asked questions
How do I win FreeCell?
You win when all four foundations are full, each holding thirteen cards of one suit running from Ace to King. Every card must leave the tableau and free cells. When you finish, a You Win banner appears and your Games won counter increases by one.
Can I get stuck with no moves?
Yes. There is no timer or life limit, but you can reach a position where no legal move remains. The game does not announce a loss on its own. Use Undo to walk back through your last forty moves, or press New Game to deal a fresh board.
Why won't a stack of cards move together?
Two things must both be true. The cards have to form a valid run, descending one rank at a time with alternating colours, and the count must fit your move limit of (open free cells + 1), doubled per empty column. Free a cell or clear a column to move more.
Are my FreeCell wins saved?
Your total Games won is stored in your browser and shown at the top, so it survives closing the tab. The current layout is not saved, and starting New Game clears the board right away without counting toward your wins.