Most Difficult Solitaire Games: 13 Hardest Solitaire Variants Ranked
Solitaire is a great card game that perfectly combines relaxation with a mental challenge. While many players are familiar with the popular version of Klondike, there is a wide range of solitaire variations, each offering varying degrees of difficulty.
They test your patience, strategic thinking, and adaptability, and they are often a tough nut to crack, even for experienced players.
If you are curious what the hardest solitaire game is, take a look at these most difficult variants that will truly challenge your skills. Are you ready to master them all?
Hardest Solitaire Games at a Glance
**13. Classic Solitaire Turn 3
Difficulty: 6/10
Win Rate: 11.08%
Number of Decks: 1
Classic Solitaire Turn 3 is a hard solitaire game, although it looks very similar to the standard version. The layout looks the same as in the Classic Solitaire, but it has one significant twist - every time you use the stockpile, three cards are drawn instead of one.
As a result, there are significantly fewer movement options than in Klondike Turn 1, which has a much higher win rate (33%). You need to ensure no crucial card gets stuck and plan your next steps carefully.
12. Canfield Solitaire
Difficulty: 6/10
Win Rate: 8.94%
Number of Decks: 1
Canfield Solitaire is where just a single card is dealt into the foundation, and it becomes the base for arranging the rest of them in ascending order by suit.
What's more, apart from the stockpile, you also have a reserve pile, which you can use to place cards in the tableau or in an empty column. The great difficulty of this variant stems from its setup, in which only a few cards are dealt to the tableau, leaving many potentially crucial cards hidden in the stock or reserve piles. The limited movement options make it easy to get stuck, and winning often requires careful planning several moves ahead.
11. Scorpion Solitaire
Difficulty: 7/10
Win Rate: 6.28%
Number of Decks: 1
In Scorpion Solitaire, all cards are dealt face-up, except for a few hidden ones at the bottom of each column. The challenge lies in uncovering and organizing cards while managing the limited available spaces. With fewer ways to break up sequences and move cards freely, you can quickly hit dead ends.
Prioritizing clearing columns and creating empty spaces is really important in this game, as it allows greater flexibility in moving sequences later on.
10. Emperor Solitaire
Difficulty: 7/10
Win Rate: 6-8%
Number of Decks: 2
Emperor Solitaire is a complex double-deck variant that significantly increases strategic depth. With more foundations, additional tableau columns, and expanded build paths, players must manage multiple objectives simultaneously. Poor early decisions can quickly limit options, making thoughtful planning essential from the start.
The challenge of Emperor Solitaire comes from balancing progress across all foundations. Focusing too heavily on one suit can stall others, creating bottlenecks. Successful play requires evenly distributing effort and constantly reassessing priorities as the tableau evolves.
9. Spider Solitaire 4 Suits
Difficulty: 8/10
Win Rate: 6.08%
Number of Decks: 2
A significant feature of Spider Solitaire 4 Suits is the use of two decks of cards in the game. To win it, you need to create descending sequences by suit in the tableau twice. Every time you succeed, these cards are transferred to the foundation. You can place a card on top of another one of any suit as long as it is one rank higher.
The main difficulty lies in the need to keep track of multiple suits, which makes forming complete sequences much more complex. What's more, you need to deal with a lot of cards, which also makes this game more difficult.
8. Cruel Solitaire
Difficulty: 7/10
Win Rate: 5-7%
Number of Decks: 1
Cruel Solitaire demands precision and a deep understanding of card order. Unlike many Solitaire games, redeals follow a fixed pattern rather than a shuffle, meaning players must anticipate how cards will cycle back into play. Winning requires careful sequencing and the ability to plan several moves ahead with little margin for error.
The name "Cruel" is well earned, as the game punishes impulsive decisions. Every redeal reinforces earlier mistakes, forcing players to think in terms of systems rather than individual moves. This makes it especially appealing to players who enjoy logical problem-solving and deterministic gameplay.
7. Alaska Solitaire
Difficulty: 7/10
Win Rate: 5.08%
Number of Decks: 1
Alaska Solitaire requires players to build sequences both upwards and downwards by suit, making it especially difficult to predict and plan available moves.
Unlike traditional solitaire games, where you only build in one direction (usually descending), in this variant, players need to constantly think ahead and consider multiple movement directions to avoid a dead end.
6. Batsford Solitaire
Difficulty: 8/10
Win Rate: 4.14%
Number of Decks: 2
This variant is one of the rarest and most difficult solitaire games, which requires a high level of strategic thinking. Here, you use two decks of cards, and only Kings can be moved to empty spaces.
The cards need to be arranged in descending order and alternating colors, like in traditional Klondike Solitaire. However, the large number of cards and the limited number of available moves make this a real challenge.
In Batsford Solitaire, you need to carefully think about your future moves and avoid unnecessarily blocking critical cards needed to progress.
5. Double Russian Solitaire
Difficulty: 8/10
Win Rate: 3.77%
Number of Decks: 2
In this variant, you must build sequences in descending order by suit using two decks. Similar to Spider Solitaire, the game requires all the cards to be arranged into perfectly ordered suits before they can be moved to the foundation.
The complexity of managing so many cards, combined with the strict sequence-building rules, makes Double Russian Solitaire hard even for advanced players.
4. Giant Solitaire
Difficulty: 9/10
Win Rate: 3-6%
Number of Decks: 2
Giant Solitaire dramatically increases the scale of traditional Solitaire with a massive tableau that demands extensive forward planning. Managing so many cards at once tests memory, organization, and long-term strategy. This is not a quick-play game-it's designed for players who enjoy long, mentally demanding Solitaire sessions.
Because of its size, Giant Solitaire often feels overwhelming at first. However, experienced players who enjoy breaking down large problems into manageable steps will find it rewarding. Progress is slow, but each successful sequence feels earned, making this variant ideal for marathon play sessions.
3. Russian Solitaire
Difficulty: 9/10
Win Rate: 3.00%
Number of Decks: 1
Russian Solitaire is a harsher variant of Yukon Solitaire, where cards must be built down by suit rather than alternating colors. This single rule change drastically reduces flexibility and makes freeing buried cards much more difficult. Strategic foresight is critical, as even a small misstep can block entire columns and bring the game to a standstill.
Because of its strict suit-building requirement, Russian Solitaire rewards careful column management over aggressive moves. Players must resist the urge to move cards too quickly and instead focus on preserving suit continuity, making the game feel slow, deliberate, and highly tactical.
2. Las Vegas Solitaire
Difficulty: 9/10
Win Rate: 2.45%
Number of Decks: 1
Las Vegas Solitaire follows mostly the same rules and layout as Klondike, with two additional features. Most importantly, in each session, you wager 52 coins and get 5 coins every time you transfer a card to the foundation.
Apart from that, you are allowed to go through the deck only once, so you need to leave it just for the moments you have no other movement option.
Interestingly, you don't necessarily lose in this difficult solitaire game when you fail to move all the cards to the foundation. Here, your goal is to earn more coins than you wagered, so it's enough to move just 11 cards, which gives you 55 coins.
Nevertheless, due to the stockpile limitation, it is one of the hardest solitaire games in terms of win rate.
1. Quadruple Yukon
Difficulty: 10/10
Win Rate: 2.36%
Number of Decks: 4
Quadruple Yukon is the most punishing Solitaire variant ever created, using four full decks and an enormous tableau. Many cards are dealt face up from the start, forcing players to manage extremely long sequences with very limited empty columns. The massive scale means mistakes compound quickly, and success requires expert-level planning, near-perfect sequencing, and exceptional patience.
What makes Quadruple Yukon especially difficult is the constant trade-off between freeing space and preserving future moves. Empty columns are rare and valuable, and filling one too quickly can block progress elsewhere. Players must think several layers ahead, making this variant best suited for advanced Solitaire players seeking a near-impossible challenge.
Why These Games Are So Hard
What makes these solitaire variants so challenging compared to easier games? Several common mechanics dramatically increase difficulty:
Limited Movement Options: Games like Klondike Turn 3 and Las Vegas Solitaire restrict how you can access cards from the stockpile. When you can only cycle through the deck once, or when cards are buried in groups of three, strategic errors become much more costly.
Strict Suit-Building Requirements: While some solitaire games allow alternating colors (red-black), variants like Russian Solitaire require building by suit only. This single rule change eliminates most flexibility and forces players into much narrower decision paths.
Multiple Decks: Games using two or four decks (Quadruple Yukon, Batsford, Emperor, Giant Solitaire) create massive tableaus with far more cards to track. The sheer scale overwhelms players, making it nearly impossible to plan more than a few moves ahead.
Few Empty Columns: Empty tableau columns are powerful tools in solitaire, but the hardest games severely limit them. In Quadruple Yukon and Giant Solitaire, empty columns are rare and precious. Using one carelessly can lock the entire game.
Hidden Information: Games with many face-down cards force players to make decisions with incomplete information. Unlike FreeCell, where all cards are visible from the start, these variants rely partially on luck.
Understanding these mechanics helps explain why win rates drop so dramatically. Even expert players struggle when multiple difficulty factors combine in a single game.
Tips for Beating Hard Solitaire Games
If you're tackling difficult Solitaire variants, slowing down is the most important strategy. Always prioritize freeing buried cards and creating empty tableau columns, even if it means delaying foundation progress. In games that require building by suit, protecting suit sequences is far more important than making flashy moves.
For players looking to train before jumping into the hardest games, Spider Solitaire 4 Suits is an excellent stepping stone. It offers deep strategy and low forgiveness while still being more approachable than extreme variants like Quadruple Yukon or Batsford Solitaire. Mastering Spider 4 Suits helps develop planning skills that carry over into tougher games.
Learn more solitaire strategies to improve your skills across all variants.
That said, not every Solitaire session needs to be punishing. Many players actively look for easier alternatives when they want to relax or rebuild confidence. FreeCell is a great option-it offers nearly perfect solvability (99% of deals are winnable), emphasizes logic over luck, and allows players to recover from mistakes. Switching between hard and easier Solitaire games can keep the experience enjoyable without burnout.
The Bottom Line
Solitaire may seem like a simple card game, but these hard variations prove that it can be a true challenge. Playing the most difficult solitaire games is highly engaging and can provide practice for strategic thinking skills.
Solitaire can be made harder by adding various rules, like increasing the number of cards or limiting your movements, so you will never be bored. Try out multiple variants, see how you enjoy them, and maybe you'll discover a new favorite way to spend your spare time.
Thanks to our website and mobile app, you can easily access solitaire games for free. Start with Classic Solitaire, and when you're ready, challenge yourself with these difficult variants to test your skills!