FreeCell
Also written Free Cell — the four-free-cell, eight-column solitaire made famous by Windows. Deal #1 here is the same deal #1 as in the classic game.
Free online FreeCell — the solitaire where all 52 cards are dealt face up, so every game is a pure puzzle of skill. Our deals are special: each one is proven winnable by an independent solver before it is ever dealt, and deal numbers match classic Microsoft FreeCell.
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How to play FreeCell — the rules
- Goal: build the four foundations up from Ace to King, one suit each.
- All 52 cards start face up in eight columns. In the columns, stack cards downward in alternating colors — a red 7 goes on a black 8.
- Each of the four free cells holds any one card. Park a card there and bring it back when it is useful.
- Any card or run may move onto an empty column — unlike Klondike, you do not need a King.
- Move runs at once with a supermove: (empty free cells + 1) cards, doubled for every empty column.
Keyboard: Tab or arrow keys to move around, Enter to move a card, Ctrl+Z to undo.
Our guarantee, honestly kept: before any deal reaches you, an independent solver proves it can be won, and that proof is replayed against the game rules. Deals that cannot be proven within the solver budget — including the famous unwinnable #11982 — are never dealt.
FreeCell strategy — how to win more games
- An empty column is worth far more than a free cell. A free cell holds one card; an empty column holds a whole run and doubles the size of every supermove you make. Trade free cells for a column whenever the chance appears.
- Plan before you touch anything. Every card is face up from the start, so find the aces and twos first and count what is stacked on top of them. FreeCell rewards looking ahead more than any other solitaire.
- Do not rush cards to the foundations. A five you sent up is a five that can no longer hold a four, and low cards are the glue that keeps columns workable. Send a card up when it has no job left in the tableau.
- Keep at least one free cell empty. Fill all four and you are down to single-card moves, which is where most losses actually begin — usually several moves before the game looks lost.
- Dig out the column hiding the card you need rather than tidying the column that looks worst. One column emptied is worth more than two columns sorted.
FreeCell terms
- Free cell — one of the four slots in the top-left corner. Each holds exactly one card of any rank or suit, and you can take it back whenever it helps.
- Foundation — the four piles you build up from Ace to King, one suit each. Fill all four and the game is over.
- Tableau — the eight columns the 52 cards are dealt into. Here you build downward in alternating colours, so a red seven goes on a black eight.
- Supermove — moving several cards as a single run. You can move (empty free cells + 1) cards, doubled for every empty column, which is exactly why an empty column outranks a free cell.
Is FreeCell always winnable?
FreeCell is the most solvable of the classic solitaires: every card is face up from the first move, so a deal is a puzzle rather than a gamble. We go one step further — each deal here is checked by an independent solver before it ever reaches you, so if you cannot finish a game, the win was there and the line was missed. That is also why undo is unlimited. The point is to find the line, not to be punished for looking for it.
Strategy and tips
How to Play FreeCell: seven techniques, and how to use a proven deal
Frequently asked questions
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Almost every one. In the first one million Microsoft-numbered deals only a handful — 8 deals, including the famous #11982 — are unwinnable, so roughly 99.999% of FreeCell deals can be won. On PlayPuzzles you never meet the exceptions: every deal we serve is proven winnable by our solver before it reaches you, and unproven deals are excluded.
What are the free cells for?
The four free cells are temporary parking spots that each hold one card. They are your working memory: move a blocking card aside, rearrange the column underneath, then bring the card back. Keeping cells empty is the key skill — every full cell shrinks how many cards you can move at once.
How many cards can I move at once in FreeCell?
Formally you move one card at a time, but empty cells and empty columns let you move whole runs: (empty free cells + 1) cards, doubled for each empty column. With all 4 cells free you can move 5 cards; add one empty column and it becomes 10. The game calculates this for you automatically.
Are the deal numbers the same as Microsoft FreeCell?
Yes. We generate deals with the same algorithm as classic Microsoft FreeCell (and the fc-solve solver), so deal #164 here is exactly the same deal #164 you will find in strategy guides and discussions anywhere on the web.
Is FreeCell a game of skill or luck?
Skill, almost entirely. Every card is visible from the first move and nearly every deal is winnable, so the outcome depends on your planning, not on the shuffle. That is also why we can honestly promise: every deal we serve has a proven winning line.