How to play
FreeCell is a patience game for one player with a standard 52-card deck. Unlike most card games of its kind, nothing is hidden: all cards are dealt face up into eight columns, so every game is a puzzle of planning rather than luck. Your goal is to move all cards onto the four foundations in the top right corner, building each suit in order from Ace up to King.
The four free cells in the top left corner are temporary parking spots, and each holds exactly one card. Use them to get a buried card out of the way, but remember that every occupied cell makes the next moves harder. Nearly every deal can be won with careful thought.
Rules
- Tableau: build down in alternating colours, for example a red 6 on a black 7. Any card may be placed on an empty column.
- Free cells: each of the four cells holds one card. Any top card can move into an empty cell and back out again onto a column or a foundation.
- Foundations: each foundation takes one suit and is built up from Ace to King. Cards cannot be taken back off the foundations.
- Supermoves: you may move a whole run of cards in one go. The game works out the maximum for you: (1 + empty free cells) × 2empty columns, where an empty column you are moving to does not count. With one free cell and no empty column, for example, a run of two cards can move.
- Auto-move: cards that are safe to send home are moved for you. A card is safe when it is an Ace or a 2, or when both cards of the opposite colour one rank lower are already on the foundations. You can switch this off with the Auto-move button.
- Winning: you win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. When every column is already in order, the game finishes the job for you.
Controls
- Mouse: drag a card, or a run of cards, onto a column, a free cell or a foundation. If the move is not allowed, the cards snap back. A single click moves a card automatically: to a foundation if possible, otherwise onto a matching column, then into an empty column, then into a free cell. If nothing fits, the card shakes.
- Touch: the same on a phone or tablet. The cards follow your finger, and a tap works like a click.
- Keyboard: press Tab to reach the top card of each column and the cards in the free cells, then Enter or Space to move the focused card. U or Ctrl+Z undoes a move and H shows a hint.
- Game numbers: every deal has a number from 1 to 1,000,000. Type a number into the Game # box and press Play to start that exact deal, or press New game for a random one. Restart replays the current deal from the beginning.
Tips and strategy
- Look before you move. Check where the Aces and the low cards are buried and plan to reach them first. Columns that hide several low cards are the ones to dig out early.
- Keep the free cells empty. Each empty cell lets you move one more card at a time, and an empty column doubles that, so fill a cell only when it frees something useful.
- Empty a column early. An empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it can take a whole run and also multiplies your supermoves.
- Do not bury your next card. Before you build on a column, check that it does not cover a card you need soon, and avoid stacking a low card on top of a high one you need to reach.
- Use undo to explore. Undo is unlimited, so try a line of play and take it back if it leads to a dead end. Restart the deal or choose the same game number later to try a different plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can every deal be won?
Almost all of them. Only a handful of the first million numbered deals are known to be impossible, for example game #11982. If you run out of legal moves, the game tells you and offers Undo, Restart or a new game.
Why do game numbers matter?
A number always produces the same deal, so you can replay a game you enjoyed, compare a tricky one with a friend or come back to a deal that beat you. The numbering follows the widely used shuffle method for numbered FreeCell deals, so familiar game numbers give the familiar layouts.
How are moves and time counted?
Every move you make counts as one move, including a supermove of several cards. Cards that the game sends home automatically are not counted. The timer starts with your first move and pauses while the page is hidden.
Is my game saved if I close the page?
Yes. The game in progress, the Auto-move setting and your statistics (games played, won, win percentage, streaks and best time) are stored in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does it work on phones and offline?
Yes. All eight columns, the four free cells and the four foundations fit on a narrow phone screen, and once the page has loaded it needs no internet connection.