Hardest Solitaire Games Ranked — The Toughest Variants to Win
Not all solitaire games are created equal. While FreeCell is nearly 100% winnable and Spider 1-Suit is a breezy puzzle, some solitaire variants are brutally difficult — with win rates in the single digits or even below 1%. If you've mastered the standard games and want a real challenge, these are the hardest solitaire games you can play.
We ranked 15 of the most difficult solitaire variants by approximate win rate, from hardest to easiest. Every game on this list is playable free on Solitaire.fyi.
The 15 Hardest Solitaire Games (Ranked by Win Rate)
| Rank | Game | Win Rate | Decks | Why It's Hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accordion | <1% | 1 | Most deals are unsolvable within the first few moves |
| 2 | Napoleon | 5–10% | 2 | Same-suit building, single-card moves, strict rules |
| 3 | Canfield | 5–15% | 1 | Random foundation base, 13-card reserve, wrapping sequences |
| 4 | Forty Thieves | ~10% | 2 | Same-suit building, single-card moves, two full decks |
| 5 | Spider 4-Suit | ~10% | 2 | Must build 8 same-suit runs across 4 suits and 104 cards |
| 6 | Scorpion | ~20% | 1 | Same-suit building with face-down cards blocking progress |
| 7 | Russian | ~25% | 1 | Yukon rules with same-suit building constraint |
| 8 | La Belle Lucie | ~25% | 1 | Only top card from each fan, two redeals, same-suit building |
| 9 | Spider 2-Suit | ~30% | 2 | Two suits create enough interference to ruin most sequences |
| 10 | Klondike Turn 3 | ~30% | 1 | Only see every 3rd stock card — card counting essential |
| 11 | Beleaguered Castle | ~35% | 1 | Pure logic with all cards visible — no second chances |
| 12 | Yukon | 30–40% | 1 | All cards dealt, group moves regardless of sequence |
| 13 | Josephine | ~35% | 2 | Forty Thieves with group moves — still very challenging |
| 14 | FreeCell Hard | 60–70% | 1 | Extra constraints drop win rate from 99% to under 70% |
| 15 | Baker's Game | ~75% | 1 | FreeCell with same-suit building — much harder than standard |
The Absolute Hardest: Under 15% Win Rate
1. Accordion — Under 1% Win Rate
Accordion Solitaire is the hardest solitaire game by a wide margin. All 52 cards are laid out in a single row. You can "compress" the row by moving a card onto the card 1 or 3 positions to its left if they share the same suit or rank. The goal is to compress everything into a single pile.
What makes Accordion so brutally difficult is that most deals become unwinnable within the first handful of moves. There's no stock pile, no redeals, no second chances — just 52 cards and a combinatorial nightmare. Winning feels less like strategy and more like witnessing a miracle.
2. Napoleon Solitaire — 5–10% Win Rate
Napoleon Solitaire is the game Napoleon supposedly played during his exile on Saint Helena. Two decks, ten tableau columns, same-suit building, and single-card moves only. The strict rules make it one of the hardest two-deck solitaire games.
3. Canfield — 5–15% Win Rate
Canfield was originally a casino game where players paid $52 for a deck and earned $5 for each foundation card placed. The house had a massive edge — and your win rate won't be much better. The random foundation starting rank, the locked 13-card reserve, and wrapping sequences create a fiendishly difficult game.
4. Forty Thieves — ~10% Win Rate
Forty Thieves is the flagship hard two-deck solitaire game. Same-suit tableau building with single-card moves means you have very limited flexibility. With 104 cards and 10 columns, even experienced players lose 9 out of 10 games. Information management and waste pile strategy are critical.
5. Spider 4-Suit — ~10% Win Rate
Spider 4-Suit is the hardest form of Spider Solitaire. With all four suits in play across two decks, building same-suit King-to-Ace sequences becomes an exercise in long-range planning. Only about one in ten deals is winnable with perfect play, and casual players win far less.
The Very Hard Tier: 20–35% Win Rate
6. Scorpion — ~20% Win Rate
Scorpion combines Yukon-style group moves with same-suit building. Three reserve cards can bail you out in emergencies, but face-down cards in the initial deal create hidden obstacles. Every column rearrangement matters.
7–8. Russian & La Belle Lucie — ~25% Win Rate
Russian Solitaire applies same-suit building to the Yukon framework, dramatically reducing your move options. La Belle Lucie restricts you to building on the top card of 17 three-card fans with only two redeals. Both demand precision and planning.
9–10. Spider 2-Suit & Klondike Turn 3 — ~30% Win Rate
Spider 2-Suit adds enough suit interference to make sequences frequently collapse. Klondike Turn 3 restricts stock access to every third card, requiring card counting and careful planning to maintain a 30% win rate.
What Makes a Solitaire Game Hard?
Difficulty in solitaire comes from several factors:
- Same-suit building — Games that require matching suits (Spider 4-Suit, Forty Thieves, Baker's Game) are dramatically harder than alternating-color games (Klondike, FreeCell).
- Single-card moves — Forty Thieves and Napoleon only allow moving one card at a time. No group moves means fewer options per turn.
- Hidden information — Face-down cards in Klondike, Scorpion, and Spider add unpredictability. Games with all cards visible (FreeCell, Beleaguered Castle) are more skill-dependent but not necessarily easier.
- No redeals — Limited stock passes (Klondike One Redeal) or no stock at all (Yukon, Beleaguered Castle) mean early mistakes are permanent.
- Two decks — Duplicate ranks in two-deck games (Spider, Forty Thieves) create blocking situations that single-deck games don't have.
Difficulty vs. Skill Dependency
| Game | Win Rate | Skill Impact | Luck Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCell | 99% | Very High | Almost None |
| Baker's Game | 75% | Very High | Almost None |
| Klondike Turn 1 | 80% | High | Moderate |
| Beleaguered Castle | 35% | Very High | None |
| Forty Thieves | 10% | High | Moderate |
| Accordion | <1% | Low | Very High |
| Clock Solitaire | 7.7% | None | Pure Luck |
A game can be hard for two different reasons: either skill can't overcome the odds (Accordion, Clock), or skill is decisive but the game demands expert-level play (Forty Thieves, Baker's Game). The most satisfying hard games combine high skill dependency with low win rates — Forty Thieves, Beleaguered Castle, and Spider 4-Suit are the sweet spot.
Ready to test yourself? Start with Forty Thieves for a classic hard game, try Spider 4-Suit for two-deck punishment, or go straight to Accordion if you want the absolute hardest solitaire game in existence.