Scouring the online world of Solitaire is a lot like going through an unnecessarily long menu, at least for me. There are so many options that you might as well shut down your computer and go outside for a walk rather than try to figure out which one’s best for you. Unfortunately, being a Solitaire fanatic, the previous option wasn’t available to me, so I had to go through the trouble of figuring out which online platform would keep me the most entertained.
However, I didn’t let my efforts go to waste. Of course, I knew that there’d be multiple other folks just like me, yearning to find out which Solitaire experience is the best one. Hence, here I have put together my top three Solitaire platforms (although people with other opinions are most welcome) in hopes of sparing you the trouble of navigating through the plethora of options and battling the paradox of choice as you do so.
The Charm Of Digital Solitaire
Before I dive into my personal favorites, however, let’s preface this guide with a little insight into why digital Solitaire is so much more convenient than the good old-fashioned method of setting the game up yourself. While it may be tempting to throw away all the new, technologically nuanced options constantly showing up in the market, digital solitaire actually has a lot of merits.
For one, how many games can you set up before tiring yourself out? I don’t know about you, but I often hit my wits limit after reshuffling a game for the third time in succession. Digital solitaire rids you of that chore, where all you have to do is click ‘New Game,’ and there’s a new deck of cards waiting for you!
Secondly, you can incorporate so many novel features into digital Solitaire versions – features that are sometimes impossible to inject into a physical mode of Solitaire. For instance, a large variety of online Solitaire options now include ‘hints’ and ‘undo’ as a standard, making life a lot more convenient for the average player.
The Components Of A Great Online Solitaire Platform
If you were to ask me what the hallmark of a great Solitaire platform is, I’d have to resort to five main metrics of evaluation rather than just one. When you take a game like Solitaire to the digital frontiers, you have to consider this list of important features.
- Customization Options
- User-Friendliness
- Game Mode Variety
- Gameplay And Performance
- Extra Features
Now, while there are certainly additional aspects to consider, I feel as if these five constituents can be used to assess the level of a solitaire website quite appropriately. That’s why, as I dive into a comparison of the best Solitaire platforms, I’ll be using these five elements to draw my judgments.
Top Digital Solitaire Experiences
After several days (and games) of grinding out Solitaire games, I finally managed to shortlist my top three platforms. I tried to space out my games and not bore myself to death during this trial period, just so that there was no bias while I put together this list. Alas, let’s get into why I chose these three – and which stands out to me the most.
1. theSolitaire.com
| Customization Options | 9/10 |
| User Friendliness | 8/10 |
| Game Variety | 8/10 |
| Gameplay and Performance | 7/10 |
| Extra Features | 6/10 |
For me, theSolitaire.com takes the cake. But that’s probably because I’m a sucker for aesthetics and playability. Just look at the variety of customization options available on the website. If you’ve got a particular style or aesthetic in mind, chances are that theSolitaire.com will let you pick out something very close, if not exactly what you wanted in terms of style.
Keeping those aspects on the side for a moment, their game variety isn’t anything to sleep on either. You can choose variants within variants of games on the platform. For instance, Klondike is split into 1-card draw and 3-card draw. Spider is split into 1-suit, 2-suit and 4-suit Solitaire. If you want to digress beyond those games, you could even dabble in some Mahjong, Sudoku, and Jigsaw to tease your brain more.
Finally, while it may not focus on extra features as much as the other two candidates on this list, theSolitaire.com still has most of the features you’d expect from a Solitaire website, so don’t worry about missing out on too much!
2. Solitaired.com
| Customization Options | 7/10 |
| User Friendliness | 7/10 |
| Game Variety | 9/10 |
| Gameplay and Performance | 7/10 |
| Extra Features | 6/10 |
Solitaired.com has carved its own niche in the Solitaire world in the sense that it offers everything related to Solitaire games. Its game variety is absolutely unparalleled in the Solitaire world, such that I started scratching my head over some of the names of these games. Turns out I may not be as savvy over Solitaire variants as I thought I was.
While the games certainly run like a well-oiled machine, the artist in me would have preferred a few more nuanced options in terms of aesthetics and design. Solitaired.com boasts some rather quirky backgrounds and card designs in its options, but I couldn’t seem to find one that would appeal to an old-fashioned soul like mine. However, that’s not to say that other folks won’t find their home in some of these styles.
3. CardGames.io
| Customization Options | 6/10 |
| User Friendliness | 7/10 |
| Game Variety | 10/10 |
| Gameplay and Performance | 6/10 |
| Extra Features | 6/10 |
Now, cardgames.io has got the same thing going for it that Solitaire.com did – an extremely diverse variety of games, such that it expands beyond Solitaire games as well. Seriously, you’ll find Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, and other games you’ve never heard of before.
However, since it has incorporated so many games, Cardgames.io has a few shortcomings that emerge from keeping such a diverse catalogue. The main issue I had with the platform was that each game was incorporated with a rather basic design and variation – a problem that probably arose from not being able to focus particularly on each game. However, if you’re someone who loves switching between games as soon as you’re done with one of them, CardGames.io might just be the platform for you!
| Platform | Customization Options | User Friendliness | Game Variety | Gameplay and Performance | Extra Features |
| 1.TheSolitaire.com | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| 2.Solitaired.com | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| 3.CardGames.io | 6 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Closing Remarks
Hopefully, you’ll find a little more ease in navigating the booming libraries of Solitaire platforms the next time you search for a good digital Solitaire experience. Again, at the end of the day, what matters most is your own preference and which aspects you prioritize the most.
