Play German Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)
Skip the foundations and sort all 104 cards into ascending runs across eight piles yourself, where King wraps to Ace and you get only one pass through the stock.
German Solitaire is a two-deck patience with an unusual twist: there are no foundations at all. Instead of shipping cards off the table, you win by arranging all 104 cards into ascending sequences directly on the eight tableau piles. Suits never matter, and a sequence may wrap around, so an Ace can be played on a King and the run keeps climbing.
Eight cards are dealt to start, and the rest wait in the stock. You flip them to the waste one at a time, and there is only a single pass — every card you leave stranded in the waste is a card that can never be sorted, so the game punishes careless flipping more than most.
The game is difficult, and only a small share of deals can be brought home. Expect skill, not luck, to carry you through these two decks.
Bavarian Solitaire, which spreads the same two decks across ten piles instead of eight, is a solitaire game that is comparable to this one.
From here, the classic Solitaire is the natural next stop.
If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.
Enjoy playing!
How to play German Solitaire
Layout:
8 tableau piles: Build up regardless of suit, wrapping from King to Ace. Only the top card of each pile may be moved, and any card may fill an empty space. Each pile is dealt one card at the start of the game.
Stock: Click to flip over cards one at a time to the waste. There are no redeals.
Waste: The top card is playable.
Tableau:
Eight tableau piles, each dealt a single face-up card.
A card from the waste or another tableau pile can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank higher than the pile's current top card, with suits ignored, so the only cards that fit on an 8 of spades are the eight 9s. Sequences wrap, so an Ace can be played on a King.
Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card are free to be played onto any other tableau pile.
Any card can fill an empty spot in the tableau.
Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.
There are no foundation piles. You win once the stock and waste are empty and every tableau pile runs in ascending order from bottom to top.
Stock and waste:
There is one waste pile and the remaining cards make up the stock.
When you click on the stock, one card from the stock is dealt to the waste. You only get to go through the stock once.
The top card of the waste can be played to any tableau pile.
