By Online Solitaire Free Editorial Team · Editorial Standards
Windows Solitaire shipped with the operating system in 1990 and has been part of Microsoft's identity ever since. Here is its full history — from intern side project to subscription-based card game collection.
In 1990, a summer intern at Microsoft named Wes Cherry built Solitaire for Windows 3.0. The official reason was practical: drag-and-drop card movement taught users how to use a mouse. Microsoft's research showed many PC users were afraid of the mouse — Solitaire made the learning curve feel like play.
Wes Cherry built Solitaire on his own time and received no royalties for it — just a mention in the credits and, later, a free meal at a Microsoft cafeteria. The card designs were provided by a colleague's girlfriend. Despite this minimal investment, the game became one of Microsoft's most iconic products.
By the late 1990s, studies estimated that Solitaire was responsible for billions of hours of lost workplace productivity annually. IT departments begged Microsoft to remove it from corporate Windows installations. The game had become so ubiquitous that it was both celebrated and dreaded by employers.
Microsoft continued expanding its solitaire lineup. FreeCell was added in Windows 3.1, and Hearts in Windows for Workgroups. By Windows XP, the suite included Solitaire, FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, and Spider Solitaire.
Windows Solitaire remains the most played computer game of all time. More humans have played it than any other game in history — video game, board game, or card game. Its legacy shaped how we think about casual gaming and introduced computing to millions who might never have picked up a keyboard otherwise.