Best Card Games for Adults in 2024

If you're looking for a new game to play with some of your spare time, alone or with friends, here are the best card games for adults in 2024.

Whether you've got a spare deck of cards, or are looking to play online, these Solitaire-style games are sure to be a hit.

Top card games for adults

Here are some of the best single-player (and a multiplayer addition!) card games that you can set up and play yourself with a maximum of just two standard decks of 52 playing cards.

Klondike Solitaire

What is it: The most played variation of Solitaire in the world. Arrange your tableau using your stockpile wisely to fill 4 foundational stacks.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: 7 columns in the tableau to start, each column progressively larger from 1-7 cards held each. The remaining cards not used in your tableau will become your stockpile, and your aim is to fill four foundation slots according to their suit.

The aim of the game: Fill each of the 4 foundations with cards from your tableau and arrange them in descending order according to their suit. Aces low, kings high.

Always winnable: Not always -- games are a combination of luck and optimal decision-making.

Who's it best for: Solitaire players of all skill levels and interests. Klondike is often considered the best Solitaire game to learn first as it cleanly introduces all of the main mechanics of the Solitaire genre.

Spider Solitaire

What is it: Spider Solitaire is a two-deck variation of Solitaire with 8 foundations.

How many cards: Two 52-card playing decks. 104 cards in total.

Set up: 10 columns in the tableau to start. The first 4 columns on the left-hand side of the tableau should contain 6 cards in total. 1 face-up, and 5 face-down. The next 6 columns should contain 5 cards in total. 1 face-up, and 4 face-down. The remaining cards become your stockpile.

The aim of the game: Unlike in Klondike, cards don't need to be stacked in an alternating color format. To win Spider Solitaire, you must turn your 10 tableau columns into 8 foundations, in descending order and each column sorted by its suit.

Always winnable: Doable, but difficult.

Who's it best for: Players who want an incredibly difficult variation of their favorite card game.

Spades

What is it: Spades is a multi-player "trick-taking" card game. Spades always trump other suits.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: Take your 52 cards and deal them equally to every player until none are remaining.

The aim of the game: In trick-taking games, all players are dealt an equal hand of cards and must win a certain number of rounds, or "tricks" by playing the highest-value card of the same suit from their hand.

Always winnable: Someone always wins! It's a competitive multiplayer game.

Who's it best for: Groups of friends who want to play a competitive card game together only using a standard deck of playing cards.

Scorpion Solitaire

What is it: Scorpion Solitaire is a unique variation of Solitaire where you can freely move cards in any order.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: Four tableau columns are filled with 7 cards on the left-hand side. 3 of the cards in each face-up, and the next 4 face-down. 3 foundational columns are also formed with the random leftovers of cards, all face-up. Save 3 cards to create the stockpile, which can be drawn from at any time.

The aim of the game: Sort every card from your tableau into the foundations in descending numerical order. The suit is not important to win the game. When the tableau is completely cleared and the foundation is completely organized, you've won!

Always winnable: Yes! You can freely arrange cards across your board and don't need to worry about stacking in sequence, making this an almost always winnable game.

Who's it best for: Players looking for a more complex variation of Solitaire focused on card arrangement.

The Idiot

What is it: The Idiot is a brutally difficult, highly randomized Solitaire variation. Aces-high.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: Place 4 cards face-up into a tableau, the entire rest of the deck goes into the stockpile. To remove cards from your tableau or stockpile, throw them into a waste pile if they are lower than another card of the same suit.

The aim of the game: Completely clear the tableau and stockpile of cards until only each ace remains.

Always winnable: Quite rare to win.

Who's it best for: Players who wish for an exceedingly difficult Solitaire with a very simple setup.

Pyramid

What is it: Pyramid is a unique and fun variation of Solitaire with a little bit of math.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: Arrange 28 cards face-up in a pyramid, with 7 cards making up the bottom and a single card at the top.

The aim of the game: Remove every card from the pyramid to win the game. To do this, combine cards from the pyramid with each other or with cards from the remaining stockpile so their value equals 13. Only then can they both be removed.

Always winnable: Yes.

Who's it best for: Players looking for a little math in their Solitaire.

Wasp Solitaire

What is it: Wasp Solitaire is a similar variation to Scorpion Solitaire, with a few notable rules differences.

How many cards: 52-card playing deck.

Set up: 4 tableau columns are filled with 7 cards on the left-hand side. 3 of the cards in each face-up, and the next 4 face-down. 3 foundational columns are also formed with the random leftovers of cards, all cards face-up. Leave 3 cards left over to make up the only cards to be stored in your stockpile.

The aim of the game: Sort every card from your tableau into the foundations in descending numerical order, importantly also according to their suit. Clear the tableau and complete the foundation to win!

Always winnable: Yes, though it is a difficult win to achieve with the strict victory conditions.

Who's it best for: Fans of Scorpion Solitaire who are looking for an extended challenge.

Napoleon at St Helena

What is it: Popularly mythicized as the game Napoleon played in his exile at St. Helen, this game is somewhat of a blend between Spider Solitaire and Klondike.

How many cards: Two 52-card playing decks. 104 cards in total.

Set up: Create 10 equal columns in your tableau of 4 cards a piece. Every card in your tableau starts face up. You can only stack cards by suit in descending order in your tableau, or ascending order in 8 foundation piles.

The aim of the game: Create 8 ascending foundation piles, arranged by suit, to win the game!

Always winnable: Yes, but very difficult to win.

Who's it best for: Solitaire players who want a little bit of history with their daily game.

Clock (Sundial)

What is it: A clock-shaped variation of Solitaire

How many cards: 52-card playing deck, no jesters.

Set up: Using the shape of a 12-hour clock as a guide, create a dial formation of 12 piles with 4 cards each, all face-down. Place a 13th column, 4 cards as well, in the very center of the "clock". Only the top card of the 13th column should be face-up.

The aim of the game: Using the face-up card of the 13th column, place it according to its number corresponding with the position of the hours on a 12-hour clock. For instance, an 8 would go to the 8 o'clock position. Then, take the top card of that pile you just added to and place it in its corresponding pile, and so on. If you can make each of the 13 piles four-of-a-kind before the center pile is filled with all four kings, you win.

Always winnable: Very difficult and entirely luck-based.

Who's it best for: Players who want to play a very aesthetically pleasing -- if incredibly difficult -- variation of Solitaire.

Ready to start playing?

There you have it: nine of the best card games for adults to spice up your gameplay, alone or with friends.

You can skip the setup and play many of these fun Solitaire variations with us at 247 Solitaire. With dozens of quality-of-life features and variations to play, there's no better place to put your card skills to the test!

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.