The Solitaire in Windows Since 1990: It's Klondike (Specifically, "Microsoft Solitaire")

The solitaire game included with Windows since Windows 3.0 (1990) is Klondike Solitaire — specifically the Draw-3, Vegas scoring variant branded as Microsoft Solitaire.

🎴 Key Details of the Windows Version

• Variant: Klondike (most common "Solitaire")
• Draw Mode: Draw 3 (default). Draw 1 added as option in Win 95/98
• Scoring: Vegas ($52 buy-in, $5 per card to foundation) or Standard (points for moves)
• Deck: Standard 52-card. No jokers
• Graphics: Original: 16-color VGA. XP: 32-bit cards. Win 7+: Vector rescaling, themes, animations
• Features Added Over Time: Undo (Win 95), Statistics, Timed Game, Custom Backgrounds/Decks (Win 7), Xbox Live Integration (Win 8/10/11 — achievements, cloud sync, daily challenges)

📜 History

• 1989: Wes Cherry (intern) writes it for Windows 3.0. No royalties
• 1990: Ships with Windows 3.0. Purpose: teach mouse drag-and-drop
• 1995–2009: In every Windows (95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7)
• 2012 (Win 8): Rewritten as Microsoft Solitaire Collection (Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, TriPeaks). Ad-supported (removable via Premium)
• 2024: Still in Windows 11 (Microsoft Solitaire Collection app). 100M+ monthly players

🃏 Other Windows Card Games

• FreeCell: Added Win 95. All cards visible. 99.999% solvable
• Spider Solitaire: Added Win 98/ME. 2 decks, 10 columns. Harder
• Hearts / Minesweeper / Pinball: Not solitaire, but same era

So: If someone says "Windows Solitaire," they mean Klondike Draw-3. The one that taught a generation to drag-and-drop.