How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire is a one-player tile-matching game. Take free tiles off a stacked layout two at a time, matching like with like, until the table is clear. Every deal here can be solved, and a game takes 5 to 20 minutes.
Play Mahjong Solitaire freeMahjong Solitaire at a glance
- Players
- 1
- Tiles
- 72 or 144, in 42 designs
- Goal
- Match every tile in pairs and clear the layout
- Game length
- About 5–20 minutes
How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Find a free tile
A tile is free when nothing lies on it and its left or right side is open.
Match a pair
Pick two free tiles alike to take them off. Any two Blossoms match, and any two Skies.
Clear the layout
Take every tile off to win. Undo a match if you get stuck.
Complete Mahjong Solitaire rules
The layout
Tiles lie stacked in layers. Garden has 72, Pagoda and Tower 144.
Free tiles
A tile is free when no tile lies on it, even partly, and its left or right side is open.
Matching
Take off two free tiles alike. Any Blossom matches any Blossom, and any Sky any Sky.
The end
Clear every tile to win. If no two free tiles match, the round is lost unless you undo.
Tips to win at Mahjong Solitaire
- Free the tall stacks first. The tiles under them stay blocked until they go.
- When three matching tiles are free, think before you pick. Keep the pair that frees more tiles.
- Open long rows from their ends. A tile in the middle stays blocked until one side is clear.
Ways to play Mahjong Solitaire
Easy
Garden layout · 72 tiles in low stacks, for a quick round.
Medium
Pagoda layout · 144 tiles in four layers.
Hard
Tower layout · 144 tiles in tall stacks, the hardest layout.
Daily layout
One Pagoda a day with the same tiles for everyone, ranked by time.
Play by your house rules
- LevelEasyMediumHard
About Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong began as a four-player game in 19th-century China. The solitaire version, which uses the tiles for a matching puzzle, appeared on computers in the 1980s. Our Tea House set keeps the classic structure of three numbered suits, honors and bonus tiles, with original art of bamboo, teacups, lanterns and cranes.
Rules reviewed by the tavlo.gg game team · Updated October 10, 2026Questions about Mahjong Solitaire
How do I win?
Can every deal be solved?
What happens when no pairs are left?
Is there a daily game?
Is Mahjong Solitaire free to play?
Can I play Mahjong Solitaire on my phone?
- How do I win?
- Take every tile off the layout in pairs. You can only match free tiles, which have nothing on top and an open left or right side.
- Can every deal be solved?
- Yes. We deal every layout solvable, so there is always a way to clear it. A wrong pair can still leave you stuck, so undo and try another.
- What happens when no pairs are left?
- The round ends unless you undo. Undo is unlimited, so you can go back as far as you like.
- Is there a daily game?
- Yes. One Pagoda layout a day, the same for everyone, with a leaderboard for the fastest clear.
- Is Mahjong Solitaire free to play?
- Yes. Mahjong Solitaire is free in your browser, with no download and no sign-up. You can start as a guest, and your progress saves on this device.
- Can I play Mahjong Solitaire on my phone?
- Yes. Mahjong Solitaire runs in any phone or tablet browser, with touch controls and nothing to install.