How to play Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire (also spelled Mahjongg or Mah-jong) is a single-player tile-matching puzzle built from a traditional set of 144 Chinese mahjong tiles, arranged here in the famous four-layer turtle layout. Your goal is simple: remove every tile from the board by matching identical pairs.
You can only select a tile that is free — meaning no tile rests on top of it and at least one of its left or right edges is exposed. Click one free tile, then click a matching free tile, and the pair disappears. Clear the whole board to win. The Pairs open counter shows how many matches are currently available, so you never have to wonder whether you are stuck.
Tips & strategy
- Always free the higher layers first — tiles stuck under the pyramid block the most.
- Clear the long bottom rows early; their end tiles open up many matches.
- When two pairs of the same tile are available, remove the pair that frees more tiles.
- Stuck? Use Hint to highlight a valid move, Undo to take back a mistake, or Shuffle to rearrange the remaining tiles.
Want the full rules, including how the flower and season tiles work? Read the complete how-to-play guide →
Frequently asked questions
Is Mahjong Solitaire free to play?
Yes. This Mahjong Solitaire game is completely free, with no download, no installation, and no signup required. Just open the page and play in your browser on desktop, tablet, or phone.
How do you play Mahjong Solitaire?
You clear the board by matching pairs of identical free tiles. A tile is 'free' when it has no tile on top of it and at least one of its left or right sides is open. Remove every tile to win.
Is every Mahjong Solitaire board solvable?
Yes. Every board on this site is generated to be guaranteed solvable, so a perfect sequence of moves always exists. If you get stuck, use the Hint, Undo, or Shuffle buttons.
What do the flower and season tiles mean?
Flower tiles match any other flower tile, and season tiles match any other season tile — they do not need to be identical. All other tiles must match exactly.