Card Games for Seniors: 15 Easy Games to Play Alone or Together
Fifteen card games that are easy to learn and easy on the eyes: some for a quiet hour on your own, some for the kitchen table with friends or grandchildren. For each one: how it works, how many can play, and whether you can play it here, free, with big cards.
The games at a glance
| Game | Players | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Klondike Solitaire | 1 | The familiar classic |
| Clock Solitaire | 1 | No decisions, very relaxing |
| Golf Solitaire | 1 | Quick and simple |
| Spider Solitaire | 1 | A calm, longer game |
| FreeCell | 1 | Thinking ahead |
| Go Fish | 2–6 | Everyone knows it |
| War | 2 | No skill needed |
| Crazy Eights | 2–5 | Matching, all ages |
| Old Maid | 2–6 | Pairs and laughs |
| Concentration | 1 or more | Matching pairs, any pace |
| Kings in the Corner | 2–4 | Easy, with a little strategy |
| Gin Rummy | 2 | A relaxed classic for two |
| Rummy 500 | 2–6 | A longer rummy game |
| Cribbage | 2 | Counting, a lifelong game |
| Hearts | 4 | A sociable trick game |
Card games to play on your own
Solitaire is the card game people most often play alone, and there are dozens of kinds. These five range from no thinking at all to a proper puzzle.
1. Klondike Solitaire
The game most people simply call “Solitaire”. Deal seven columns, with the top card of each one face up. Build down in alternating colors (a red 6 on a black 7), move Aces to the foundations and build each suit up from Ace to King. When you’re stuck, turn cards from the deck one at a time, or three at a time for a harder game.
2. Clock Solitaire
The gentlest solitaire there is. The cards go into twelve piles around a clock face, one for each hour, and a thirteenth pile in the middle for the Kings. Turn a card, put it under its hour (Ace at 1 o’clock, Queen at 12), then turn the next card from that pile, and so on. There are no decisions to make, and you win about one game in thirteen, so it’s pure pleasant suspense.
3. Golf Solitaire
Seven columns of five cards, all face up. Play a card from the bottom of any column onto the pile if it’s one higher or one lower, whatever the suit. When nothing fits, turn the next card from the deck. Clear all 35 cards to win. A game takes a few minutes.
4. Spider Solitaire
Played with two decks in ten columns. Build each suit in order from King down to Ace right in the columns; a finished run leaves the table. With one suit it’s calm and usually winnable; with two or four suits it becomes a real challenge. Because there are ten columns, it’s nicer on a tablet or computer than on a phone.
5. FreeCell
All 52 cards are dealt face up into eight columns, with four “free cells” to park one card each. Nothing is hidden, so it’s a game of thinking ahead rather than luck, and almost every deal can be won.
There are many more: see our large print solitaire page for all nineteen and how to make the cards bigger on your screen.
Easy games for friends and family
6. Go Fish
Deal seven cards each (five each with four or more players). On your turn, ask another player for a rank you hold: “Do you have any sevens?” If they do, they hand over all of them and you ask again; if not, they say “Go fish” and you draw a card. Collect all four of a rank to make a book. Whoever has the most books at the end wins.
7. War
Split the deck between two players, face down. Both turn over a card at the same time, and the higher card takes both. When they tie, it’s war: each lays down cards face down and one face up, and the higher face-up card takes the lot. There are no decisions, so anyone can play.
8. Crazy Eights
Deal seven cards each for two players, five each for more. Turn one card face up. Take turns playing a card that matches it in suit or number. Eights are wild: play one at any time and choose the next suit. If you can’t play, draw. The first to run out of cards wins the hand.
9. Old Maid
Take one Queen out of the deck, so one Queen has no partner. Deal out all the cards. Everyone puts down any pairs they hold. Then take turns drawing one card, unseen, from the hand of the player on your left; if it makes a pair, put the pair down. The player left holding the lonely Queen at the end is the Old Maid. Lots of laughter, no skill needed.
10. Concentration (Memory)
Lay cards face down in rows. On your turn, turn over any two. If they match (the same number, or for an easier game the same number and color), keep them and go again; if not, turn them back. Start with just six or eight pairs and add more as it gets easy. It works with one player as well as several.
11. Kings in the Corner
Deal seven cards each to two to four players. Put the deck in the middle with four cards face up around it, one on each side. On your turn, draw a card, then play as many as you can: build down in alternating colors on the piles (a black 6 on a red 7), put any King in a corner, move a whole pile onto another when it fits, and fill an empty side with any card. The first to play all their cards wins.
Classics for a regular card afternoon
12. Gin Rummy
The relaxed classic for two. Deal ten cards each. On your turn, draw from the deck or take the top discard, then discard one. Build sets of three or four of a kind, and runs of three or more in one suit. When your leftover cards add up to 10 or less you can knock to end the hand; going out with nothing left over is gin.
Play gin rummy free Gin rummy rules
13. Rummy 500
A rummy game where melds go down on the table as you make them, and score. Deal 13 cards each for two players, seven each for three or more. You may take any card from the discard pile, together with every card on top of it, as long as you use that card straight away. First to 500 points wins.
14. Cribbage
A favorite for a lifetime. Each player gets six cards and gives two to the crib. You take turns playing cards toward a count of 31, scoring for fifteens, pairs and runs, then count your hand. Points are pegged on a board, and the first to 121 wins. The counting is the hard part; our version does it for you and explains every point.
Play cribbage free Cribbage rules
15. Hearts
For four players, thirteen cards each. You must follow suit, and the aim is to avoid taking hearts (1 point each) and the Queen of spades (13 points). When someone reaches 100, the lowest score wins. Easy to learn, and plenty to talk about.
If you belong to a card club, you can also practise Euchre, Spades and Pinochle here between club days, with the computer as your partner.
Card games for memory loss and dementia
For many people, handling cards is a habit of a lifetime, and holding, shuffling and dealing can stay familiar even when other things have become hard. That makes a deck of cards a gentle way to spend time together. The aim is to enjoy the time, not to win or to test anyone’s memory.
- Sorting. Sort a deck into red and black, or into the four suits, or put one suit in order from Ace to King. There are no rules to remember and no wrong answers.
- Matching pairs. Lay a few pairs face up and find the ones that match. Turn them face down, as in Concentration, only if that is comfortable.
- War. Turn over a card each and say which is higher. Nothing to remember from one turn to the next.
- Go Fish with open hands. Lay everyone’s cards face up on the table so nobody has to remember what was asked.
- Clock solitaire, side by side. One person turns the card, the other finds its hour on the clock face. A familiar picture, and no decisions.
- An old favorite. If someone played rummy or cribbage for years, try it. Let them lead, and quietly keep the score yourself, or don’t keep score at all.
Keep games short, play at the time of day when they are at their best, and stop while it is still enjoyable. Fewer cards help: take out the face cards, or use one suit. If a game brings frustration rather than pleasure, put it away and try again another day. A game won’t stop memory loss, but an easy half hour together is worth having for its own sake.
Tips for tired eyes and stiff hands
- Large print cards. Decks with oversized numbers in the corners are easy to find, and so are four-color decks, where diamonds and clubs have their own colors.
- A card holder. A simple stand or rack holds your hand of cards upright, so you don’t have to grip and fan them.
- A card shuffler. A small battery shuffler saves sore fingers, or let someone else shuffle and deal.
- Good light and a plain cloth. Bright, even light and a dark, plain tablecloth make white cards stand out.
- A tablet. On a screen there is nothing to hold or shuffle. Our games make the cards as large as your screen allows, you tap a card instead of dragging it, and the Menu has large print cards, high contrast and a four-color deck. Turning a phone sideways or using a tablet makes the cards bigger still; here’s how.
Games to play with grandchildren
The best games to share are the ones a child can learn in a minute. War teaches which numbers are bigger. Go Fish and Old Maid are about pairs and sets, and Crazy Eights about matching suits and numbers. Concentration is one game where young children often beat the grown-ups. Older children who like numbers can learn cribbage, which is practice in adding up to fifteen. And there is a lot to be said for teaching a game you played as a child yourself.
Why card games are good company
- A reason to get together. A regular card afternoon brings people round the table and gets them talking.
- Something to think about. Counting, remembering which cards have gone, planning a move or two ahead.
- Busy fingers. Holding, sorting and dealing keep hands moving.
- Calm on your own. A few hands of solitaire are a quiet way to pass a while, with a small win at the end.
No card game can promise to keep the mind young, and we won’t pretend otherwise. But cards are cheap, sociable and fun, and that is reason enough.
Play with big cards here
Every game on this site is free, with big, easy-to-read cards, no ads, no sign-up and nothing to download. You play against the computer, so there is always someone to play with.
- Klondike SolitaireThe classic, one card or three at a time
- Clock SolitaireNo decisions, just turn the cards
- Golf SolitaireOne higher or lower, a few minutes a game
- Spider Solitaire1, 2 or 4 suits
- FreeCellEvery card face up
- Go FishAgainst one, two or three computer players
- WarFlip and see who wins
- Crazy EightsEights are wild
- Gin RummyMelds sorted and deadwood counted for you
- Rummy 500Dig into the discard pile, first to 500
- CribbageEvery point counted and explained
- HeartsThree computer players, passing and all
Common questions
What is the easiest card game for seniors?
To play together, War and Go Fish: both can be learned in a minute. To play alone, Clock solitaire has no decisions at all, and Golf is quick and simple. If you already know solitaire, Klondike with one card at a time is the gentle classic.
What card games are good for seniors with dementia?
Simple, familiar activities with no pressure: sorting cards by color or suit, matching pairs laid face up, War, Go Fish with the cards face up on the table, or turning the cards together in Clock solitaire. Keep sessions short, skip the scoring, and let the rules bend. More ideas are above.
What card games can a senior play alone?
Solitaire, in any of its forms: Klondike, Clock, Golf, Spider and FreeCell are good places to start, and Concentration works alone too. You can play all of these solitaires here for free, with big, easy-to-read cards.
What card games are good for two older adults?
Cribbage and gin rummy were made for two, and Rummy 500 and Kings in the Corner work well with two as well. See our list of card games for two.
Are the games on this site free? Do I need to download anything?
They are free, with no ads and no account. They play in your web browser on a phone, tablet or computer, so there is nothing to install. A game you have opened once also works without an internet connection.
How can I make the cards bigger?
Turn on Large print cards in the game’s Menu, turn your phone sideways, use a tablet, or zoom in on a computer with Ctrl and + (⌘ and + on a Mac). The cards redraw to fill the space. All the ways are on our large print solitaire page.