Free card games online: classics, partners and party decks

A deck of cards is the most portable game there is, and it works just as well in a browser. You do not need four people at a kitchen table any more: every card game here has computer players at Easy, Normal and Hard to fill the empty seats, and real people can join from an invite link. This guide sorts our card games by family, so you can find the kind you grew up with and a few you have never tried.

How playing works

• Against the computer: open any game and start. No sign-up needed, and computer players take every other seat.
• With friends: tap Create a Game and send the invite link or code. Empty seats can still go to computer players, so three friends can play a four-player game. Playing with other people needs a free player.
• Keyboard or touch: tricks land one card at a time, and every hand can be played from the keyboard, the mouse or a tap.
• House rules: many games let the host set the rules and the target score before the deal.

Trick-taking games

Lead a card, everyone follows suit, the highest card takes the trick. Simple to learn, endlessly deep, and the backbone of card nights for generations.

• 
  Spades4 players
• 
  Hearts3-6 players
• 
  Euchre4 players
• 
  Bridge4 players

• Spades: partners across the table bid their tricks and make them. Spades are trump, and bags come back to bite.
• Hearts: pass three, duck every heart and dodge the queen, or take them all and shoot the moon. Three to six players.
• Euchre: twenty-four cards, two bowers and a partner across the table. Fast and loud.
• Bridge: contract bridge with a partner. Bid the contract, play the dummy, make your tricks.
• Oh Hell and Pinochle: bid exactly how many tricks you will take, or meld and play for the counters.

Rummy games

Rummy games are about collecting: sets of the same rank, runs in the same suit, and a race to get rid of the rest.

• 
  Gin Rummy2 players
• 
  Rummy 5002-6 players
• 
  Canasta4 players

• Gin Rummy: the classic two-player game. Draw, discard, meld and knock; go gin and dodge the undercut. First to 100 takes the match.
• Rummy 500: dig deep into the discard pile, lay off on anyone's melds, and race to 500 points.
• Canasta: partners build melds of seven, fight over the pile, and freeze it with a wild card.
• Ten Phases: complete ten phases of sets and runs in order, with skips and wilds.

Quick family games

Easy to explain, quick to play, and good with a mixed table of ages:

• 
  Crazy Eights2-6 players
• 
  Go Fish2-6 players
• 
  Old Maid2-6 players
• 
  President3-7 players

• Crazy Eights: match the suit or the rank, and play an eight to change suits.
• Go Fish: ask for cards, fish from the pond, and lay down the most sets of four.
• Old Maid: pair off your cards and do not get stuck with the odd one out.
• President: beat the last play or pass; finish first to be President, and finish last to pay up next round.
• Haymaker: match color or number and dump your hand first, with skips, reverses and draw-fours.
• Durak: attack, defend, and do not be the last one holding cards.

Solitaire and solo card games

No table needed. Solitaire has three classic solitaires in one with a winnable Daily Deal, and there are six more, from TriPeaks to FreeCell. Spit is a no-turns speed race against the computer, and High Hand is a card roguelite with a new Daily Run every day. For the full list and tips, see Free online solitaire: which one to play and how to win.

Modern party card games

New designs, quick rounds, and lots of table talk. These shine with a group of friends:

• 
  Boom Deck2-5 players
• 
  Twin Flash2-8 players
• 
  Deck Dash2-6 players
• 
  Lowdown2-8 players

• Boom Deck: draw until someone draws the bomb. Defuse it, dodge it or pass it along.
• Twin Flash: any two cards share exactly one symbol. Spot it first, in several quick modes.
• Deck Dash: racing solitaire for two to six; everyone plays at once onto shared piles.
• Lowdown: flip and swap number cards in your grid of twelve, clear matching columns and finish lowest.
• Lucky Seven: flip cards, bank before you bust and chase seven different numbers.

Two-player card games

• Gin Rummy and Cribbage: the great two-player classics. Fifteen-two, fifteen-four, and peg your way to 121.
• Bazaar: two merchants, one market. Take goods, sell before the coins run low, best of three.
• Secret Note: sixteen cards and one note to deliver; deduce, bluff and knock the others out. Two to six.

More two-player ideas are in The best 2-player games to play online.

Which card game should I play?

• Four people who like to talk: Spades or Euchre, with partners across the table.
• Two people with half an hour: Cribbage or Gin Rummy.
• A mixed group with kids or new players: Crazy Eights or Go Fish.
• A loud group of friends: Boom Deck or President.
• Just you and a few minutes: Solitaire or TriPeaks.
• You want a real challenge: Bridge, against the computer until you are ready for people.

Tips for new players

• Learn against the computer at Easy. It is the fastest way to learn a game's rhythm without anyone waiting on you.
• Read How to play from the menu before the first hand. Every game has one.
• In partnership games, watch your partner's leads. What they play first usually tells you what they want back.
• In rummy games, watch the discard pile. What your opponent picks up tells you what they are collecting.

New to one of the classics? Step-by-step rules: spades, euchre, hearts, gin rummy, cribbage, crazy eights, Texas hold'em and blackjack.

Every card game on the site is on one page at card games online. If you like card games, there is a good chance you will like the board games too; see Free board games online, with no download.