Free Eight Off Solitaire Online
Eight Off is a close cousin of FreeCell with two big differences: you get eight free cells instead of four, but columns can only be built down in the same suit. Solitaire Play offers Eight Off in your browser for free, with Hint, Undo and a daily challenge, and no download or sign-up.
Official Rules & Scoring
The goal is to move all 52 cards to the four foundations, one per suit, building each up from Ace to King. Forty-eight cards are dealt face up into eight columns of six; the other four cards start in four of the eight free cells, so four cells begin empty.
- Columns: build down in the same suit, for example a 6 of hearts on a 7 of hearts. Only one card moves at a time, and only the bottom card of a column can move.
- Free cells: each of the eight cells holds one card of any kind. Park a card there to reach the one underneath, and move it back to a column or a foundation when it fits.
- Empty columns: only a King can be placed in an empty column.
- Foundations: start each suit with its Ace and add the next card of the same suit. Cards on a foundation stay there unless you undo.
- No stock, no redeal: every card is visible from the start, so the whole game is planning.
- Winning: you win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
Strategy & Tips
- Free the low cards. Aces and 2s buried under long columns decide the game; dig for them first.
- Keep free cells open. Each empty cell is a spare move. Try to keep at least two empty when you start a dig.
- Build same-suit chains on purpose. A chain such as 9-8-7 of one suit never blocks itself, and it can go to a foundation card by card.
- Be careful with empty columns. Only a King fits there, so an empty column is worth less than in FreeCell. Do not empty one unless a King is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can every Eight Off deal be won?
Almost every one, but not by rule. New games and the daily challenge only use deals that our solver has proved winnable (it found a full winning line within its search limit, and the line was replayed move by move). In our screening the solver proved 99.7% of 12,000 random deals winnable (11,958), and only those are kept. Winnable does not mean easy: finding the line yourself still takes planning.
Can I move several cards at once?
No. Eight Off moves one card at a time. The eight free cells are what make long sequences possible: park cards one by one, then move them back.
What can go in an empty column?
Only a King. This is the usual Eight Off rule, and it is stricter than FreeCell, where any card can start an empty column.
How is Eight Off different from FreeCell?
Eight Off has eight free cells (four start filled), builds columns down in suit rather than in alternating colours, and only allows Kings in empty columns. FreeCell has four cells and alternating colours.
Where are the other solitaire games?
Klondike is on the home page, and FreeCell, Spider, Pyramid, TriPeaks, Golf and Yukon have their own pages.
Want to play better? Read our Eight Off strategy guide.