About this game
Mahjong Solitaire is a tile-matching puzzle, not the 4-player tile game it borrows its name and artwork from. All 144-ish tiles are stacked into a multi-layer pyramid shape. Your job is to clear the whole board by repeatedly matching two identical tiles and removing them — but you can only touch tiles that are currently 'free'.
A tile is free when two conditions are both true: no other tile is stacked directly on top of it, and at least one of its left or right side is completely open (not touching another tile at the same level). Every deal here is built by placing pairs backward from an empty board, which guarantees a full solve exists. You still get a Hint button, three Shuffles per game to escape a jam, and a saved best time.
How to play
- Tap a free tile to select it — it gets a highlighted outline.
- Tap a second free tile with the identical face to clear both of them.
- Tapping a blocked tile, or a tile that doesn't match your selection, deselects and shows a shake.
- Use Hint to briefly glow one available matching pair when you're stuck.
- Use Shuffle (up to 3 times per game) to rearrange the remaining tiles if no matches are left.
- Clear every tile from the board to win; your time is compared against your best.
Tips & strategy
- Clear the top layers first — those single or small clusters of tiles are usually blocking pairs that sit deeper in the pyramid.
- Watch for tiles boxed in on both sides at the same layer; they can look 'stuck' even though nothing is stacked on them, and you'll need to clear a neighbor before they open up.
- When you have a choice between two identical matches, take the one that unblocks the most other tiles, not just the easiest one.
- Save Hint for genuine dead ends — the game will also tell you outright if no legal move remains.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly makes a tile 'free' or selectable?
A tile is free only if nothing is stacked on top of it in a higher layer, and at least one of its immediate left or right neighbors (on the same layer) is empty. A tile boxed in tightly on both sides, even with nothing above it, is not free.
Are these boards guaranteed to be solvable?
Yes. Each deal is generated by working backward from an empty board — repeatedly picking two currently-free positions and assigning them a matching pair — which guarantees at least one full solve path exists. It's still possible to play yourself into a dead end if you match pairs in the wrong order, which is what Shuffle is for.
What happens if I run out of moves?
The game detects a dead board automatically and offers a Shuffle (if you have one left) or a fresh New Game. Shuffles are limited to three per game so they stay a rescue option rather than a shortcut.