How to Play Pile Up Solitaire

A puzzle-style game where you organize cards into same-rank runs. Unlike most solitaires, suits don't matter—you build by rank instead.

Setup

1. The tableau has 15 piles; most are dealt 4 cards and a couple start empty
2. Every dealt card is face-up from the start—there are no face-down cards to uncover
3. Each pile can hold at most 4 cards

How to play

• Build sequences on the tableau by placing same-rank cards on top of each other (any suit)
• A single card or a run of same-rank cards can be moved together as a unit
• A pile is complete once it holds all four cards of one rank—there is no separate foundation to send it to
• Empty piles accept any single card or run

How to win

Objective: Arrange every tableau pile into a single ordered run of four same-rank cards (any suit).

You win when every card is sorted into a complete four-card, same-rank run. You're stuck when no legal moves remain.

Tips

• Plan ahead: moving cards to empty piles creates flexibility for future moves
• Focus on completing one rank at a time rather than leaving several piles half-finished
• Look for chances to consolidate matching ranks from different piles onto one pile

Play Pile Up free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Pile Up alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Pairing family:

• Shuffle — A clever pairing game based on Neptune where you remove pairs of cards one rank apart.
• The Wish — A relaxing memory game using only high cards (7 through Ace).
• Doublet Cell — A pairing game with four temporary cells (like FreeCell) to help maneuver.
• Doublets — A straightforward pairing game where you remove any two cards of the same rank, regardless of suit.
• Isabel — Remove cards in matching pairs while building in the foundations as a bonus.