Whether you’ve ever been a curious child poking around an older family member’s computer, or you’ve been sitting at work, looking to waste some time until the clock tells you to go home, a lot of us have had the good fortune to stumble upon the free games that always get bundled in along with whatever version of Windows we have. In fact, many of us have become downright fond of them, which might make you crave playing some of those classic faves on your Android phone, as well. Here, we’re going to look at a couple of those faves, and how you can enjoy them on the small screen, too.
Solitaire
The traditional fave, also known as Patience, Solitaire is a card game for one, hence the name, where a deck of cards is distributed across seven rows, with half the deck shuffled and face down. You use the rows to build up straights, from Ace all the way up to King, of alternating colours, but the real aim of the game is to complete a straight in every suit in the four suit spaces. There are plenty of web and app versions of Solitaire you can easily access on the phone, most of them entirely free.
Solitaire variations
Love the concept of Solitaire but find that the loop is getting a little repetitive. Or perhaps you want some additional difficulty to go along with the mix? Games based on Solitaire, such as Spider Solitaire, and Freecell, put certain spins on the rules, such as how Freecell starts with the entire deck laid out, and you have to puzzle out how to fill up the suit spaces from there. If you beat the game, there’s always the challenge of beating your own time record, after.
Minesweeper
Any who has spent any amount of time with this game can understand the mixture of frustration and relief when you’re five or ten minutes into a game, you click one wrong square, and it flashes red with that black mine in the middle. There are plenty of Minesweeper games available on Android, both in app form and on websites, the majority of them being entirely free to play, with some featuring score saving and difficulty modifiers.
Pinball
It’s not a game that was featured on every form of Windows, but Microsoft 3D Pinball, also known as Space Cadet, is an instant nostalgia machine for some. Originally a part of the Full Tilt! Pinball collection, released by Maxis was released for free to Windows owners, there is no port of this exact game available to Android owners, but there are some games that are very similar to it. What’s more, there are plenty of free pinball games available on Android, so you don’t have to limit yourself to just this classic.
Some final thoughts…
Many of the old Windows free games are such beloved classics, that it should be no surprise they’ve made the jump to smartphones, too. The examples above are just a few places to start. These nostalgic games bring back fond memories for many people. Their simple and addictive gameplay makes them easy to pick up and play in short bursts – perfect for killing time on your smartphone.
More importantly, they remind us of easier times when we could lose ourselves in a round of Minesweeper or Freecell without worrying about emails and deadlines. By bringing these classics over to Android, we can tap into those feelings of childhood joy and innocence. In our busy modern lives, having that quick nostalgia fix in your pocket can provide a little escape and mental relief when you need it most.
So if you find yourself bored during your commute or waiting in line, why not load up one of these classics? They may be basic by today's standards, but their enduring popularity proves their true quality. And you may just find that a high score or new personal best helps make your day a little brighter.
