Beleaguered Castle
Lay siege to the four towers, Ace to King —
a classic game of patience that is
fiendishly difficult to complete.
Free · plays in any browser · no download, no sign-up
⚔ Begin the Siege A single-player card puzzleAbout Beleaguered Castle
Beleaguered Castle is a free online version of the classic single-player card game of the same name. It plays in any web browser, on phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to download and no account required.
What the app does: it deals a game of Beleaguered Castle patience and lets you play it. You may optionally create an account to take part in a weekly challenge and to compare your results with friends in a private group.
How Beleaguered Castle uses your Google account: if you choose to sign in with Google, the app receives only your name, your email address and your Google account identifier. Your name is used as the display name shown on your group's leaderboard, and your email address is used to identify your account and to send group invitations or weekly results if you ask for them. We request no other access to your Google account — no contacts, no files, no calendar — and we never receive your Google password. Your email address is never shown to other players, never sold and never shared. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time from within the game. See our privacy policy for full details.
The Puzzle
The four Aces stand in the central towers. The other forty-eight cards form eight rows of six — the walls of the castle besieging them.
Your task sounds simple: send every card home to its tower, Ace to King, in suit. But only the exposed card at the end of each row will move, and the walls fall in an order you do not choose. Every castle can be won — a solver has proven it — but the way through is narrow, and one careless move can lock the walls for good. That is why seasoned players know this one to be fiendishly difficult to complete.
How It's Played
- Only the exposed card at the end of each row may be moved.
- Send it to a tower if it's the same suit and next in sequence (2♦ on A♦, then 3♦…).
- Or lay it on the end of another row, onto a card one higher — suit doesn't matter.
- Empty a row entirely and you may start it afresh with any card.
Win by completing all four towers, Ace to King, each in its own suit.
Built for the Joy of It
Ten Realms
Every game opens in a new hand-drawn scene, from a snowy lamppost to a ringed planet.
Smooth & Tactile
Tap to move or drag precisely, with fanfares for every tower you complete.
Your Chronicle
Wins, streaks, best times and fewest moves are tracked as you play.
Anywhere
Works beautifully on phone, tablet and desktop. Nothing to install.
Can It Be Won?
Yes — and every game here is guaranteed to be winnable. Only about 68% of random deals can be won even with perfect play, so we never deal a random one: every castle comes from a library that a solver has proven can be completed. If you lose, it was your move, never the deal.
That does not make it easy. Every card is face up from the start and there is no luck to hide behind, so a castle can be lost beyond saving in the first half-dozen moves without any obvious sign. That is the cruelty of it, and the appeal.
Each castle has its own number, shown at the top of the game and in the web address. Come back to it any time, or send the link to a friend and compare how you each fare on the very same castle.
If you want to win more often, we have written a full guide to the rules, the odds and the tactics that actually work:
The Weekly Challenge & Playing With Friends
Beleaguered Castle is free to play with no account at all — open it and the cards are dealt. Two optional features need you to sign in, because a result has to belong to someone:
- ⚔ The weekly challenge. Every Monday everyone receives the same deal and gets a single recorded attempt. Fastest time wins.
- 🛡️ Private groups. Create a group for your family or friends, share the code, and compare your weekly results on a leaderboard of up to 30 players.
You can sign in with an email address and password, or with your Google account. If you choose Google, we receive only your name and email address — nothing else, and never your password. Your email is never shown to other players; they see only the display name you choose, your time and your moves.
You can delete your account, and everything stored with it, at any time from within the game. Full details are in our privacy policy.
A Family Favourite
This game was set down by hand in a family rulebook — a father's favourite way to pass a quiet hour. It has been rebuilt here, faithfully, so that anyone can lay siege to the castle.
"Object: to complete all four centre piles, Ace to King, keeping to the original suit."
Who Made It
33Mega Ltd
Beleaguered Castle is developed by 33Mega Ltd, a Cardiff company building fully supported media storage on Ceph.