Microsoft Solitaire Collection Now Joins Many Other Solitaire Games On iOS and Android

By Precious Gem de Peralta
The Microsoft Solitaire
The classic Window game Microsoft Solitaire was replaced by the Microsoft Solitaire Collection upon the release of Windows 8. Microsoft has announced that the Solitaire Collection is now available to download for free on iOS and Android. Lasse Havelund via Flickr

Non-Windows 10 device users can now download the Microsoft Solitaire Collection for free. The tech company has finally publicly made it available for those who are using iOS and Android. It's an addition to an already significant number of Solitaire game apps on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Though Microsoft likes to claim that it's the "world's number one Solitaire game".

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection is composed of the classics Microsoft Solitaire, FreeCell and Spider, all of which were staple games of the previous Windows OS versions. The collection also includes other Solitaire card games Pyramid and Tri Peaks. This will be the first time that the Solitaire Collection becomes accessible on the two widely used mobile operating systems. According to The Verge, Microsoft "hopes to gain more players" to its game. Apparently, there are 119 million people who have already played the Solitaire Collection on both Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Since it's unlike its predecessors, the Solitaire Collection has an Xbox Live integration. That means players can sign in and play with their friends. It also directly communicates with Microsoft's servers. You will be able to get daily challenges and track or earn achievements. Android and iOS device users should not worry about leaving their game. Their progress and data will be saved in the cloud.

Though this is free to download, a Premium Edition is also being offered. It will cost you $1.99 per month. The perks include double coin rewards for daily challenges and game boosts. Most importantly, you will get rid of those pesky ads that free apps normally have.

If you are interested, you can go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download the 166MB Microsoft Solitaire Collection app for free. It should be noted that the system requirement for Android devices is the 4.4 and up version of the mobile OS. A device with a lower version of Android will not be able to support it. For iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users, iOS 8.0 up to iOS 10 is required.

The Solitaire Collection has in-app links for other Windows staple games, the Microsoft Mahjong and Microsoft Minesweeper among other Microsoft games. The tech company's Klondlike Solitaire game classic debuted in Windows 3.0 back in 1990. Free Cell was part of Windows 95. Spider Solitaire was released a bit later when it was included in Windows 98's Microsoft Plus! Package. They were all replaced by the Microsoft Solitaire Collection in 2012 upon the release of Windows 8.

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