Games Included With Windows Vista (2024)

All versions of Windows Vista come preloaded with free games. Some of the games are updated versions of classics (like chess), while others are completely original. If you no longer have Vista installed, you can still play all of these games on the web, and some are even included with Windows 10.

Information in this article applies to all versions of Windows Vista including the Home and Enterprise editions.

Which Games Come With Windows Vista?

The games available depend on which version of Vista you're running:

Vista Home Basic and Starter editions includeFreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Purble Place, Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire.
Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions includethe games listed above as well as Chess Titans, InkBall, and Mahjong Titans.

To find your games, open the Start Menu and select All Programs > Games > Games Explorer.

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Mahjong Titans

Mahjong Titans is a form of solitaire that is played with tiles instead of cards. The object of this game is for a player to remove all tiles from the board by finding matching pairs.

To remove tiles, they must be "free", meaning they can slide free of the pile without bumping into other tiles. The class and number (or letter) of the tiles must be the same. In addition to the three main classes, there are unique tiles on the board (Winds, Flowers, Dragons, and Seasons) that must be matched.

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Purble Place

Purble Place is a set of three educational games for children: Purble Pairs, Comfy Cakes, and Purble Shop. These games teach colors, shapes, and pattern recognition in entertaining and challenging ways.

Purble Pairs is a memory game where the goal is to remove all the tiles from the board by finding matching pairs. Comfy Cakes challenges players to replicate cake decoration patterns, and Purble Shop is a logic game similar to Guess Who.

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InkBall

The object of InkBall is to sink all colored balls into the matching colored holes. The game ends when a ball enters the hole of a different color, or the game timer runs out. Players draw ink strokes to stop balls from entering the wrong holes and pointing them in the right direction. Gray balls can enter any color hole, and a gray hole can accept any color ball, but no points are awarded.

When a ball bounces off an ink stroke, a wall, or another ball, it does so at the same angle that it struck. An ink stroke will disappear when a ball hits it. If you raise the level of difficulty, ball speed will increase, and there will be more balls, holes, and more complex boards.

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Chess Titans

Chess Titans is a complex strategy game. Winning requires planning moves ahead, watching your opponent, and making changes to your strategy as the game progresses. The object is to put your opponent's king in checkmate. The more of your opponent’s pieces you capture, the more vulnerable that king becomes. Playing Chess Titans is an excellent way to learn the game of chess as you can undo your previous moves when in a pinch.

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Solitaire

Solitaire is the classic seven-column card game you play by yourself. The object of the game is to organize all cards by suit in sequential order (from Ace to King) in the upper-right corner on the screen. You accomplish this by shuffling cards between alternating columns of red and black cards. Drag one card on top of another to make your move.

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Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is a two-deck solitaire game. The object of Spider Solitaire is to remove all cards from the ten stacks at the top of the window in the fewest number of moves. To remove cards, transfer the cards from one column to another until you line up a suit of cards in order from King to Ace. When you line up a complete suit, those cards are removed.

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FreeCell

FreeCell is another solitaire-type card game that has been a staple of Windows operating systems. To win, the player must move all cards to the four home cells. Each home cell holds a suit of cards in ascending order, beginning with the Ace. Since cards are dealt face up at the start of the game, FreeCell is easier than traditional solitaire for beginners.

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Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a game of memory, reasoning, and luck. The object is to reveal the entire game board while avoiding concealed mines. As the player turns over blank squares, clues are given regarding the proximity of nearby mines. If a player clicks on a mine, the game is over. Since your first move is always a blind guess, that means the game can end as soon as it begins

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Hearts

In the Windows Vista version of Hearts, one player challenges three other virtual players simulated by the computer. To win the game, the player must get rid of all their cards while avoiding points. Points are scored whenever you draw a heart card or the queen of spades. As soon as one player has more than 100 points, the player with the lowest score wins.

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Games Included With Windows Vista (2024)

Which Games Come With Windows Vista?

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