But perhaps classic default computer games like Solitaire and Minesweeper just don't hold that special place in our hearts anymore. It does seem odd, though, to trade a slice of pizza per month to go ad free on a built-in Microsoft Windows service that is available with a free upgrade. The Microsoft Solitaire Collection game experience and Premium Upgrade features such as Double Coins for Daily Challenges, and removal of advertisements, is identical to the Windows 8 version that has been available for purchase for years.'įair enough, Microsoft.

Users can access and play everything within the game for free, including new premium features like Daily Challenges and Star Club. 'Microsoft Solitaire has been free to play for the past 25 years on Windows, and continues to be free to play on Windows 10. It's the same with games.'Ī Microsoft spokesperson provided Newsweek with the following statement:

'Seeing someone shilling a product with informal sponsored posts in my Instagram feed kind of ruins Instagram for me, but for others it's no big deal. 'The gaming industry is so closely linked with the online world and the tech industry, and these are all places where huge companies and individual creators alike are trying out new experiments in revenue every day,' said Gaming Editor Michael K.

Now that the game is back in its default app glory, the way it had been with every iteration of the Windows operating system since the '90s, why is Microsoft making users pay to remove ads from a built-in application? It was replaced by a modern version of the game available only from the Windows Store, ads included. Much to the dismay of devoted Solitaire enthusiasts, the desktop version of Solitaire, a game rooted in the nostalgia of a simpler time-when hovering over the start menu and navigating to 'Programs > Accessories > Games' brought you endless hours of free, mind-numbing comfort in a fraught world-was removed from Windows 8.1. Is Microsoft secretly verging on bankruptcy? Windows 10 charges you $10/year to make Solitaire ad-free.

Microsoft collection solitaire free