How does solitaire differ from multiplayer card games?

Solitaire and multiplayer card games differ primarily in their player count, objectives, and the nature of the information available during play.

Fundamental Differences

• Player Participation: Solitaire is defined as a family of games played by a single person. In contrast, multiplayer card games are designed for two or more participants, allowing for individual play, fixed partnerships, or ad hoc partnerships.12
• Information Availability: Most multiplayer card games are characterized as games of "past imperfect information," where players only know the cards they hold and must deduce the distribution of others' cards through observation. Conversely, many solitaire games are played with all cards faceup, making them games of "perfect information" that rely on creative skill.31
• Objectives: The primary goal of most solitaire games is to arrange a shuffled deck into a specific numerical or suit-based order. Multiplayer games offer more varied outcomes, such as winning tricks, melding combinations, or shedding cards to beat opponents.14

While some competitive games are sometimes labeled as "competitive patience," they function effectively as shedding or melding games rather than traditional solitaire.14