Mahjong Solitaire can be played with many different tile arrangements, called layouts. Each layout creates a unique strategic challenge — some are wide and flat with many accessible tiles, while others are tall and layered, requiring you to carefully excavate from the top down.
Choose a layout below to start playing immediately, or read about each one to find the best match for your skill level.
Play the classic Turtle layout in Mahjong Solitaire. The original pyramid shape with 144 tiles, 5 la...
Play the Pyramid layout in Mahjong Solitaire. A triangular formation with 4 layers. Challenging shap...
Play the Dragon layout in Mahjong Solitaire. A spread dragon shape with head, body and tail. A chall...
Play the Fortress layout in Mahjong Solitaire. A castle-shaped formation with four corner towers and...
Play the Cross layout in Mahjong Solitaire. A plus-shaped formation with intersecting horizontal and...
Play the Bridge layout in Mahjong Solitaire. An arch-shaped formation with two pillars and a spannin...
If you're new to Mahjong Solitaire, start with the Turtle (Classic) layout. It's the original layout that has been the standard since 1981 and offers a well-balanced challenge with plenty of free tiles available at the start.
For a greater challenge, try the Fortress or Dragon layouts. These feature more complex tile arrangements that require deeper strategic thinking.
The Cross and Bridge layouts offer unique shapes that change how you approach the game, making them great for experienced players looking for variety.
The first Mahjong Solitaire layout was the Turtle, created by Brodie Lockard in 1981. When Activision released "Shanghai" in 1986, they described it as a "dragon-shaped pyramid." Since then, hundreds of different layouts have been invented by game designers around the world.
All layouts on free-mahjong.online use 144 tiles arranged in multiple layers. The number of layers, the spread of tiles, and the overall shape all affect how difficult the game is and which strategies work best.