Today, The Strong Museum of Play announced the 2019 class of World Video Game Hall of Fame, and we’re excited to share that Microsoft Solitaire is one of the inductees. For many people, Solitaire was their introduction to computer games. Since Windows 3.0 came out in 1990, Solitaire has been a featured program on every version of Windows. Over the past 29 years, Microsoft Solitaire has been providing great entertainment to more than 500 million players in every corner of the world, making it a natural fit for the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

“Microsoft Solitaire being inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame makes this a historic day! It’s incredible to think that one of the most played video games in the world got its start in 1990 as a way for Microsoft to teach users how to use a mouse,” says Paul Jensen, Studio Manager for Microsoft Casual Games. “We are humbly honored to have the opportunity to work on a game that has such broad appeal, is localized into 65 languages, and played in over 200 markets around the world, including Antarctica.“

Based on a centuries-old card game, Microsoft Solitaire debuted in 1990 on the Windows 3.0 computing platform and became ubiquitous around the world. Since then, Microsoft Solitaire has been distributed on over a billion computers, successfully helped to teach computer users how to use a mouse and, in the process, ended up becoming one of the most played video games in history.

“The game proved that sometimes analog games can be even more popular in the digital world and demonstrated that a market existed for games that appeal to people of all types,” says Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for electronic games and interpretation. “In many ways, it helped pave the way for the growth of the casual gaming market that remains so popular today.”

We’re very excited to be joining an elite club of industry-shaping titles in the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and we want to thank everyone who helped make this happen. Finally, as a reminder, May 22 of each calendar year is officially designated as National Solitaire Day, recognizing the day Microsoft first included Microsoft Solitaire in Windows. Be sure to celebrate with us by playing Solitaire!