Single player games have long been a staple part of the gaming industry, providing endless hours of fun for millions of people across the world.
They cover many different genres including puzzle, strategy, card games and more, and tap into the human desire to be competitive.
Beating a personal best score or solving a difficult puzzle in the fastest time are amongst a plethora of challenges presented by single player games. Read on as we revisit some classic 1-player titles.
Solitaire
Solitaire is generally associated with cards, but there are also versions that can be played with dominoes, layout tiles, pegs or stones.
The most famous card variant is Klondike Solitaire, which was popularised by Microsoft Solitaire in a digital format on the Windows operating system from 1990 onwards.
Websites such as https://playsolitaire.io/ now offer players easy access to this iconic game on computers, laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
The goal of this game is to sort a deck of cards by value into four separate piles, each consisting of one suit of cards. It sounds simple, but can be hugely frustrating!
Sudoku
Classic Sudoku requires players to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contain all of the digits from 1-9.
At the start of a game some numbers will be pre-filled. If you play on an easier level, more numbers will be pre-populated at the outset.
However, as you progress up the difficulty scale you will be provided with less numbers to begin with, making it tougher the pass the level.
Sudoku is a fabulous brain-training game and studies have shown that playing it regularly can improve memory, particularly for older people.
Microsoft Minesweeper
Initially released as part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack 1 in 1990, Microsoft Minesweeper was first included in the standard install of Windows 3.1 in 1992.
It remained largely unchanged until Windows Vista was launched, and has since been revamped for the 21st century to be available on Microsoft Store.
The goal of the game is to uncover all the squares on a grid that do not contain mines without being blown up by clicking on a square with a mine underneath.
The ‘expert’ level of the game of Microsoft Minesweeper is particularly challenging, while a ‘custom’ level borders on the impossible.
Doom
First launched in 1993, Doom is one of the most popular browser games of all-time and continues to be played by millions of people across the world.
It is a science fiction horror-themed first-person shooter where a solitary marine is tasked with defeating demons on Mars’ moons.
The basic objective in each level of the game is to reach the exit, but dozens of enemies need to be killed before the player progresses.
Doom features a large weapon arsenal including pistols, shotguns, rifles and rocket launchers. If you like shooting at things in a virtual environment, this is the game for you.
Tetris
One the biggest success stories the early era of gaming, Tetris has become one of the best-selling video game franchises of all-time.
The game required players to complete lines by moving differently shaped pieces which descend onto the playing field.
Players are awarded points as the lines disappear and the player can continue to fill the vacated spaces. The game is over when the playing field is filled.
Delaying this outcome for as long as possible is they key to success on Tetris – easier said than done on a game that is firmly established as a single player classic.
