Solitaire and Minesweeper Windows 10: No Annual Fee!

The Cost of "Free" Games on Windows 10

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection, included with Windows 10, presents a unique challenge to players. Continued gameplay necessitates viewing 30-second, full-screen video advertisements.

An ad-free experience is available, but it comes at a price. Users can opt for a subscription costing $1.49 monthly or $9.99 annually.

Expanding Costs Beyond Solitaire

The total expense increases for those desiring an uninterrupted experience across multiple classic games. A combined ad-free Solitaire and Minesweeper experience can reach $20 per year.

However, alternative solutions exist for players seeking to avoid these recurring costs.

The Rise of "Free-to-Play" and In-App Purchases

Microsoft has adopted the "free-to-play" model for these games. This shift means the initial download is free, but sustained use is monetized through in-app purchases.

Consequently, games that were once considered freely available have become increasingly costly to enjoy without interruptions.

This strategy explains the automatic installation of games like Candy Crush Saga on new Windows 10 PCs. It’s a clear example of Microsoft leveraging in-app purchases to generate revenue.

Essentially, players are now subjected to a system of incremental charges, or "nickel-and-diming," to maintain an uninterrupted gaming experience.

Solitaire and Minesweeper Now Utilize a "Free-to-Play" Model

Beginning with the release of Windows 8, Microsoft discontinued the inclusion of classic desktop games like Solitaire, Minesweeper, Hearts, and others. These titles were no longer bundled with the operating system. However, users could obtain the Microsoft Solitaire Collection and Microsoft Minesweeper through the Windows Store at no initial cost.

The Windows 10 operating system features the Microsoft Solitaire Collection app pre-installed. This inclusion, however, is not purely altruistic on Microsoft’s part. The game incorporates advertising, displaying both banner and full-screen video ads to generate revenue.

Users wishing to eliminate these advertisements can subscribe to the "Microsoft Solitaire Collection Premium edition" for a fee of $1.50 monthly or $10 annually. Similarly, the Microsoft Minesweeper app, available for download from the Windows Store, requires a separate subscription of $1.50 per month or $10 per year to access the "Microsoft Minesweeper Premium edition."

Beyond the potential for time consumption and exposure to advertisements within a previously free casual game, the application is linked to the "advertising ID" utilized by Windows Store applications.

This connection facilitates user tracking across various applications, enabling the creation of more detailed advertising profiles and targeted ad delivery during gameplay.

Related: No, Windows 10 Won’t Require a Subscription: Here's How Microsoft Plans on Making Money Instead

This practice represents a strategy of incremental revenue generation by Microsoft. While Windows 10 is offered as a "free upgrade" to many, it remains a commercial product.

A Windows 10 license costs upwards of $100 for those building custom PCs. Manufacturers are also required to pay Microsoft for each Windows 10 installation, and business entities often operate under expensive volume licensing agreements, not receiving the free upgrade.

This approach isn't unprecedented for Microsoft. During Windows 10’s development, the Weather app initially included advertisements, but these were removed following negative feedback from users.

The inclusion of advertisements was also present in bundled applications like Weather, News, and Sports within Windows 8.

Enjoying Solitaire and Minesweeper Without Advertisements

Instead of subscribing to an ad-free solitaire experience, consider utilizing available free solitaire games as a more economical alternative.

Retrieving the classic Windows desktop games originally found in Windows 7 is achievable, despite Microsoft’s efforts to discourage this practice. Simply transferring the original .exe files to a Windows 10 system will not function, as these games incorporate a check to verify they are running on Windows 7. To overcome this, the .exe files must be altered to eliminate the version check, or pre-modified versions – where this check has already been removed – can be downloaded.

Further Reading: The Evolution of Solitaire and Minesweeper in Windows 8 and 10

Previously, guidance was provided on modifying these games for compatibility with Windows 8, and this same methodology remains applicable to Windows 10. The WinAero blog provides a link to an archive containing modified versions of these games, which were confirmed to operate correctly in our testing.

Caution: Downloading archives from external sources carries inherent risks. Exercise vigilance regarding potentially deceptive advertisements encountered on platforms like MediaFire. These ads may attempt to mislead you into downloading unwanted, and possibly harmful, software instead of the intended file. Avoid downloading any "downloader" programs; only select the "Windows-7-Games-For-Windows-8-8.1-32-and-64-bit.zip" file.