Mahjong Solitaire Online

Why play Mahjong Solitaire Online on Arcadity

• Layered tiles make free-pair scanning and route planning matter from the first move.
• Short timed layouts make the game more approachable.
• Consecutive correct pairs raise the combo score; a mismatched pair breaks the streak.

How to play Mahjong Solitaire Online

1. Click or tap one free tile, then a second free tile of the same type to remove the pair. The tiles do not have to touch.
2. A free tile has nothing covering it from above and at least one open horizontal side: left or right. A tile blocked on both sides cannot be selected, even if you can see its whole face.
3. Read the newly exposed tiles after every pair. Removing an upper tile can uncover the layer below; removing an edge tile can open a neighbor's side.
4. Keep making correct pairs until the board is empty, no matching free pair remains, or the round timer expires. Use the clock shown in your game for that round's time limit.

Which Mahjong tiles can you match?

• Both tiles must be free at the moment you select them. One free tile and one covered or side-blocked tile are not a legal pair.
• Ordinary tiles match the same tile type. Flower tiles belong to one matching group, and season tiles belong to another, so the pictures within either special group can differ. A flower does not match a season.
• Tap your selected tile again to deselect it. Choosing a different free tile that does not match switches your selection to that tile and resets the scoring combo.
• Tiles stay in their positions when a pair disappears. There is no falling, sliding, or refilling the layout.
• The current standard game has no automatic rescue shuffle. If tiles remain but there is no matching free pair, the board ends. Clearing the whole board completes the puzzle; a timeout can end an unfinished board.

Mahjong Solitaire scoring and combos

The first correct pair in a chain scores 30 points. Each next correct pair adds 10 more than the previous one: 40, 50, 60, and so on, up to 120 points per pair from the tenth pair onward.

Selecting two different tile types breaks the combo, but does not subtract points already earned. Taking time to inspect the layout does not by itself reset the combo; the round clock still matters.

Clearing every tile adds a 1,000-point clear bonus. The current standard game does not award a remaining-time bonus or an unused-shuffle bonus.

Worked example: uncover a pair, then open the sides

This small constructed teaching layout uses Arcadity's actual Mahjong board and scoring rules. The two layers are shown separately so you can see which tiles are blocked. Real matches generate their own layouts.

Matching letters represent the same tile type. Gold tiles marked o are free; gray tiles marked x are blocked. The upper-layer cells align with the lower-layer cells directly beneath them. Empty cells show removed tiles, not spaces that refill.

1. Find the only playable pair

The two D tiles on the upper layer are free. Below them, the left A and C are covered. Both B tiles are blocked by neighbors on their left and right. The right A and C are free, but their matching partners are blocked, so start with D.

2. Remove D to uncover A and C

Removing the D pair scores 30 points. The left A and C are now uncovered and each has an open left side, so both become free. The B tiles are still blocked on both sides.

3. Remove A to free the first B

Match the two A tiles for 40 more points, taking the pair score to 70. The top B now has open sides and becomes free. Its matching B in the lower row is still blocked, so the B pair must wait.

4. Remove C to expose the B pair

The C pair scores 50 more points, bringing the pair score to 120. Removing both C tiles opens the lower B. Both remaining B tiles are now free, even though they do not touch.

5. Finish the board

Match B for 60 points. The four correct pairs total 180 points, and the empty board adds the 1,000-point clear bonus: 1,180 points for this teaching layout. This illustrates why a useful pair can be the one that opens the next pair.

Mahjong Solitaire Online score strategy

• Scan for free pairs before choosing a tile. A matching picture is not enough if one partner is still covered or blocked on both sides.
• Give extra attention to pairs that uncover a lower layer or remove side blockers. They can create choices that were unavailable a move earlier.
• When several copies of a tile are available, compare what each possible pair would unlock. Taking the nearest pair is not automatically the best route.
• Protect the combo with accurate selection. A short inspection is better than a mismatch, although the round timer limits how long you can plan.
• Look for the next pair as the current one disappears. Planning ahead helps you use the clock without relying on rapid, uncertain taps.

Mahjong Solitaire Online FAQ