← Back to Work
Project · Shipped

Solitaire Zero

Klondike Solitaire, for free.

Status● Live on App Store
Year2026
Platform
Next upMac · 2026
Solitaire Zero — Neon theme, mid-game with cards laid out on a dark gradient background.

00What it is

Klondike Solitaire, free, with no ads. The card engine is hand-rolled in SwiftUI rather than wrapped from UIKit, the layout adapts to iPhone and iPad, and a performance mode keeps older devices from overheating on Liquid Glass effects.

SwiftUI SwiftData iOS 26 MVVM
  • Hand-rolled SwiftUI card layout, no UIKit hosting
  • Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad
  • Performance mode for older devices
  • One-tap Start New Game
  • Liquid Glass UI with a neon theme variant
  • Free, no ads, no in-app purchases

01Why it exists

I just wanted to play solitaire one day. Every result I found on the App Store was loaded with ads. In a fit of pique, I made my own Solitaire game.

02What I figured out

Another exercise in restraint. Liquid Glass is not intended for older iOS devices, and I almost cooked an iPhone 12 Pro in exploring the framework with Solitaire Zero. I ended up pulling back on most of it AND introducing a performance mode for older devices.

This was good practice in reminding myself that I'm the user in this case. What do I want out of the app? I want to play solitaire with no ads, like it's the Windows 95 days. I want the app to not crash or cook my device.

Solitaire is meant to relax the brain, not cause a cortisol spike.

03What's next

iOS v1 is live. Mac is up next.

View on App Store