List of games included with Windows

Microsoft planned to include games when developing Windows 1.0 in 1983–1984. Pre-release versions of Windows 1.0 initially included another game, Puzzle, but it was scrapped in favor of Reversi, based on the board game of the same name.^[1] Reversi was included in Windows versions up to Windows 3.1. Solitaire was developed in 1988 by the intern Wes Cherry.^[2][3] The card deck was designed by Susan Kare, who was known for her icon designs for the original Macintosh.^[4]

Microsoft intended Solitaire to "soothe people intimidated by the operating system," and at a time when many users were still unfamiliar with graphical user interfaces, the game helped introduce them to using a mouse, including the drag-and-drop technique required to move cards.^[5] According to Microsoft telemetry, Solitaire was among the three most-used Windows programs and FreeCell was seventh, ahead of productivity-based applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel.^[6][6] Lost business productivity from employees playing Solitaire became a common concern because the game was included in Windows by default.^[7]

FreeCell was introduced as a bundled game in Windows NT 3.1. The game was available for Windows 3.1 because it was included in Win32s installations to verify that the 32-bit thunking layer had been installed correctly.^[8]

The Microsoft Hearts Network was included with Windows for Workgroups 3.1 as a showcase for NetDDE technology, allowing multiple players to play simultaneously across a computer network.^[9] This technology led to the inclusion of several online multiplayer titles under the Internet brand in Windows Me, XP, and 7, alongside other online multiplayer titles.^[10] Support for Internet games for Windows Me and XP ended on July 31, 2019, and for Windows 7 on January 22, 2020.^[10] 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet is a version of the "Space Cadet" pinball table from the 1995 video game Full Tilt! Pinball.^[11]

In Minesweeper for Windows Vista and 7, the game includes an alternate "Flower Garden" style alongside the default "Minesweeper" style.^[12] This was due to controversy over the game's original land mine theme, which was considered potentially insensitive; the "Flower Garden" style was used as the default theme in "sensitive areas".^[13]

Several third-party games, such as Candy Crush Saga and Disney Magic Kingdoms, have been included as advertisements in the Start menu in Windows 10 and may also be installed automatically by the operating system.^[14][15] Windows 11 includes the Xbox app, which allows users to access the PC Game Pass video game subscription service.^[16][17] Additionally, versions of the Microsoft Edge browser from 2020 onward, bundled with Windows 10 and 11, include the Surf game.^[18]

• Microsoft Entertainment Pack
• List of Microsoft Windows components