The humble deck of cards was the original console, a pocket-sized gateway to dozens of games and infinite possibilities. For centuries, the numerous variants of solitaire have offered a fun solo pastime, and they’re equally at home on your device.

There are plenty of options available on the App Store, and below we’ve gathered some of our favourites – from the familiar and family friendly to the unconventional and mind-scratchingly complex.

If you’re after a classic, no-frills version of the definitive solo card game, this is the one for you. Whether you know it as patience, Klondike or solitaire, sorting seven columns of cards into four ordered suits remains a brilliant and engaging way to spend your time. The game also ups the ante with special events, daily challenges and multiplayer contests.

The rules of TriPeaks are quick to learn – you can clear cards from the table if they’re one rank higher or lower than the upturned card on the discard pile – but things can get significantly trickier if you don’t get a good deal. This take on the game is powered by extra magic, from special cards that change rank with every move to a supporting cast of Disney A-listers. As you complete levels, you’re helping the likes of Snow White, Moana and Buzz Lightyear recreate classic movie moments.

The classic Spider variant of solitaire gets a fun update here, with new rules (you can stack cards down and up) that add both possibilities and complications to the gameplay. With the chance to play with one, two, three, four and even five suits in a single deal, there’s no shortage of variation. Though, as you ponder your next seemingly impossible move, you may find yourself questioning the developer’s claim that every deal is solvable…

The fate of an entire gorilla troop is dependent on how you place your cards in this quirky survival game from Arc System Works, developers of the Guilty Gear fighting series. It’s all about how you balance the gorilla population with the supply of bananas – if you don’t have enough fruit to support your growing colony, it’s game over. Success tends to depend on a mix of skill, experience and – as with all solitaire variants – a healthy dose of luck.

Traditional suits and numbers are replaced by words and pictures in this inventive spin on the game. While the layout and gameplay are right out of the standard solitaire playbook, this version involves collecting cards of the same subject (pets or famous authors, for example) under a uniting category card. It sounds simple, but when space starts to run out, strategy and forward planning become surprisingly important.

When Sir Winston Churchill was prime minister of the UK during the Second World War, he kept his mind sharp with this challenging variant of solitaire. Developed with the help of former US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld – who learnt the variant from a diplomat Churchill taught it to – the game unleashes two entire decks, 10 active card columns and the extra complication of the Devil’s Six, a sextet of additional cards waiting to come into play. Your journey through the game mirrors Churchill’s rise to wartime leader, and believe us, you’ll be grateful for hints whenever you can get them.