You can play Solitaire on Windows 10. But you'll have to pay to avoid the ads.

There are few computer games that have stolen more time than computer Solitaire, which has been a Microsoft staple since Windows 3.0. Short, simple, accessible, and addictive, it was the perfect time-waster — to say nothing of that triumphant moment when you win and all the cards start bouncing down the screen.

Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 10, brings Solitaire back in all its glory. But there's a catch: If you're not willing to tolerate obnoxious ads, you'll need to pay for it.

The latest version of Solitaire — which comes with every copy of Windows 10 — has full-screen video advertisements built into the game. If you want to get rid of them, Microsoft offers two subscription payment options: $1.50 for a month, or $10 for a year. Subscribers will also get "more coins for competing Daily Challenges," because nothing says "Solitaire" like going head-to-head with a bunch of your friends.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Microsoft actually introduced the ad-supported Solitaire as a downloadable app in 2013 — but this is the first ad-supported version that actually comes bundled with the operating system, so users who are excited to rediscover the old classic are in for an unpleasant surprise. (Or, you know, they could just pull out an actual deck of cards.)