THIS FAQ IS ONLY ABOUT TRUE MAH-JONGG GAMES. FOR A LIST OF SITES WHERE YOU CAN FIND TILE-MATCHING GAMES, see FAQ 12.

• American mah-jongg (NMJL)
• Chinese Official mah-jongg (aka "MCR" for Majiang Competition Rules)
• Japanese riichi-dora majan
• Internet (Online) Games
• Windows (Offline) Games
• Apple (Offline) Games
• Games for Smartphones / Mobile
• Games for Unix
• Other MJ apps

• MahjongTime is playable against A.I. bots or live people. There's a browser-playable version (not CPU- or OS-dependent) and a downloadable standalone app. MahjongTime also supports several other variants of mahjong. Tournaments and events, too.
• MyJongg.net launched in 2016. It's playable against live opponents as well as computerized AI. It's free as of this writing.
• Real Mah Jongg Online launched in 2017. Subscription cost: $6/month or $60/year. There's a two-week trial. (Thanks to Sheila W for the tip.)
• I Love Mahj launched in December 2020. $6/month or $60/year, 2-week free trial.
• MahjongFriendsOnline supports numerous variants, including Riichi, MCR (Chinese Official), American, Zung Jung, Singapore, Filipino, Taiwanese, SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules), Hong Kong, Wright Patterson, BMJA (British), Chinese Classical and many others. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play.
• Mahjong4Friends is free. You can play with friends and/or automated bots. Single player mode with 3 bots can be played offline too. Supports Chinese / Hong Kong variants as well as American (NMJL and Marvelous). It's available through a web browser and also from the App Store and Google Play.
• Mahjongo now supports American mah-jongg.
• American Mahjong Practice is a learning tool you can use on your Apple device. From Eight Bam LLC. (Search on the App Store app.)
• Mah Jongg Passer uses your mobile phone or tablet to talk you through tile passing. Speeds game play and avoids confusion resulting from ‘losing track of your place' in the tile passing sequence. It can be found in your mobile App Store by searching for Mah Jongg Passer or visiting: MahJonggPasser.com.
• Mahjpedia, on the Google Play and App Store, offers fun facts, strategy, rules, and more, at your fingertips. 3-day free trial. Tutorial video at https://youtu.be/vCsTRa8_3tk. From mahjcon.com.
• Shanghai Second Dynasty and Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials are no longer playable online, since Activision no longer supports the online servers. Not only that, but the CDs have been discontinued by Activision. Maybe you can find used copies on eBay. Don't ask me where to get one, and don't ask me for technical support.

• www.mahjongtime.com - Playable online only - also supports other variants. Play for free or compete in multi-player tournaments.
• http://www.4windsmj.com/ - Supports numerous mah-jongg variants.
• PlayMahjong.io is a university project by some college students to popularize Competition Mahjong in the west. (Thanks to Daniel Tong, one of the site's creators)
• Another portal where you can play MCR (and DMCR - duplicate competition rules) and SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules) - is MahjongSoft. Some big tournaments were already run there, including the first Online Europe Duplicate MCR Championship in November 2020. (Thanks to Petr Maniakhin)
• MahjongFriendsOnline supports numerous variants, including Riichi, MCR (Chinese Official), American, Zung Jung, Singapore, Filipino, Taiwanese, SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules), Hong Kong, Wright Patterson, BMJA (British), Chinese Classical and many others. In Beta testing as of mid-March 2021.
• Not exactly a game, but worthwhile. You can try your hand at scoring MCR hands at http://www.mahjong-o-matic.com.
• You can download an MCR (Mahjong Competition Rules, AKA Chinese Official) calculator at http://www.mahjongcalculation.com/GB/mcr_scoringsheet_gb.htm .
• Another MCR calculator is available from "ithinc," who writes that it is "without GUI, i.e, you have to input your hand by a text string in a Command Prompt Window. If interested in it, you can mail me to request one." His email address is ithincu at gmail dot com.

• www.mahjongtime.com - Playable against A.I. bots or live people. Runs in the browser (not CPU- or OS-dependent). Mahjong Time hosts Japanese games and tournaments in European Riichi, Ari-Ari, Sanma, and Washizu Mahjong rules. MahjongTime also supports other variants of mahjong.
• Ron2.jp Japanese rules, Japanese language. One of the top "reach" ("riichi") sites. And of course, make sure you've read FAQ 25 and understand the furiten and iihan shibari rules so you don't frustrate yourself. English language instructions are available at reachmahjong.com.
• Tenhou.net Japanese rules, Japanese language. Another top site for playing online versus other human players.
  Additionally, there are at least two sites that explain how to use Tenhou to play:
  - https://saki.wikia.com/wiki/Tenhou_game_instructions
  - http://arcturus.su/wiki/Tenhou.net
• MahjongFriendsOnline supports numerous variants, including Riichi, MCR (Chinese Official), American, Zung Jung, Singapore, Filipino, Taiwanese, SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules), Hong Kong, Wright Patterson, BMJA (British), Chinese Classical and many others. In Beta testing as of mid-March 2021.
• Mahjongo now supports Riichi mah-jongg.
  
• Web-Jong
  
• Jan-Revo
• Mahjong Soul features anime-style characters.
• Japanese riichi/dora majan for Android: http://sourceforge.jp/projects/andjong/devel/. (Also found this info on the ReachMahjong.com forum)

INTERNET - ONLINE PLAY (these should all work on any device capable of playing internet games)

• www.MahjongTime.com - - Playable online only - supports several variants (including American).
• MahjongFriendsOnline supports numerous variants, including Riichi, MCR (Chinese Official), American, Zung Jung, Singapore, Filipino, Taiwanese, SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules), Hong Kong, Wright Patterson, BMJA (British), Chinese Classical and many others. In Beta testing as of mid-March 2021.
• Mahjong4Friends is free. You can play with friends and/or automated bots. Single player mode with 3 bots can be played offline too. Supports Chinese / Hong Kong variants as well as American (NMJL and Marvelous). It's available through a web browser and also from the App Store and Google Play.
• Mahjongo supports Chinese, Sichuan, Riichi, and American mah-jongg.
• FlipMahjong is Filipino style mahjong. Rules and playable browser game at http://delasalaspost.com/FlipMahjong.html. Thanks to Joe Smith for the link.
  
• Julian Bradfield's "XMJ" (Chinese Classical) can be downloaded from http://www.stevens-bradfield.com/MahJong/.
  
• Four Winds has an online feature, but it's not easy to make it work. Andrew Feist wrote a blog post about how to make 4Winds multiplayer work. Check on tabstopva.blogspot.com and look for it.
  
• http://www.ourgame.com/game/game-intro/mj.html (OurGame.com, Chinese-language site with many online players)
  
• MJOnline.com is a Chinese-language online game in Taiwan. http://www.mjonline.com.tw. Taiwanese-style mah-jongg (win on 17 tiles rather than 14).
• At http://www.singaporemahjong.com/ you can find a single-player online Java version of Singapore mahjong that is quite playable.
• http://www.dragonkong.com was announced on the rec.games.mahjong newsgroup on November 19, 2009. "nubias" says you can play Japanese, MCR, and CC there.
• MahjongSoft supports MCR and DMCR (duplicate competition rules) and SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules). (Thanks to Petr Maniakhin, 2021)

• Shanghai Dynasty, Shanghai Second Dynasty, and Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials are out of print and all sold out. Maybe you can get a used copy on eBay. There are no known servers supporting these games' multiplayer features anymore.
  
• Four Winds (Lagarto & Armadillo Graphics) is available at http://www.4windsmj.com.
  
• Mah Jong (Mimosil) http://www.mimosil.com. £12.50 (British Pounds)
  
• Julian Bradfield's game "The Ultimate MahJong" is downloadable at: http://www.stevens-bradfield.com/MahJong/ (Chinese Classical - Millington rules)
  
• http://boardgamecentral.com/mahjongg/software.html (both mah-jongg AND tile-matching software listed)
• British-style mahjong in Java: http://www.mythosware.co.uk.
• http://www.mahjonghelper.com (scoring program for MCR, European, HKOS, and riichi/dora for Android, iOS, and Windows10)

APPLE (MacOS) (For online internet games, see the "Internet - Online" section).

• British-style mahjong in Java: http://www.mythosware.co.uk.
  
• Shanghai Dynasty, Shanghai Second Dynasty, and Shanghai Mah-Jongg Essentials have been discontinued by Activision in North America and are fully sold out everywhere. The xplosiv.net version of Shanghai Second Dynasty, made to be published in Europe, did not support Macintosh. It's probable that the Australian version also did not support Mac. You might be able to find a used copy of the US release (which supported both Mac and PC) on eBay.
• For more mah-jongg software for Apple computers, see http://www.dipching.com/mahjongg.html .

SMARTPHONES & HANDHELD DEVICES

• Mahjong Time:
  Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.nws.mt.mobile&hl=en
  iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mahjong-time-multiplayer/id527623731?mt=8
• MahjongFriendsOnline supports numerous variants, including Riichi, MCR (Chinese Official), American, Zung Jung, Singapore, Filipino, Taiwanese, SBR (Sichuan Bloody Rules), Hong Kong, Wright Patterson, BMJA (British), Chinese Classical and many others. Available from the Apple Store and Google Play.
• Mahjong4Friends is free. You can play with friends and/or automated bots. Single player mode with 3 bots can be played offline too. Supports Chinese / Hong Kong variants as well as American (NMJL and Marvelous). It's available through a web browser and also from the App Store and Google Play.
• Play American mah-jongg and want a card learning app for your Apple device? Check out American Mahjong Practice 2018 from Eight Bam LLC.
• Play American mah-jongg and always get lost in the Charleston? "The Mah Jongg Groove" is available in the iTunes App Store.
• Play American Mah-Jongg with a bettor and want to keep track of which player was bet on? "Mahj Bettor" is also available in the iTunes App Store.
• Play American Mah-Jongg with a variety of table rooms and want to keep track of which rules you are using? "Mah Jongg Mojo" is also available in the iTunes App Store.
• Kemono Mahjong:
  Website: http://www.kemonomahjong.com
  Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kemonomahjong.app
  iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kemono-mahjong/id1207602683?ls=1&mt=8
• Japanese riichi/dora majan for iPhone: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=321109246&mt=8 (Thanks to Tina, who shared the link on the ReachMahjong.com forum)
• Japanese riichi/dora majan for mobile: mahjongsoul.yo-star.com (Thanks to Ola S, who shared the link on the Mah-Jongg Q&A Bulletin Board in December 2019)
• Japanese riichi/dora majan for Android phones: search the store for "R Mahjong". Playable vs. robots or real people. iOS version not yet available at the time of this writing (Jan. 31, 2020).
• Japanese riichi/dora majan for Android: http://sourceforge.jp/projects/andjong/devel/. (Also found this info on the ReachMahjong.com forum)
  
• iPhone and MacOS: http://www.tomtomlabs.ch.
• The makers of FOUR WINDS, one of the very best mah-jongg computer games, have a version for PocketPC. http://www.4windsmj.com/
• Jo Vandeweghe hosts a list of true mahjong software for iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) at http://www.dipching.com/iOSmj.html.
• http://www.mahjonghelper.com (scoring program for MCR, European, HKOS, and riichi/dora for Android, iOS, and Windows10)
• Reader Joe Smith reported on July 12, 2018, that Filipino Mahjong is now available for iOS devices.

UNIX

Julian Bradfield's game: http://www.stevens-bradfield.com/MahJong/

OTHER MAH-JONGG DOWNLOADS

• http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~mn8y-kt/font/font.html -- a mah-jongg font from Japan. I Americanized it, and you can download it from http://sloperama.com/downlode/mahjongg/ (the filename is "FONTMahJonggTS2.zip"). You can Google "how do I install a font" for your operating system. This font is what I use for my mah-jongg writing.
• There is another mah-jongg font called 'Canton Mah Jong Fonts' - Google it! My old link is now dead.
• Free mah-jongg tile graphics can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong_tiles. (Thanks to Lana looky.lou.)

If I missed any Mah-Jongg games that are available for play, download, or purchase at websites, let me know and I'll add them to the list.

Archive-name: mjfaq05.htm
Newsgroups: rec.games.mahjong, fj.rec.games.mahjong, japan.videogames.datsui-mahjong
Posting-frequency: n/a (it's on the web; only FAQ 0 is posted weekly on the newsgroups)
Last-modified: Cinco de Mayo, 2002
Version: 2.24

The other FAQ articles are located at: http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq.html.

Update log:

January 18, 1999 (added info on WebTV and modified last 3 paragraphs)
Feb. 3, 1999 (added CoolHot PlayZone Online Mahjong in Java section)
Feb. 9, 1999 (added Acer's 13th Asian Games)
Feb. 26, 1999 (added clarification re WebTV, Acer's online game, and Taiwan URL)
Feb. 28, 1999 (changed URL for Alan Ng's IMS server site)
Mar. 4, 1999 (added Access Girls' Internet Mahjong)
Mar. 18, 1999 (added MJ99)
Mar. 19, 1999 (added Palm Pilot)
Mar. 22, 1999 (tested all links, moved 2 to inactive section at bottom; deleted Unix section as redundant with Java section)
May 6, 1999 (updated the Coolhot link)
May 12, 1999 (added "The Real Mah Jong" for DOS)
July 8, 1999 (moved the Arcanium game to the inactive sites list)
July 14, 1999 (added Chinitsu Mania)
October 8, 1999 (moved Arcanium back to the active list -- it's working again)
October 9, 1999 (added mah-jongg non-playable software sites)
November 3, 1999 (added Ed Pijl's new online-playable MJ site)
November 20, 1999 (added Shanghai: Second Dynasty and Shanghai: Mah-Jongg Essentials)
December 28, 1999 (updated the WebTV section and some Shanghai URLs)
January 5, 2000 (changed the IMS Singapore server URL)
February 28, 2000 (updated the Touzai URL, thanks to Martin Rep)
March 30, 2000 (updated Matti Larborn's URL, thanks to Martin Rep, and added NMJL game)
March 30, 2000 (added Pon-Jong site thanks to Martin, and modified the WebTV section slightly)
April 20, 2000 (moved Alan Ng's IMS site to the inactive list)
April 27, 2000 (added several new sites; Chinese-language "Mahjong Master" (not to be confused with tile-matching game of the same name) [Windows]; an alternate site for Netmaj (or possibly another site using the same name) [Java]; and Tenny Woo's "HK Majong" (not to be confused with Nine Dragons' "Hong Kong Mahjong") [Java, Palm]
June 12, 2000 (moved Contest of Taiwan Ma Jong to the inactive websites list)
July 8, 2000 (added Chinagames.net site)
July 10, 2000 (added e-gameNet.com site)
July 16, 2000 (added the cell phone (WAP) game)
September 29, 2000 (changed FAQ URL from activision.com to thegameguru.net)
October 18, 2000 -- corrected the FAQs' URL to match actual direct URL.
November 11, 2000 -- added Games Domain's online mahjong sites
November 23, 2000 -- updated the e-gameNet.com URL (English-language page)
December 8, 2000 -- changed FAQ url to sloperama.com
December 31, 2000 -- added E. DeTocqueville's French-language Java game; added reference to FAQ 12 (tile-matching games)
January 22, 2001 -- added Julian Bradfield's Unix game (also works on Windows)
February 8, 2001 -- added Zoogi site
February 13, 2001 -- added Mahking site
February 13, 2001 -- added mjclub.com (Mahjong Network China) thanks to Karl Hung!
February 16, 2001 -- added Sina Games site
March 1, 2001 -- added demo download site for Berrie Bloem's game
March 6, 2001 -- added German-language Palm scoring program thanks to Orwell!
March 6, 2001 -- added email 2P mah-jongg thanks to mudbugs2000!
March 10, 2001 -- added Psion software thanks to Gareth J. M. Saunders!
May 3, 2001 -- added giganet online game thanks to yamazaki kaname (kaname@sammaniax.com)
May 15, 2001 -- moved Netmaj sites to the inactive list (they don't seem to function anymore)
May 18, 2001 -- moved the Shanghai sites to the inactive list (ditto)
June 20, 2001 -- updated the Access Girls download URL (thanks to Kevin Gowen)
June 20, 2001 -- added carriage returns (some lines ran offscreen to the right)
June 25, 2001 -- added Free Mah Jong Games Online site (thanks to Martin Rep) -- abbr: FMJGO
June 29, 2001 -- added University of Maryland's Project Glue site, and added a note to the FMJGO listing
June 30, 2001 -- Naoki told me I'd not deleted all Shanghai sites and informed me that there was still some Shanghai information available at Activision's site; so added that clarification.
July 23, 2001 -- updated the location of Harrison Leong's Palm "Pocket Mahjong" site
July 25, 2001 -- added hangame.co.jp (mah-jongg and hanafuda)
July 25, 2001 -- deleted "Free Mah Jong Games Online" site (there don't appear to actually be any mah-jongg games there)
August 3, 2001 -- fixed a broken URL (mahjong-nl.com changed to mahjongnews.com quite some time ago). Thanks to Russell Johnson of Activision for the tip!
August 3, 2001 -- edited the info about Activision's Shanghai pages
August 13, 2001 -- added Fatchoising Mahjong Club and MahJong Luck
October 3, 2001 -- added a couple more sites
October 14, 2001 -- added a couple more
October 23, 2001 -- minor change to the Mindertech entry (thanks to Gareth Saunders)
October 28, 2001 -- deleted Activision's pages about Shanghai (they are now gone)
November 23, 2001 -- updated the WebTV section
December 11, 2001 -- added a link
December 11, 2001 -- converted FAQ to HTML format
March 5, 2002 -- further edited the info about Activision's Shanghai games
March 23, 2002 -- added Majong Academy 1.00
April 7, 2002 -- deleted and fixed several broken links (including Arcanium, Access Girls, and a few others); deleted inactive sites list (thanks to Martin Rep)
April 16, 2002 -- updated the info about the NMJL game, and duplicated it in the Internet section since the game is played online after downloading (Windows only)
Cinco de Mayo, 2002 -- changed Flipside to iWin (thanks to Marvin)
June 14, 2002 -- henceforth, all updates are logged at http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/log.html