These games use similar types of layout to one-player solitaire (patience) games, in which cards can be added or moved around respecting rules of what can be played on what.
A multi-player solitaire game could consist of two or more people playing one-player solitaire simultaneously, the winner being the the first whose game comes out. However, these games become more interesting if the players are allowed to play cards on each other's layouts, or are all operating the same layout.
In games such Crapette (Russian Bank) and Spite and Malice, the players take turns to play.
Other competitive patience games are played as a race in which the players play as fast as possible without waiting for turns.