Where to play Riichi mahjong online
Riichi has the best online scene of any mahjong style. The right place to play depends on whether you're learning, playing friends, or chasing rank.
The short answer
- Learning, or playing with friends: Mahjong Live. Free, in your browser, with AI opponents and full explanations of every win.
- Ranked play with a big player base: Mahjong Soul.
- The classic competitive ladder: Tenhou.
- A polished app on phone or PC: Riichi City or Mahjong Soul.
Side by side
| Mahjong Live | Mahjong Soul | Tenhou | Riichi City | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free, with paid gacha characters and cosmetics | Free, with an optional paid membership | Free to play |
| Where | Web browser | Browser, iOS, Android, Steam | Browser and mobile apps | PC (Steam), iOS, Android |
| English | Yes | Yes | Japanese only; community browser extensions translate it | Yes |
| AI opponents | Yes, any time | Check each client; built mainly around human matchmaking | ||
| Play with friends | Private tables by link | Private rooms | Supported; see each client | |
| Learning tools | Rules, yaku guide, score calculator, scoring shown after each win | Varies by client | ||
| Other styles | Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Indian and more | Riichi only | Riichi only | Riichi only |
Mahjong Live: best for learning and for friends
Mahjong Live plays WRC-based Riichi with four red fives, 30,000 starting points and full East–South matches. After each win it shows the yaku, han, fu and every payment, so you learn scoring just by playing. When you're stuck, the yaku and terms guide and the score calculator are a click away. You can practise against bots at your own pace, or open a private table and send your friends a link. Nothing to download, nothing to buy.
Mahjong Soul: best for ranked play at scale
Mahjong Soul, from Cat Food Studio and published worldwide by Yostar, is one of the most popular Riichi clients outside Japan. It has a polished ranked ladder, an anime character cast, and versions on almost every platform. The game is free; the characters and cosmetics are sold through gacha. We compare it in detail in Mahjong Live vs Mahjong Soul.
Tenhou: the benchmark ladder
Tenhou is the long-running Japanese site whose dan ranks are the standard measure of Riichi strength, for humans and AI alike. Suphx, NAGA and LuckyJ all reached 10-dan there (see our engine index). The interface is in Japanese, and English players rely on community translation extensions. Choose Tenhou if you want to prove yourself against the strongest players.
Riichi City: an app-first alternative
Riichi City is a free Riichi game for PC, iOS and Android with an English interface. Its Steam reviews are mixed, so try it before you commit.
Want an AI to review your games?
Playing is one thing; getting better is another. Engines like Mortal (open source) and NAGA (a paid service) can go through your games and show where they would have played differently. See the full engine index.
New to Riichi?
Start with our beginner's guide to Riichi, then play a few hands against the AI on Mahjong Live.
Play Riichi free
AI opponents, private tables with friends, and every yaku explained. In your browser.