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I am frequently asked about good games for two players, particularly good board games for couples. I have a lot of friends with young children, so a lot of board games are played as couples, as we are still waiting for our kids to get old enough to play those more “advanced” games with.
Despite having a weekly game group to attend, I still do a lot of my gaming with my wife. I love to share my excitement of gaming with her, and I am thankful to have married someone who puts up with my habits hobbies so wonderfully. While there are plenty of two-player games available, I wanted to talk about some of the ones we enjoy the most. Of course, there are countless other board games for couples that are not listed here, but you can use these as a place to start your exploration.
A two-player game (solo play available with the Lone Cowboy expansion), Circle the Wagons consists of 18 cards and a heap of gameplay. Each card has four regions/territories on one side, each with a symbol. On the back of each card is a unique scoring condition. Three cards are used for scoring, the rest for playing.
Trying to get the best possible score from the available scoring conditions is tricky, because when you select a card to put in your town/tableau, you give any you passed over to your opponent. That can be a good or a bad things, depending on the scoring conditions. Circle the Wagons is a quick one to play, easy to learn, and fits in your pocket, wallet, or other small carrying pouch.
Codenames is a popular game that can play quite a number of people. But if you want that same fix, but it’s just the two of you, Codenames: Duet is a brilliant reimplementation of the original. And it is perfect at two players (hence the name).
In Codenames: Duet, each clue card is double sided, so you’re looking at one side, trying to get your partner to guess your words, while your partner is looking at a completely different word map while trying to get you to guess theirs. Some spots will share a word between the two sides, which is always nice. But you still have to watch out for the assassin that’s shown on the other side of the card than what you’re looking at. Tricky indeed, and to win, you must, collectively, reveal 15 of the agents/words.
Oh, and by the way, it’s also timed (using time tokens, not an actual timer, so it’s not “real time”), so after a certain number of rounds, you’d better have guessed all 15 correctly or else you’re out of luck!
Gearworks plays well at two, but plays up to four as well. It scales well at two, and there is a lot of back-and-forth action going on. It’s got a slight sudoku feel to it, but in an area control type of way. It’s a unique take on the mechanic (area control) and a lot of fun to manage your hand and resources to make steampunk accessories and contraptions. It’s a fairly thinky game, but not so much as to turn people away. Definitely a great game for couples.
If there’s one game out there with absolutely painful decisions, it’s Hanamikoji. In this game, you’re trying to gain favor with the geishas (in the traditional sense). To do so, you must select a card or cards to put next to the geishas. But, you’re also giving cards to your opponent. Sometimes you’re allowed to pick which cards you keep first, but other times you have to let your opponent pick with cards they want before you’re left with the rest. There’s a good amount of overthinking your opponent’s strategy in this game, but if you don’t overthink it, then you’re certainly underthinking it. The game mechanics do tend to mess with your head after a while. I think it’s brilliant and a fantastic game for couples.
If you’d rather not play with geishas, Jixia Academy is the same game, just re-skinned. So that’s an option for you as well.
This is, perhaps, the game I refer to other couples the most. This is because it’s perfect for a quick game after the kids have (finally) gone to sleep. It’s easy to learn, too, and has enough depth that it’s not going to bore anyone, but also won’t make their head explode.
Patchwork is one of my wife’s favorite games as well. It’s a good, solid game that’s a good itch scratcher. Plus, we tend to play multiple games in a row, since we simply cannot abide the thought of the other winning.
While they say Santorini can be played with 2-4 players, to us it is strictly for two players; I think that’s where it shines. In Santorini, you both control two workers, and on your turn, you can move one space and then build a structure. You win by being the first to climb to the top of a three-story structure. Of course, those can be capped off, making it impossible for anyone to ascend to, and the game continues. Another way to win is by blocking both opposing workers so it is impossible for either to move. Do that and you win.
There are also god powers (these are, after all, Greek gods and goddesses) that give special abilities, giving you an edge (although the other player also has an edge, albeit a different one). The game is abstract, but the buildings certainly don’t hurt the look or feel of the game. What I love about Santorini is the subtly of each turn. You’re trying to build your way up without looking like an immediate threat. There’s a lot of planning ahead, but also some reactionary play when the other player messes with you.
Ah, Splendor. The tableau-building game that should honestly be a classic by now. My wife and I received this from her uncle as a wedding gift, and it is a wonderful game at two players. The first to 15 points triggers the end of the game. Points come from cards, which you get by collecting gems. Each card has a gem symbol associated with it, as well as a cost of other gems you’ll need to pay to get it. When you get a card, place it in your tableau in front of you. Those cards add their gems (kind of like its suit, if we were talking playing cards) to the gems you’ve collected, so you can build up to get more expensive cards.
It’s a relatively simple game, but the thought and planning that goes into it is deeper than one might think. It played great at two, but plays up to four as well, so you can always use it for just the two of you or with company.
If you’ve been in the hobby for a while, there’s a good chance you were expecting this one to be on here. And with good reason! This two-player deckbuilding game of intergalactic combat is nothing short of engaging. Both players start with the same ships, but then build their deck by purchasing ships from a common market area. Players attack each other using their ships’/cards’ attack values, trying to drop the other player to zero health. But, space stations and other card abilities can provide advantages, protection, and keep you going for at least another round.
Each ship is also assigned to a faction, and playing multiple ships of the same faction can produce combos which are always satisfying to see go off. Star Realms plays quickly, is easy to learn, and is so small you can pretty much take it anywhere you want. It might not look like much on the surface, but there’s a lot going on in this game that is sure to make it a favorite for a very long time.
Tides of Time is a strictly two-player game, and it is a good one. It’s a card drafting game, and each card has a different scoring condition on it. So, you’re trying to draft the best cards for what’s in your tableau currently, but you also want to deny your opponent certain cards because they’ll start adding up in points. It is a very clever game, and one we’ve taken on the train and other places, since both the box and table space required is small.
This game plays up to four, but dang if it isn’t already a classic in our home. The rolling and writing gets pretty competitive, but we generally play at least two games back to back, so I generally have another chance to redeem myself.
I especially like Twice as Clever because it gets my brain going, trying to figure out where to best use my dice and trying to create some killer combos. We’ve even laminated a few of the score sheets so we can use dry erase markers on them instead of trashing a few sheets after every game.
So the next time you want to know what some good board games for couples are, look into any of these. From there, you can explore similar games until you are so far down the rabbit hole that you’re going to need some serious intervention to get out.
Did I say that out loud? What I meant was, uh, that board games for couples aren’t so difficult to come by, and make great date nights. (It’s true.) Check out our reviews to learn about more games!
What are some other games you have thought of that are great for couples? Please share in the comments!
Great list! Getting Patchwork tomorrow and thinking about Twice as Clever – both in stock at the local games store.