Nov 25, 2018 Game night for couples can be a fun way to reconnect and have some time with each other, without having to stress out about making big plans. Choose some games, set the mood, and make it your own. Looking for the best card games for couples that you and your partner can try during date nights? While a feel-good movie is still an exciting way to bond, there are other things that you and your partner can do to spend time together and strengthen your relationship. And one of those is card games! There are many different kinds of card games, and some of our favorites for couples are those. Looking for the best card games for couples that you and your partner can try during date nights? While a feel-good movie is still an exciting way to bond, there are other things that you and your partner can do to spend time together and strengthen your relationship. And one of those is card games! There are many different kinds of card games, and some of our favorites for couples are those. Keep reading for a comprehensive list of two-person card games that will have you entertained all night long. Build a Tower of Cards Although there are no real rules, it can be super fun to attempt to build a house of cards.
If you and your bae follow the same dull routine day in and day out, here is a word of caution: it can kill all the romance in your relationship, especially your feelings for each other. With time, you may even feel that you are living with a roommate and not a romantic partner. The key to spicing up your love and getting rid of the monotony is to play some fun romantic games every few days. You can choose to play any of these couple games that we have collected for you and watch your relationship transform.
Here are the top 21 fun and romantic couple games that you both should definitely try out and add some spark to your relationship.
21 Games For Couples
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1. The Picture Game
It is not that bad to make your own rules while playing a romantic game. Take a small cubical box and paste pictures on all sides. You can choose what the pictures can be – but the naughtier, the better.
Take turns to throw the box like a dice. Your boo has to do what the image displays. When he throws it, you need to do what the picture displays. You can use pictures that show a kiss, cuddling, biting an ear, etc.
2. Romantic Scrabble
Scrabble is a game everyone has played at least once in their lives. But, have you ever tried to play this in a romantic manner? You can play romantic scrabble and make up rules, such as you can only use a sexy or romantic word to play.
You can also add variety to this game by choosing a category like Strip scrabble or Kiss scrabble. On scoring a particular number of points, your SO has to kiss you – or remove a piece of clothing. It is a must-play couple game that is sure to heat things up.
3. Drinking Roulette
To play this, you need some drinks – preferably wine – and two glasses. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be alcohol. If you guys don’t drink, just get a soft drink of your choice. In the game, one of you will ask a question, and the other one will have to answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
If the answer is a ‘yes,’ the person who is being asked the question will have to take a sip. If the answer is a ‘no,’ no one has to take a sip. If you guys are in a bar, you can have flaming tequila shots to play this drinking game. But if you are at home or in a restaurant, you can simply have a sip of whatever is available – even coke. The main objective is to have lots of fun, so you can customize the game according to what you guys like and make it more enjoyable.
4. Sink The Ship
Sink the ship is a popular fun game for couples. In this game, you need to pour your drink in a shot glass that is floating in liquid in a bigger glass. The objective is not to allow the shot glass to sink.
However, you have to personalize it a bit to play it in a romantic way. Ask your bae to play the game, and whoever is losing has to do what their significant other asks them to do. Use your imagination to make the game wilder. Include naughty punishments whenever you can.
5. Never Have I Ever
This game is easy to play and involves a lot of fun. If you both are at home on the weekend or a holiday, this is the perfect game to play. Get a piece of paper or cardboard and write ‘Never’ on one side and ‘I Have’ on the other. That’s it – you are all set!
Start asking questions to your partner. For eg., if you say “I have been arrested for a traffic violation,” you and your partner will show your placards at the same time. If it doesn’t apply to you, show the side that says ‘Never.’ But if it does apply to you, show the side that states ‘I Have.’ This way, you and your boo will get to know each other even better. In fact, you can also play this game with other couples. Check out this article for more ideas.
6. Truth Or Dare
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Truth or dare never gets old. It can easily be turned into one of the best fun games for couples to play at home. Don’t have a bunch of friends around to play it with? No problem! Just go ahead and play it with your baby boo. You can ask funny or personal questions if they choose ‘Truth,’ and turn the heat up if they select Dare. Here are a few truth or dare questions you can ask.
7. Romantic Scavenger Hunt
Remember playing Treasure Hunt? Why not play it in a romantic way and personalize it to be one of the best fun games for couples? Design a hunt and leave some cute notes to guide your significant other towards the amazing treat you have planned in advance for them. The gift can be anything from a watch they had been pining for to a romantic candlelight dinner – or you!
8. Pretzel Challenge
When was the last time you and your SO spent some time in the kitchen? If you don’t even recall the time you guys cooked together, the time has come to drag your bae over to the kitchen and enjoy cooking up something like pretzels. You can even compete against each other.
To make the game more exciting, you can even set a time limit. Find out who the faster or better cook is when it comes to the kitchen. However, if you are anything like us and would rather eat pretzels than make them, you can convert this game into an eating challenge game.
9. Deal Or No Deal
You can play Deal or No Deal, and take it to a whole new romantic level. A small change can turn this normal game into one of the most exciting fun games for partners. Put a fat envelope of cash along with a romantic wish of yours in front of your partner and let them choose.
10. Origami Games
For couples who are creative, making origami can be an amazing pastime. Doing fun and creative things together can add more spice to your relationship.
You don’t even need to be an origami expert to pull something like this off. Search for videos on YouTube and choose the ones you want to create with your partner. All you will need is a bundle of colorful papers. You can make this into a fun game by competing against each other or making it a timed challenge.
11. Romantic Tic Tac Toe
Never thought that tic tac toe could be a part of couple games? You can make this game a lot more romantic by personalizing it. Take sheets of paper, make cards out of them, and describe intimate actions on them. Take another sheet, draw boxes, and describe a few activities, such as a kiss, cuddle, etc.
When both of you have chosen your spot, you both have to complete the action described and then play the next turn. Whoever wins a complete round can ask their SO to do anything!
12. Staring Contest
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A staring contest may seem like one of those boring old school games – but it’s not! You will soon realize that it is not that easy to play once you actually start playing the game. If you have been together for a long time, you should definitely try playing this game. Stop and think for a moment – when was the last time you actually looked into your bae’s eyes with pure love?
If you ask your boo directly to have a staring contest, they probably won’t be up for it. Do this – simply fix your eyes on their eyes. Don’t say anything. Feel the moment together. Focus on looking at their eyes with love. Try it – you will thank us later.
13. Two Truths And A Lie
This is a great game to play if you just got into a new relationship. You can use this game as an opportunity to learn more about one another. To play this game, you and your partner will have to take turns telling one false thing and two true things about yourselves. The other one has to guess which of the statements is the lie.
14. I Spy
There are many different ways to play ‘I Spy.’ You and your partner can cozy up and try to find things in an I Spy book, or hop into the car and drive out somewhere. It can be anywhere from a park to a mall. Take turns in giving one another clues of what you observe. It is an awesome game to play when you both are going on a road trip together.
15. Ding Dong Ditch
This version of the Ding Dong Ditch game is much more fun than the kind that little children play. Yes, you will be ringing doorbells and then running off before anyone answers the door, but you will leave behind a treat to surprise people.
This is an especially fun game for you and your significant other to play during Christmas or Halloween. You can leave things like a tin of cookies or a basket of treats. Add a cute message and spread the joy among your neighbors.
16. Charades
Charades are usually played by forming teams. However, it is definitely possible for two people to play charades. When it just you and your boyfriend playing, you can put up clues that are personal to just you two. Ideas for the clues include favorite movies, inside jokes, phrases that you both use a lot, and common interests. You can also try playing charades with other couples.
17. Card Games
While there are common card games like slapjack, blackjack, war, and strip poker, there are also games that are played using a set of cards that are not strictly traditional. Here is a list of fun card games that you can play with your partner during a date night – Monopoly Deal, Five, Set, Crowns, and Uno.
18. Roleplay
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Roleplay is a super flirty game that you can play in public as well as in private. Look up characters that you and your significant other both like and then pretend to be those characters. They can be characters in real life like celebrities or actors or even characters in books or TV (or even anime!).
To make it more fun, you can try and dress up like the character that you are trying to be. Try to behave like that character as well, and use mannerisms that they have and phrases that they say. This is a great way to spice up your sex life as well.
19. Board Games
Here is a list of two people player games that you can play with your partner on a date night: Yahtzee, Mancala, Clue, Ticket to Ride, Stratego, Hive, Scrabble, Flash, Castles of Burgundy, Carcassonne, Trivial Pursuit, Life, Checkers, Backgammon, Rivals for Catan, Bananagrams, Lost Cities, Forbidden Island, Dragonwood, Sushi Go!, Onitama, Morels, Battleship, Rummikub, Farkle, Qwirkle, Pandemic, Jenga, Battleship, Uno, Connect 4, Guillotine, Battle Line, Machi Koro, Libertalia, Monopoly, Forbidden Island, Scattergories, Last Word, Codenames Duet, Blokus, Boggle, Dominion, and Exploding Kittens. These are just of the most popular board games that were out there.
20. Video Games
Video games are mostly played alone but can be even more fun when played with your partner. Here is a list of games you can play with your bae: Portal, Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, Cuphead, Warcraft, Super Smash Bros, Borderlands, Diablo, World or Overwatch, Snipperclips, Rock Band, Halo, Bomberman, Love in a Dangerous Space Time, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Minecraft, Mario Kart, Overcooked, Lego games, Little Big Planet, Guacamelee, Secret of Mana, and Mario Party.
21. This Or That
This is a fun game and awesome for getting to know your partner. It is an amazing game to play, especially early in the relationship – you will get to know so many new things about your significant other. Those in long-term relationships can ask more complicated questions. Here are examples of questions you can ask:
- Beach or mountains?
- Showers or baths?
- Pizza or burgers?
- Wine or beer?
- Ice cream or cake?
- TV or books?
- Cats or dogs?
- Chocolate or vanilla?
- Indoors or outdoors?
- Fancy restaurant or fast food?
Check out this article for more ‘this or that’ questions.
Playing games is a fun way to spend some quality time alone with your partner. These are a great and easy way to bond with each other. In fact, you may even learn something new about your significant other along the way. Being able to laugh along with your bae is a gift that can strengthen your relationship even further. These awesome games for couples can help you do just that. Don’t forget to have lots of fun while playing, lovebirds!
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It’s a bizarre time for couples right now: Being confined in close quarters with the same person can take its toll on even the strongest bonds. But a recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family suggests engaging in recreational activity with your partner can be just the olive branch worth extending when you need some stress relief. The study found that while participating in an art class raised the highest levels of oxytocin — known as the “love hormone” — playing board games as a couple yielded a similar effect. (This is great news for those of us who struggle with even a simple stick figure).
Lincoln Damerst, the director of media at BoardGameGeek, and his wife Nikki Pontius, a project director, are one example of the therapeutic effects of playing board games as a couple. They both host the live online GameNight! series through BoardGameGeek’s YouTube channel to introduce folks to new board games in a relaxed setting, and they use their GameNight! Date Night! offshoot to spotlight two-player games as well as those suitable for two players.
“For us, playing games is a chance for your brain to check out from what’s happening with our daily lives,” said Damerst. “Some are light and some are deep. Some require you to look at your solution versus your opponent and others require you to work together to find the solution.” To optimize your gameplay experience, Pontius suggests getting comfortable — but not too comfortable. “I actually prefer to play at a table with a chair. I have never been happy after choosing to sit on the couch and play on a coffee table,” she said. Listening to music mid-game also allows her and her gaming partners to keep the conversation flowing, too. “After all, gaming is a social event even in this time where we can’t play in person. Thank goodness for video calls,” Pontius added.
Damerst noted that not all board games are for everyone — and, in fact, board games in general aren’t for everyone — but if you’re looking to mix up your isolation routine this winter (given the cold outside or the coronavirus outside), he and Pontius recommend checking out the following popular games that have gotten the two of them through quarantine, along with a note on how long each game may take and how BGG users have weighed it (if you’re new to BGG’s weighting scale — here’s what to know).
Best board games for couples
1. Odin’s Ravens
- Players: 2 | Ages: 10+ | BGG Weight: 1.68/5 | Playtime: 30 minutes
“The stand-out favorite two-player game for Lincoln and me is Odin’s Ravens,” Pontius said. It’s a racing game: Both players race their ravens across different landscapes in order to “survey” the land and report back to Odin. You’re able to advance your raven toward the end of the flight path by matching the land type to the cards in your own deck, or hinder your opponent’s movement. Once you reach the end of your flight path, you win, scoring points equal to the distance separating both ravens. “It’s a very clean, straightforward race game with some cards each player has to affect the flight path,” said Pontius.
Odin's Ravens
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- Odin's Ravens $24.00 at Bookshop
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2. Watergate
- Players: 2 | Ages: 12+ | BGG Weight: 2.26/5 | Playtime: 30-60 minutes
Whether you’re a history buff or simply thrive on stiff competition, Watergate is a great game night bet for anyone — both Pontius and Damerst enjoy playing it together for its strong tug-of-war mechanism. One player plays as the Nixon administration and the other player functions as The Washington Post. While the Nixon administration tries to conceal evidence to stay in office until the end of the term, The Post tries to uncover at least two pieces of evidence to connect the political scandal back to Nixon. Pontius appreciates that the cards are full of real quotes and witnesses from the 1970’s scandal.
Watergate
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- Watergate $29.38 at Amazon
- Watergate $34.99 at Barnes and Noble
3. Similo
- Players: 2-8 | Ages: 8+ | BGG Weight: 1.06/5 | Playtime: 10-15 minutes
In the same vein as Taboo or Codenames, one player provides clues hinting at their character card from an array of 12 characters without saying anything concrete — only whether the target is like or unlike the other character cards. Damerst notes this is a particularly great game to play via Skype or Zoom, making it perfect for long-distance relationships and friendships. There are currently three different themed decks available: Fables, History and Myths.
Similo History Card Game
© Walmart Similo History Card Game (Walmart / Walmart)- Similo History Card Game $10.95 at Walmart
- Similo History Card Game $9.99 at Amazon
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4. Targi
- Players: 2 | Ages: 12+ | BGG Weight: 2.35/5 | Playtime: 60 minutes
In this card game, you’re playing as part of a nomadic Tuareg tribe establishing trade routes. You do so with cards that you arrange on a game board operating as a tableau, which changes as you remove tribal cards to gain resources or to put into your display. Damerst said placing cards in your display is “really challenging and fun,” and the game is “relatively simple to learn and really deep with tough choices.”
Card Games For Couples Amazon
Targi
- Targi $19.95 at Amazon
- Targi $25.01 at Walmart
- Targi $19.95 at ebay
5. Ticket to Ride
- Players: 2-5 | Ages: 12+ | BGG Weight: 1.8/5 | Playtime: 30-60 minutes
“Ticket to Ride has to be mentioned. I love the game and it’s a great game to teach new board game players,” said Pontius. Start by collecting cards of matching color and playing the number of cards represented by the train cars between the two cities you want to connect in the color displayed on the game board. Place your trains on the board to complete your secret routes, collect points as you connect cities and add up completed tickets at the end of the game. If you manage to have the longest train route at the end of the game, you get points for that as well. “This game has many spin-offs, all of them really good, but if you’re new to the game or the hobby I would start with the original,” she said. If you’re looking for some of those spin-offs, highly-rated options include Ticket to Ride: Amsterdam, Ticket to Ride: Asia, Ticket to Ride: Europe, Ticket to Ride: Japan, Ticket to Ride: New York, Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries and Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom.
Ticket To Ride
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- Ticket To Ride $43.99 at Target
- Ticket To Ride $40.47 at Walmart
6. Splendor
- Players: 2-4 | Ages: 10+ | BGG Weight: 1.80/5 | Playtime: 30 minutes
Pontius described this game as great for new board game players, too, because it’s a stripped-down engine-builder game, meaning it requires players to create some sort of revenue-generating machine that allows them to advance to the next milestone or level. Collect precious gems in the form of poker chips to buy cards that generate more gems. These gems help you qualify for better cards that give you points (and gems) until you can afford the best gems. These gems will help you attract rich customers, which can help you win the game. “If you run the other way when someone takes out a heavy game and tells you it’s an engine builder, try Splendor as a way to learn or improve your engine-builder skills,” she said.
Splendor
- Splendor $46.99 at Macy's
- Splendor $40.49 at Target
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7. Azul: Summer Pavilion
- Players: 2-4 | Ages: 8+ | BGG Weight: 1.99/5 | Playtime: 30-45 minutes
There are two prior games in the Azul collection, but Summer Pavilion is Pontius’ favorite. It involves collecting tiles around a central open space to arrange sets on your player board. When a player drafts, they can choose to take all of the tiles of the same color from one of the nine piles or the center collection. “It sounds simple enough, but it’s the drafting mechanism that sets the game apart,” she explained, adding that if you’re not drafting from the center collection, it’s best to move the remaining tiles from that pile into the center. “This can cause some dilemmas as you may be adding to a collection of matching colors that are already in the center, setting up a pretty sweet move for the next player,” she said. If you’re interested in the previous titles, they’re the original Azul and Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra. The latest in the collection, Azul: Crystal Mosaic, launched in 2020.
Azul Summer Pavilion
© Amazon Azul Summer Pavilion (Amazon / Amazon)- Azul Summer Pavilion $39.99 at Amazon
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8. Alhambra
Card Games For Couples Target
- Players: 2-6 | Ages: 8+ | BGG Weight: 2.11/5 | Playtime: 45-60 minutes
Start with a single fountain tile and acquire buildings to build around it in order to expand your own Alhambra. There are three scoring phases represented on three cards that are shuffled into the money cards — one in the top half of the deck, one in the middle of the deck, and one at the bottom half of the deck. “This was a first for me as I had never played a game with that mechanism in it,” said Pontius. Alhambra tiles are randomly drawn from a bag and placed in a market next to one of four currency colors. The goal is to win by accumulating the most of each type of building. “If you really want [a certain] tile but haven’t collected the right currency for it, maybe you can try to collect the right color currency and hope one of your co-players doesn’t buy that tile away from you,” said Pontius.
Alhambra
© Amazon Alhambra (Amazon / Amazon)- Alhambra $86.66 at Amazon
- Alhambra $43.95 at Target
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BoardGameGeek and its weight
When choosing the right game for you, it might be worth it to consult BoardGameGeek’s five-point weight scale. It’s used to loosely attribute a complexity level to any given game. Weight levels include:
- Light: 0.1 to 1.0
- Medium Light: 1.1 to 2.0
- Medium: 2.1 to 3.0
- Medium Heavy: 3.1 to 4.0
- Heavy: 4.1 to 5.0
Users vote on a game’s particular weight by factoring in elements like the complexity of a game’s rulebook, how much luck is involved and how long it takes to play the game, so BoardGameGeek notes that weight is a subjective term. Think of it as Yelp for board games.
“I prefer to play at the end of the day to wind down and relax with a light to medium weight game like Azul or Wingspan,” said Pontius. “Of course, if I can set aside time on the weekend or at a con, I love to dive into a heavyweight game like Arkham Horror or Fury of Dracula, something with lots of themes and a story I can escape into.” When choosing a low- or heavy-weight game with your partner, factor in the current stress level in your household — a lightweight game might, for example, work as an ice breaker when tensions are running high. A heavyweight game where the stakes are higher might fuel some playful and friendly competition.
Card Games For Couples Night
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