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Board games are great with big groups of friends, but there are loads of great board games for just two players, too. Indeed some say it's the best way to play. There's no plotting, no balance issues, just pure one on one strategy. And the game doesn't care if it's a couple or a roommate.
In fact, there are so many games that are enjoyable with two that we couldn’t list them all. Instead, we’ve broken them down into three categories so you can find one to suit your mood: quick, cooperative, and competitive. Many of these games support more players, but play excellently when just two are at the table.
These are the best board games for 2 players — from couples on a date night to a parent spending quality time with their child, and everything in between,
Quick Games
These are easy to set up and play in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for baby nap times or killing a little time with a friend or loved one without taking up all evening.
Battle Line sounds more aggressive than it is. In theory you're lining up archers, elephants and warriors for ancient warfare. In practice it's more like Poker as you try to collect triplets of colour or number which you assign to one of nine flags. The secret of Battle Line is that you're forced to start making plays before you collect complete sets. That makes every card down and every card drawn an agony of anticipation where bluff and timing are everything. It's a fine game but, better still, you can also use the cards to play a related 2-player game, Lost Cities.
Co-operative Games
These games are challenging and only those who work together can hope to come out victorious. Plus they won’t have you going to bed angry at one another.
If there’s one thing hotter than co-op gaming right now, it’s legacy gaming. These titles literally change as you play: you'll draw on the board, tear up cards, reveal new pieces. So your copy becomes visually and mechanically unique. Now you can enjoy both at once while saving the world from lethal diseases with Pandemic: Legacy. Each player has a special power which you'll need to co-ordinate to have a hope of survival. The personal nature of changing the game and the way sessions link into a story make this very special enjoyed with a special someone.
Robinson Crusoe is a bit longer and more complex than other games on this list, but it's worth it. Washed up on a deserted island, you're faced with a bunch of competing demands. You need food and shelter, obviously, but you also need to explore. After all, the island might not be as deserted as you thought it was. Robinson Crusoe has a brilliant event deck, where the fallout from early choices can come back to haunt you in unexpected ways. Add a selection of scenarios, player roles and plenty of strategic depth and you've got enough entertainment for a sojourn on a deserted island.
Competitive Games
Competition where you go up as the other player goes down can feel mean and unfair. Fortunately lots of board game designs have found ways to let couples compete without the cruelty.
No, no-one sneezed. YINSH is the best of a series of abstract games known (of course!) as the GIPF project. No, I don't know, either. Ignore the names and get stuck into this fascinating challenge instead. Players go head-to-head on a hexagonal board, moving rings which leave markers behind. To win you need to make chains of your own colour, but moving rings alternate between black and white. So you need to plan patterns ahead to get those connections. With several rings in play, YINSH weaves worrying webs in your head, but when you complete a chain you lose a ring. This elegant twist makes strategy easier but winning harder and ensures timing is part of the tactics.
Uniquely among the game on this list, there's nothing nice about the asymmetrical game Claustrophobia. One player controls a team of criminals whose punishment is to clear the other player's demons out of their hellish tunnels. It's dirty, brutal and lots of fun. Each side plays by quite different rules, but clever design keeps things simple while retaining the feel of tight, tactical combat. What makes this a great couples game is its speed: after a play, you can switch sides and play again. That ensures both players have a fair chance at victory, even given that some of the included scenarios are a bit unbalanced.
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