With Valentines Day right around the corner, it’s got me thinking of all of our favorite games to play just the two of us. 

When you’re done here, don’t forget to check out the follow up post!
10 MORE Great Date Night Games

We use board games as a way to have fun date nights at home. We can’t always head out of the house for dates as much as we’d like to, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still try to connect and spend quality time together!

We always try to carve out time each week to spend an evening just us, after the kids go to bed (and hopefully stay in bed) of course! Sometimes that means ordering take out from our favorite place, popping popcorn and watching a movie, and often it means grabbing a new or favorite board game and sitting together at the table to play it!

But not all board games are great for two players. Many say that you can play with two, but frequently the game is ideally played with 3 or more players. 

So today we’re listing 10 of our favorite board games to play at the two player count that are perfect for a date night at home!

Some of these will be two-player only games, others will be games that can be played with more but are ones that we find still play well with two. Because the goal is to connect and enjoy an evening together, we’ve selected games that aren’t complete brain burners and that shouldn’t be too frustrating. The last thing you want is to ruin a perfectly good date with an argument over rules!

We’ve also made sure that the games listed won’t take up your entire evening so you don’t have to plan hours around it. Head out (or stay in) for dinner and still have time to come home and play a game together!

2 Player Games

Games for two, and only two!

1. Hanamikoji

This is an easy to learn, quick to play card game where you’ll each be attempting to win the favor of seven Geishas by collecting each of their preferred performance item. The first person to win the favor of four Geishas, have a score that totals 11 or more, or the highest score after 3 rounds wins!

At the start of the game, you’ll each be dealt a hand of cards with one card removed from the deck. Each card has a performance item belonging to one of the seven Geishas numbered 2-5. Each player has a total of four different actions that they will be able to choose from on their turn. 

When taking a turn, you’ll draw a card, then choose an action. Any action you select you cannot select again until the next round, so you much choose carefully and think strategically. 

This game takes about 10-15 minutes to play which is great if you like to play a game back to back. The artwork is beautiful and the game challenging enough to really make you think without getting too frustrating, creating a fun back-and-forth between you and your opponent. 

2. Lost Cities

This card game is one of our favorites. You’ll play as explorers trying to journey to remote corners of the world. As you play cards, your expedition routes begin to take shape which will earn you points. The more daring you are in your explorations the more your scores will pay off if you are successful. The player with the highest score after three rounds of expeditions is the winner. 

This is a fantastic couples game that still lasts only about 20 minutes, providing lots of fun along the way. The game is comprised of a deck of cards with five different suits (representing the expedition locations) ranked 2-10 and three special “handshakes” in each suit. 

On your turn you’ll play one card, putting it either on an expedition space or discarding it, and then draw one new card. Each suit has it’s own discard pile from which players may choose to draw the top card, rather than the face down deck, on their turn. 

Cards played to expeditions must be played in ascending order but do not need to be consecutive, so you can play a 2, 3, 4, then skip the 5 and 6 to play the 7. After playing the 7, you would no longer be able to play the 5 or 6 if you later drew them in that suit. 

Players alternate turns until the final card is taken from the draw pile. Any cards in your hand are then discarded and players each score their expeditions. Expeditions start at a value of -20 points (because its expensive to fund these missions) and cards played to them are worth their rank in points. Handshakes played to an expedition multiply the value. If you have one HS card played, multiply the value by 2. If you have two HS cards, multiply it by 3 and so on. Any expedition that has at least 8 cards played into it is awarded a bonus 20 points.

You’ll play three rounds in this fashion where the player with the most points after 3 rounds wins the game.

We have had this game for years and it is still as entertaining today as it was on our first play. We frequently recommend this to friends and family who love to play cards or aren’t really interested in board games in general. It always seems to be a hit no matter who is playing. 

3. Raptor

Any dinosaur fans out there? We’ll check this game out!

Raptor is a fun two player grid movement card game where one player will play the role of a mother Raptor who, along with her babies, has escaped her enclosure while the other player plays the role of the scientists who must neutralize her and capture her babies before they run away.

This game is card driven with players using their hand to move their pawns around the board. Players select a card at the same time to play and reveal at the same time. The player with the lowest ranked card is allowed to use the corresponding action on their card while their opponent has movement points equal to the difference between the two card values. 

If you are a scientist, you can use fire, move by jeep, or call in some reinforcements to help take down the raptors while the mother raptor can hide in the bushes, call her babies to her, or attack the scientists. 

This one is definitely a clever game and will have you hanging in suspense as you strategize your every move. Each game takes on average about 20 minutes to play so we love to play at least two games back-to-back, switching roles along the way. Plus, with so many opportunities to use your favorite Jurassic Park quotes, you can’t go wrong!

4. Patchwork

No two player game list would be complete without this little gem. 

In this game you’ll each compete to build the most aesthetically pleasing, high scoring patchwork quilt on a 9×9 grid. All of the possible patches are laid out at random in a circle where a marker will be placed that indicates which patchwork tiles are available for purchase. 

In this game, buttons are currency, so you’ll have to manage your buttons and weigh the cost of each patch you purchase. Some patches are cheap, while others are more expensive. Each patch you purchase will also move your player marker along the time track a certain number of spaces. If your marker is further out, your opponent will take as many turns as needed to catch up to you before it will be your turn again. In addition to their button cost and time cost, some patches will have buttons on them. These will allow you to earn button “income” when your time marker passes a button on the button track.

Also on the time track are 5 single 1×1 patches that when a player passes over them first, they will be able to add to their board to help fill in any of those tricky little gaps left open by other pieces. Filling in your board is important because the first player to completely fill in a 7×7 square on their board receives a bonus tile worth 7 extra points at the end of the game, sometimes crucial in determining the winner. 

Once both players have reached the center of the board, the game is over and scoring takes place. Each button in your possession (not on your patches) scores you 1 point. You’ll then lose 2 points for every open square on your game board, making negative scores possible. The player with the most points wins. 

This is one of our most favorite 2 player games. It is so calming and enjoyable to play. One of my favorite things in a game is when it is still fun even when you lose. I find that to be the case with Patchwork. Regardless of the scoring outcome, you still get to look at your quilt after building it the whole game. Seeing how it turned out is sometimes just as fun as winning and helps make a defeat not so hard. 

Games for 2 or more players

While we have some two player games that we really enjoy, and a few more that didn’t make the above list, we usually tend to shy away from 2 player specific games. Why? Well, we like having lots of games that we can play with our family and friends when we can get together for a game night, rather than a bunch of 2 player specific games. 

But not all board games play great at the two player count. The below listed games are some of our most favorite titles that we think do play well for us, some that we even prefer at the 2 player count. Again though, this isn’t an exhaustive list but rather a selection of games that we think work well for date nights.

5. Viticulture

This is one of our all time favorite games. And it also happens to be, in our opinion, one of the best date night games. 

While it is a little bit on the heavier side, we still think it is a great first step into more strategic game play with well written rules and smooth turns to make the game feel easier than it is. 

In Viticulture you’ll take on the role of people who have inherited meager vineyards in rustic, pre-modern Tuscany. With these humble beginnings, you’ll try to fulfill your dream of building your winery into a successful business by making smart decisions each season that further advances your vineyards ability to create quality wines that generate profit. 

Viticulture is a worker placement game where players will determine how they wish to allocate their workers throughout the year. Each season is a little bit different meaning that there are only certain actions that can be taken during the summer season and other tasks that must be completed in the winter season. You and your opponent will be competing over these tasks, if you’re opponent assigns their worker to a task, you’ll have to assign your worker somewhere else. 

There is so much to manage from planting in the fields, building new structures, harvesting, giving tours to guests, training new workers, crushing grapes, making wines, and filling wine orders that the goal of running the most successful winery may seem a bit overwhelming at first. But truly the game plays very smoothly and flows beautifully from round to round.

As far as date night goes Viticulture is a winner. Uncork your favorite bottle of wine and enjoy sitting side by side as you dive into your Tuscan wineries.

6. Blue Lagoon

One of my main concerns when purchasing this game was that it wouldn’t play well for two players. An area control game is sometimes benefitted by more players which makes fore more competition and jostling for position. While this game is wonderful when played with a full four, it is also completely enjoyable when played with just two. 

Blue Lagoon a game where players manage a group of settlers spreading out over the islands of a newly discovered archipelago. It is played over two phases, the Exploration phase and the settlement phase. During each phase you will expand your presence on the board by adding a new token each turn which claims a spot for yourself. Along the way you will collect resources which have been scattered over the islands by placing your tokens on top of them. 

During the exploration phase you you can place your tokens anywhere you’d like as long as it is touching the lagoon from which your settlers have traveled to find the new islands, or one of your previously played tokens. You also have a number of village tokens that you can place, like your settler tokens, on the islands as your settlers travel onto them, these will be used in the second phase. Once all tokens have been played the scores are tallied and the board is cleared except for the villages.

During the Settlement phase your tokens must expand out from your villages that you played during the first phase rather than from the lagoon. Again you are trying to collect as many resources as you can before your opponent, increasing your score. After this phase ends, scores are once again tallied and added to the phase one scores for a total score where the most points wins.

This game is utterly charming and a lot of fun to boot. The components are lovely and the competition is fun without getting too intense as you each race for resources and control of the islands. Put on the Moana soundtrack in the background and you’ve got yourself a fun night!

7. The Quest for El Dorado

Like a good old fashioned race to the finish? Then you’ll love this one!

Here you’ll take on the roles of expedition leaders seeking the legendary Eldorado. In a two player game you’ll control two different explorers that you must get to the finish line before your opponent to win.

To move, you’ll draft cards to build a deck that you will use to either trek, boat, or pay your way across the board. 

One of my favorite aspects of this game is just how replayable it is! The board is modular, meaning that you can move, adjust, flip, and design your own paths so that you always need to be switching up your strategy to find the best route and draft the best team members (cards) to help your explorers move efficiently across the board. 

Every time we’ve played this it has always come down to a close finish which is great. As a two player game it is a lot of fun and definitely worth checking out!

8. Azul

Azul has taken the hobby gaming world by storm the last two years and has even broken through the hobby wall to land itself a prime spot on shelves in stores like Target all across the country. And for good reason. This abstract strategy game is as wonderful to play as it is to look at. 

In Azul you are each tile laying artists challenged to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora. In each round, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to place on your player board. After all of the tiles from the suppliers have been drafted, players score points based on how they’ve placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completed sets. If you had to draft tiles that you could not use, those tiles are wasted and will cost you points. You play until the end of the game is triggered by a player completing a row on their board, then the player with the most points wins. 

This game is simple, but it is so elegant in the fact that it doesn’t try to do anything too fancy or crazy, but still requires a fair amount of strategic planning to pull off a win and a high score. This game is an instant classic in my book. It’s one that you’ll be playing and enjoying for years. It is a wonderful experience no matter if you are playing with four players or two. 

The simplicity and beauty make it a great game to play together as you’ll be able to still hold a conversation while enjoying this aesthetically pleasing and mentally stimulating game. 

9. Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King

If you enjoy tile laying games like Carcassonne, then Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King is one you’ll definitely want to look into. 

In this game, players are chieftains of famous clans looking to build their kingdoms to score as many points possible.

Because of the clever scoring tiles, only four of the sixteen tiles will be scored in each game, meaning each time you play will be just a little bit different, requiring different strategies to secure yourself a win. A constant from game to game however is the importance of money as you’ll have to buy tiles to place in your kingdom to help score you points. 

At the beginning of each round, players will secretly set the price for two tiles in front of them they they will put up for sale to the other players. Setting your price can be tricky though, set it too high and no one will buy it and you’ll be forced to pay the cost. Once tiles are purchased, players will place them wherever they would like, as long as the placement is legal, in their kingdom to help score them points. 

The goal is to have the best kingdom in order to win. So while your money is very important during the game in order to buy the tiles you need, being the richest player at the end will not win you the game.

I always find tile placement games relaxing. In a good game like Isle of Skye, even when you don’t win you still have the satisfaction of having built something. We play this game frequently just the two of us and greatly enjoy the experience, often playing two games back to back. Because of the variability of the scoring tiles, each game stays feeling fresh and keeps us coming back for more. 

10. Flash Point: Fire Rescue

Perhaps what you are really looking for is a cooperative game that will require you to work together rather than against each other. While we are sometimes split on our enjoyment of cooperative games, one game that has held up well over the years and continues to entertain us is Flash Point: Fire Rescue.

Together, you’ll put on the heroic suits, grab your fire fighting equipment, and rush to the scene of a house on fire. You’ll work together as a team to assess the situation and develop the best plan of attack to keep the blaze under control while you attempt to rescue the helpless lives inside. Failing is not an option.

Well, actually it is, you can definitely lose this game. 

In Flash Point: Fire Rescue you’ll be attempting to rescue 7 victims from a house before the fire engulfs them or causes the home to collapse. The board is a played out on a grid, and as you play the fire spreads throughout the house through dice rolls that determine the placement of smoke and fire in the home. 

Each player will have to determine their best move(s) each turn with their available action points. Will you extinguish fires, move through the building, help a victim get out, move emergency vehicles, or save some actions for a later turn? You’ll each either win if you can get 7 victims out of the house, and you’ll lose if either 4 victims perish in the flames or if the house comes down on you all. 

This game is a ton of fun. Honestly. And one of our favorite aspects of it is that the game comes with two versions inside, a basic game and an expert game. The board itself is also double sided featuring two different home layouts, meaning that once you feel comfortable with one side, you can flip the board over and challenge yourself with the other. 

The expert version also adds awesome thematic elements to the game and gives more variations on game difficulty ranging from novice to heroic. All this adds up to an incredibly replayable game that will keep you entertained for a long time. 

There are many expansion maps as well, so if you really fall in love with it you can add more building plans to the game to keep you challenged. 

This game plays up to 6 players, and while you’ll definitely enjoy playing this with your friends, it is still a wonderful experience for just two who wish to brave great danger. 

This list is by no means exhaustive…

There are so many great options out there! It was hard to narrow down our list to just these ten games! 

Hopefully one of these looks interesting enough to you to add to your own game shelf. If not, that’s okay! You’ve ruled out a few more games in your search for the right one! Ultimately we are just so excited that you are looking for a way to spend your time and connect together by playing games. 

If you found one on this list that you’re going to try out, let us know below! If you found one that’s not on this list, well let us know what you’re going to try next! We’d love to hear from you!

* This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. To read my full disclosure policy click here.*