Lord of the Rings Duel

This tightly designed two-player contest offers multiple points to victory and interesting strategic decisions. It has a way of sticking with you long after you’ve put the game away. It’s easy to learn rules and the “let’s play that again” feeling it gives you make it perfect for date night! You’ll want to play as the fellowship one game and Sauron the next; thanks to it’s quick playtime, you’ll be able to! 

King of Tokyo Duel

A surprise delight! I fully did not expect this game to work for a date night but it ended up being some of the most fun we had with a game all year. I love how King of Tokyo combines the fun of dice rolling games like Yahtzee with a bit of zany, monster fighting fun. It has lots of opportunities to create fun moments and is perfect for a couple that likes to be a little playfully competitive. 

Flip Circus

This game is a great choice if you find yourself able to leave the house for a dinner date! Everything stores in the velvet pouch so you can bring it along and play right on the table. Part memory, part tactical maneuvering; it’ll have you puzzling your way to a win before you scoop it all away when dinner arrives. 

Caper

You’ll go head to head as rival crime teams looking to make a big score at different locations. Caper has a fun tug of war feel to it as you each try to gain control of the different locations. There are multiple ways to get points so you won’t know which team emerges victorious until the end. It’s perfect to pair with heist flick! 

Cathedral

Cathedral is a beautiful game that is lovely to give as a gift. The gorgeous wooden pieces look phenomenal displayed on your favorite bookshelf and the game feels like something that could have been passed down for generations. Perfect for abstract strategy game fans. 

Donuts

Donuts is a clever game in the family of tic-tac-toe that you’ll love playing again and again! Pair this game with a morning surprise from your favorite local donut shop and a breakfast date! The cutest way to start your day together! 

Rainbow

Simple is sometimes best and Rainbow is here to prove that! This game will test your memory as you work to play 6 cards to the center that do not repeat colors. Each card is double sided with two different colors, you can see the colors on the front of your cards and the back of your opponent cards. You’ll play, flip and flop cards in the center to get a unique arrangement while hoping your memory doesn’t fail you. It’s the kind of game you’ll play 10 times in a row! 

Tzaar

If you’re a couple that loves abstract games like checkers or chess, Tzaar is not one to miss! Deceptively simple, it’s the type of tactical puzzle that never gets old. I also just love the chunky pieces that are so satisfying to play with during the game. 

Lost Cities

In my opinion, Lost Cities is a MUST HAVE two player game. This classic has been on our shelves for well over a decade and we still consistently pull it out for date nights. 

Patchwork

If there were to be a crowning of best games for couples, Patchwork would be the favorite to beat. Cozy yet strategic. Simple yet challenging. Purchase and place Tetris style tiles onto your quilt to fill in all the space. It’s another classic that doesn’t gather dust in our home. 

See the 10th Anniversary Edition; available soon!

Almost Innocent

Almost innocent is a cooperative deduction experience that tests your ability to balance personal progress with team communication. You need to find out information to help you navigate your own board while also trying to telegraph helpful information you know to your teammates as well. It can be played with more than two players, but is a super fun cooperative date night game as well!

Knarr

We absolutely love the strategic decisions presented in Knarr! You’re deciding between two things: placing a viking card from your hand into your crew, or using your crew to explore destinations for gains and reputation. It plays smoothly with excellent hand management challenges. There’s very little luck and two player games take about 20-30 minutes.

Flowers 

Collect flower tiles using clever card play. This is the newest installment in one of my favorite two player game series and it’s the first to allow for 3 and 4 players. The game is beautiful, simple, quick, and challenging with plenty of fun strategic decisions to make. We found it relaxing and cozy; perfect for a little date night. 

Race to the Raft

This is a cute route building game where you’ll work together to help cats escape a burning forest by creating paths to the raft. There are lots of different puzzles in various difficulties that you can play again and again.

Beacon Patrol

Map the coastline together in the puzzly tile placement game that is Beacon Patrol. My favorite thing about Beacon Patrol for date nights is that there is no way to lose. You’re merely working to get your best score each time. It’s the perfect cooperative game that is also one of my favorite solo options as well!