7 Two-Player Games for Couples for At-Home Date Nights

These engaging games are the perfect excuse to stay in for your next date night.

Date night doesn’t always have to mean going out on the town. Sometimes, staying in and spending some intentional quality time together can be just as fun. But the same old routine of ordering in and watching Netflix may not feel all that special. Well, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a good old board game or card game to make things a bit more interesting. Below, these seven two-player games for couples will have you and you partner talking, laughing, enjoying some friendly competition, and maybe even getting to know each other a bit better.

1. Mancala

Starting simple, Mancala is a timeless game that you may or may not already have on hand. If you’re unfamiliar, the game involves taking turns picking up marble stones and dropping them one at a time into the pockets on the board, trying to keep your turn going as long as possible to collect as many stones as you can. While a single game can go by pretty fast, it’s one that you’ll want to play over and over, giving both you and your partner the opportunity to start out and test new strategies. It’s a low stress, relaxing game perfect for playing with your favorite drinks in hand and some music on in the background.

2. Bananagrams

A more modern classic, Bananagrams is a simple word game that doesn’t involve any paper, pencil, or board to play—just the banana-shaped pouch filled with letter tiles. Instead of trying to score the most points with high-scoring letters or words, the goal of the game is just to be the first player to use all your tiles. So, if you don’t like games that require you to do math, Bananagrams is a good pick. It’s also highly portable, so you can bring it with you on vacation or just keep it on hand for a rainy day.

3. We’re Not Really Strangers Couples Edition

We’re Not Really Strangers is a get-to-know-you card game, but it’d more accurately be called a deck of conversation starters. While the original deck is suited for playing with almost anyone, the Couples Edition is specifically tailored to, you guessed it, couples. With questions like,” What do we have in this relationship you never thought was possible?” you and your partner will be encouraged to open up and dig a bit deeper into the reasons you’re together.

4. Codenames Duet

If you and your partner love spy movies, then you’ll love getting to play out a fantasy of sorts that will take you and your partner on a top-secret mission. The game is all about working together (a great skill in any relationship!), giving each other one-word clues to try to find all the secret agents on the board before the time runs out.

5. Hive

If you’d prefer to compete against your partner (in a friendly way, of course), this bug-themed strategy game is a fun way to do so. The goal of the game is to surround your partner’s queen bee while trying to block your opponents from doing the same. You’ll play with hexagon-shaped tiles that have depictions of different insects on them. Each insect has different rules for how it can be used and moved—similar to the rules for chess pieces—so the game will get your minds engaged.

6. Patchwork

Patchwork is like the board game version of Tetris, with strategy and time management thrown in the mix. To play, both players take turns collecting buttons and pieces of a patchwork quilt, trying to find the right pieces to fit together. Each patch costs time and buttons (the currency of the game), so players will have to be strategic during the game’s 30-minute playtime to come out on top.

7. The Fox in the Forest

If you and your partner prefer card games and enjoy anything in the fantasy genre, The Fox in the Forest is worth checking out. It’s a trick-taking card game with mystical illustrations and fairy tale characters. In the game, different character cards will have different abilities and advantages, and you’ll score points by winning “tricks” against your opponent.