Home News Top Board Games for Couples in 2025

Top Board Games for Couples in 2025

by Camila Apr 13,2025

While there are plenty of two-player board games that are excellent, board games for couples to play together deserve their own special sub-category. Many two-player games, such as war board games or abstract strategy games, can be quite intense, which might not be the best fit for every couple. Additionally, these games can be fiercely competitive, which isn't ideal unless both partners are exceptionally forgiving. To help you find the perfect balance of competition and cooperation, luck and strategy, we've curated a list of the best board games for couples. These selections are perfect for creating enjoyable moments together, and they could even serve as a great Valentine's Day date idea.

Editor's Note: While all the games listed below are ideal for two players, some can accommodate up to 4 players. If you're looking for a game suitable for both a couple's night and a board game night with friends, be sure to check the player count we've included for each game.

Race to the Raft

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 8+ Players: 1-4 Playtime: 40-60 mins

Do you remember those movement puzzle games from the early days of the internet? They paved the way for this vibrant and engaging board game where you guide finicky cats to safety. Each cat will only travel over one color of terrain, and it's your task to work together to build a path for them to reach a raft before a blazing fire cuts them off. The challenge comes from the random nature of terrain cards, the risk of blocking another cat's route, and limited communication rules that might lead to some playful meowing to communicate. This game offers over 80 scenarios of increasing difficulty, making it both challenging and hilarious.

Sky Team: Prepare for Landing

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 14+ Players: 2 Playtime: 20 mins

What better way to express your love than by embarking on a flight to an exotic destination together? In Sky Team, you play as the pilot and co-pilot, working together to land the plane. This task is far more challenging than it sounds: you each have your own dice pool and set of instruments to manage, and some require balancing values assigned by both players. Communication is limited during the placement phase, which helps avoid potential arguments when the dice pool runs low, the plane tilts dangerously, and there's a queue of air traffic waiting for the runway.

The Search for Lost Species

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 13+ Players: 1-4 Playtime: 60-75 mins

With an appealing theme and an ever-changing puzzle dynamic, this app-driven game challenges players to map an island's ecology and discover a long-lost animal. Beneath its engaging exterior lies a logic puzzle of formidable complexity. Each animal has specific rules dictating its habitat, some fixed and others revealed by the app during research. Players must use these rules and clues from their exploration to pinpoint the location of the mysterious beast. It's complex but plays quickly once mastered, with each game offering a fresh puzzle thanks to the app. You can even team up against the app, sharing one playing piece.

For a more detailed look at the gameplay, check out my hands-on review of The Search for Lost Species.

Fog of Love

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 17+ Players: 2 Playtime: 1-2 hrs

This game is uniquely designed to explore the story of a couple's relationship, albeit a fictional one. You create and navigate the nuances and ups and downs of a relationship between two characters. While the visuals lean towards traditional gender colors, the game is inclusive of same-sex relationships. Each player gets a set of secret traits and destinies, and you play through various scenes, making choices that impact the outcome. There's no traditional winner; instead, you win by enjoying a fascinating journey through an imagined relationship.

Patchwork

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 8+ Players: 2 Playtime: 30 mins

Patchwork is a simple yet clever game where players purchase geometric pieces with buttons to create a quilt with as few holes as possible. Each purchase also moves you forward on a time track, which can earn you extra buttons or valuable single-square patches. The player last on the time track takes the next turn, allowing for strategic plays like planning double turns or snatching a one-square patch. This game is gently addictive, engaging multiple parts of your brain at once, which is why it has won numerous awards and nominations.

Codenames: Duet

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 15+ Players: 2+ Playtime: 15 mins

The original Codenames was a breakout hit in the world of party games, where players lay out a grid of cards with words, and one player per team gives single-word clues to link multiple words for their teammates. Codenames: Duet refines this into a sleek cooperative game for two, where you both try to find fifteen clues before time runs out. With both players taking turns giving clues, downtime is nearly eliminated, bringing a fun slice of party game magic to your table.

Codenames: Duet is just one of many spin-offs available, offering variety if you enjoy this version.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 10+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 60 mins

Unlike other games on this list, The Adventures of Robin Hood is a narrative-driven game where you retell the legend of the famous outlaw across nine scenarios. It introduces innovative mechanics, such as measuring progress across the map with a long base on your wooden playing piece, staying in shadows to avoid guards. The board acts like an advent calendar, with hundreds of numbered pieces you lift and flip to create a dynamic world. Can you and your partner work together to save Nottingham from the Sheriff before Guy of Gisborne catches you?

Hive

1See it at Amazon! Age Range: 9+ Players: 2 Playtime: 20 mins

Played with chunky plastic hexes, Hive might give you the creeps with its insect theme, but it also stimulates your brain with its complex strategies. Each player has a Queen hex, and the goal is to surround your opponent's Queen with your pieces. Four other types of insects have unique movement rules, and with only eleven tiles per side entering play one at a time, the Hive must always be a single conglomeration. This makes Hive easy to transport and set up, but challenging to master due to the intricate movement rules.

Onitama

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 10+ Players: 2 Playtime: 10 mins

Onitama builds a lot of gameplay from a simple concept. Played on a grid, each player starts with a master pawn and five students, moving pieces to knock opponents off the board. Victory comes from capturing the enemy master or moving your master to the opposite end. Movement is determined by a random deal of cards, offering two choices each turn, which are then discarded and refreshed. This creates a dynamic interplay of cause and effect, making it challenging to plan ahead amidst the changing moves.

If you enjoy Onitama's mechanics, explore more options from our list of the best dueling board games.

Five Tribes

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 14+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 40-80 mins

Five Tribes transforms the classic Mancala mechanic into a modern strategy game played on a grid of tiles. You pick up handfuls of color pieces, and the final tile you drop one on determines your actions for that round. The board state changes, affecting future moves, turning each turn into a puzzle of balancing your needs against your opponent's opportunities. With an auction to determine the first player and the option to double turns with two players, Five Tribes offers a layer of strategic depth.

The Fox in the Forest

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 10+ Players: 2 Playtime: 30 mins

If you've played traditional trick-taking games like Whist, you might wonder how they could work with just two players. The Fox in the Forest answers this with a three-suit deck where even-numbered cards work like standard cards, but odd-numbered cards have special powers. The scoring system rewards winning either the majority or the minority of tricks, making it challenging to maintain a lead without perfect timing. Fast, fun, and innovative, this game is an excellent solution to a seemingly impossible challenge.

7 Wonders: Duel

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 10+ Players: 2 Playtime: 30 mins

While the original 7 Wonders was a hit, this two-player version is often considered superior. You draft cards to create point-scoring sets representing aspects of an ancient civilization, with different types of cards offering bonuses and resources. Instead of the standard pick-and-pass drafting, 7 Wonders: Duel uses a pyramid of overlapping cards, most of which start face down and become available as cards atop them are taken. This adds a strategic element of timing, balancing your picks against your opponent's options.

Schotten Totten 2

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 8+ Players: 2 Playtime: 20 mins

Originally from 1999, Schotten Totten remains relevant today. You battle over nine stones, creating Poker-style three-card combos on your side, one card at a time. This creates tension as your opponent guesses your meld, and you hope to draw the right cards. The game includes strategy in playing probabilities, plus a deck of special power tactic cards. You can also use these cards to play a different game called Lost Cities, featuring amusing cartoon art.

Splendor: Duel

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 10+ Players: 2 Playtime: 30 mins

While the original Splendor was great with two players, Splendor: Duel refines the gameplay for couples. You're still master jewelers, creating beautiful works for noble clients, which enhance your purchasing power. Now, you pick raw gems off a board with placement rules, aiming for three victory conditions, and using special effects to vary your strategies. This version offers a fantastic two-player experience, ideal if you're playing with your significant other.

Sea Salt & Paper

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 8+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 30-45 mins

This abstract card game from Bruno Cathala combines classic gameplay elements in a simple package. You take a card each turn, either randomly from the deck or a face-up one from the discard pile, aiming to build sets for points. Pairs of certain cards offer special effects like taking extra cards or stealing from an opponent, revealing some of your points. Players decide when to end the hand, gambling on their winning combo at the risk of losing points. While it works with a group, it's best with two, and you can both enjoy its unique origami artwork.

Dorfromantik: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon! Age Range: 8+ Players: 1-6 Playtime: 30-60 mins

The video game Dorfromantik was known for its relaxing puzzle where you build a rural utopia hex by hex. This board game adaptation brings the same vibe, with players taking one tile at a time to complete groups of similar terrain features before the pile runs out. It includes a campaign mode that slowly adds new content through little boxes you open with each reveal. Sharing these discoveries with a partner adds to the excitement, making it perfect for a cozy couple's game night.

For a more in-depth look at this game, you can check out my review of Dorfromantik: The Board Game.

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