The Best 2 Player Board Games for Adults, Couples and Competitive Players
Let me be honest. Board games are typically much more fun with less people for me because there is much less downtime. Find some of the best 2 player board games on the market here. With sections for fun two player board games for couples, adults and competitive players.
I want to jump right in with some of the best board games for couples.
Let’s start out with one of my favorite board games for two players. Santorini is very easy and quick to learn. The pieces in the game are really neat as well, making this a great board game for couples.
There is a simple way to play the game if you are just wanting to enjoy a simple game with your significant other. Or you can add a bit of depth to the game by playing with the god power cards. This allows your workers to do special actions or have alternate win conditions. Santorini is very fun to play with or without the god cards.
An even cooler fact about this game is that it plays really well for 2 teams of 2. Making it the best two player board game for a double date night!
Similar to Santorini, Patchwork is a very easy game to learn. This drafting game has both players choosing different shapes of materials to make a quilt. Win the game by creating the most efficient quilt.
Labyrinth is one of my favorite movies of all time. This board game has nothing to do with the movie thematically other than you are in a giant maze. But it does a great job at making you have to think your way through this ever changing puzzle.
Every turn, players manipulates the labyrinth and move in one direction. The goal of the game is to collect all of the treasures that they have set out to capture and to leave the labyrinth.
This is also another great board game for couples to have at double date night. It plays great as a 2 player board game but is also fun with 4 players.
Splendor is one of my favorite board games of all time. It is so simple to learn and yet hard to master. Every decision you make ends up being meaningful. As a board game designer it’s difficult to do this so I appreciate it more when a game designer is able to pull this off. And Splendor does this well.
I have played Splendor both as a 2 player board game and a 3-4 player game. And it is just as fun for me to play with 2 players as it is anything else.
When you get home from your job and just want to relax, a large game night with a lot of people can be a bit overwhelming. With this in mind I bring you 4 really fun two player board games for adults to enjoy after a long week of work.
5. Crokinole – Top Dexterity Game that is Enjoyable by Adults and Kids
I remember playing my first game of Crokinole at Gen Con several years back. Gen Con is the biggest board game convention in the United States, maybe in the world (is Essen Spiel bigger? I don’t know). My family and I took turns playing the nice set that was set up in a room off to the side.
It was a lot of fun battling for board position against my brother as we tried to flick our way to victory. I really enjoyed the 2 player version of this game as it was much less hectic. There weren’t as many random pieces in the way which I liked.
A plus for this game is if you are a master woodworker, then you can make a sweet looking customized set yourself 🙂
6. Hive – An Exciting Two Player Abstract Tabletop Game
I haven’t played this board game yet but I can tell you that I see it many places when looking for new board games to buy. There are recommendations all over the internet for this game.
Awhile back I was looking for a new board game to play that would be perfect for me to play against my mom or brother. This was one of the few I was looking between as the game play and reviews looked really good.
One thing that attracted me the most was that the replay-ability seemed really high. Especially if you wanted to buy an expansion or two.
Jaipur is mostly a card game. But I am adding it to this list of 2 player board games because it does have some nice little pieces in addition to the cards.
This is another one of the few 2 player board games on this list that I actually haven’t played but want to real bad. Based on the awesome artwork, easiness to learn and high ratings and recommendations I’ve seen everywhere.
**Edit – I ended up buying Jaipur after a reader suggested it to me. He said he loved playing this with his wife so I gave it a try. It is a really fun game and was very simple to learn and play. But it also rewards great strategy and decision making. I highly recommend this game for both adults, couples AND competitive players.
8. Stratego – My Pick for Favorite Classic 2 Player Board Game
This board game has each player set up their battlefield (board game pieces) at the start of the game. Each team has a flag that the other team has to capture but must be careful because there are also bombs placed throughout the map.
My favorite aspect of the game was definitely setting up my side of the board at the start of the game. I loved playing this with my grandma growing up. She taught me a lot of sneaky moves and how to get a decent read on your opponents. I still use those skills today when I’m playing trading card games competitively. Thanks Memaw!
This 2 player board game was designed specifically for 2. It is very highly rated and well suited for competitive players and casual players alike.
Both players simultaneously build within the castle walls. Score points for having everything from knights on towers to squirrels on houses. The theme of this game is cool in that you are building a castle. Every tile placed must be within the castle walls.
I am reminded of the days I spent on the Alabama beaches as a child where I would build my own sandy stronghold. Unfortunately, the tides of the gulf coast always seemed to wipe my wonder away during the nights high tides. This game is exciting for me because I love planning things like castles.
I was a big Age of Empires video game player when I was younger and I also liked the Tycoon games. Roller Coaster Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon to name a few. And this 2 player board game feels like “Castle Tycoon” in board game form.
Each player gets several cards with different move options available to them. These are played face up. And when a player uses a move, then that move card makes it’s way to the opponent. This allows the opponent to then use that move. This has players constantly planning ahead.
When you initially see the game it looks simple and as if there is not much to it. But having played this awesome two player board game, I can say it has a lot of depth to it. It’s replay-ability is also very high because you select different move action cards each game.
One downside to the game is that there is not a lot of variance. So if there is a large skill gap between you and your opponent, then the better player usually wins. Much like in chess. This is why I recommend Onitama as a great two player board game for competitive players.
11. 7 Wonders Duel – A Great Two Player Competitive Game with Multiple Paths to Victory
After a tough week of work I visited my mom. “Surprise!” She had bought us Seven Wonders Duel to play when we only had 2 players.
I had heard quite a lot of good things about this game but was skeptical. This 2 player board game is like the sequel of the original drafting game, 7 Wonders. And you know how hard it is to live up to the hype of a great original.
The game designers did such an amazing job at balancing this board game and making every choice feel meaningful and fun. They took the few annoying things about the original game and improved upon them. Or just removed them completely.
The scoring at the end of the game is much more streamlined and intuitive. If I only could recommend 1 of these 2 player board games to you, it would be this one. And it is deep enough for competitive players to enjoy while being simple enough for casual board gamers to enjoy building the 7 wonders of the world.
(Edit – I have now played the 7 Wonders Duel with it’s Pantheon expansion. This is a great addition to this already enjoyable 2 player board game for competitive players. I like the expansion because it takes out some of the variance in the game and adds a very cool new mechanic.)
Rounding out our list of some of the best 2 player board games around is Twilight Struggle. Not only is this board game rated the top two player board game on the market. But it’s consistently seen in many top 10 board game lists of all time.
I’m suggesting this game to competitive board gamers because the difficulty is higher than most other board games. Based on what I have read and watched about Twilight Struggle would suggest that it is also full of strategy and important decisions. Making this the perfect 2 player war strategy board game for competitive players.
What Are Your Favorite Two Player Board Games?
I hope you found some good suggestions in the list above to try out with your friend. I’m most eager to try out Jaipur with my mom and Twilight Struggle with my little brother. But would also be happy playing another 50-100 games of Seven Wonders Duel before moving to my next game also.
Oh yeah! I will have to add the expansion now too. It was really fun playing it with you. Didn’t add much complexity to the game but added a lot of new strategy.
We love Patchwork and we loooove Crokinole! We always talk about buying our own board but we still haven’t. We want to try Hive too!
If your duo is into abstracts, Yinsh and Zertz are awesome too! I’d also recommend Tash-Kalar, it’s a grid-based abstract where you’re filling squares with pieces, but you’re trying to make patterns to summon fantasy champions and claim changing goals based around controlling certain territory or claiming your opponent’s pieces!
Ooh, and Circle the Wagons! The best little microgame that’s two player only, but it plays and feels like a really big, satisfying experience.
I could go on forever! Exceed is a good one too if you like fighting games or tactics based around out-guessing your opponent.
There are so many great two player games right now you could probably list a top 50!
Too many great 2 player board games is a very positive thing to me 🙂 I’m glad there are more than we can even mention.
Thanks for the recommendations, Chris! Tash-Kalar sounds really fun. I think I even played it once with you but can’t remember for sure. If it’s the game I’m thinking about, it was a blast!
I will have to try out some of the other ones you mentioned as well!
Very good call Eric. I still haven’t played this but it was suggested for our Deduction game list by my friend Chris. It sounds like a blast to play. I will have to try it out!
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8 Responses
Charlotte Pisors
Glad you liked 7 Wonders Duel. The expansion is extremely fun too!
I need to try some of these other games. They sound good.
Calvin Keeney
Oh yeah! I will have to add the expansion now too. It was really fun playing it with you. Didn’t add much complexity to the game but added a lot of new strategy.
Chris
We love Patchwork and we loooove Crokinole! We always talk about buying our own board but we still haven’t. We want to try Hive too!
If your duo is into abstracts, Yinsh and Zertz are awesome too! I’d also recommend Tash-Kalar, it’s a grid-based abstract where you’re filling squares with pieces, but you’re trying to make patterns to summon fantasy champions and claim changing goals based around controlling certain territory or claiming your opponent’s pieces!
Ooh, and Circle the Wagons! The best little microgame that’s two player only, but it plays and feels like a really big, satisfying experience.
I could go on forever! Exceed is a good one too if you like fighting games or tactics based around out-guessing your opponent.
There are so many great two player games right now you could probably list a top 50!
Calvin Keeney
Too many great 2 player board games is a very positive thing to me 🙂 I’m glad there are more than we can even mention.
Thanks for the recommendations, Chris! Tash-Kalar sounds really fun. I think I even played it once with you but can’t remember for sure. If it’s the game I’m thinking about, it was a blast!
I will have to try out some of the other ones you mentioned as well!
Eric Moore
I think Mr. Jack is a good one for the list too. We always have a lot of fun with it when it makes it to the table.
Calvin Keeney
Very good call Eric. I still haven’t played this but it was suggested for our Deduction game list by my friend Chris. It sounds like a blast to play. I will have to try it out!
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