Hey Friends,

For awhile now I thought it would be fun to share about the best board and card games for two. My husband and I love spending quality time together (it’s one of my love languages!) and playing games is one of the ways we love to spend time together.

Since getting married we’ve discovered some new board and card games that we really enjoy playing together…. and of course we still play some favorites that we learned during our courting days!

For the past year, I’ve had fun adding to our game stash – thanks to Amazon, Ebay, and of course, thrift shops. Since we are preparing to be a pastor’s family, hospitality is important to us, and with hospitality, an ample selection of games is a must! The following games are the ones we would name among our favorites, and the ones we enjoy playing together during a cozy night in.

At the end of this post I want to hear all about your favorite games as well – we would love to find some new ones to play too!

The Best Board and Card Games for Two

1. Ticket to Ride

By far, this is our favorite and most-played board game. I learned how to play this game as a teenager and had fun teaching it to Adam after we were married. We both love it! When we first began playing this game we spent many evenings on our bedroom floor racing across the map trying to finish the most destinations. One time (over the course of several weeks) I had a 13-game winning streak going on and Adam was determined to beat me! He finally did. 🙂 Ever since, he gives me a run for my money (or, shall I say a “run for my trains?”) every time we play!

The goal in Ticket to Ride, is to complete the most destinations and therefore earn the most points. The longer your train routes the more points you get for completing a route. It’s always interesting when someone gets in your way when you’re traveling “across the country”. It’s a fun game of strategy and chance (but mostly strategy). This game can be played with 2-6 players and it’s also a great game to play with kids who are old enough to grasp the concept of the game.

We own (and love!) the Original Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe.

2. The Farming Game

This is a game that Adam introduced to me after we were married. This game reminds me of Monopoly but at the same time it’s very different. The goal of the game is to earn the most money buy purchasing, planting, and harvesting crops. You travel around the board much like you do in Monopoly except each side of the board represents one of the four seasons. In each season you have opportunities to buy crops or harvest wheat, hay, or fruit – as well as sell cattle.

This game is a lot of fun and really opens your eyes to the challenges of farming. We love to play this game when it’s just the two of us, but we also enjoy playing it in a larger group (you can have up to 6 players).

3. Perpetual Commotion (2-Player)

I purchased this game as a Christmas gift for Adam back when we were courting. I think we played it only once or twice before we were married, but since getting married we’ve played it lots of times. Much like Dutch Blitz, Perpetual Commotion is a fast-paced card game that requires you to be alert and focused while quickly flipping through cards and building stacks of cards from 1-10. The nice thing about this game is it’s small and portable, plus we can play as long as we choose – sometimes we just play one or two rounds, other times we play until one of us reaches a certain amount of points to win the game. We definitely have a healthy amount of competition when the two of us play this game – and it’s always so much fun!

4. Yahtzee

Growing up, I never really cared for this game. However, since playing it with my husband Adam, I now think it’s a lot more fun! My husband usually beats me, but we always have a fun time when we play Yahtzee. The nice thing about this game is it doesn’t take too long to play a full game.

(And yes, we do have a tendency to shout a bit when we play this game – out of excitement of course!) 😉

Yahtzee is perfect for two players but you can also play it with a small group of people.

5. Jenga

This game makes me nervous – in a good way! It’s always nerve wracking when the Jenga tower gets taller and taller and increasingly wobbly.

The special thing about our Jenga game, is that it was used at our wedding and our guests wrote messages, tips, and advice on the blocks for us to read. Whenever we play, we get to read each message and be reminded of the sweet and funny things our friends and family shared with us!

Once again, this is a great game for two people, but you can play with more players as well.

6. Parcheesi

This might be an oldie – but it’s still a goodie! We enjoy a good Parcheesi game from time to time… it’s one of those classic games that just doesn’t grow old.

While my husband and I are always a little bit competitive, this game always seems to bring out our competitive sides even more! I think I usually win this one, but my husband is always a good sport regardless. 😉

This game is great for just two people… but you can play with up to four players.

7. Monopoly Deal

This is a new game we learned from our cousins. It’s definitely a fun game to play with a small group, but Adam and I enjoy playing it when it’s just the two of us as well.

In order to win in Monopoly Deal you must own three complete sets of properties – you can even steal properties from the other players! This game has some fun variations compared to the board game and it’s certainly a whole lot quicker and easier to play than the original!

This is still a fairly new card game… have you played it yet?

8. Othello

This is one of the very first games Adam and I ever played together. It’s a little tricky (as least in my opinion) and I am still not sure I have the game down 100%…. but it’s still a really fun game to play as a couple. This game requires strategy and lots of flipping in order to be the person who takes over the board!

Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s been a long time since Adam and I played this game…. we might just have to pull it out again very soon. I need to beat him the next time we play! 😉

9. Codenames

This is a game that Adam and I borrowed from the Library and learned how to play ourselves. Since that time, we’ve played it with family at a holiday get-together and it was a lot of fun! I like that this game can be played with a large group or with just two players.

This is a guessing game that makes you think, and when you play with just two players, you have to try to think like the other person and work together as a team to beat the game!

10. New York 1901

This was a fun new game we learned how to play last year. The object of this game is to gain control over as much territory of New York City as possible. Once you possess some land, you can build skyscrapers and large buildings on your properties. The more properties and buildings you own, the higher your chance of winning the game!

This game is fun with just two people but you can play with up to four players as well.

More Fun Games for Two

Here are some more games that can be played with just two players. I did not include them in the list above because these are games we don’t own or don’t play very often… but they are still fun games to play!

• Monopoly
• Rack-O
• Dutch Blitz
• Battleship
• Mancala
• Connect Four
• Scrabble
• Uno Attack
• The Game of Life
• Sorry!

Where to Buy Board and Card Games

Some of these games (especially board games!) can get rather pricey. Since we’ve been slowly adding to our game stash since we got married, I’ve learned the best places to purchase new games. First and foremost, I always check Amazon. They usually have pretty good deals and sales on popular games. Sometimes Amazon does NOT have the best price, and when that happens, I check on Ebay and Walmart. Between those three places, you can usually get a reasonable deal on the game you’re looking for. Last but not least, I almost always check the game section at my local thrift shop. We’ve found quite a few of our games this way – and it’s always way cheaper than buying them brand new!

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best board and card games for two people. At one time or another we have enjoyed each one of these games, and would definitely recommend them to other couples and families! I hope you will give one (or two, or three!) of these games a try, whether with your significant other, a friend, or with your family.

Have YOU played any of the games on this list? What are some of your favorite games to play?

Please share your favorite games with us below – we are always on the lookout for new games to play!

Have fun playing games!

Until Next Time,