Date Night Board Games

Wondering how to make date night work without spending hundreds of dollars? To make sure frequent date nights happen at our house, we’ve added ‘date nights in’ playing board games for couples to our routine! It’s a nice break from “kid games” and leaves more room for conversation and connection than zoning out to a tv show. Keep reading for the 5 best casual games for two adults that are relatively easy to learn and quick to play.

[Stephanie’s note: If the voice sounds different it’s because this post was written by Tyler, my husband, and originally published on Kidsloveboardgames.com which is now defunct!]

If you like this post, you might like these too!

Benefits of family game night & tips for raising game loving kids
10 Best Family Board Games for All Ages
5 Cooperative Board Games for Couples
Top 5 Board Games for Couples: Serious Gamers
The secrets to playing board games on a budget

Pin this round-up of date night board game ideas with this photo or link!

When you’re shopping for games, consider looking on Facebook marketplace for secondhand, buying from your local, small board game shop/toy shop, searching on Ebay, or checking Kidizen for used games. These are linked to Amazon for convenience but we’d much prefer you shop secondhand and/or small when you’re able!

Picking Your Date Night Board Games

One challenge we did face when we started out was finding the right board games. Most of our games at the time were geared at bigger groups for game nights with friends or family, and while some games played great with only two players, we had to dig a little to find games that worked well. There are some games designed specifically for two players that we started out with and branching out from there we’ve found lots of good options. If you’re looking for some specifics, check out these posts or keep reading for casual gamer suggestions!

Read: Top 5 Cooperative Board Games for Couples

Cooperative board games are perfect for date nights! What could be better than teaming up with your significant other to take on the game? We always have a blast playing cooperative games on date night, click the link above to check out our 5 favorite cooperative board games for date night.

Read: Top 5 Board Games for Couples: Serious Gamers

If you and your partner are into heavy games, this is the spot for you! These are our favorite games to really get the brain working and make us think. We play these less often since having kids, but always enjoy them when we bring them out. Click the link above to see our top 5 favorite couples board games for serious gamers.

Top 5 Board Games for Couples: Casual Gamers

Some of you more experienced gamers may breeze over this list, but that could be a mistake! While I typically enjoy heavier strategy games, sometimes they just aren’t a fit. At the end of a long week, hanging with my wife and catching up while playing these more casual games is the perfect date night!

Love Letter by AEG

With a name like Love Letter, it had better be a good game for couples! This is a great game if you love to read people. Love letter is a fast paced card game that involves a great mix of playing the odds, reading your opponent, and luck. The game is played in rounds and each round lasts just a few minutes so it’s easy to adjust the game length to fit your needs. In Love Letter you’re trying to get your love letter to the Princess by getting in the hands of the highest ranking member of the court at the end of the round, but your opponents have the same goal and are trying to thwart you!

Sushi Go! by Gamewright

Sushi Go! is a perfect game for people who love classic card games. Sushi Go! is a pick and pass game where players pick a card from their hand and pass their hand to the other player. This is repeated until all the cards are picked. The round is scored based on the hand each player has built and the person with the most points at the end of the game wins. Playing Sushi Go! with two players really brings the strategy out because you know all the cards available very quickly so you’re challenged to get the cards you need to score, but also block your partner where you can.

Blokus Duo by Mattel

This one is for the puzzle loving couple. Blokus Duo is specifically designed for two players. Players take turns placing their pieces on the board and whoever is able to place the most pieces before running out of room wins. Blokus duo is well-balanced game constantly asking you to strike the right combo of placing your piece perfectly or using it to block your opponent.

Hive by Smart Zone Games

Hive is a perfect game if you love Chess (or like Chess but think games last too long!). It’s a very simple game to understand and play, but the strategy has layers that will keep you coming back for more. Players take over a pile of insects (ants, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, and a queen) that can each make different movements. Using those insects, players try to surround the opponents queen to win the game.

Lost Cities by Kosmos

This one is for the solitaire loving couple, who always wished the could play a competitive version. The card placement has a solitaire ‘feel’ to it, but Lost Cities adds strategy and decision-making. In Lost Cities, players start expeditions and play cards on those expeditions to earn points. My favorite thing about Lost Cities is the scoring dynamics. Unsuccessful expeditions are very costly towards your end score, but you also have to take risks to stay competitive.

Date Night Board Games