Our Favorite Two Player Games

Sunday, November 15, 2020

The Best Two Player Games | A Memory of Us


My husband and I have always been a huge fan of game nights. We love getting together with a small group of friends to catch up and play games. However, due to COVID-19 and 2020, we haven't been able to have game night with friends in months. Instead, we've been building up our collection of two player games. Since it doesn't look like COVID-19 and social distancing is ending anytime soon, I thought I would put together a list of some of our favorite games that are great for two players. These games are great to add to your collection if you are looking for new ways to stay entertained during quarantine. I also have a few games listed that we don't own yet but that I have heard great things about. If you have any suggestions of games that are good for couples, let me know in the comments! I think we will all be looking for ways to entertain ourselves at home over the next few months. Games are also a great Christmas or Birthday gift so these are all great gift ideas! Links below are affiliate links.  

Games We Own

1. Ticket to Ride: Ticket to Ride is actually one of my favorite games to play with a group but it is also a fun game for just two people. There are so many different versions (We have the original and Ticket to Ride Europe). In Ticket to Ride, the game board is a map of a country. Cities are called out all over the map connected by different colored train routes. At the start of the game everyone draws three routes. The objective of the game is to complete all of the routes you picked at the start of the game. On your turn you draw different colored train cards so that you connect a city. If you have the right cards to connect a city, you will lay down your train pieces to claim the route. It's a super fun game that usually takes about an hour to play.

2. Qwixx: Qwixx is another game that is great with a group but is equally as fun with only two people.  At it's simplest, Qwixx is a dice game where the objective is to roll the numbers 1 through 12 on each of the 4 different colored dice. It's kind of similar to Yahtzee as you are looking for certain number combinations or sequences to earn the most points. Tyler and I were gifted this last Christmas and we have loved playing it all year. We usually play two rounds when we play and can get the game done in about 30 minutes.

3. Sequence: Sequence is a board game featuring cards from a standard deck of cards. They are all mixed around in no particular order. Players collect cards from a draw pile on their turn. When they have a card they want to secure on the game board, they lay it down and play a chip on the card on the game board. When you have 5 in a row you get a sequence. How many people you play with determines how many sequences you need to win the game. We usually play two rounds when we play this game and it takes about an hour for both. 

4. Farkle: Farkle is another dice game similar to Yahtzee. However, instead of trying to get certain combinations of dice to cross off a score sheet, you are looking for certain combinations of dice to earn points and get to 10,000 points. Depending on how you roll, this game can take anywhere between 15-30 minutes. 

5. Darts: Darts is fun for when you want to be a little more active. We usually bust out darts when we want to watch something on tv, like a sporting event, or just want to still be up and moving. We play either Cricket or 301. Dart boards start cheap ($20) and can get crazy expensive depending on how fancy you get. Etsy has some really cool custom ones! I love this one that features American Flag cabinet doors and a place to keep score.

6. Bananagrams: Bananagrams is a fast paced spelling game, similar to Scrabble. Instead of playing on a game board with someone else, you play with your own tiles just in the space in front of you. You win if you use all of your tiles first. Games are fast - 15 minutes for one round. 

7. Rummikub: In Rummikub, each player has numbered tiles that they start the game with, and draw on each turn. You want to play your tiles in a sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) or in a grouping (3 3's, for example). After your initial turn, you can add on or break up other tile sequences. Goal is get rid of all your tiles first. If you cannot play on your turn, you draw another tile. This game takes us anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. 

8. Mancala: Mancala is a classic for a reason. It's quick, fun, and easy to learn. Putting it very simply, Mancala is a strategy game to collect gemstones. Fast game that usually takes less than 15 minutes per round.

9. Cards: Not all games need to be fancy, and sometimes all you need is a good ol' deck of cards. Our favorite card game is golf. (Instructions here.) There are so many games you can play with a deck of cards. A bunch of options are listed out on the Bicycle Card Website.

10. Upwords: Upwords is another spelling game similar to Scrabble. However, in addition to adding words across a gameboard, you can also stack letters and go up. Game ends when all tiles are used and nobody can make anymore words. Takes anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour.

Games On Our "To Buy" List

1. Tenzi: The Tenzi Dice game is actually on my Christmas list this year! It looks really fun and somewhat similar to two games we already like (Qwixx and Farkle). Tenzi is a fast paced dice game where all game players roll 10 dice a time. The first person to get all 10 dice to land on the same number wins. 

2. Bloom Wildflower Dice Game: In the Bloom Wildflower Dice Game, you roll dice with an objective of crossing off flowers on your score sheet. The number you roll on each colored dice determines what you can cross off on you score sheet. The score sheet looks like a screen in candy crush, where you need items grouped together to be able to cross them off. I don't know anyone who has played this, but it looks fun and has good reviews! 

3. Jaipur: Jaipur is a two player board game that has been recommended to me multiple times! It is a strategy card game. 

4. Catan Rivals: Catan Rivals is the 2 player dice version of one of my favorite games, Settlers of Catan. Settlers of Catan is a strategy board game that I love so I am sure the dice game is fun too! 

If you are in the market for some new board games I hope you found this post helpful! Did I leave out your favorite game? Let me know in the comments. I love finding new games to play and welcome any suggestions! 




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