The best two player games for your nights in
As fun as dinner party games and drinking games are, they're often created with a group of friends in mind. But what happens in there are only two of you? Thankfully there are board games and card games designed for just two people, so you never have to go bored or without organised fun again.
Here, 8 of the best two player games for your next night in.
Pass The Pigs
If you haven't yet played Pass The Pigs, you haven't lived. The game is possible with more than two players, but works just as well if you're in pairs. Take it in turns to throw the two little piggies up in the air, and watch how they land. Different landings are worth different points, and if the pigs land with one black dot showing on the side, your score returns to zero - unless you have previously decided to bank your score, and let the other player have their turn. Keep playing until someone reaches 100 points. Sounds ridiculous (side note: is ridiculous), but Pass The Pigs is very fun.
Slam
The aim Slam is to get rid of all of the cards in your hand as quickly as possible. The entire deck is split between two players, and your cards are laid out in front of each player as their tableau as follows (the same as a game of Solitaire):
Stack 1: (0 cards face down), 1 card face up
Stack 2: 1 card face down, 1 card face up
Stack 3: 2 cards face down, 1 card face up
Stack 4: 3 cards face down, 1 card face up
Stack 5: 4 cards face down, 1 card face up
Each player's remaining 11 cards are placed face down in the middle of the table, next to two "split piles", which start empty. Once the game begins, there is no 'turns' - both players play as quickly as they can. Each player turns over one of their 11 remaining cards and places it in the middle. Players then play the face-up cards from their tableau onto either discard pile, playing a card of consecutive rank - a 4 can be played onto a 3 or a 5, but not another 4, for example.
Every time a player uses a face up card from their tableau and all that remains is a face down card below, they can turn it over. When neither player can go from the existing split, they turn one of the 10 remaining cards over onto the pile. The player who discards their whole tableau first, wins.
Backgammon
Unlike many games, backgammon is designed specifically for two players. Using a backgammon board, lay out the counters as per the instructions. Each player is trying to get their 15 counters 'home' and off the board the quickest, by rolling the two dice and moving a counter the corresponding number of times. Players can take each other's single counters off the board by landing on them, meaning that counter must start from the beginning, while players can only start taking their counter off the board when they'll all 'home'.
Battleships
Everyone's played a good old fashioned game of Battleships, haven't they? This game involves two identical peg boards (one for each player), and a selection of battle ships each. Sat facing each other, so you can't see each other's peg boards, position your battle ships wherever you like on the map, before taking it in turns to guess coordinates on each other's board. If you guess correctly, use that information to try and fully sink the other person'a ship. If you guess incorrectly, use a white pin to mark the spot, so you know not to guess there again.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a classic board game that will get super competitive between two of you if someone keeps taking the triple letter score. Each player starts with seven letter tiles, all worth a different value, and players take it in turns to create words with those letters, making sure to interconnect it with the words already on the board. A bit like a crossword. Fun but challenging.
Linkee
Linkee is super simple to learn and can be played between two and four players. Four question cards are put on the table, and the first person to work out what links them shouts out 'linkee'. If they're right, they win a letter, and the winner of the whole game is the first person to have enough letters to spell LINKEE. Easy.
Crazy Eights
Crazy Eight is a card gam that can be played in a crowd, or just as a pair. You'll need one 52 card pack, with five cards being dealt to each player and the remaining cards creating a stock in the middle. The aim of the game is to get rid of all of your cards in your hand, by playing a card that corresponds to the top card of the discard pile in either suit or number.
So if a 3 of Hearts is played, you can either play another five, or any Heart. When a player can't go, they take a card from the stock. 8s are wild cards, which means they can be played at any time, and will likely change the suit. Play must then continue on that suit, until someone changes the suit by playing a matching number, or next time they play an 8.
Rummikub
Rummikub is essentially like the card game Rummy (rules of which are explained here), but the board game version. Players treat their tiles like cards (using numbers and colours instead of numbers and suits) to form runs and matches, in a bid to get rid of all of the tiles in front of them. When you're unable to form a run or match, you pick up another tile. You can play with up to four people, too!
Jenga
What would a two player game round up be without a quick mention of Jenga? The game involves stacking little wooden blocks on top of each other in a tall tower, and taking it in turns to remove one without making the tower topple over. The more blocks removed, the harder the game becomes.
Easy!
You Might Also Like
