15 Board Games for Couples: Game Night, Travel, Spicy, & More

Play is a fundamental part of childhood, but somewhere along the way, it can feel like you’ve lost it in your life or romantic relationship.

Board games are a readymade way to bring that fun back into your quality time with your partner. They’re like fun-containing supplements you can take when everyday life leaves you running low.

And they’re especially beneficial for relationships. A 2019 study of 20 couples found levels of the social bonding hormone oxytocin increased in the majority of participants after they played board games together as a couple.

(In the same study, doing an art class made couples’ oxytocin rise even more, but that’s a story for another article.)

As you search for the perfect game to play with your partner, you might be asking yourself:

• Will this game be entertaining and challenging for adults?
• Will it tear us apart with its ruthless twists and turns?
• Will it last 5 hours and leave its participants gasping for air? 

We’ve done our research and picked 15 board games you can play with your sweetie, whether you’re looking to problem-solve together, dial up the playful competition, or stir things up in the bedroom.

“Our writers and editors choose products or services that we think might be helpful for our readers. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page.”

How to pick a couples board game

There’s an ocean of board games out there, and it’s easy to get lost in, so turn inwards before you open the floodgates (i.e. Google search tab).

Consider your skill sets, personalities, and preferences to discover the right game for you and your partner.

How much time do you want to spend? How much space do you have on the table? How much patience do you have?

Some people want a long, meticulous problem-solving experience, while others want to slap a card down and scream.

What are you looking for?

*Our writers and editors choose products or services that we think might be helpful for our readers. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page.

Cooperative games to play with your partner

These ones are for you if you prefer team building and slow-burning strategy games over quick battles of wit and reflex.

1. Pathfinder

Learn to navigate conflicts together — battling monsters, that is.

In this one- to four-player game you must defeat villains by using the skills in each player’s deck, as well as allies, spells, and weapons you acquired by rolling the polyhedral die. Your characters grow stronger after each game.

You can buy the Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous base set here. 

2. Defenders of the Wild

“Everything is connected, nothing lasts forever,” reads the product description. The game is a lesson in embracing change.

It’s a card-driven fantasy game with a tactical spin. All players are animals fighting against machines for territory.

The aim is to assemble a group of “defenders” from a collection of animal characters to maintain control of areas on a map.

You can buy Defenders here. 

3. Spirit Island

The island is being invaded and it’s your job to save it! Game players become island spirits in this cooperative strategy game, working together to defend your territory from the destructive colonizers.

Each spirit has its own special strengths and weaknesses. Some are more challenging to work with than others. You can choose from eight spirits, three adversaries, and four gameplay scenarios to keep game play interesting.

You can buy Spirit Island on Amazon.

4. Codenames Duet 

Codenames Duet is a variation of the game Codenames, except it’s cooperative.

In Codenames Duet, you and your partner lay out 25 cards, each representing a person. The person can either be an assassin, a bystander, or one of your 15 agents.

It’s your job to give your partner one-word clues to help them identify your agents without turning over the card of the assassin or too many bystanders.

You can buy Codenames Duet here.

Games for friendly competition

If you’re looking to inject playful tension into your relationship, try your hand at these competitive strategy games.

5. Ubongo 

This game taps your visuospatial skills as you put the Tetris-like geometric puzzle pieces together to complete the puzzles.

Each player races against time to solve their own puzzle in order to move their pawns forward and collect gems.

You can buy Ubongo here. 

6. Patchwork

Patchwork is a two-player game where the objective is to create high-scoring patchwork quilts on a 9×9 game board. The catch? You never know what patch you’ll receive next turn, so you have to think ahead.

Fans of the game say it appears gentle at first, but quickly becomes a competitive game of tact and cleverness.

You can buy Patchwork here.

7. Cathedral 

This game is two-player, short, competitive, and low-commitment.

Players vie to gain territory by placing their buildings on the board and occupying square footage, strategically blocking each other at every turn.

The game pieces are made of solid hardwood, so we recommend against playing this one with someone who might flip the table.

You can buy Cathedral here. 

Games to play with friends

Group hangouts — with your partner or not — are a great opportunity to bring out classic and modern board games.

Games are a playful addition to a dinner party, a great excuse for a get-together, and a creative way to make closer friends as an adult. 

8. Scrabble 

There’s a reason it’s a classic. In this popular word game, two to four players score points by creating words on a game board with letter tiles randomly drawn from a bag.

This game is an opportunity to appreciate your partner’s lexical creativity — or call bullshit. One of the best parts is defending the legitimacy of your words.

You can buy Scrabble here. 

9. Clue

This might be the only time asking “Whose fault is it?” will bring you closer together.

It starts with a murder. One mystery fictional character kills another in a certain room with a certain object.

Each player takes turns asking questions and taking notes to reveal the identity of the murderer, their weapon, and location in the Tudor mansion they committed the crime. The first to solve the whodunnit wins.

The reissue has many of the same beloved features as the classic version, but with new storyline elements and a more inclusive cast of characters.

You can buy Clue here.

10. Wingspan

This award-winning game is hugely popular among “cozy game” enthusiasts. In it, your aim is to attract birds to your wildlife preserve, which you do by playing different bird cards, gathering food, and collecting eggs.

Each of the 170 bird cards is printed with a beautiful, accurate bird illustration and contains meticulously researched facts about the species, making for enriching gameplay.

You can buy Wingspan on Amazon.

Travel-friendly games

Travel games can bring some welcome brain stimulation while you’re in transit. There are many virtual games you can try, of course.

But for those times you want to (or have to) switch off your mobile devices, here are a couple travel-friendly games to keep your brain buzzing.

11. Banana Grams

Banana Grams is Scrabble’s unhinged cousin, and comes in a banana-shaped bag that’s easy to pack.

Similarly to Scrabble, it’s a word game where you create words from letter tiles. The main difference is that players can put words down simultaneously and rearrange the board at any time. AKA chaos.

Buy Banana Grams here. 

12. Hive 

Hive is great for travel because it doesn’t require a board. The object of this two-player game is to capture the opponent’s queen bee by surrounding it entirely.

Reviewers of this game say there’s an issue of the most aggressive player always winning, but that there are ways to punish this overaggression and stay in the game. The perfect skill to develop for traveling with your significant other!

You can buy Hive here. 

Games for getting spicy in the bedroom

Last but not least, here are some games you can use for a different kind of play with your partner.

13. Twister

In this classic game, your body is the player on the board.

You must place your limbs on the color you spin, intertwining bodies with your partner or partners in increasingly complicated ways, until someone topples and loses.

What happens next isn’t written in the instructions.

You can buy Twister here.

14. Strip Catan (or any game with trade options) 

You can make any board game sexy, but this time we’ll focus on the fan favorite, Catan, in which players try to dominate the island of Catan by building settlements.

There’s a great deal of trading involved in this game.

In this sexy version, you play the Catan game as usual, but add each player’s clothing to the trade options.

Catan is ideally played with 3–4 players, although some versions can be played with 2 players, so this might be your chance to invite a guest or two.

Or you can apply the stripping twist to any game where you trade resources.

You can buy Catan here.

15. Monogamy

As you may gather from the name, Monogamy differentiates itself from other sex-oriented games because it’s designed for a committed couple.

Two players are tasked with moving a piece around squares on a board. Each square challenges you to kiss, drink, strip, ask your partner something about themselves, or reveal something about yourself.

The game builds each time you get around the board, and a different “level” of challenges are revealed.

You can buy Monogamy here.

Frequently asked questions

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about board games for couples.

What is the best board game for couples?

The “best board game” for your relationship will depend on your personal preferences and how much time you have. Factors to consider when choosing include: number of players, gameplay time, and whether you want a game that values speed or long-term strategy.

Which game is best for 2 people?

This may seem obvious, but games designed specifically for two people are your best bet. The game should say this in the product description or on the box. Trying to fit a couple into a board game designed for a group may lead to complications. 

Here are a few examples of games that can be played with two players: Banana Grams, Codenames Duet, Wingspan, Monogamy. Most other games in this article can be played with two players, as well.

Are board games good for relationships?

Board games are a way to step outside of your typical dynamic in the relationship and experience play, which can create a sense of novelty and excitement most common in the early stages of a relationship. 

It may also help reinforce your attachment to your partner. One study found that couples had a higher level of the social bonding hormone oxytocin after they played board games together.

The final word

Board games are the gateway to a new dimension in your relationship. They can help you bond with your partner, see them with fresh eyes — or simply spend a bit more quality time together.

There are games for many personalities, preferences, and relationship dynamics.

Just remember, much like the experience of love, it’s more important to have fun than to win!