This is Part of our series on the best Board games by Player count. Check out the main article for more recommendations.
Board games nowadays come in all shapes and sizes. You’ve got cooperative games, competitive games, strategy, and deck-building games, games with dice, games with tokens, card games, party games, and many, many…many more! Needless to say, in this day and age there are more board games out there than ever before. There is certainly something for everyone and it’s never been easier to get your friends together and get your game on. Many of these games have become a game night staple, loved for their engaging gameplay and ability to bring people together. In theory anyway…
Despite board games being very accessible nowadays, life is likewise exceptionally fast-paced and can cause difficulty with getting a game night up and running. Being an avid D&D player I can attest to the reality of schedule conflicts making gaming evenings difficult to organize. Most board games are no different and it can be tough trying to find enough people that are free on the same night to run some games with. There is one workaround to this, however:
There are all kinds of games out, as far as depth and gameplay mechanics go, but the number of players also varies significantly from game to game. So put away the party games or role-playing games for one night. With the right board game, all you need is a +1.
This means that if you can’t get everyone over, as long as you can get even one person to commit, you’ve got yourself a fantastic game night! Below are some of the best two-player games out there. This list will be sure to give you and your bestie a variety of games to choose from for your next gaming session.
Here are our picks for the best two player board games.
What are the Best Two Player Board Games?
Patchwork – Making a quilt has never been so much fun!
By: Lookout Games Ages: 8+ Time: 30 minutes
A wholesome tile-laying strategy game, with a simplistic ruleset and beautifully designed game pieces.
The premise behind Patchwork is simple: end the game with more buttons than your opponent and create the largest, most eye-pleasing quilt possible. This is done by carefully selecting different tiles stylized as different colored and shaped patches. It packs a lot of theme into what is essentially an abstract strategy game.
Each turn players take one of two actions. If they have enough buttons, a player can purchase a patch (for the price indicated on it) from a small selection and place it on their personal 9×9 tiled game board. If so, this will move their token around the main board several spaces equal to the number indicated on the tile.
Alternatively, a player can forgo purchasing a tile and instead move their token as many spaces they wish on the time board, as long as it doesn’t move more than one space in front of their opponent. When taking this action, the player can collect a button for every space they move. In addition, certain tiles will grant you extra buttons when you move, so if you have any of these on your tile board you can add extra buttons to your total, which is a great way to consistently gain points.
Adding to the strategy of the game play, players don’t take turns one after the other but instead rely on whose token is in the second space on the board. This means until your token is at least one space in front of your opponent’s, you can take as many turns as you want. Using this mechanic strategically can get you more tiles and buttons whilst blocking your opponent from doing so.
Play continues until both players have moved their tokens to the center of the time board. Players then calculate their score by adding up the number of buttons they’ve collected and subtracting the number of open spaces left on their tile board. As you can see it’s doubly important to not only try and collect as many buttons as you can but take up as much space with your quilt tiles as possible as only focusing on one will result in a low score.
All in all, a fun game that’s simple to learn and great for a variety of ages!
Check out our full Patchwork review here
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Jaipur – Become the best merchant in town!
By: Space Cowboys Ages: 10+ Time: 30 minutes
A fast-paced card game where you and your fellow market stall owner vie for seals of excellence and an invite to the Maharaja’s court.
In Jaipur, both players assume the role of merchants in the city of the same name. Your goal is to receive an invitation to the Maharaja’s court, but you can only do this by acquiring two seals of excellence. This is done through a mixture of buying, selling, and trading at better prices than your rival, all of which will rely on a mixture of tactics, risk, and luck!
The play revolves around either collecting cards (representing a variety of different valued goods from leather to diamonds) from a pile in the middle of the table or selling the cards already in your cards in exchange for coins. Simple in essence, but there are a few things to consider when making your choice.
Selling three or more of the same item will grant you a random bonus card, so it’s worth stockpiling items in order to sell more at a later time. That said, you can only have seven cards in your hand at once. You’ll have to play tactfully and make some tough choices as the game goes on.
Do you sell early for the sake of some cash, or play the waiting game and try and sell more at once? There are varied amounts of each card, with the more valuable cards being more rare, which adds an extra element of strategy when deciding whether to sell or trade. Timing, luck, and reacting to your opponent’s moves all play a big part in being successful with this card game.
This is one of the best board games for couples and after the first few games, you’ll be hooked. It has an easy learning curve and doesn’t take up much table space – just some playing cards and a few coins, so I bring this along when we go on vacation or on a casual date night. My partner and I vastly prefer it to Lost Cities or Star Realms, which are both good board games and often recommended. We’ve played them all, but this is our favorite two-player card game.
Jaipur is a great game that is easy to learn, relatively quick, and full of interesting twists and turns.
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7 Wonders Duel – Lead one ancient civilization in conquering another!
By: Repos Production Ages: 10+ Time: 30 minutes
A two-player version of one of the most celebrated games in recent history!
7 Wonders Duel borrows enough from the classic version that veteran players will be comfortable playing and adds a few new elements to keep the formula fresh. In this variant of the original game, players strive to build up their city and lead their civilization through three different ages (each with their own deck of cards) with three different ways to win. Along with trying to construct buildings and wonders, players will play cards that either provide resources, advance their military, or lead to scientific discoveries.
At the start of each age, players shuffle the corresponding deck and display the 20 cards face up or down according to the current age. On a player’s turn they choose a card that isn’t partially covered by others and can take one of three actions: construct a building, discard the card to obtain coins, or construct a wonder.
Buildings and wonders all have a cost to them so sometimes it is necessary to discard cards in order to obtain enough resources. Players pick cards until all 20 have been played, at which point the next age begins and the process repeats itself. At the beginning of a new age, the player with the weakest military presence chooses which player takes their turn first.
At its core, it’s a set collection game, but it has a unique scoring system because there are three different ways to win: military dominance, scientific superiority, or civilian victory. Victory through the first two means can occur at any time by moving your pawn into the enemy capital or gathering six different scientific symbols. If so, the game ends immediately; however, if neither player wins by the end of age three, then the winner is decided by points generated through buildings, wonders, the city’s treasury, and more.
7 Wonders Duel is not just one of the great two-player board games, it’s a great strategy board game in its own right. It offers a lot of depth and strategy with multiple ways to win. This means no two games will ever be the same and adds significantly to the replay value. It can also accommodate up to four players, making it flexible for different group sizes.
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Klask – The internationally acclaimed board game!
By: Big Potato games Ages: 8+ Time: 10 mins
A fast-paced, miniature combination of foosball and air hockey that relies on skill, speed, and good aim.
Did you know ‘klask’ is a Danish onomatopoeia for slap? Well, that’s where this iconic sports game got its name! It’s a very different kind of game than the rest on this list in that not only is it a much quicker game to play, but it’s also a physical game. It takes seconds to understand the rules and objectives but much longer to perfect as it relies on your dexterity, precision, and reflexes, and provides tons of excitement.
The game comes more or less fully assembled so you can start playing almost straight away. The objective is simple: the first to score six points wins. Each player has a gaming piece, or pusher, that they move around the table in order to attempt to knock a ball into their opponent’s goal and defend theirs at the same time.
These pieces are controlled by magnets underneath the table which will add an element of difficulty and tension to each game. Add to this the obstacles in the middle of the board and the fact that coming into contact can result in conceding points, and this isn’t your typical game of air hockey.
This is a fun game and is the perfect one to bring out when you are looking for fast-paced game play. It’s a fair bit more expensive than the other games here but it’s well worth it. It’s easy to see why it’s so popular that they now run world championships of Klask.
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Twilight Struggle – Things get heated with this Cold War strategy game!
By: GMT Games Ages: 13+ Time: up to 3 hours!
Another classic critically acclaimed game to cap off the list, often considered the best board game for those interested in historical and strategic depth. Twilight Struggle gives you the opportunity to simulate the tension between Soviet and US armies battling for each other’s ideologies whilst taking part in indirect warfare across the globe. This was once the top board game on BoardGameGeek.com and is admittedly more for hardcore gamers, but, since it is my all-time favorite, it feels wrong not to include it on a list of the best two-player board games of all time.
Your game board is a map of the world and cards are used by both sides to try and control and grow their influence in different countries. The cards are based on real-life events, covering things like the space race and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and as they’re played they greatly affect regions on the board as well as each player’s actions. The game spans over decades and you’ll gain access to more event cards as the years go on.
Essentially, gameplay can be summed up as “play the card, follow the action”, which makes the general flow of the game straightforward enough. There are ten turns in a game and each turn players randomly draw cards from a deck. You’ll add cards to this deck as the game progresses and there are over 100 cards in total.
This game can feel a bit like a tight war game, but it’s more about espionage and clever card play than military might. On their turn, players compete for influence over the map, placing influence markers and removing enemy influence, or do both at the same time in the form of a coup. This is all dependent on the number of ‘operations points’ associated with the card that was just played. To add an element of complexity, some cards will trigger other players and have a chain reaction, so you must choose cards wisely and be wary that the same thing may happen to you.
A winner is decided by the number of victory points, which are accrued by the level of influence in different regions. Not all regions have equal value so strategically, you’ll want to aim for higher-scoring regions to stand a greater chance of winning. There is a track that keeps score of the victory points and the player that reaches 20 first is the winner.
The game has been likened to ‘Risk’ in that the player who has the greater presence on the board is the winner, but it is still different enough with its own mechanics. There is certainly a lot of depth and strategy to the game and be warned, it can take two to three hours to finish, so make sure to clear your evening if you’re considering busting this one out.
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Conclusion – Top 2 Player Board Games to try out
As you can see, there is no shortage of amazing two-player board games out there for you to choose from. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick game of Klask or a longer strategic battle with Twilight Struggle, these great games offer something unique and entertaining for players of all ages.
So gather your friend, family member, or significant other and get ready to embark on an exciting gaming journey. With the right game, you’ll be sure to have a blast and make some unforgettable memories. Happy gaming!
For more great two player games check out our list of the 15 Best Board Games for Couples