Best Board Games For Couples of 2024 – Top 10 Review

Tired of going out? Bored with binge-watching? Perhaps too much time behind the table playing chess with your partner? Want some engaging and interactive time for just the two of you?

We’ve got a great way to spend an evening together with some of the best board games for couples out there. Get ready to have an interactive, engaging, and entertaining evening you are sure to enjoy.

Below we’ve reviewed ten of the top couples board games that let you and your partner become spies, build empires, design quilts, trade-in markets, and much more.

In our top 10 list, we’ll look at one vs. one games and cooperative games alike. We’ve covered card-driven games and role-playing games. We’ve also been time considerate with short and long play games.

Read on and discover ten of the best games for a couple’s game night. Just the two of you and a game to play.

Some time to laugh and learn together. And who knows, by the end of the evening one or both of you may conquer the world, save the day, or solve a murder mystery.

Top 10 Couples Board Games – Short Comparison

Best Board Games For Couples – Our Top 10 Picks

1. Best Relationship Building – Fog of Love – Passion Love

As you play through the synopsis of your first date, and for the rest of the game, you are faced with choices such as choosing your first date, when to first kiss, and many others. You and your partner get to reveal your decisions at the same time and points are awarded based on those choices. Making similar choices awards bonus points thematically suggesting a good match.

You also get to play react cards as a response to your partner’s choices. They include things like walking out of a restaurant during an argument, apologize, and other responses to difficult situations. The choices and reactions progress in-depth as your relationship grows.

Ultimately, you are both trying to achieve your personal destiny cards by the game’s end and also fulfill your individual trait objectives some of which are opened to your partner. In addition, there are hidden objectives (secrets) that are only revealed at key moments and add interesting twists to the gameplay.

Fog of Love serves as a spot-on romantic comedy role-playing game filled with twists and turns. While it takes some time to get your head around it, it makes sense to go through the tutorial game first, it facilitates the learning process and makes it more comprehensible.

2. Best Abstract Fun for Couples – Azul

It sounds simple enough, but there is so much more. On each turn, you pick a selection of tiles that were previously and randomly selected and placed together on a coaster. Each coaster represents a factory.

The catch is you may only use tiles which are the same color from the factory. The unused tiles go to create a new factory in the center of the other factories. After the first round, you may choose the center factory as well, though there is a point penalty each time you do so.

After each round of choosing your factory and tiles, you move the tiles from the staging area to your design area and tally your score. The game ends once a player completes a row in the playing area. This typically happens in the 5th or 6th round.

Azul plays pretty simple, but as you play your ideas about the game grow in complexity. The rules are straightforward but allow for some serious thought and forward planning.

3. Best Classic Board Game For Couples – Imperial Settlers – Empires of the North

In Imperial Settlers each faction has its own deck of cards and a player board. Each round starts with drawing cards from your own faction deck as well as the common deck.

The game has three main phases of the game by playing your cards into the production, feature, or action portions of your playing board.

Each card you play may generate more resources, build bigger or better buildings, provide victory points, or a host of other possibilities. The two most important aspects of the cards are knowing which phase they belong to and whether they affect all players or if they are unique to your faction.

Keep an eye on the war possibilities and victory points. Each round increases in time, complexity, and fun.

Imperial Settlers is a great date night game for fun at home. Learning the rules and setting up the game board is straightforward. The individual decks and unique traits of each faction provide a different experience every time you play. And five succinct rounds of play keep the action going and push you to commit to an action and deal with the outcome.

The game also plays well with 3 players, hence you can keep it aside for a small group fun too. To learn more about 3 player games, we suggest you check our latest review on the best 3 player board games.

4. Best Couple Investigation – Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures

At the same time, I’d like to think of it as a ‘stretch’ objective for anyone looking for an additional challenge.

If you and your ‘Watson’ are up for an evening filled with a detective mystery, Jack the Ripper & West End Adventures is a great place to start.

The game features a London Directory, map of London, and newspaper archives filled with hints and thematic characters. Despite working best with couples or two players, the board game can scale up to 8 players.

As you read through the case book you get leads or clues and then you get to choose which ones you follow. The game plays a lot like a choose your own adventure, but this is not the ones from your childhood days.

In order to beat Holmes, you have to pay attention to every detail and make close to flawless decisions every turn. Having said that, it is also just a really good time solving the case with your partner whether you beat Holmes or not.

The quality and aesthetics of these game pieces really are remarkable. The news archives provide leads but also contain some comical relief.

The cases are difficult. I have never beaten Holmes, though we have solved most cases. There is literally no room for any errors or extra moves if you are apt to beat the master detective himself. At the same time, it provides a challenge that always adds a spark of motivation for the players to improve with every game.

In addition, having played the game a number of times, the game has a solid thematic character that works better than most expectations players familiar with the works might have. It walks a fine balance to remain original enough yet avoids the risk of over-familiarity at the same time.

5. Best Tetris Fun – Patchwork

On each turn, you have to consider the cost of the available patches, where the patch fits on your game board, and the amount of Time Tokens required for the most effective move.

As you manage those decisions, keep in mind that there are bonus button tokens for landing on or passing the button icons. And don’t forget about the free patches available on the Time Board.

While the name Patchwork may not conjure up fierce competitiveness, be careful. You and your partner may find yourselves calling rematch after rematch.

With a pretty simple gameplay and set up you’ll have all the time you want to think ahead and plan your next patch purchase. But don’t forget your partner is planning too.

All your plans dwindle when they buy your perfect patch, but do not worry you will find another option quickly. And it may be even better than your original idea.

6. Best Strategy Game for Couples – Twilight Struggle

Event cards is what makes the game unique and engaging as they add details and flavor to recreate the thematic atmosphere of the era. They cover the most historical events, such as the Arab-Israeli conflicts of 1948 and 1967, the Vietnam war, the Moon landing, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other incidents that brought the world to the edge of nuclear annihilation.

In addition, you have to compete in the arms race and the space race, plus you’ll have to manage walking the fine line of provocative actions which may initiate nuclear war and make you lose the game immediately.

In addition to strategizing your own play, you must keep careful tabs on your partner’s play. Thinking about their perceived next move can be more important than knowing your own next move.

The game takes up to ten rounds with more historical events being added to the deck, drawn, and played. Furthermore, additional cards are added to the deck as time moves to the Mid War and Late War.

Twilight Struggle is a complex asymmetric strategy tabletop game that is incredibly well thought out to maintain a fine balance between the opposing sides. The game recreates true historical events that generate a feeling of enormous tension making it the best war game for couples I’ve ever played.

In fact, it was one of the first couples tabletop games I bought to play with my wife and it still regularly hits our table. I was at first concerned with the complexity that may turn my wife off, yet her fascination over the educational part of the game was sufficient to see her through.

It does take some time to learn, but it is definitely worth it as there is no other game on the market that can deliver anything quite like it as far as the thematic feel and the depth of the strategic experience. According to the most authoritative online board gaming resource Board Games Geek, Twilight Struggle currently takes the top spot amongst any other strategy games that are based on war or conflict.

7. Best Couples Card Game – Jaipur

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and has a thriving market. You and your partner are rival merchants with five cards each. There are another five cards (three camel cards and two random cards) face up in the center to complete the marketplace.

On your turn you may only do one of two things – buy a card from the market or sell the ones you already have in exchange for pogs. As the goods diminish and camels acquire in front of you so do your points grow. The round ends when three of the pog piles are gone.

Then you add up the points and award the ‘seal of excellence’ to the merchant with the most points.

Don’t be fooled by the simplistic concept of managing hands, buying and selling. You will quickly become a cutthroat trader in Jaipur if you make right choices at the right time. Once you get the knack for the marketplace and pick up on how the trading increases you will regularly gain at least one ‘seal of excellence.’ With persistence, you’ll soon be winning two and thus the game as well.

8. Best Light Civilization Building – 7 Wonders – Duel

There are three ways to win the game. You can win instantly through the military track or by completing six scientific breakthroughs. The most common way to win, however, is by having the most victory points by the end of the game.

The game plays through three ages where you draft cards that are visible to you and your partner. Each card provides a variety of options to build a wonder, advance your military, provide resources for other buildings, and a few other possibilities too.

As you move into the second and third ages, cards increase in costs, powers, and abilities because your empire is growing as well. Of course, this also means that game strategy becomes more important. And don’t forget that your military and science options increase making the instant win more likely.

While there are some similarities to other games in the series, Duel provides a unique experience for a couple. It is not just an add-on or a two-player version from the 7 Wonders franchise.

As such, the Duel is worth the addition to your couples game night collection. The game provides enough differences in each age that you are able to play through it time and time again.

Since the original release, the board game has seen multiple expansions to follow and other versions of the game. Video, app, online and other digital alternatives have also been released which proves a wide success and adoption of the game.

9. Best Light Strategy Fun – Santorini

The setup is gorgeous as it features a 3D playing board and pieces as well as unique builders color-coded with a follower.

Play starts by simply placing each of your workers on the board anywhere you chose. You then take turns until someone stands atop the third level of a tower.

Each turn starts with moving your worker or their follower followed by adding or building a piece of the tower.

The caveat is you may not move to any space occupied by your opponent.

Oh, and there is a fourth layer of the tower, a dome that serves to cap it. If you construct a dome, no player may stand atop a tower or build more levels. This is a great technique if you want to stop your opponent from advancing.

If that’s not enough to make simple rules tactical, some cards provide God powers and Hero abilities that give unique building or moving options to your worker.

Santorini is an abstract game that features an amazingly interactive gameplay competitive couples would love.

It is fun to set up and looks awesome while playing. It is really easy to learn but takes many tactical plays to master. Despite being quite competitive, it is one of those fun games for couples to play at home to get a swift and positive boost of laughter combined with healthy rivalry.

10. Best Couple Teamwork – Codenames: Duet

You and your partner give each other hints trying to find the fifteen different agents hidden on the card grid.

One thing that makes this Codenames version unique is the key card, as it is two-sided. Place the key card between the two of you so that you can each only see one side of the card. Each side of the key card contains nine green marked words, three of which are the same for each player. Each side also contains three assassins, guess any of the three and you lose immediately.

Your clues are given by stating a single word and a number. The word you chose should make some connection to other words printed on the cards and the number indicates how many cards correlate to the clue given.

The idea is for one player to come up with good enough clues so that the other player guesses the right cards containing agents and not bystanders or an assassin. You continue to exchange clues for up to nine rounds or until you’ve discovered all fifteen agents. Or of course, unless you guess the assassin.

The game makes a great association spy challenge for couples to collaboratively puzzle each other. It allows you to get creative by using the inside jokes when coming up with clues and having some laughter at the same time.

The game is truly cooperative as you make your own decisions but share the outcome with your partner every round. Codenames: Duet meets any couple’s desires for a quick and challenging game of wits. 

Best Rated Games For Couples – Recommendations

So there you have it, ten of the best board games for couples for you and your partner to spend an amazing evening together. Playing games on the board offer engagement, player interaction, and even some intimacy the online and digital counterparts are just not able to do. They provide couples with fun and laughter as well as positively strengthen and bond your relationship with the other half.

Whether you enjoy a sense of rivalry playing a competitive game or teamwork and shared objectives, we hope you found a perfect pick for you and your partner on our list.

You can play short games that are less intensive like Azul, Patchwork, or Santorini. They’re fun and lighthearted and are great for right after dinner or just before bed. If you prefer light card games, then Jaipur is a great option to consider.

Games like 7 Wonders Duel, Codenames: Duet, or Imperial Settlers: Empire of the North are perfect for a weekend night. They’re long enough to spend the evening together and you won’t worry when they take a bit longer than expected.

And if you’ve got a long weekend or cozy day at home and love strategy games, you can tackle something a bit more complex with Twilight Struggle or Sherlock Holmes Consulting Agency.

But to really learn what your soulmate is thinking, for better or worse, check out Fog of Love. It adds a perfect touch of love and romance into the relationship building.

At the end of the day, we believe it would be hard to go wrong with any of the top couple board games on our list. To start, we recommend you to just pick one in almost any category and go with it. Playing games is the only way to figure out what you like and what you don’t as well as what works for your couple. The evening is yours for just the two of you so enjoy it with some of the best games for 2 players out there!

As always, please share your thoughts on the relationship games for couples or romantic board games you’ve played and would recommend for others! Especially if some have improved your relationship or made positive impacts in your life.