Need Two Player Games

Updated on February 15, 2009
C.A. asks from Albany, OR
24 answers

So many games seem designed for 4 or more players. Does anyone have any fun two player games they know of that I can buy? My DH and I like to play games to unwind after babies have gone to bed and we want to have a huge collection of games for when they get old enough. Help?

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So What Happened?

So we bought Lost Cities which is beguiling simple and way fun! We ordered Ninja Burger and Uno, and have made a wish list of games to order a couple at a time off amazon and we just ordered a PS3 (it was on sale on dells website with a 20% off coupon and free ship!). Thanks for all the great suggestions and helping us put together a monster list of games to get.

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T.S.

answers from Seattle on

My husband and I play scrabble, yatzee, and battleship (the card game version). We also play other card games like war, pirates, phase ten, skip-bo, and rook. I also love Mario Cart (especially when he lets me win!) :)

2 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Seattle on

We love Snatch! It's a word game that is much more exciting than Scrabble because you get to steal words and make new ones. Perfect for two people.

http://www.amazon.com/US-Games-Snatch-Word-Game/dp/157281...

2 moms found this helpful

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K.I.

answers from Spokane on

Hi C....

We love Chess and Risk...but we are a couple that enjoys clobering eachother :) If you feel it might be worth your while I would think about an XBOX 360...our teenagers control it most of the time but we have been known to stay up after all the kids are asleep and play a little "Army of Two" or "Rainbow Six Vegas" for a couple of hours, from time to time...they are very cool cooperative games where you work as a team to take out the enemy. They are shooting games...I know not very popular, but I am a boy mom...gotta keep up with what the kids are doing these days, and I love them!!!--- Not just a two player game BUT if you have another couple you enjoy playing with dont forget about Spades...thats also one we have fun with when we feel like clobering others and is a team effort...as I am sure you have noticed we are kinda competetive at my house.

Just have fun...its good for the marriage!
K.

2 moms found this helpful
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N.W.

answers from Eugene on

Pass the Pigs. Someone gave this to us years ago. You toss the pigs like dice and get points depending on how they land. Fun and a no-brainer, easy for kids to play, too.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Seattle on

There is a brand of games called Kosmos, and they have a number of two player games - all are pretty fun and easy to learn. I like 'Lost Cities', and, 'Hera and Zeuss' the most, but i've played a lot more than that and they are all fun.

'Mister Jack' is a fun mystery solving game, my huband says 'Roma' but i'm not actually sure i've played that one.

If you like more abstract games there is a series of 'Gipf' games that can work together or apart and are fun. If you like 'Settlers of Catan' there is a 'Starship Catan' that is a two player game.

I've played 'Battlelore' with my husband and its fun - more of a war game if you like that sort of thing. He also really likes the old 'Ogre' game for a two player war game.

There is a set of card games called 'Mystery Rummy' which are rummy based games with a mystery story driving some of the card actions. They're fun, and have the advantage of working for two or more people.

Yspahan is another two person game that my husband likes. He also says that a CCG (collectible card game) may work well - you could start with a defunct one like Deadlands so you could pick up cards cheaply. An advantage here is that you can spend time independently making decks etc., and then have fun playing together.

You could also pick up a copy of Hoyle's guide to card games - card games can be fun, have a variety of skill level, and many can also grow with your family (eg., include your kids or not, as you please).

mmmm.. I hope thats a good start. We have a huge collection, including kid friendly and crowd friendly games, too, and can rather drone on about them.

By the way, for game stores Blue Highway on Queen Anne has pretty helpful friendly (and kid friendly) staff. Gary's games (Greenwood) has a good selection of games, and Uncles (over in Crossroads mall) seems to me to have a reasonable set of both.

Good luck with everything, and have fun.

1 mom found this helpful
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Z.A.

answers from Seattle on

Our absolute favorite is pool (or billiards, if you're feeling especially snazzy about how good you are...darn...3 sides and THEN the pocket...I personally am not there yet). Course, that's a huge space commitment.

2nd & 3rd favorites are "Ingenious" ... which goes up to 4, but the board "shrinks" depending on how many players are playing & Mancala (2 player only).

Dominos & Dice games are fun...but I personally prefer to have more players.

Other fun 2 player only (ahem, adult) games can be found at Toys in Babeland. Absolutely awesome female owned & run. Knowledgeable, fun, & helpful staff. Might be nice to head out there on a girls night out, if your in the area, to pick up something for parents nights in :)
http://store.babeland.com/sexy-games

1 mom found this helpful
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H.B.

answers from Seattle on

Scrabble is my favorite. Also Skipbo is super fun with two, Uno is fun too! Cribbage is a great two person game, Boggle, if you like word games. Oh Yahtzee too! That's all that comes to mind for me right now...

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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

A couple of card games are great for two, San Juan, Bohnanza and Guillotine. Also another great quick game is Carcassone and a two player version of that is called The Castle. Have fun!!

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C.R.

answers from Seattle on

My husband and I love to play games. Our favorite is Rummicub. That works well with two players. We also play mexican train alot, sorry (still fun with two players). I like sequence, but that isn't his favorite. Sounds silly but we also play UNO a lot too, and that is also still fun with two players.

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S.S.

answers from Portland on

DOMINOES! There are SO many different games you can play with a double six set- I even play solitaire. Get a nice set of dominoes and a good playing book and you'll never run out of options. We play a lot- its a special game for us- in the Caribbean, where I grew up, dominoes is practically a way of life, and my husband and I "courted" while playing! Its not the boring game you remember from childhood, but it can be made very simple for small children, or you can use complex strategy and larger sets for cut-throat games with your DH. Give it a try!

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P.B.

answers from Portland on

How about UNO or SKIP-BO. Those are two player card games that can easily go to multi-player games.

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T.R.

answers from Bellingham on

Checkers and chess are great strategy games and can be very relaxing and fun for 2 people. My children loved playing both with me as well. My teenage son and I play Monopoly as a 2 player game all the time. I don't know how old your children are, but Sorry was always one of my and my children's favorites and can be a 2-4 player game.

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A.G.

answers from Seattle on

My husband and I enjoy playing Sequence, which is great for just two players. We also play Scene It together. There are a lot of the classic games that work well with two players, but not as many of the new ones. So you might think back to your childhood and look up some of those games - Stratego, Battleship, Careers, Life, Monopoly. We have played most of these together as a couple, and with the kids. I think there's a reason they have stuck around so long where some of the newer games come and go. Have fun!

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L.G.

answers from Seattle on

Apples to Apples is the best! They have an adult version and a kid version. We love it!

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W.B.

answers from Portland on

We enjoy playing Scrabble, Backgammon, Mancala and Scattergories--all good for 2 people.

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R.R.

answers from Seattle on

My husband & I have fun playing Sequence or Blockus. You can use your brain & strategize or just play--either way its fun,

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D.T.

answers from Portland on

Cribbage is a great game and very helpful for teaching adding skills.

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D.C.

answers from Portland on

My husband and I used to play Cribbage all the time. Have fun!!!

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D.H.

answers from Seattle on

Checkers, chess, othello, battleship, come to mind. We also like canasta, rummy, and other card games that you can look the rules for online: Hand and foot, speed, war...etc.

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C.W.

answers from Yakima on

Hi C.,

Not sure what kind of games you like to play. My husband and I really like strategy games. Settlers of Catan has a 2 person card game that is AWESOME! It takes a little time, but is a really great balance of strategy and luck (so you never can quite predict). We've been playing it for several years and it hasn't gotten boring - there are several expansions that you can get in one set that we really like. We LOVE to play Carcassonne, and there is a 2 person version called The Castle which is fun and not as long as the Settlers Card game. There is also a 2 person game called San Juan that is a scaled down version of Puerto Rico - it's really fun too. Good luck!!

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A.C.

answers from Portland on

Dominoes, Phase 10, Gin Rummy, 2 person solitaire or (Nertz), Scrabble, Take Two (fun informal version of scrabble), Boggle, Yahtzee & Uno. Card games are the best. My husband and I have a running tally for gin rummy that we started when we got married (11 years ago!). And props to you guys for hanging out and playing games! I wish my husband and I did more of it...we used to, and then we had kids, now we just plop down on the couch and stare at the tv! :-) Have fun playing:-)

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S.L.

answers from Portland on

My husband and I love backgammon and good old-fashioned cards.

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R.I.

answers from Seattle on

try the four player games but with two! Eg. cranium can be done with two people, you just guess the answers, drawing, charades with each other. and everyone wins!

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J.P.

answers from Portland on

C.,
I love to play games with my husband and oldest son and we have run into the same problem. Many new games are made for 3 or more players but we have found a few that are two player games.
We enjoy Uno, Master Mimd and Spite & Malice. All 3 games our 6 year old enjoys playing, too.

Hope this adds to your growing list of possible games.

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