Top 10 Couples Games in 2020 (or any 2 players really)
BoardGameCo
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With lockdowns still in effect across the globe, people are stuck at home, often with at least one other person. Which makes this a great time to play more games, or to get your significant other, roommate, or even that random person who wandered into your house into gaming. This list are all incredibly accessible games, bound to pull others in with their combination of simplicity, elegance, charm and strategy.
0:00:58 10) Yinsh
0:02:08 9) Carcassonne
0:03:33 8) Santorini
0:05:35 7) Dale of Merchants
0:06:48 6) On Tour
0:08:26 5) Unlock
0:10:14 4) Patchwork
0:11:33 3) Welcome to….
0:13:15 2) Codenames Duet
0:15:45 1) Watergate
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07.01.2022
Thanks for this – a very nice presentation, which encouraged me to buy a couple for my wife’s birthday!
Good solid recommendations for 2Players. I might add in Wingspan or Hive
Wife and I love Carcassonne as a two player game. Although we can get quite nasty with the "take that" moves.
Really shocked that 7 Wonders Duel is not on the list, it's one of the best two player games.
Watergate is one that I really want to get, heard nothing but great things about it.
Rummy games need some love and representation on this list. Games like Qwirkle, Lost Cities, Battle Line, Jaipur and Arboretum are all great couples games. Especially, if the point of this list, is to reach non-gaming spouses. They have a familiar mechanic which allows you to ramp up difficulty quickly. I personally used Lost Cities to get to Battle Line and that game is super fun if, you like tension and cut throat competitiveness (with or without the power cards.)
I've heard the term Legendary games, but what is roll/flip and write(?) ?
I enjoyed @13:58 "phenomenally decent"
Check out Crimson Company, if you have a competitive minded partner its great
Hard for us to get rid of Santorini as well.. really cool concept, beautiful, easy to play, but we not aren't too big into it and yet it still sits on our shelf year after year..LOL
Funkoverse?
Phenomenally decent lol
Exit games can be photocopied so you dont destroy parts. I've done that then sold the game for half what I paid which I'm happy with
You really sold me on some of these. Nice looking games with good components are important to me
Battle line is my all time favorite 2 player game. So many tactical decisions.
I think that was a fair list of games good for two players.
A better list, in no particular order:
1. Agricola (upgraded components with all expansions).
2. Orleans (as above).
3. Flamme Rouge (with both expansions).
4. Legends of Andor (all expansions).
5. King & Assasins (deluxe).
6. Concordia (again, upgraded components with all expansions).
7. Napolionics (all expansions).
8. Tzolkin (with Tribes & Prophecies).
9. Zombicide (all expansions).
10. Yamatai.
Top ten portable games:
1. Hive (all expansions).
2. Tak (custom).
3. Mijnlieff (use 2 copies for a 2-player game).
4. Shobu.
5. Biblios.
6. Battle Line.
7. Spicy.
8. Barking up the Wrong Tree.
9. The Viking Game.
10. Blitzkrieg or Milito.
"phenomenally decent" hahaha
I ended up getting Carcassone specifically for my wife and me to play together, even though my younger son will join us much of the time, but I was looking for something relaxing for my wife and I to play. Thanks for the review!
is this a general "straight couple games" list.. :_
Great list. My husband isn’t a gamer and I lose him if it takes more than about 3-5 min to explain a game. Somehow I got him to play and enjoy Orleans, maybe because you can learn somewhat as you go. But in general easier games to get into we enjoyed are quacks of quedlinburg, that’s so clever, cartographers, Hanamakoji, Everdell, Jaipur, kingdomino, lost cities, and azul stained glass. By the way welcome to has a free app (for the score sheet only, someone will still need to flip the cards).
Great list here! I'm going to buy a couple as we're heading in to lockdown again in my area of the UK. Thank you!!
We're almost done with Jaws of the Lion. Next week Etherfields XD
Hi Alex,
Great video again. Lots of fun games for couples.
You mentioned YINSH but I thought you liked TZAAR more? What about DVONN?
I play with my wife the following games: Azul, Wingspan, Quacks of Quedlingburg, patchwork. We will have to try some of the games you mentioned. Thanks
Watching this now to get ideas for Christmas gifts, and it’s amazing how similar your tastes are to Max in Tablenauts! haha
My list:
Champions of Midguard (Blood Rage for Couples)
Alien Frontiers
Cloud City
Tally Ho!
Carcassonne
A Fistful of Meeples
Cyclades
Gunkimono
Qin
Kingdoms
Kingdomino
Cave Troll
Could you do another video like this? Maybe for games that are at a higher level too.
Thanks for the review!
How is Jaipur not on this list?! That is hands down one of the best 2P partner games
I LOVE UNLOCK OMG
Jaipur should be on this list. Always colorful and competitive. Great theme, small deck of cards and an android app for scoring.
Video pls. Not ur face!!!!
only game i have on the list is Santorini..easy setup easy to play
Great list!
The whole video I was waiting for the swaying stack of boardgames to come toppling down but you made it to the end safely. Good job!..🤣♥️
Thank you for video 🙂
Here is my scores for those games:
YINSH – Great Game! 10/10
Carcassonne – Great Game (for 2 players) 8/10
SANTORINI – Great Game! 10/10
Dale of Merchants – Didn't play
On Tour – Didn't play
Unlock series – Didn't play, But I like escape rooms very much!
Patchwork – Very good game 9/10
Welcome To – Good game 8/10
Codenames Duet – Didn't play (Codenames 6/10)
Watergate – Great Game 10/10
Codenames Duet us garbage.
Love the content man, new here
I was thinking maybe you could have a little B footage of the game set up, not playing just the pieces around
How would you rate the difficulty levels on the Unlock games? If we've done actual escape rooms but have never played an Escape room game, do you think we should start with Easy or Medium?
For me some noteworthy ones are:
Res Arcana, Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North, & Race for the Galaxy (2-Player Experienced) for competitive (yeah, big into engine building),
Thunderstone Quest Barricades Mode for co-op (also Bloodborne The Boardgame is starting to get some love and it's amazing).
Honorable mentions: Raptor (competitive) & Regicide (co-op).
What happened to Pandemic?
Hey Alex would love to see a 10 best "next level'' games at 2 player (either 2 only or best at 2). Games that play up to an hour or so, but provide a bit more depth in the strategy. We have been looking for such a game for a long time. We do have 7 Wonders duel, which we play a lot, but we need to switch up a bit.
Looking forward for your recommendations. 🙂
Lost cities, Jaipur, Sagrada, Tokaido, Potion explosion, Thebes, patchwork, kingdomino, welcome to, adventure land…
Thanks for the recommendations. I'm going to have to check out some of these games!
I actually think Carcassonne plays really well with two players, maybe even best. It allows you more opportunities to plan a strategy and see it through.
No 7 wonders duels? Really?
Great list. Would love to see an update on 2021 or 2022. Twilight struggle is one of my favorite games but it's difficult to get to the table and new players are at an extreme disadvantaged to a good player who memorized the cards. Watergate has some similar elements/strategy while still beng relatively accessible and quick. Do you like the original Azul? That is also one of my favorites
I’ve seen a lot of comments in BGG saying Watergate is unbalanced. Is there a workaround this? And if not, is it still a good idea to acquire the game?
Thats pretty clever is also a great step up from yahtzee
Pro Carcassonne is only played at 2. IMO that is the player count that makes the game competitive and really interesting! 3+ is nice for families, though. Great vid anyway, I have all but Yinsh, so need to give it a go… thanks a lot!
My husband and I prefer to play Carcassonne as a two player…just like you said its lightly challenging and relaxing. We also love Patchwork…it’s one of those games you don’t mind loosing, the fun of placing the tiles and trying to optimize your play…simply amazing. As far as the take away, we’ve heard a lot of buzz around Codenames, and now that your recommending it, it will most likely be our next purchase.
Great picks. Watergate, Patchwork, Welcome to… and Codenames would also be high on my list to recommend. Need to try a Gipf series game for sure. Only thing I did not enjoy at all was the Unlock! games and I would not really play Carcassonne any more.
Great list! Will certainly look into some of these. Happy Hanukkah! 🎊
I’m new to board gaming and so is my partner. We’ve both casually played at parties occasionally but that’s it. I’ve looked at so many reviews channels but I get the feeling there’s a lot of spin and sponsorship hype , one game in particular that involves a spinning wheel, a pointer and a reveal door is the worst offender . Your reviews however I feel are honest, not filmed in a flashy neon lit room with a purpose built gaming table that sits 10 people.
The reviews here are so informative and a good variety not just an overload of card games. Now I know what to get for Christmas and to play for the rest of the year and beyond and a good start for my collection . Many thanks