The board game industry had a rise in popularity throughout 2020 and 2021 when lockdowns around the world made many people purchase more indoor entertainment. As expected, popularity has dipped now that most countries aren't in lockdown today, though plenty of people discovered a new hobby with board gaming and haven't looked back since.
When people get into board gaming for the first time, a popular question is "what are some great games for couples?" Thankfully, there are a ton of excellent two-player games on the market, with some letting couples team up and others pitting them against one another.
8 Disney Villainous
Given the Disney theme, Disney Villainous is a fantastic game for introducing someone to more complex board games than traditional household names like Monopoly and Scrabble. As the name suggests, it flips the script by letting players control a villain and try to complete an evil act specific to their character.
Although the game is suitable for up to 6 players, it flows much better with fewer, making it ideal for couples who want to go head-to-head to see who is the best villain. For those who aren't a fan of classic Disney characters, then Marvel Villainous or the upcoming Star Wars Villainous may be a better choice.
7 Splendor
Splendor was designed by Marc André and published in 2014. The game puts players in the shoes of a Renaissance gem maker and tasks them with accumulating the most prestige points by developing transportation, mines, and shops. The game has become a hit for its excellent balance of skill and luck, along with its interesting theme and superb components.
Splendor won a plethora of rewards after its release, including Board Game of the Year from Golden Geek and Best Family Game from the Dice Tower Gaming Awards.
6 7 Wonders Duel
7 Wonders Duel was released in 2015 and is a two-player version of the popular 2010 release 7 Wonders. The game is reminiscent of the popular video game series Civilization, with building wonders being a key component of the game and players being able to win via either science, military domination, or points.
Like Splendor, 7 Wonders Duel won a multitude of awards upon release, including Best 2-Player Board Game from Golden Geek.
5 Spot It!
Spot it! (also known as Dobble) is perfect for those who think building a civilization in 7 Wonders Duel or being a Renaissance gem maker in Splendor sounds like far too much mental effort.
Spot it! is a pattern recognition game that tasks players with finding match symbols on cards. This may sound like an easy task, though it's deceivingly difficult due to how many symbols are on each card and how often their size changes.
4 Codenames: Duet
Like 7 Wonders Duel, Codenames: Duet is a 2-player version of an older game, Codenames. The game lets couples team up and tests their wordplay skills and synonym knowledge.
With numerous word cards laid out, one player will say a single word that will act as a hint to help the other player guess as many cards as possible. Players need to be careful with their hints, however, as there are dangerous cards to avoid, such as the assassin card that immediately ends the game if it's selected.
3 Dominion
Dominion was designed by Donald Vaccarino and, like Disney Villainous, is a great option for those who are just getting started with complex, designer board games.
Dominion first hit stores in 2008 and is considered to be one of board gaming's most influential modern releases, as it was the first-ever deck-building game, a style similar to collectible card gaming. The goal of Dominion is to earn the most victory points, which is achieved by gradually accumulating the strongest deck through smart purchases and attacks on opponents.
2 Jaipur
Jaipur lets players try their hand at being a Rajasthan trader and attempt to earn an invitation to Maharaja's court, an esteemed honor. 2009's Jaipur, like Splendor, has a nice blend of skill and luck as players take, trade, and sell cards for valuable goods.
Players need to act fast though, as the value of each good is constantly decreasing, giving players no time to rest on their laurels.
1 Mastermind
Mastermind is a unique game in the sense that it only requires one player to give it their full attention, which is handy if one person is a bit too busy to commit to a full game. There are many different variations of the game, though generally speaking, one player will be the "codemaker" and puts four colored pegs in any order that they choose into a shielded area.
The "codebreaker" then needs to guess what color and order the pegs are in by placing their own pegs down and obtaining information from the codemaker, such as which how many of their pegs are the right color and how many are in the correct spot.