20 Games to Play With Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend at Home

The best games for two do one of three things: make you laugh, make you talk, or make you a little competitive. Ideally all three. These 20 work with a phone, a deck of cards, some paper, or nothing at all.

Talking games

1. Would you rather. Start easy ("pizza forever or tacos forever?") and work up to questions that actually tell you something.
2. Two truths and a lie. Each of you says three things about your past, one of them made up. The other guesses. It works surprisingly well even after years together.
3. 20 questions. One of you thinks of a person, place or thing, and the other gets 20 yes/no questions.
4. Hot takes. Each of you writes five opinions on paper, then you debate them. The loser of each debate does the dishes.
5. The memory game. Take turns asking "do you remember when...?" Every correct detail scores a point.

Competitive games

6. War with a twist. Classic card War, but each battle you win earns a small favor you can cash in later.
7. Speed. A fast two-player card game where you race to empty your hand. Perfect for couples who like to trash-talk.
8. Gin rummy. The classic card game for two: slower, strategic, and good with a drink.
9. Higher or lower. Flip a card and guess whether the next one is higher or lower. Three wrong calls and you're out.
10. Co-op or head-to-head video games. Either works. Just agree on the stakes before you start.

More rules for two-player card games: card games for couples.

Creative games

11. Draw it blind. One of you describes an object, and the other draws it without knowing what it is.
12. Story chain. Write a story together, one sentence each. Rule: each sentence has to start with the last word of the one before.
13. Charades, couples edition. Only movies you've watched together, or inside jokes.
14. Would they say it? Read a quote aloud. Your partner guesses whether a friend of yours or a famous person said it.
15. Build it together. Lego, a puzzle or a blanket fort, against a 30-minute timer.

Flirty games (adults only)

16. Kiss countdown. Three minutes on a timer, and anywhere but the lips.
17. Blindfold taste test. A wrong guess costs a kiss, wherever the other one chooses.
18. Spicy would you rather. Same game as number 1, warmer questions.
19. Strip cards. Any two-player card game, where the loser of each hand loses one item.
20. A couples dare game. TwoNite runs on one phone: you each pick your limits in private, and it only plays dares you both said yes to, from Mild to Extreme, with minigames like Card War and Higher or Lower where the loser takes the dare. The first scenario is free and plays in your browser. It's on the App Store and Google Play.

Want more of these? Here are 15 sex games for couples.

How to pick the right game tonight

• Tired? Pick a talking game from the couch.
• Restless? Pick a competitive game with a silly bet.
• Want something new? Pick a creative game you've never tried.
• In the mood? Start with a flirty game at a lower heat than you think, then go up.

FAQ

Q: What games can I play with my boyfriend or girlfriend at home?

A: Talking games (would you rather, two truths and a lie), two-player card games (Speed, gin rummy, War), creative games (story chain, draw it blind) and, for adults, flirty games like a kiss countdown or a couples dare game.

Q: What are good games for couples with nothing to buy?

A: Would you rather, 20 questions, two truths and a lie, charades and the memory game need nothing at all. A deck of cards unlocks War, Speed, gin rummy and higher or lower.

Q: What are fun flirty games for couples?

A: A kiss countdown, a blindfold taste test, spicy would you rather and strip card games. If you'd rather not plan anything, a couples dare game on one phone can run the whole night.

Related: Date night ideas at home · Question games for couples · Keep your girlfriend entertained at home