Are you looking for unique date night ideas? Dinner and a movie can get old pretty quickly.
Think outside the box by breaking out a board game. We have the perfect choices for you with our top picks for the best date night board games.
Luckily, there’s nothing to ignite that fire like a bit of competition. You might be partners in life, but you’re opponents in this world. So open that bottle of wine, set up a game, and play!
Table of Contents
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Date Night Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
7 Wonders Duel
Players: 2
Playing time: 30 minutes
Explore the 7 wonders of the world – without ever leaving home.
If you enjoy the original 7 Wonders board game, this version is perfect for date night. The gameplay is similar. However, Instead of drafting cards from other players, you’ll choose from face-up and face-down cards on your turn.
You and your significant other compete as ancient civilizations. Use buildings and resources to gain power and construct wonders. There are three ways to victory: science, military, or civic. Gain enough science or military credibility, and your civilization wins. If nobody wins after 3 rounds, count up points to claim that victory.
Are you wondering who will win? Duel it out!
Onitama
Players: 2
Playing time: 15-20 minutes
Onitama is the type of game that requires minimal setup and explanation. You can have it out and play within seconds for a spontaneous date night.
Each player has a master and 4 pawns. The game is played on a 5×5 grid. The master sits in a seat of power, with the pawns adjacent — think of a very simplistic version of chess. Draw a card to dictate how each piece can move. Players continue to draw cards and move pieces accordingly.
The goal is to take control of the board. This can be done by taking out the opposing master or claiming their seat of power. Move space by space strategically, and with a little luck from the cards, take down the opposing empire!
Fog of Love
Players: 2
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
Fog of Love is the ultimate relationship test – hypothetically speaking, of course.
Players take on the roles of two lovers… simply going through life, making decisions, and tackling challenges together. Sounds eerily realistic, right? This is partially what makes the game so fun.
Create your unique narrative and build your characters as you go. Maybe you’ll be a wealthy banker with smoldering eyes and expensive taste. Or an extroverted, tattooed artist. Secret, personal goals guide your character’s moves.
Face some decisions as a team and some separately – whatever you choose to do, it will affect the relationship. How will you handle financial choices? Will you adopt a puppy? At the end of the game, your happiness score and goals determine how successful the relationship was for you.
Will the partnership stay strong or crumble under pressure? It’s always a gamble, but worth playing the game!
Codenames: Duet
Players: 2
Playing time: 15-20 minutes
There’s nothing to bring a partnership together than some teamwork!
Codenames: Duet is a word association game. It’s similar to the original, but without the competition.
Vocabulary cards are laid out in a 5×5 grid. Players have a double-sided keycard with target words for each player. Give one-word clues to get your player to guess their target words. If they get a word correct, they can keep on guessing. If they get a word wrong, the turn ends. If you hit the assassin card – it’s game over!
Codenames: Duet is a great way to get to know each other. Understand how your partner’s mind works, and you can lead them to victory!
Patchwork
Players: 2
Playing time: 15-30 minutes
Relationships take work! But in this game, you’ll be working against each other to create the most beautiful patchwork quilt.
Patchwork is a tile-placement game. Players get their own quilting board. Buttons are used as currency. Purchase scraps to add to your Patchwork puzzle.
Pieces come in different sizes, colors, and shapes, but you’ll need to be strategic to get the most valuable ones. Place scraps carefully to add more later and earn even more points.
While there is a clear loser and winner, there is little player interaction. It’s a great option if you want a competitive edge while still keeping the peace!
Paris: La Cité de la Lumière
Players: 2
Playing time: 30 minutes
Welcome to the city of love! Paris has many nicknames, but tonight it’s all about turning it into the city of light.
Played on a city grid, the game requires area influence and strategic placement. In the first phase, players position their colored tiles and collect buildings. In the second phase, players place buildings across the board on their designated colors. Points are awarded based on proximity to streetlights.
Take your date down the streets of Paris. Whether you win or lose, we hope this game will light up your night!
Jaipur
Players: 2
Playing time: 30 minutes
There can be many merchants in the city of Jaipur, but only one seat in the Maharaja’s court. Compete to be the best merchant to claim your spot!
Jaipur is based on risk and reward. Manage your hand of cards and resources. The goal is to trade up in value and eventually gain the best commodities. While there is low player interaction, you still trade and sell from the same marketplace. Pay attention to what your opponent is collecting – you don’t want them to get too far ahead.
It’s a light-hearted game that is playful but still competitive.
Forbidden Island
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30 minutes
If you were stranded on an island, you better hope you have the right partner!.
Forbidden Island is a cooperative game – so work together, not against, to survive. Your goal is to complete challenging missions and secure four epic treasures. But watch out! The island is slowly sinking with each move you make. You win if you can accomplish your daunting tasks before finding yourself underwater!
The board is beautifully designed and at an excellent price. Multiple characters and difficulty levels allow for variability and replayability. Overall, it gives you a good bang for your buck.
So will your relationship sink or swim on this island? Bring your teamwork and sense of adventure to find out!
Hive
Players: 2
Playing time: 20 minutes
From time to time, our significant others bug us! It’s only natural.
Take that irritated energy and channel it into some friendly competition with this insect-inspired game. Hive is a tile-placement game for 2 players. On your turn, add one piece to the communal hive or move an existing piece in play. Each bug moves differently – the elegant queen can only move one space at a time, while the grasshopper can hop across the table.
But make sure to protect your queen bee at all costs! If she becomes surrounded by the opponent – your hive has been compromised.
This unbeelievable game is surprisingly simple but fun – and sure to get you buzzing!
And then…we held hands
Players: 2
Playing time: 30-45 minutes
This game walks you through the steps of a relationship. See how you’d fare when presented with some real-life challenges. Will you go separate ways at the end, or… will you walk off into the sunset holding hands?
It’s an excellent option for quiet nights seeing how talking is off-limits. You must move your playing pieces in sync by using nonverbal communication cues. Complete color-coded objectives to move your tokens around the board. Objective cards are based on common emotions that may arise in relationships such as content, ambivalent, or betrayed.
If you can both make it to the middle together, you win! But getting to the center of the board requires balance, collaboration, and strategy. You can’t get there alone! So read your partner’s moves and win as a team.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best date night board games! We hope that this list gave you some great date night ideas to spend some quality time with your partner or as a fun getting to know you activity on a first or second date!
Have you tried any of these games before? Did we miss any of your favorites? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.
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Cheryl is a teacher, writer, and board game fan. She likes incorporating games into all areas of her life, from classrooms and family nights to lively parties with friends. While she’s played too many to count, her favorites have always been classics like Codenames and chess.