10 Reviews: Best Board Games for Couples (Apr 2024)

Take a journey down memory lane and rediscover the classic arcade game with this original Pac-Man board game! Play as Pac-Man, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, as well as their ghosts! Pac-Man produces actual sounds as it moves across the board, including the traditional “waka, waka, waka.” For a fantastic night of gaming, play with two or more pals!

I bought this game to play with my sons (12 and 9). It is loads of fun. This is the first board game adaptation of a video game I've played that actually plays like the source material. One player takes the role of Pac-Man, while the others play as the Ghosts. Once the Pac-Man player loses all of their lives, the score is tallied and the players switch roles. This cycle repeats until everyone has had a turn as Pac-Man. Highly recommend it for fans of Pac-Man, and/or families.

by S. Falibota

In this game, players acquire gems, purchase and create cards, or reserve one. Unlike cards, which need precious gems to buy, buildings enable players to extend their business and wealth by luring passing nobles. Reserved cards yield permanent gem discounts on future cards, while others gain prestige – which is important since the first player to 15 prestige wins. Splendor is a great introductory board game for both novices and couples because of its quick playtime and low player count. You could even receive a real diamond if you spend enough time together purchasing tabletop diamonds.

Listen. We love this game. Our 6 year old LOVES this game. Our 5 year old would probably love it if he could be just slightly less obsessed about the gem pieces and more focused on the actual gameplay. But nonetheless, it’s a fantastic game. If you’re someone who loves Catan (and everything related to it), Carcassonne, or 7 Wonders, you’ll probably love this game too. If you don’t love the aforementioned games, you may STILL love it.

by Jacob Ledesma

When it comes to strategies, whether it’s centered on culture, military power, or technology, there’s no shortage of options. Do you want to destroy your opponent’s civilization by conquering their stronghold? Sure. Do you want to be in charge of scientific breakthroughs? That isn’t a problem. Few games provide you with as much influence over the game’s mechanics as this one. You must keep an eye on the opposing player. They can take your cards if they figure out your method since you draw cards from a central pile each time. So, unless you want to fall behind, you can’t lose track of their behaviors while designing your broader approach.

It could be beneficial trying this out digitally on boardgamearena or similar place if you want to learn (it forces the rules on you, so you don't have to worry about the actual mechanics). After I did that, I got the actual game (and read the full instructions, which are actually pretty short) so I could play with the kids. We already liked 7 Wonders the full board game, so this is a fun secondary game.

by Matt

It depicts famous fairytale figures including the grumpy flower lady, the woman with the bird, and the fox. A player deals 13 cards to himself and their opponent, while the other plays the first card. To answer to a card of the same suit, players might lay down a card of the same suit or play any other card in their hand. Unless someone plays a trump suit card, which is decided by the card selected from the top of the deck before players begin, the highest numbered card in the leading suit wins the trick. Certain ability cards, like the moons suit’s nine, allow its player to win a trick if they’re the only one to play a nine. Win enough tricks to win the round, but go greedy and you’ll be taken down like the villain in many fairytales. So you’ll either be baked by two kids or suffer a similar fate.

When you move away from Michigan and don't have euchre partners anymore, Fox in the Forest is a good way to fill that gap. Quick gameplay, easy to pick up, and still engaging, this game is definitely a keeper. Each round looks different: figuring out if you're going to be humble or try for victory (but not greedy victory) is always interesting and challenging because the other player is trying to make the same choice. The art on the cards is also really great - the moons are my favorite.

by K. Casey

In Jaws of the Lion, players are mercenaries on the prowl for their next payday. You and your partner may select from four characters: a tankier character built to take hits, a ranger fighter who shoots from distance, a magic user who can help teammates, or a melee assault leader. Depending on whatever character you control, you’ll have access to different powers and a deck of cards to employ in battle. The game’s book has 25 distinct scenarios to explore in an overall campaign. Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a great pick for an evening of fantasy.

The quality you expect from Cephalofair is all there. This is a great way to get your foot in the door for Gloomhaven and Frosthaven. The way it moves through the first few scenarios explaining how to play as you go is great. It's a little easy but that works out well if you plan to move on to Gloomhaven. Which is a little more complicated. And the fact that you can use this stuff with Gloomhaven is a huge bonus.

by Strahd Von Zarovich

Both you and your partner may plant seeds and trim flower beds. In Cottage Garden, you and your Lover race to complete your garden boards while earning enough points. The common market offers a variety of flower beds, each with its unique shape and size. After choosing a tile, a player must decide where to place it in their garden. Some slots offer points based on their vacancy, while others do not. A player clears a garden board, adds up their score, and starts again. It ends when one player completes their fifth trade block loop and the winner has the most points. The game’s simple rules and cute theme allow couples to quickly learn and start maintaining plants. Spend more time gardening than reading the regulations.

Got as a mother's day gift for my Mom and she Loves it. We had a blast playing it and there are even rules for one player! We had to get all the pieces out while reading the rules because they weren't super clear but once you do a run through with the rules in hand it makes sense and is really fun!

by puppetgirl

Choose from a wide assortment of unusual and intriguing alien species, each with unique powers. For beginners, the guidelines propose two easy species. Later games let players utilize other aliens’ abilities. Defeat your opponent by conquering five planets. To send spacecraft to the planet, a player must draw a Discovery card. After disclosing their ship count, participants choose a strategy rating. Players lose ships on each hit and may employ whatever method they like. If both species have spacecraft on the planet, they reveal their discard card during the tactics phase. They are represented by a number on this card, with the higher number winning. Each participant takes five planets, indicating who is the most space-worthy of the two.

My wife and I have been missing our weekly Cosmic Encounter games with friends, so I was stoked to hear about this 2 player version of the game. I think it plays great and really hits the feeling of the classic game (minus the deal making and alliances). It's asymmetrical, weird, and has great alien powers.

by Doctor Popular

Hive is a quick and easy abstract board game that gives a pleasant experience for couples. In Hive, players take turns putting down tiles depicting many lovely bugs, ranging from the regal beetle to the delicate spider. Like abstract strategy games like chess, the goal of Hive is simple: surround your opponent’s Queen Bee with tiles before they surround yours. You’ll need to watch your tile placement and mentally prepare for your partner’s next move.

Perfect game for my wife and I. We love quick, competitive strategy games and this one fits the bill perfectly. Easy to learn with a lot of strategy variety, especially with the expansion tiles (wish they were included with this set but whatever) Love that we can play this game almost anywhere: on a floor, table top, or even in bed.

by Dmitriy

You’re up against a worldwide outbreak of coughs and sneezes in Pandemic. Because it demands collaboration to win, it’s one of the best cooperative board games ever created. Pandemic challenges you to gather five cards of the same color to find a cure for each disease. Do you want to discover a cure or keep the number of ill people down? Pandemic flourishes here, and it’s just one of the many crises you’ll encounter in this fantastic adult board game. You need to be cooperative with each other which resulted in a better connection between two players, in this case, you can know your partner better.

This is one of the best board games I've ever played that features a team dynamic. Unlike Settlers of Catan, which will ruin any and every relationship you ever had, this co-op will reveal the true colors of anyone daring to pick up a colored pawn. Play this game with a stranger to get to know them. I promise that by the end of the game that you will know whether they will become your beast of a best friend forever or labeled a selfish, uncooperative squat head to be despised forever. Try it on a first date. It will foretell whether or not you and your interest will successfully spawn offspring together.

by goodnplenty

Fog of Love is a unique two-player game that explores how relationships begin, evolve, and end – sometimes dramatically. The final victory condition is chosen by the player at the start of the game from a random selection of relationship objectives. Throughout the game, the player characters will be put in circumstances where they must make decisions ranging from leaving the toilet seat up to buying a house together. In some cases, both players make decisions and then compare them, whereas in others, only one player makes a choice. This is what makes Fog of Love an excellent board game for couples since it allows them to examine relationship issues without jeopardizing their own.

This is a great game, with lots of replay value. Other complaints about LGBT friendliness have maybe been misled by the cover. It's a game where you can create your character's sex and gender identity, so it's pretty open to play around with. Was it designed FOR lgbtq individuals exclusively? Absolutely not, but it also doesn't advertise as such, and did a good job of creating stories where sex/gender don't matter. The blue/pink color combo is troupey, but the art is seriously beautiful regardless.

by holland1945