For two players: from games without equipment to tabletop games and apps
Have you ever found yourself at a loss for what to do when you’re spending time with someone—family, friends, or a partner—just the two of you?
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of two-player time-killing games that are perfect for those situations!
We’ve picked a wide range: simple activities that require no props at all—or just a bit of paper and a pen—deeper tabletop options like card and board games, and even smartphone apps that two people can enjoy together.
There are plenty of fun games that might start as a way to kill time but before you know it, you’ll be totally hooked! Use this as a handy reference when you’re looking to pass the time.
- Perfect for killing time! Games you can play with two people.
- Fun two-player games recommended that you can play using conversation only
- A card game for two players
- [For 2 Players] Easy Pen-and-Paper Time-Killing Game
- Recommended games for two people that you can enjoy without any equipment
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- Exciting! Multiplayer games everyone can play. Time-killing app games
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Games for two people to enjoy. A roundup of party games that liven up drinking gatherings.
- Games you can play in the car! Fun activities to liven up drives and traffic jams
- [Solo Time] A roundup of ways to kill time without using your smartphone
- A collection of icebreakers you can enjoy with a small group
- Single-player games: a roundup of time-killing games
Games you can play without equipment (21–30)
riddle
Riddles are also a great way to kill a little free time.
Riddles rely more on creativity than on knowledge, so they’re fun for both adults and children.
In fact, kids with more flexible thinking might even be better at them.
In the past, you needed someone who had memorized riddles to ask them, but now you can quickly look them up in online videos and more, so give them a try whenever you have a spare moment.
Gesture Game
It’s a simple game, but in terms of ensuring solid social distancing, this gesture game is highly recommended.
The person doing the gestures can choose the prompt themselves, but dividing roles into a prompter, a gesturer, and a guesser will likely make it even more exciting.
If you want to hype it up further, you could attach a high-frequency device to someone’s arms or legs and have them gesture while getting mild electric tingles—sounds like it could be pretty funny (lol).
In that case, if the prompter controls the device, the excitement should come naturally, so give it a try!
Look that way, hoi!
Acchi Muite Hoi, combined with rock-paper-scissors, is a classic, easy way to kill time.
The rules are extremely simple, but it’s so fun that you can’t help getting into it, making it perfect for a quick break.
A single round is quite short, so it’s enjoyable to play several rounds and compete on total wins and losses, and it really livens things up if you add a penalty game.
Two-letter shiritori
Would you like to try playing two-letter shiritori? In regular shiritori, you connect the last letter of the previous word to the first letter of your word regardless of length, and the person who uses a word that ends with “n” loses.
This version adds one more rule: you can only answer with two-letter words.
It’s perfect for when regular shiritori is too easy and boring.
If you want to make it even harder, try banning repeated words or keeping a steady rhythm while playing.
It’s a real test of your vocabulary!
Bamboo shoot, bamboo shoot, nyokki-ki!
Start with the chant: Take-no-ko, Take-no-ko, Nyokkikki! Everyone stands by in a circle, and then pops up like a sprouting bamboo shoot, calling out “1-nyokki,” “2-nyokki,” and so on.
If two people speak at the same time, they’re out! The rules are simple, but timing your voice while reading the room can be pretty nerve-racking.
The more players there are, the harder the game gets, so why not try it when you have a big group? You might need plenty of penalties ready!
Ten thousand feet in the Alps
A hand-clapping song that just about everyone has played since childhood.
In particular, “Alps Ichiman-jaku” is probably one of the most famous hand-clapping songs, isn’t it? Even first-timers can manage it if you sit facing each other and try it together.
With little kids you can go slowly; with slightly older ones you can speed it up—there are lots of ways to make it fun.
It’s an activity not only children but also grandparents can enjoy together—a lively game that’s fun for all ages.
cat’s cradle
Cat’s cradle, a traditional Japanese game, is perfect for passing the time because both adults and children can get absorbed in it.
Many people probably remember learning cat’s cradle from their grandmother when they were little.
Since you can play it anywhere as long as you have a string, it might be handy to make one from yarn and keep it in your backpack.
When playing with two people, there’s also a version called two-person cat’s cradle where you take the string from each other, so give it a try.
Table Games, Card Games, Board Games (1–10)
Carcassonne
Carcassonne—a board game with a name that’s a bit of a tongue-twister (lol).
You place small tiles face down, flip them over, and connect roads, towns, and castles to build them.
You score points based on what you create and accumulate those points over the game.
The rules may seem detailed and numerous, but it’s actually simple: you place a meeple, a little person-shaped piece, on what you’ve built, and when it’s completed, you earn points.
Geister
Geister is a board game where you move pieces on a board, like chess or shogi.
Each player has four blue “good ghosts” and four red “bad ghosts,” placed so your opponent can’t see which is which.
Pieces move one square at a time, orthogonally.
You win either by capturing all four of your opponent’s good ghosts, or by letting your opponent capture all four of your bad ghosts.
The rules are simple, but because your opponent can’t see the colors, it turns into a psychological battle—a deceptively deep game.
nervous breakdown
How about playing a card game in your free time? With just two people, games like Old Maid end quickly and don’t really kill time, so I recommend Concentration (also known as Memory), which you can enjoy for longer even with two players.
The rules are simple: lay the cards face down on the table, take turns flipping over two cards, and if they have the same number, you win that pair.
Since it’s a game where memory is key, it can also serve as good brain training.