Board games are one of the genres that have been getting a lot of attention lately.
Back in the day, most people only knew games like The Game of Life or Othello, but in the past few years, the number of board games in the spotlight has increased significantly.
There’s a wide variety, from games where you craft strategies and enjoy bluffing against your opponent, to ones with stylish looks or quick, casual play.
In this article, we’ll introduce a bunch of recommended board games all at once!
Among them, we’ve selected board games perfect for couples or spouses to play together—just for two players—so pick the one that will be the perfect companion for your time at home!
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- For two players: from games without equipment to tabletop games and apps
- Brain-teasing game roundup
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- [Part 2] Recommended Indoor Activities and Recreation Games for December
- [Also for punishments] A list of fun, conversation-sparking questions for couples
Recommended for couples and married partners! A roundup of board games for two (1–10)
Tokyo Highway
Tokyo Highway is a highly photogenic board game that’s perfect for anyone looking for a title you’ll want to photograph.
As the name suggests, it’s themed around highways, and players progress by taking three types of actions: building pillars, building roads, and placing cars.
While constructing roads, if you cross over or pass under an opponent’s road for the first time, you can place a car on that road.
The player who manages to place all of their cars on the roads wins.
In addition to rules on how to build pillars, there are fine details like junctions, and strategic play will determine the outcome.
Once the game ends, the highway you’ve created will practically beg to be photographed and shared on social media.
Mancala: Kalah
Mancala Kalah is one of the oldest games played around the world.
It’s played with a board that has 12 small holes called pockets and two larger holes called goals, along with stones.
You’re ready to begin once you place four stones in each pocket.
Players take turns choosing any pocket on their own side (the side nearest them), taking all the stones from that pocket, and sowing them one by one into the pocket or goal to the right.
The player who first moves all the stones from their side’s pockets into their goal wins.
The rules are simple and involve no element of luck, so it’s important to simulate which stones to move in order to win.
Great Plains
A board game whose setting changes drastically depending on the title.
If you’re going to play, you want one with a theme you love, right? For those who enjoy fantasy with ancient creatures and tribes, Great Plains is recommended.
In Great Plains, you use the abilities of the animals native to the land to drive out your opponent’s pieces and claim territory—it’s a territory-control game.
Territory-control games can seem a bit intimidating, but Great Plains has very simple rules, so even beginners can enjoy it with ease!
Geister
Here’s a simple and cute board game with ghost-shaped pieces: Geister, released in 1982.
Geister is a German board game where two players face off using pieces, similar to chess or Othello.
There are “bad ghost” pieces and “good ghost” pieces, and you win by capturing all of your opponent’s good ghosts.
From the opponent’s side, the pieces are indistinguishable, so it’s crucial to trick them into taking your bad ghosts.
It’s recommended for those who want to enjoy a simple game with a psychological battle.
Strike
This board game played with dice is called Strike.
Players take turns rolling their own dice into a container called the arena; it’s a survival game where you lose if you run out of dice.
If you roll and get matching numbers, those dice become part of your personal supply.
When you roll into the arena, if your dice hit the ones already there and create a match, those also become yours.
It’s a board game that’s a bit like the old-fashioned game menko!
Quarto
Quarto is a four-in-a-row game played with wooden pieces.
You don’t just line up four pieces in a row; you must satisfy one of four conditions: four pieces of the same color, the same height, the same shape, or either all with holes or all without holes.
There are eight distinct types of pieces, each available in two colors, for a total of 16 pieces.
A distinctive rule of Quarto is that when it’s your turn to place a piece, your opponent chooses which piece you must place.
This makes it a battle of wits that rewards a broad view of the board as well as strategy in selecting which piece to hand to your opponent.
Jaipur
There are many genres of board games.
Among them, have you heard of the genre called “hand management”? In “hand management” games, managing the cards in your hand is paramount, and the order in which you play your cards determines who wins.
One famous game of this type is Jaipur.
In Jaipur, you play as gem merchants.
By skillfully scoring points through trading goods cards, the first player to earn two Seals of Excellence wins.
It’s recommended for those who enjoy trading and thrilling gameplay!