7 of The Best 2 Player Board Games Around!

Board games are entertaining and stimulating. A good board game can make a good night into an amazing one! While there are lots of games designed for group play, the two-player game has deep roots in board game culture. Games like Backgammon, Chess, Go and Ur are span centuries and are still very popular today.

Today, we’re going to look at our favourite two-player games. There’s going to be something here for everybody; from heavy strategy to lighthearted, casual fun. And to make it a little easier on all you readers out there, we’ve gone ahead and organized the list from easy to hard in terms of game difficulty. Enjoy!

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Patchwork

Patchwork, developed by renowned game designer Uwe Rosenberg, is one of the greatest two-player games for novices. Players must build a quilt by strategically collecting various pieces in this game. This is what we refer to as the ideal game for couples that will undoubtedly appeal to gamers who enjoy things like Tetris.

The rules to Patchwork are simple: both players try to fill their quilt with a variety of shaped patches. The first person to complete their quilt wins. This two-person game is intriguing because, while the rules are simple to grasp and it requires only 15 minutes to play, the subtle strategy maintains its interest. There are enough layers to keep you coming back without dragging things out, and the games are usually quite close.

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Santorini

The original version of this game was released in 2004 with a newer version hitting shelves in 2016. Santorini is a reinvention of the original 2004 edition and since its inception over three decades ago, Santorini has been continuously improved, updated, and refined by designer Gordon Hamilton. It’s compact and attractive design makes this a fun game for all skill levels of play.

Santorini is a simple strategy game with simple rules designed for elementary school classes while still providing enough depth and content for more advanced gamers to delve into. Each round consists of two actions: movement and building. The first player to reach the third level when building wins!

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Cascadia

Cascadia is a tile-laying and token-drafting game set in the Pacific Northwest’s habitats and wildlife. Released in 2021, This game blends a love for the wild outdoors and tile-laying strategy.

In Cascadia, you compete to create your own map area and populate it with animals on your turn. On a turn, you choose a new habitat tile that’s linked with a wildlife token and places it next to your other tiles, then lay the wildlife token on an appropriate habitat. The game comes with three hexagonal habitat tiles (with five diverse types of terrain).

Each animal type has its own unique needs. For example, bears like to be paired up while hawks want to hunt solo. Foxes want to be surrounded by other wildlife and so on. Points are scored by having the largest amounts of wildlife and for having diversity. This is a great strategy game that is a little more advanced but still easy enough to learn.

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Hive

With its beautifully designed pieces and fast-paced gameplay, Hive is a unique experience that blends classic strategy with modern tactics. It’s kind of like chess in terms of strategy and movement, but there isn’t a board to it. The goal is to surround your opponent’s queen bee with hexagonal tiles that are each adorned with a distinct bug and follow unique rules.

It’s quick to learn and simple to play, yet the strategy makes it difficult, whether you’re learning it for the first time or your hundredth. The game’s resin tiles make it simple to transport around. It’s lightweight, so it’s perfect for carrying to the beach or on a train or bar because cards won’t blow away or get spilled.

Hive has also had a few expansions which introduced new bug tiles to the mix. While the expansions have been met with mixed reviews (for some, expansions are a must while others don’t believe in messing with a good thing) the original game is fast, fun and dynamic.

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Nova Luna

Nova Luna is all about the new moon, which is a symbol for a fresh beginning, the ideal moment to start something new and plan your future. In each round of this abstract tile-laying game, you must reinvent your strategy for dealing with what the moon wheel has to offer.

On each turn, you must pick which new moon tile to place in front of you from the moon wheel. Every new tile requires you to complete a new obligation. To do so, you need to lay tiles of the correct hue next to the job you wish to accomplish, but these also bring forth additional tasks. When you complete a task, you may put one of your markers on it and the first player to place all their markers wins!

The colours and abstract nature of Nova Luna make it attractive to a range of players. It’s very simple to teach to new players but strategic enough that experienced players are still having a blast with it.

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Odin’s Ravens

Odin’s Ravens is a fun, easy-to-play game inspired by Norse mythology. With lovely pictures and intriguing options that will delight anyone wanting to “relax” for half an hour, it’s simple to play and has interesting choices. According to folklore, each morning, Odin allows a pair of ravens to fly around the world and report back to him. This folklore is what drives the game: The ravens, of course, have become quite competitive, and it’s up to you and another quick soarer to outpace the rest of the world and return to Odin first.

Odin’s Ravens is a beautiful game to look at. The artwork has an olde world charm while the wooden raven pieces are simple and elegant. This is a game for lovers of history, mythology and fast-paced, competitive gameplay.

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The Fox in The Forest

For gamers looking for a little more depth, The Fox in the Forest is a great, medium-difficulty strategy game with really beautiful art, making it an enjoyable pastime while unwinding. The goal of the card game is to score more points than your opponent by winning more hands (or tricks). Players can use playing cards to alter the trump suit and take the lead. It’s great for anyone who enjoys a little bit of imagination in their games.

The Fox in the Forest is a two-player trick-taking game. Apart from the usual ranked and suited cards used to win tricks. Characters such as the Fox and the Witch have unique abilities that grant special abilities such as allowing you to alter the trump suit.

You earn points by winning more tricks than your opponent, but don’t get too cocky! You will plummet like the villain in so many fairy tales if you win too many hands.

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So there we have it. This list of games shows just how diverse the world of two-player games truly is. I hope your next games night is truly wonderful!