Best 2 Player Board Games

Written by Charlie Pettit

The best 2 player board games are much more easily found nowadays than in years past. Arguably, you’d once have been likely to have lost elements of gameplay in order to sit down with your friend or partner for an interesting game or two, as many board games just seemed to follow a trend of being designed for a larger player count. Of course, there have always been standouts, but after a period of gaming where you could only play with those in your household, the genre has exploded. We’ve got some of the best options for couples, friends, or two strangers at a convention. 

Splendor Duel

A personal favourite, Splendor Duel is the two-player board game variant of the already popular Splendor. It’s not alone in its format, as we’ve seen a recent surge of Duel style games, from Overboss to Dorfromantik, all from different publishers seemingly noticing a trend, but this one really is brill.  Whether you’ve played Splendor before or not, this is a streamlined, clever version of it. In the time since the first game, the Duel version has figured out which bits slow things down, which bits might be good but could be better, and it changes those up, leaving a clever, tidy game that plays quickly but strategically.

In it, you’re gem merchants, wanting to be the very best. You select gems from the central board, which you use to buy cards from the marketplace. These cards give bonuses, perhaps a permanent gem of a certain colour, a crown, an action, or straight up points. The more permanent gems you collect, the easier it is to purchase more, but with three win conditions, you need to really think about which you’re purchasing. The Duel version also balances incredibly well, anytime one player does something to give themself a significant advantage, the other gains a token to give them an additional action. It’s a small difference, but it keeps the game clean and tight. 

Buy Splendor Duel on Amazon

Sky Team

Sky Team is an award-winning 2 player game that sees you working with your fellow player, rather than competitively against them. If you’ve ever wanted to be the recipient of the applause some passengers give pilots when the plane lands, then you need Sky Team. And if you haven’t ever wanted that, but need a good 2 player game, you still need Sky Team. 

Sky Team sees you play as co-pilots trying to successfully land your plane – without reducing the altitude to ground level before you reach the airport, or doing so after the airport, or without missing the timeslot for your arrival (the end of the last round) completely. Doing any of those means you’ll lose, in some imaginary fiery ball that unsurprisingly, you should be trying to avoid. To do that, you’ll play dice onto your cockpit – but the catch is, that you can’t communicate with your co-pilot about what you’re going to place. Keep the plane steady, in good working order, and all things as they should be at the right time. Easy enough, I’m sure…

Sky Team also won a Spiel Des Jahres, which is a huge award in board gaming!

 

Buy Sky Team on Amazon

Hive

Hive is a 2 player game that can play in as little as 20 minutes. It’s an abstract strategy game, which consists of 22 pieces of different coloured hexagons of differing insects, in two colours. The whole point of the game is to surround the other players Queen Bee, whilst preventing your own Bee from being captured. You do this by playing down your insects one by one. However, placing a mere 10 tiles each doesn’t mark the end of the game – instead, once a tile has been placed, it can then be moved, making it a more chess like endeavour. 

Those spaces, again, like chess, are dependent on the tile being moved, so for example, the spider can move three spaces around the layout, but the grasshopper may only hop over a tile. It’s a game that often, the description of it doesn’t do it justice – who really cares about playing a game based on insects? – but if board games have taught us anything, it’s that a good game can come with any theme, and Hive certainly is one of the best. Lastly, the pocket version of it means you can conveniently take it anywhere with you, making it easy to keep in a bag and have a game or two while you’re out and about. Time to not just protect your Queen bee, but to become one. 

 

Buy Hive on Amazon

 

Disney Lorcana

We’re big fans of Disney Lorcana over at Tabletop Gaming, but it really is a fantastic game. Whilst some will write it off immediately simply due to it being a trading card game, don’t let that put you off – like many card games, you can easily pick up starter decks that let you play the game in many different ways, without ever having to open a booster pack. Though, of course, if you want to, there’s nothing stopping you!

There are 2 ways that are great for 2 players to play. One is by playing the game itself, using Starter Decks. Each new set releases new starter decks, which means there are plenty available at this time to mix and match. While the latter decks contain the newer play abilities, they certainly don’t guarantee a win against other decks. In learning to play, check out YouTube for a quick explanation of the basics, and you’re away. Equally, you could always try Gateway, the new Disney Lorcana game to learn how to play.

The other way is through Deep Trouble, which is a cooperative version of the game. Players use their decks against Ursula, whom you overturn cards for. You get decks already in the game, but you can also expand the player count by adding more decks in. No need if you’re playing at 2 though, it’s ready for you to dive Under The Sea to defeat Ursula!

 

Buy Disney Lorcana on Amazon

 

Jaws of the Lion

2 player games can sometimes be accused of being a bit on the lighter side – usually designed to play quickly, but multiple times. But what about when you want to sit down for a big adventure? Well, Jaws of the Lion is a great way to do it. 

Jaws of the Lion is like a smaller, more considerate version of Gloomhaven. Where Gloomhaven has a box bigger than most dogs, Jaws of the Lion is much more compact. Where Gloomhaven will take up your entire dining room table for months, you’ve no such need with Jaws of the Lion. Yet, as it follows the same structure and feel of Gloomhaven, it offers just as much punch as its older brother. You’ll be off on a dungeon crawling adventure, with adventures contained within a ring bound set of scenarios. Don’t anticipate an easy ride though– Jaws of the Lion will need you to really think about your actions, or see your characters face the consequences!

Related article: Jaws of the Lion with designer Isaac Childres

 

Buy Jaws of the Lion on Amazon

DroPolter

A small dexterity game is up next, with DroPolter. It’s a game made by Oink Games – notable, because they tend to make games that can be contained within a tiny box, but with an almost entirely consistent fantastic range of games. They don’t stick to one genre, so you’re never entirely sure what they’ll bring out next. DroPolter was a great recent release, combining the main mechanic of dropping things, with a Poltergeist. 

Okay, so the theme is a bit tentatively linked, but it’s cute so they get away with it. It’s super simple to play. Inside the box is an assortment of things – shells, plastic rings, other small components, and you’ll need to have a selection of these in one hand. A card is overturned, and you’ll need to drop that piece from your hand before your opponent does. Sure, it sounds easy, but you’ll suddenly become aware of your actual hand dexterity when you have to frantically sort through what you’ve got. If you win the round, you get a bell, and now you’ve got a slightly larger (and louder!) hand of stuff to contend with too…

DroPolter is perfect for 2 players, because the competition is fierce. Its tiny box makes it incredibly convenient, its premise is simple but it’s surprising how much fun it packs, and once you’ve played, you’ll only want to play again!

 

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