Two people, a table and nothing to do. Most games need four players or a box of pieces; the ones below need a pen, a deck of cards or nothing at all. They are sorted by what you have on hand, and each one says how much skill it rewards, so you can pick a quick laugh or a real contest.
At a glance
| Game | You need | Time | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dots and boxes | Pen and paper | 5 to 15 min | High |
| Tic tac toe | Pen and paper | 1 to 2 min | Low |
| Four in a row on paper | Pen and squared paper | 5 to 10 min | High |
| Hangman | Pen and paper | 5 min | Medium |
| Sprouts | Pen and paper | 5 to 10 min | High |
| The letter grid | Pen and paper | 10 min | Medium |
| Categories | Pen and paper | 10 min | Medium |
| War | A deck of cards | 10 to 30 min | None |
| Card speed race | A deck of cards | 10 min | Reflexes |
| Go fish | A deck of cards | 10 min | Low |
| Twenty questions | Nothing | 5 min a round | Medium |
| This or that | Nothing | 10 min | None |
| Hum it | Nothing | 10 min | Low |
| Charades for two | A word list | 15 min | Low |
| Truth or dare | A phone or a list | 20 min or more | None |
Pen and paper games
1. Dots and boxes
Draw a grid of dots, 5 by 5 is a good size. Take turns drawing one line between two neighboring dots. Close the fourth side of a box and you write your initial in it and must draw another line. When the grid is full, most boxes wins. It looks simple and is not: near the end, the board breaks into long chains, and the player who makes the other open the first long chain usually wins. How to play, strategy, or play it in your browser.
2. Tic tac toe
Three in a row on a 3 by 3 grid. Between two players who know it, almost every game is a draw, because every first move can be answered safely. It is still the best two-minute game ever made for kids, and adults can make it interesting with the tips in our tic tac toe strategy guide.
3. Four in a row on paper
Draw a grid seven squares wide and six high. Players take turns writing their mark in the lowest empty square of any column, as if dropping a disc. Four in a row in any direction wins. It is one of the deepest games you can draw on paper; start in the middle column. Four in a row strategy.
4. Hangman
One player thinks of a word and draws a blank for each letter. The other guesses letters; each wrong guess adds one part to a stick figure. Six wrong guesses and the guesser loses. Words with rare letters and few vowels, like “rhythm” or “jazz”, are hardest to find.
5. Sprouts
Draw three dots. A move is a line joining two dots (or a dot to itself), with a new dot placed on the line; no line may cross another, and no dot may have more than three lines. The player who cannot move loses. Invented in 1967 by two mathematicians, and it is still surprising.
6. The letter grid
Each draws a 5 by 5 grid. Take turns calling a letter; both of you write it anywhere in your own grid. When both grids are full, score every word you can read across or down: 1 point per letter. The fun is that you are building words from the other person’s letters too.
7. Categories
Pick a letter and five categories (an animal, a city, a food, a name, a job). Both write one answer for each in 60 seconds. Only answers the other did not write score.
Card games for two
8. War
Split the deck. Each flips the top card; the higher card takes both. On a tie, each lays three cards face down and flips a fourth; the higher takes all. No skill at all, which makes it ideal with a younger kid.
9. Card speed race
Each takes half the deck and flips one card at a time onto a shared pile. When two cards in a row match in number, the first to slap the pile takes it. Whoever ends with all the cards wins.
10. Go fish
Deal seven cards each. Ask the other for a rank you hold (“Do you have any sevens?”); if they have them, they hand them over; if not, you draw from the pile. Collect sets of four. Most sets wins.
Games with nothing at all
11. Twenty questions
One thinks of a person, place or thing; the other asks up to twenty yes or no questions. Start broad (“Is it alive?”) and narrow down.
12. This or that
Ask two choices; both answer at the same time on the count of three. No winner, many follow-up questions. Good in a car or a queue.
13. Hum it
One hums a song with their mouth closed; the other names it within ten seconds. Swap.
Games with a phone or a list
14. Charades for two
One acts, the other guesses, and you count words guessed together in two minutes. Then swap and try to beat your joint score. Words: easy charades words.
15. Truth or dare
Take turns picking a truth or a dare, with a free pass for anyone who wants it. Our mild truth or dare cards are a good start; for couples, see our truth or dare for couples guide.
Which game to pick
- Two minutes: tic tac toe or hum it.
- A real contest: dots and boxes or four in a row, best of five.
- With a young kid: war, go fish or tic tac toe.
- On the move: twenty questions or this or that.
More: our two-player games hub, and games to play with your boyfriend or girlfriend.