Whether you’ve been in a relationship for 5 months, 5 years, or 5 decades, date nights should be a regularly scheduled event. According to research, only 30% of couples have date nights at least once a month. Couples who go on regular dates have 14 percent lower odds of splitting up than couples who rarely or never spent an evening together without their children.
My wife and I have scheduled time together each week and one of our favorite things to do is play board games for date night.
Not only is it affordable (no need to hire a sitter), but it’s a great way to have a lot of laughs and create some awesome memories together.
After over 5 years of marriage, we now own a closet full of great board games to pull from for date night.
Here are some of our favorites:
Best Board Games For Date Night
Splendor
Splendor is hands-down our favorite board game for date night.
It’s the perfect blend of strategy and luck- plus it doesn’t take all day to play.
Our games usually take between 10 and 15 minutes and we do a best of 7 series to determine the overall winner.
Splendor is super easy to learn as each player’s goal is to collect and spend gems on development cards.
The first person to reach 15 prestige points wins the game.
Definitely check this game out to have a ton of fun.
Murder Mystery Date Night
Spend your date night discussing the events of a murder with your partner.
Choose what evidence to uncover next. Search crime scenes and question suspects.
But be careful… time is running out and you won’t be able to do it all!
This Murder Mystery date night is sure to get you talking and strategizing together.
Just make sure you have 1-2 hours to complete the game.
I Should Have Known That
I Should Have Known That is a great board game for date night- especially if you’re trivia lovers.
The game is fast-paced and hilarious while guaranteeing nonstop brain freezes, laughs, and embarrassing answers!
The questions have varying degrees of difficulty and cover a plethora of topics- which makes it nice for everyone.
One thing is for sure: it will only be a matter of time before you hear yourself say… I should have known that!
Blokus
I would consider Blokus to be the multi-player, board game version of Tetris.
The goal is to fit as many of your pieces on the game board as possible while strategically blocking your opponents.
The only rule? Each piece you play must touch another of the same color at the corners.
Blokus is guaranteed to get the competitive juices flowing as you both strategize against one another on your next date night.
Love Language
Whether you just started dating or have been married for 20 years, Love Language has been designed to bring you and your significant other closer than ever.
How? By asking the right questions.
Cards are divided into 5 categories to make sure every topic of life is covered: Family, Intimacy, Couple, Individual, and Past & Future.
You can either focus on one category you want to deepen with your partner or mix them all.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a “crossword” classic that really needs no introduction.
It’s simple enough for beginners to play plus it’s universally appealing.
It takes a little bit of time to play, but you’ll have a blast forming words and challenging your spouse when they try to squeeze in a made-up word.
More Likely? Couples Edition
This game is super simple to learn!
Just take turns drawing a card from the deck and use the answer cards (YOU or ME) to see if you see each other eye to eye.
More Likely is a great way to learn about each other and even realign your relationship.
P.S. This version comes with a Naughty Deck that contains 50 bonus cards with flirty or intimate questions.
Shuffle these cards into your deck if you’re feeling adventurous!
Ticket To Ride
Since its release in 2004, Ticket to Ride has become one of the most successful board games of all time.
In this game, you build train routes across the USA and complete destination tickets by connecting cities to score points.
Want to switch it up a bit after playing a few times?
Have “Alexa” jump in the game if it’s just the two of you..
Dr Eureka
We came across this speed logic game in a game store on a trip to Minneapolis.
It quickly became one of Taylor’s favorites. (Mostly because she beats me more often than not)
You and your spouse race to solve the formula by moving your molecules from tube to tube without touching them or dropping them in Dr. Eureka.
There are a ton of different cards with new variations so this is a game that you’ll play over and over again.
Talk Flirt Dare
Talk Flirt Dare is a card game split between 3 levels: talking, flirting, or daring.
The Talk cards include questions to start fun couple conversations.
You can also start to heat things up in your relationship with Flirt & Dare cards.
There aren’t any complicated rules to this game either. Just pick a card & answer the question or complete the romantic dare with your partner.
Clue
Clue is easily one of our favorite board games for date night.
You both are responsible for finding out who murdered Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion in his own home.
Get the scoop on the mansion’s rooms, weapons, and guests then start detecting!
Was it Plum with the wrench in the library? Or Green with the candlestick in the study?
Eliminate information throughout the game and correctly guess Who did it, with What weapon, and Where in order to win!
Colorbrain
Perfect for the couple who wants the best of both worlds, Colorbrain mixes the tense, competitive nature of certain classic board games with the fun, anything-can-happen moments of other games.
Answer questions about the colors of the five Olympic rings, of the six power Rangers, and tons of other things that you think you’re familiar with.
But there’s a bit of a wrinkle- points are only awarded to players when the other person guesses incorrectly.
Colorbrain only takes about 2 minutes to learn and 20 minutes to play.
Battleship
Battleship is the classic game of naval combat that brings together competition and strategy.
You both strategically place your ships on your own individual boards then search for the enemy’s fleet of ships and destroy them one by one.
Battleship is the perfect board game for date night as it’s easy to learn and doesn’t take forever to play.
One fun way to spice this game up is to do a best of 5 series with your partner.
Risk
Get ready to take over the world in this game of strategy that features betrayal, alliances, surprise attacks, and a fierce, 2-headed dragon.
Players build their army and lead their troops to glory in Risk.
You can even add an element of surprise to your date night by choosing to play with Alexa after each turn.
The choices a player makes when using the Alexa skill can have an impact on what happens.
Will Alexa harm a player’s strategy or help it?
The Risk board game is perfect for date nights.
Codenames: Duet
Looking for a date night board game that allows you and your spouse to play as partners?
Look no further than Codenames: Duet.
The goal of the game is to find out the names of undercover agents without revealing an assassin.
One of you is responsible for giving clues while the other guesses names.
It’s possible to stretch the game out over multiple days with campaign maps.
This is great for when you have a lazy weekend together or you’re on a short getaway and need something to do back at the room.
Grab your copy of this fun game for date night below.
Checkers/Tic Tac Toe
I’m putting these 2 games together because the set you’ll see linked below is just incredible.
It’s a very durable, wooden board (so it lasts FOREVER) that’s actually reversible (so you get 2 games with one purchase).
Fun Idea: set a best of 7 series while alternating between the 2 games.
Life
This game was one of my favorite board games as a kid and I still enjoy it today.
In The Game of Life, players move through the twists and turns of life while making choices related to family, career, vacations, and other milestones.
Once everyone reaches the end of the game at retirement, everyone pays their debts and adds up their wealth.
The player with the most money at the end of the game wins!
Pandemic
In this game, couples work together to find cures and eliminate diseases from around the globe.
(Yes- that means you both either win or lose together.)
There aren’t very many co-op games out like this one so if you’re needing a way to really connect with your partner I highly recommend Pandemic.
It’s pretty easy to learn and each game lasts about 45 minutes.
Azul
Azul is a tile-placement game in which players compete for the highest score by claiming tiles and arranging them on their board to score points.
Azul was also the winner of the 2018 Spiel des Jahres, the most prestigious prize in board gaming!
It’s a very beautifully designed board game that can get pretty cut-throat at times.
Nevertheless, you and your significant other will enjoy playing this great game.
Qwirkle
Qwirkle is the perfect blend of Scrabble and dominos.
The goal is to build off the shapes on the board by matching them in order to reach the highest score.
It has elements of strategy AND luck plus it’s simple enough for couples to learn quickly and jump right into the action.
Not only is this a great board game for date nights, but it’s also a blast with larger groups.
More Games For Date Night
Power Hour
Power Hour is a fun twist on the classic Jenga.
Build the tower and carefully pull out a wooden block.
Each of the 48 wooden blocks has a game, question, challenge, or task to complete.
Put your best Jenga moves on display while also having an incredibly fun time with your spouse with Power Hour.
Klask
Klask is an incredibly fun (and portable) game that’s half-foosball and half-air hockey.
Get your hand under the table and try to score but watch out for the hole!
Use your magnetic handle and striker to defend your half, avoid the magnets, and send the ball flying into your opponent’s goal to score.
Be careful not to land your striker in your own goal!
Klask comes fully assembled and can be played on any flat surface, making it the perfect tabletop game.
Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is an absolutely hilarious card game.
It’s basically a highly strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette.
Basically, if you draw an Exploding Kitten, you lose and you are full of loser sad-sauce.
If you don’t explode, YOU WIN!
Game play is only around 20 minutes or so.
Yahtzee
There aren’t many things in the gaming world better than yelling out “Yahtzee!”
Yahtzee is another game that blends luck and strategy well.
As one of the most affordable games on the list, I highly recommend Yahtzee for couples.
3 Up 3 Down
Looking for a new card game for date night? Well, 3UP 3DOWN is the PERFECT game for 2 players.
The goal in this family game is simply to get rid of your cards before your family and friends can.
But there’s a twist- three cards are not revealed until the very end – so you will need both strategy and luck.
This game takes less than 5 minutes to learn and less than 15 minutes to play so you can even set it up like a best of 7 series if you two are competitive.
Grab your copy of 3UP 3DOWN below.
Connect 4
I’ll be honest here- we don’t get to play Connect 4 much in my house.
The truth is we’re both super competitive and I’m REALLY good at Connect 4.
Like REALLY REALLY good.
(Gotta choose your battles in marriage, right?)
Nevertheless, I’m recommending this as a fantastic game for couples to play together.
I’d definitely suggest getting the wooden set seen below over the plastic set you usually see for durability reasons.
TableTopics: Couples
While not technically a board game, I still recommend every couple have at least one version of this game in their home.
I say one version because there are TableTopics for families, teens, girls’ nights, and more.
These conversation starters for couples are very thoughtful and will get you both talking about things you may not have already covered.
Don’t worry- the cards in this one are rated PG so you can even keep them out on your coffee table.
Bean Boozled
Need a good laugh after a long week?
Grab Bean Boozled and let the chewing begin.
Fair warning: you will either hate them or love them. There’s no in-between.
Uno
Uno is another classic game that we can play for hours at a time.
You’ll take turns matching one of your cards with a face-up card.
It sounds innocent and fun until your spouse plays a special action card that makes you Draw Two, Draw Four, or lose your turn.
It’s rare that a game can bring out the competitive juices while keeping everyone laughing and having a good time.
Uno perfects that balance.
Skip-Bo
Skip-Bo is a fun addition to your homes card-game collection and date night routine.
In Skip-Bo, you and your spouse try to create stacks of sequentially numbered, ascending cards (2,3,4…) until you have no more left to play.
There are also “Wild” cards that bring in a lot of interesting twists and turns.
The first player to deplete all of his or her Skip-Bo stockpile cards is the winner!
Date nights are definitely more fun with this game.
Phase 10
Brace yourself for a super-fun date night with Phase 10.
This card game is like rummy, where you race to complete 10 phases to beat other players.
But here’s the twist: the phase to be completed is specified.
Only the players who complete the specific phase they’re on get to move on to the next phase in the game.
The deck also features ‘Wild’ and ‘Skip’ cards like in UNO to keep everyone on their toes!
Boggle
In Boggle, each player earns points by spotting words your date doesn’t see before time runs out.
Shake the grid to mix up the letter cubes. Then lift the lid and flip the timer.
You both have 90 seconds to write down as many words as you can find on the grid before time is up.
At the end of the round, score the words. If two or more players find the same word, that word doesn’t count.
The player with the highest score wins.
Boggle is super simple to learn and incredibly fun to play.
Did I miss any of your favorite board games for date night?
Or did you find a game on this list and fall in love with it?
Let me know by sending me a message on Instagram.
