Long Distance Games for Couples: 30 Games to Play Together Apart

The best long distance games for couples are the ones you can both join in a minute and talk over while you play. Free browser games like skribbl.io and Board Game Arena need nothing but a link, co-op games like It Takes Two are made for exactly two players, and plenty of classics, like 20 Questions, need no app at all. Below are 30 games, grouped by how much setup they take, with a section for couples in different time zones.

We see this in Glint: almost 4 in 10 of the active rooms we looked at in September had exactly two people in them. When a game is part of the evening, the call stops being about catching up and starts feeling like time spent together. If you’re looking for more than games, there are 25 more ideas in our long distance date ideas.

What makes a good game for a long distance couple?

A good long distance game has three things going for it:

• Easy to join. A link beats an install, and an install beats buying two copies.
• Something to talk about. Games where you plan, guess or laugh at each other work better than games where you play silently side by side.
• The right length. A 10 minute round fits a weeknight, a 12 hour co-op story fits a month of weekends, and a daily puzzle fits different time zones.

Which long distance games are best at a glance?

Game	Best for	Cost	Where you play
skribbl.io	Laughing on a weeknight	Free	Browser
Board Game Arena	A proper game night	Free, some games premium	Browser
Lichess	Chess fans	Free	Browser, phone
It Takes Two	A co-op story for two	One copy with a Friend’s Pass	PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes	Talking each other through chaos	One copy	PC, consoles, VR
Stardew Valley	Slow, cozy evenings	A copy each	PC, consoles, phones
20 Questions	No setup at all	Free	Any video call
Words With Friends	Different time zones	Free	Phone
Room build-off in Glint	A creative night	Free	Browser

What free games can couples play in a browser?

These need nothing but a browser and a link you send each other, so they work on any laptop and most phones.

1. Board games on Board Game Arena

Board Game Arena runs hundreds of real board games in a browser tab, and most of them are free to play. For two players, start with 7 Wonders Duel, Carcassonne or Azul. One of you creates a table, invites the other, and the game handles the rules and the scoring.

2. Draw and guess on skribbl.io

skribbl.io is Pictionary in the browser. Make a private room, send the link, and take turns drawing a word while the other guesses in the chat. It’s free and needs no account, and it’s funnier the worse you draw.

3. Play telephone with drawings in Gartic Phone

In Gartic Phone, you write a sentence, the next person draws it, the next one describes the drawing, and so on. With two people the chain is short, so play a few rounds in a row and watch the results replay at the end. It shines when you add a couple of friends.

4. Play chess on Lichess

Lichess is free, has no ads and doesn’t need an account to play a friend. Choose “Play with a friend”, pick a time control and send the link. If one of you is much stronger, give them less time on the clock.

5. Guess where you are with GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr drops you somewhere on Google Street View and you guess where on the map you are. Play duels against each other or work it out together on a call. If you don’t want a subscription, free versions like OpenGuessr work the same way.

6. Do a jigsaw puzzle together

Jigsaw Explorer has a multiplayer mode: open a puzzle, share the link and you both move pieces on the same board. Pick one of your own photos together for the picture. It’s slow and calm, which makes it good for a tired evening.

What co-op video games are best for long distance couples?

Co-op games give you a shared goal and a lot of “wait, go left!”. Some only need one copy between you.

7. It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a co-op adventure that can only be played by two people, and it’s literally about a couple. Its Friend’s Pass means only one of you needs to buy it; the other downloads the pass for free and joins online. The story takes roughly 12 to 15 hours, which is a month of date nights.

8. Split Fiction

Split Fiction is from the same studio and works the same way: made for two, with a Friend’s Pass so one copy is enough. It’s a sci-fi and fantasy story where you each play one of two writers.

9. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

One of you sees a bomb on the screen, and the other has the manual to defuse it. You can only win by describing what you see and reading out the instructions, which makes it perfect for a call. Only the person defusing needs the game; the manual is free to read at bombmanual.com.

10. The Past Within

The Past Within is a short two-player puzzle game from the makers of Rusty Lake. One of you is in the past, the other in the future, and each of you sees clues the other needs. You each need your own copy, but it works across computers, phones and the Switch, so you don’t need the same device.

11. Portal 2 co-op

Portal 2 has a separate co-op campaign for two robots who solve puzzles with portals. Each of you needs a copy. It rewards talking: one of you places a portal, the other jumps.

12. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a farming game you can play on the same farm online. One of you hosts, the other joins, and you split the chores: one fishes, one waters the crops. Each of you needs your own copy. It’s the most relaxing game on this list.

13. Minecraft

Minecraft is the classic for building together. Start a world, invite your partner and build a house you’d like to live in one day. Each of you needs a copy, and it’s easiest when you’re both on the same edition.

14. Overcooked! 2

Overcooked! 2 puts you in a kitchen that keeps falling apart while orders pile up, and it supports online co-op. It’s loud, chaotic and great for couples who like to shout at each other lovingly.

15. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

If you both have a Nintendo Switch, you can visit each other’s islands online with Nintendo Switch Online. Leave gifts, show off your house and catch fish together on the pier.

What games can you play on FaceTime or a video call without an app?

No downloads and no accounts. These work on any call, including a phone call.

16. 20 Questions

One of you thinks of something, the other has 20 yes or no questions to guess it. Make it a theme to keep it fresh: only things in the other person’s home, only foods, only people you both know.

17. Two Truths and a Lie

Say three things about yourself, one of them false, and let your partner guess which. It works even if you’ve been together for years, because the hard part is making the lie believable.

18. Would You Rather

Take turns asking “would you rather” questions and actually argue for your answers. Mix silly ones (would you rather always talk in rhymes or always sing) with real ones about the future.

19. Pictionary on paper

Grab a pen and paper, draw something and hold it up to the camera. Set a 60 second timer on one phone. It’s the analog version of skribbl.io and somehow funnier.

20. Name That Tune

Play the first three seconds of a song and let your partner guess. Build each other playlists of “our” songs for a harder round.

21. A scavenger hunt at home

Call out something to find, like “something older than you” or “the ugliest mug you own”, and see who’s back on camera first. You learn a surprising amount about each other’s homes.

22. How well do you know me?

Write down 10 questions about yourself, like your partner’s first concert or their comfort meal, then swap answers. Keep score across months.

23. Tell a story one sentence at a time

Start a story with one sentence and take turns adding the next. Record it as a voice note and you’ll have something to laugh at months later.

24. Emoji charades

Text each other a movie, song or memory written only in emoji, and guess it. 🦁👑 is too easy, so make them harder as you go.

What games work for couples in different time zones?

When one of you is going to bed as the other wakes up, turn-based games keep you playing together without being online at the same time.

25. Words With Friends

Words With Friends is Scrabble on your phones, one move at a time, with as long as you like between turns. A game can last days, and it’s a small reason to check in.

26. GamePigeon

If you both have iPhones, GamePigeon adds games like 8-ball, cup pong and word hunt right inside iMessage. Send a move, and your partner plays theirs when they wake up.

27. Daily puzzles with a streak

Play the same daily puzzles, like Wordle and Connections, and send each other your results. Keep a shared streak, or make the loser pick the next date.

28. Duolingo Friends Quests

If one of you is learning the other’s language, Duolingo pairs friends up for weekly quests you complete together. It’s a game and a long term gift at the same time.

Can you play games together in Glint?

Glint isn’t a gaming app; it’s a place to hang out in rooms you build together with stickers, over voice and video. But a shared room makes a good board for two games. Full disclosure: I make Glint, so take these two with that in mind.

29. A room build-off

Set a timer for 20 minutes. You each build a room in the same Glint room, from the floor up: lay tiles, put up walls, pick a wallpaper and decorate it with stickers. Then give each other a tour and vote for the coziest. The rooms stay there afterwards, so after a few weeks you have a whole little place.

30. I spy in a room you’ve decorated

Once a room is full of stickers, it’s a great “I spy” board. Describe a sticker (“something small and orange that’s asleep”) and your partner has to find it first. Chat bubbles pop up over your heads while you play, and a 🎉 bursts out of you when you win.

You can try a room without making an account. Glint is free and runs in a browser tab, so you send one link and you’re both in.

How do you make a game night feel like a date?

• Pick it ahead of time. “Thursday is game night” is something to look forward to.
• Use a laptop and headphones. Your hands are free and you hear each other properly.
• Have a stake. The loser picks the next movie, plans the next date or sends a snack.
• Mix live and turn-based games. A big game on the weekend and a daily puzzle in between.
• Don’t only play. Leave time to just talk after the game ends.

Frequently asked questions

What games can long distance couples play for free? skribbl.io, Gartic Phone, Lichess, Board Game Arena and Jigsaw Explorer are free in a browser. On a video call, 20 Questions, Two Truths and a Lie and Pictionary on paper need nothing at all.

What are the best co-op games for long distance couples? It Takes Two and Split Fiction are made for two players and only one of you needs to buy them, thanks to the Friend’s Pass. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, The Past Within, Stardew Valley and Portal 2 are also great for two.

What games can you play over FaceTime? 20 Questions, Two Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather, Name That Tune, Pictionary on paper and a scavenger hunt at home all work on FaceTime or any video call, with no app.

What games can you play with a time difference? Turn-based games like Words With Friends, GamePigeon on iPhone and daily puzzles like Wordle let you play together without being online at the same time.

Do both of us need to buy the game? Not always. It Takes Two and Split Fiction need only one copy with a Friend’s Pass, and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes only needs a copy for the person defusing. Most other games need a copy each.