Valentine's Day Games for Couples (Long Distance or on the Couch)

A game is an easy way to spend Valentine's Day together, especially if you're not in the same place. You each open a link on your own phone, see the same board, and play. There's nothing to download and nobody needs an account, so you can be playing within a minute of deciding to.

Games that suit two people

• Connect 4 — a classic two-player duel. It's quick, it has a bit of trash talk built in, and rematches swap who goes first.
• Tic Tac Toe — one to three minutes a round. Play a best of seven and let the loser plan the next date.
• Ludo — a proper board game for two to four players. You need a 6 to leave base, and landing on your partner sends them home, which is the fun part.
• Snakes & Ladders — a gentle luck-based race, good when you'd rather chat than concentrate.
• Hangman — the co-operative one. The guessers share one word and one set of strikes, which makes it a nice change from competing.
• Memory Match — a 4 by 4 pairs game. It's a fair fight, because attention beats cleverness.
• Word Scramble — race to unjumble the same word. Eight words decide it.

Make it a proper date

• Pick the stakes. Loser cooks, loser chooses the film, loser sends the next compliment. Silly stakes make a casual game feel like an occasion.
• Play a mini tournament. One game of each, a point per win, and add it up at the end. Tic Tac Toe, Connect 4 and Memory Match take under twenty minutes in total.
• Add a video call. Open the call, then open the game in another tab or on your phone. You get the board and each other's reactions.
• Order the same food. If you're apart, getting the same takeaway to both doors takes a game night to a date night.
• Keep it short. Three games are plenty. Stop while you're both still enjoying it.

Playing from different cities

Create a room and send your partner the four-digit code or the link in a message. They tap it and they're in. The game updates live for both of you, and if either connection drops, the seat is held for a short time so you can come back to the same board. If you want to read more on this, there's a full guide to hosting a virtual game night with friends who live far away, and most of it applies to a night for two.

Want something with a bit more people?

A double date works too. Ludo takes up to four players, and Imposter is a good one for a group of four or more. See the full list of games for friends.