It’s February and it’s a pandemic, so options for things to do are limited to our own homes and the people we share them with. It may seem bleak, but we’re out here trying to make the best of it. And the good news is there’s more options than just Netflix. There are a ton of super fun, competitive two-player games out there just waiting to be played. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up our faves below.
1) Sequence
What the game is all about: The object of the game is to form rows of five poker chips on the board by placing the chips on the spaces corresponding to cards played from your hand. The played card then goes face-up into a “Discard” pile, and you can then draw a replacement card from the draw deck, and play passes to the left. A player may place chips on either of the appropriate card spaces as long as it is not already covered by an opponent’s marker chip. Each card is pictured twice on the game board, aside from Jacks – which are wild. Two-Eyed Jacks can represent any card and may be used to place a chip on any space on the board. One-Eyed Jacks can remove an opponent’s token from a space.
Perfect for: cunning strategists, chess lovers, those with a competitive streak
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
2) Five Crowns
What the game is all about: Five Crowns is a five-suited rummy-style card game played over eleven rounds. In the first round, three cards are dealt to each player. In the second round, four cards are dealt to each player, and so on until round 11 where 13 cards are dealt to each player. Players create sets or runs of 3 or more, using the Jokers and the current round’s wild card as wilds. Each round has a different wild card (the 3’s in the 3-card hand, 4’s in the 4-card hand, 5’s in the 5-card hand, and so on until the King is wild in the 13-card hand). The rest of the cards are placed face down to form a draw pile and the top card is turned over to form the discard pile. Players draw one card from the top of the draw or discard pile, add it to their hand, and then discard one card to end their turn. The end of round phase triggers when one player has all of their cards matched in runs or sets and lays them down in front of them when they discard at the end of their turn. Each other player then gets one more draw and discard. Players score points when they have unmatched cards at the end of a round.
Perfect for: gin rummy lovers, math enthusiasts, anyone who loves a lengthy game session (there are thirteen rounds!)
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
3) Rummikub
What the game is all about: is a tile-based game, combining elements of the card game rummy and mahjong. Players have 14 or 16 tiles initially and take turns putting down tiles from their racks into sets (groups or runs) of at least three, drawing a tile if they cannot play. Players can also work with the tiles that have already been played. The first player to use all their tiles scores a positive score based on the total of the other players’ hands, while the losers get negative scores.
Perfect for: fans of number games, competitive folks, afternoon game sessions
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
4) Jenga
What the game is all about: Jenga is a classic for a reason – it’s a crazy good time…and it’s hard. It’s been around since 1982 and it’s still gaining steam. Practically anyone can play it and people get INTO it. It’s one of those games that’s competitive but also collaborative, which makes for an interesting approach. We like to kick the night off with Jenga, because unless you’re taking it really seriously, it’s one of those games that people can jump in on as they arrive, and a round of Jenga is shorter than other games. To play, players take turns to remove a block from a tower and balance it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure as the game progresses.
Fun Fact: the record for the highest known Jenga tower is 40 complete stories with two blocks into the 41st, claimed in 1985 by Robert Grebler from the United States.
Perfect for: kicking the night off with a low key game, those who like to live dangerously, anyone who performs well under pressure
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
5) Scattergories
What the game is all about: Scattergories is always a good time. It never gets old because there’s so many different combinations you can get (16 cards and 26 letters in the alphabet – so you get the idea). To play the game, you start by rolling the alphabet dice to select a letter. The sand timer is then flipped and each player then fills out one of the 16 decided upon cards with answers that begin with that letter before time runs out. Then, each player reads out their answers. For every response that’s truly original (meaning no other player has the same response), a point is scored. After three rounds a winner is declared, and a new game can be begun – though we usually just play until we decide to switch games.
Perfect for:right after you’ve smoked a joint, creative types, wordsmiths
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a copy of this game here.
6) BeanBoozled
What the game is all about: BeanBoozled is basically roulette with jelly beans. Our fave jellybean makers Jelly Belly created 20 one-of-a-kind bean flavours: 10 that you will want to eat and 10 identical jelly beans that you will definitely not want to eat, but will give you joy to watch your friends (or family) reluctantly put in their mouth. You truly are rolling the dice with every jelly bean the dispenser spits out for you. Will it be Dead Fish or Strawberry Banana Smoothie? Canned Dog Food or Chocolate Pudding? Or our (least) favourite: Barf or Peach? And let us tell you, the nasty flavours are REAL nasty. Our friend Warren ate the canned dog food jelly bean and the whole room smelt like dog food just from him breathing. You’re gonna want to have a gag bowl on hand. But trust us, it’s fun. Just seeing the look on someone’s face when they are confirming whether it’s a good or bad one is worth eating a nasty one yourself. Have your camera ready.
Perfect for: those who like to take their chances, anyone with a strong stomach, kids (because kids find gross stuff even funnier)
Awesome, I want it: You can grab the game here.
7) Scrabble
What the game is all about: I think most people know the drill, but here it goes for anyone new to the game…
Players earn points by creating words with letter tiles and placing them on the board. Each letter is assigned a point value and there are 100 letter tiles. Each player draws seven tiles from the tile bag and take turns adding intersecting words (aside from the initial word) to the board – like a crossword. Scores are tallied by adding the point values for each letter in the word. After placing a word on the board, draw an equal number of new tiles from the tile bag so that each player always has seven tiles. The person with the highest score once all the letters from the tile bag are used (that can be), wins. Unused letters are subtracted from the individuals score (so you better use those z’s and q’s!).
Perfect for: wordsmiths, slow-paced afternoons, paired with a cup of tea
Awesome, I want it: You can grab a the game here.
Need a drink pairing for your game night for two? We recommend The Last Word. It’s a classic cocktail that doesn’t disappoint. Grab the recipe here.
A games night needs a bumpin’ playlist and nothing gets us more fired up than sweet sweet 80’s jams. We’re talking Journey, Queen, Aerosmith, Blondie – this playlist will not disappoint.
Click Here to Start Listening!