Quick Links
(*We reserve the right to not be liable for any and all arguments that may occur due to competitive gameplay!)
There’s a ton of different types of board games out there. Maybe you and your partner love co-op games where you can work together and win together or maybe you like that competitive edge and competition between the two of you. Maybe you just want a fun game to spice up a boring evening in. Read on to see what we have in store for you.
Review of The Best Board Games For Couples
1. You’ve Got Crabs
- Type: Cards/Couples Teams
- Players: 4-10
- Play Time: 15-30 Minutes
- Romance Scale: 3/10
Likelihood Of It All Ending In Disaster: 2/10 – Just don’t get crabby..get it
You’ve Got Crabs is not a game you can play just the two of you, but if you’re having a couples game night then you’ll almost certainly want to bust this out at some point in the night. Usually after a couple of drinks because shouting “YOU’VE GOT CRABS” doesn’t feel nearly as awkward tipsy as it does sober.
Play is easy to learn. You split into teams of two and discuss a secret signal with your partner that you’ll use if you’ve got four of a kind. You’re all dealt cards and you swap them with the cards in the middle until one of you has four-of-a-kind. When this happens, you need to slyly signal to your partner across the circle that you have it so they can point at you and shout “you’ve got crabs”.
If you’re successful, you get an extra crab token but if they’re wrong and they’ve mistaken your itchy nose for a signal when really you were supposed to rub your nose then you’ll lose a token. Also, to keep things interesting, if another player suspects you’ve signaled, they can also call you out. If they’re right, they get the token and if they’re not, you can steal one of theirs.
The winners are the couple with the most crabs, congratulations!
2. Mr & Mrs
- Type: Board/Quiz
- Players: 2-16
- Play Time: 30 Minutes
- Romance Scale: 8/10
Likelihood Of It All Ending In Disaster: 8/10 – Don’t be getting your wife’s middle name wrong or something, okay?
Mr & Mrs is based on the TV show and is hilariously funny to play with friends. You take it in turns to answer questions about your partner which they then have to guess correctly. You’ll then all add up your scores and see who is the winning couple!
It can be both hilariously funny and also cause a squabble when one partner doesn’t know your favorite color or favorite food after 20 years of marriage!
There’s an added layer of fun when you use the blank cards and you can come up with some very personal and funny questions. See what Katy thought when she played with her husband, brother and his wife.
3. Robinson Crusoe
- Type: Board/Co-op
- Players: 1-4
- Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
- Romance Scale: 3/10
Likelihood Of It All Ending In Disaster: 4/10 – Only if you can’t agree on a course of action
Robinson Crusoe is a classic cooperative game where you and your partner are shipwreck survivors on a deserted island and you need to battle the usual survival aspects as well as some very unexpected scenarios thrown at you. Here’s a complete look at the game rules.
You’ll need to build shelter, create tools, domesticate animals and build walls to protect your settlement. There are hidden secrets of the island too and even pirate treasure to discover. Each game is different. There are 6 (or 7 in the newest edition) scenarios to start the game off and even if you choose the same scenario your cards and discoveries will change each game so it’s highly replayable.
Gameplay lasts weeks in the game and around 2 hours in real-time, so it’s a perfect game to settle into for the night. It’s pretty cool to play this with your partner because it gives you a “it’s us against the world” feeling as you work together to get off the island. The only likelihood of an argument here is that you disagree on how to go forward and one of you ends up getting you both eaten by a cobra or something!
4. Codenames: Harry Potter
- Type: Cards/Co-op
- Players: 2
- Play Time: 15 Minutes
- Romance Scale: 4/10
Likelihood Of It All Ending In Disaster: 5/10 – What if they don’t get your VERY amazing clues right?
Okay, for all you Harry Potter mad couples out there, Codenames: Harry Potter will be a fantastic addition to your games collection. It is based on the original Codenames Duet with the same basic rules, but of course, Harry Potter themed.
If you don’t know how to play Codenames, basically you set up a 5×5 grid of cards that all have words printed on them. The Harry Potter edition has a nice touch where you can choose words or images to play from. You then have a grid card where you can see one half and your partner the other.
On the grid are the cards you’re trying to explain and the cards you’re trying to avoid (the Death Eaters). You only have one word and one number to explain to your partner which card to choose. You’re both working together to identify all the necessary cards whilst avoiding the Death Eaters, pretty romantic for HP fans out there.
5. Fog of Love
- Type: Board/Co-op/Roleplay
- Players: 2
- Play Time: 60-120 Minutes
- Romance Scale: 9/10
Likelihood Of It All Ending In Disaster: 6/10 – Only if some scenarios hit close to home!
Fog of Love is a very interesting game. It’s not your average board game where you’re just racing to get to the end and win; this game is much more about the journey than the result. It’s a cooperative and roleplaying game where you play through scenarios like a rom-com until you reach the end of the story and see if your characters fulfill their destiny.
It’s quite complicated but you get walked through the first few scenes so you get the hang of it. To start with though, you have to create your characters with their personality traits, ambitions and occupations. You both then work through the hilarious ups and downs of any rom-com and see if, in the end, you end up together or not.
That’s the very basic gist of this game. Here’s a way more in-depth look at the gameplay. It’s a cool game to have a giggle with your partner but beware, some of the storylines might hit a little too close to home which may just end a little tensely.
Overall, it’s pretty cool to play out a romcom with your partner instead of just watching one and definitely a different way to start up some conversations about your own relationships. What I also love a lot about this game is that there are man/woman, man/man, and woman/woman versions. Yes, inclusivity!
Conclusion
There are TONS of fun games that you can play as a couple or with your couple friends. They can be challenging, competitive, anger-inducing or make you fall in love all over again!
If you’re looking for a simple card game to give conversations and intimacy a little push in your relationship, try the Date Night Box Set. Whichever game you choose, be sure to have fun, laugh and roll with the punches!