Double dates can be a load of fun. You get to bring your partner and possibly some of your close friends along without it feeling like anyone is a third wheel.
But if you hang out with the same couple over and over again, you can start to run out of activities to do. That’s what makes board games so great – they can accommodate numbers of players, they have different themes, and they can make you feel like you’re doing something new every time.
In this post, we’ll show you what we feel are some of the best board games for double dates. So whether you’ve just run out of date ideas or it’s a rainy day, pull any of these games off the shelf and prepare to immerse yourselves in a world of adventure.
Best Board Games for Double Dates
Catan
Out of all the board games on this list, Catan is probably the most well-known. Most people have either played it or seen the box at some point in their lives. The fact that its reputation precedes it makes perfect sense, given how high-quality it is.
When you take out this board game, you’re stepping into the roles of settlers on the lush and resource-filled isle of Catan. You must gather as many resources as you can while other players attempt to do the same. Work together and trade peacefully, or try and lockdown all the resources you can – the choice is yours.
Pros:
- There are many strategies to use to win, so you can try something new every time.
- The average duration of the game is only about an hour.
- Beginners will have no problem learning the straightforward rules.
- The board can look different every time you play.
Cons:
- Sometimes, winning comes down to a good dice roll rather than skill.
Ticket to Ride
Another beloved and famous game, Ticket to Ride puts players in the roles of railroad moguls. Each one must compete with one another to get access to the best routes for connecting cities, and the best train cards.
We think this is an especially great choice for a rainy evening. The route-building gameplay will make you feel as if you are out traversing the country rather than cooped up inside on a date night.
Pros:
- This game is fast-paced, so you’ll be anything but bored as you play.
- Games don’t take longer than hour, which will give you plenty of time to do other things with your evening.
- Compatible with Alexa, which will help you run the game.
- Designed to be easy enough for beginners to play.
Cons:
- It takes up a lot of space, so be prepared to have a large, open tabletop.
Villainous
Have you ever been nostalgic for the movies of your childhood? If Disney movies are something you grew up with, you’ll love visiting them again in Villainous.
Players get to choose one of six legendary villains, such as Maleficent or Jafar. Each villain has their own nefarious goals for winning the game and it comes with a guide filled with strategies on how to play them.
You’ll even get to encounter the heroes we all know and love, whether it’s Ariel or Aladdin, along the way.
Pros:
- You get to play as some of your favorite Disney villains throughout history.
- Each player gets to play through their own story, but they can prevent each other from completing objectives.
- You’ll meet famous Disney heroes like Aladdin as you play.
- Darkly beautiful board with oversized pieces that are easy to hold and move.
- Great for taking you back to what may have been your favorite childhood movies.
Cons:
- There are some reports that it’s a bit hard to learn to play.
Carcassone
If you’re in need of an easy, immersive experience, Carcassone could be perfect. This game comes with a redesigned rulebook that streamlines the learning process.
Fans of medieval or fantasy movies and books should absolutely add this one to their shelf soon. Not only is it an extremely popular game, but it’s a breeze to learn. Your only objectives as each player are to conquer as many resource tiles as you can by expanding the board and placing your pieces on valuable tiles.
Pros:
- Simple gameplay that everyone will be able to learn.
- Games are quick, taking only around half an hour on average.
- The board will look different every single time you play, so it doesn’t get boring.
- Fun medieval theme that fantasy lovers will adore.
Cons:
- Sometimes, winning the game comes down to luck, based on which tiles are drawn.
Read Also: Best Fantasy Board Games for Beginners
Mysterium
Do you and your friends like to go see horror movies on your date nights? Then there’s no better way to end the date night than with a board game like Mysterium.
This is the ideal game for ghost enthusiasts looking to bring a little horror their double date. One person will become the ghost, who is struggling to remember how they were killed. Each other player will become an investigator trying to find the answer to the mystery.
To help the players, the ghost will give them each abstract pictures with clues in them. It’s up to the investigators to determine what the pictures mean and where the clues lie.
Pros:
- Fun and spooky atmosphere that’s great for horror fans.
- Cooperative gameplay that will have everyone working together.
- Has attractive artwork on the pieces and the board.
- This is a game you can play repeatedly, as the solution will be different time after time. For best results, we recommend having someone else be the ghost each time you play.
Cons:
- If you play with the same people too often, you can develop a predictable language with the clue cards t
hat makes it too easy.
Photosynthesis
At a glance, some might be bored by the forestry theme involved with Photosynthesis, wrongfully assuming that it’s too slow-moving or peaceful. They would be wrong about that. This game is deceptively simple, and has a range of in-depth strategies you could try.
Each player must grow trees and soak up as much sunlight as possible to win. On paper, this might sound too easy, but there are a lot of factors at play, like choosing a good spot and guiding trees through their life cycles.
At the end of the game, it will look a bit like you’re growing a tiny forest. It’s a truly beautiful game.
Pros:
- Highly strategic gameplay – you’ll need to use your brain here.
- Looks gorgeous and gets even more so the longer you play.
- The pieces are high-quality.
- Games can be finished in under an hour.
Cons:
- Although some say it’s easy to learn, the manufacturer notes that it’s best-suited for board game players of an intermediate skill level.
Azul
If you’ve got any particularly artistic friends or your date has an eye for art, Azul is the ideal game to pull out for everyone on your double date. The objective of the game is to choose colored tiles and build patterns.
It’s a visually stunning game. The longer you play it, the more your board will start to look like an eclectic patchwork quilt of beauty. Perhaps best of all, the learning curve is pretty low, so anyone can learn to play it even if they’ve never played a board game before.
Pros:
- Extremely visually appealing.
- A good pick for art lovers and artists alike.
- Everyone will learn the rules fast.
- It only takes 30-45 minutes to play.
Cons:
- Some have said that the scoring system is a little difficult to grasp initially.
Pandemic
Ever wanted to test the strength of your teamwork skills? Pandemic is one memorable way to do just that. Within the endangered world of Pandemic, every player assumes the roles of a team of people trying desperately to cure and contain a dangerous disease.
There are a few roles to play in this game, and each one has their own unique abilities. You can become a scientist, medic, or dispatcher, just to name a few – regardless, the goal is to work together, quashing hotspots and developing a cure.
Pros:
- If the game ever starts to feel too easy, you can add more epidemic cards to the deck to crank up the challenge level.
- This is a game that rewards good teamwork, so it could be great for anyone who’s too competitive.
- Has a richly detailed board and pieces.
- Each player takes the roles of a disease fighting team with skills that complement one another.
Cons:
- Some of the roles are definitely better than others, so you might find some people are disappointed with their abilities.
- It can be a bit slow to learn initially.
Wit’s End
Brain teasers can be a great time for some groups of people. For any intellectuals on your double date, Wit’s End is a choice that will appeal to their memory and knowledge skills.
Wit’s End is, at its core, a trivia game. However, unlike most other trivia games, it’s not as simple as just answering a question. There are different kinds of challenges involved, such as sorting items in a list, solving a riddle, or figuring out which item doesn’t belong.
This game is a refreshing take on the trivia genre. It’s fantastic for sharpening your critical thinking skills.
Pros:
- New take on traditional trivia games.
- The questions are suitably challenging.
- Over 1200 question cards to solve, so you won’t memorize them all anytime soon.
- Easy to play.
Cons:
- Some feel the questions can be a little too hard.
Telestrations After Dark
Maybe what you’re looking for is a way to liven up the evening and get everyone laughing. In that case, what you’re searching for is something like Telestrations after Dark.
You can kind of imagine Telestrations after Dark as being something like an adult version of Pictionary. One player draws a prompt, and the other have to try and figure out what it is. The game comes with dry erase boards, markers, and cloths, so you have everything you need to play.
Pros:
- Hilarious prompts will have everyone laughing.
- Includes everything you need to play, such as sketchbooks and dry erase markers.
- Simple to play, so it’s ideal for board game novices.
- You can play it over and over again, especially with other groups of people.
Cons:
- This game is definitely not suitable for children, so you may not want to play it if there are any kids around.
- There are some reports that the markers dry out very quickly.
Splendor
This game might be one of the best choices on this list for history buffs. In Splendor, you’ll each play as a merchant trying to make trade routes to provide wealthy nobles with luxurious gemstones.
The nobles in question include all sorts of famous historical figures, such as King Henry VIII. Your mission is to gather the perfect combination of gemstones to curry favor with the elite…and emerge as the victor.
Pros:
- Has striking poker chip-style pieces that almost look like real gemstones.
- Challenging gameplay that will keep veteran board game players entertained.
- Simple rules make it still accessible for beginners.
- You can finish the game in as little as half an hour.
- Features famous historical figures that will make any history buff happy.
Cons:
- Some players noted that the stickers aren’t always centered on the tokens, so some of the pieces can look kind of cheap.
Features to Consider
Number of Players
Obviously, when you’re looking for a board game for double dates, the number of players is going to matter. If you choose one that doesn’t allow at least four people, you’re going to end up with one person being left out, which is no fun at all.
Make sure you check the box and description to confirm that at least four players are supported. That way, you can be sure everyone will get to enjoy everything the game has to offer.
Playing with just one partner? Try looking through our list of best RPG board games for 2 players.
Game Length
Date nights aren’t usually limited to just one activity. There’s a possibility you have other things planned, like dinner or a movie with the other couple.
In that case, you probably don’t want something that will consume your entire evening. You may be looking for something you can squeeze in quick before you need to head out to catch your movie or dinner reservation.
However, sometimes, you do set aside a whole evening for board games. We know we’ve certainly done that. If that sounds more your speed, a short board game could still be a good option because you can play it over and over again.
A longer one could also be great, though, because you’ll be able to really immerse yourself in it as time goes on. You can easily tell how long a board game is going to be on average by checking the time listed on the box.
Theme and Atmosphere
Think about the type of people on the double date. They could be history fanatics, trivia addicts, or horror lovers. People have all sorts of interests, and the board game industry reflects that.
Due to this variation in interests, there are tons of board games with a huge range of themes. You don’t have to stick with boring basics – you can easily find something spooky, historical, or fantasy-based so that everyone is drawn into the world of the game.
Read Also: Best Star Trek Board Games
Complexity
Not everyone has tons of experience with board games. For beginners, a complex game with a thick rulebook and hundreds of pieces might be quite overwhelming.
Consider the gaming proficiency of everyone else you’re with. If they’re seasoned board game players, there’s no reason why you can’t pull out that intricate game that will take hours to set up and play.
But if you have novices among your number, you may want to think about choosing something more streamlined. You can usually tell if a game is going to be difficult by looking at its duration and customer reviews. Longer games are generally more complex.
Cooperative or Competitive
We all know that one person who gets a little too excited when they win, or practically flips the table when they lose a game. If anyone in your party gets too competitive, you might want to think about looking for cooperative games.
Cooperative games are also great for beginners. Rather than competing against each other, you have to work as a team, so you can help train any newbies that are playing. It can also be a wonderful way for couples to bond.
On the other hand, if your party is a bit more easygoing, then a competitive game may be exactly what you need to get everyone excited.
Wrap Up
That concludes our list of board games with double date potential. We hope this gives you some inspiration for your next board game night with friends. Any one of the games on this list is something we feel confident your friends will ask to play again and again.
If you asked us to recommend one over all the others, though, we’d go with Mysterium. As we said, there are tons of great options on this list, but we love that Mysterium would encourage everyone to work together and tell a story. It’s ideal for bonding with everyone at the table in one memorable experience.