A lot of games can be played two player, but some board games work much better as two player games than others do. And I think for some people, two players is their preferred player count. I, during a normal month, have two player game nights with me and a friend, three player campaign game play days and big board game nights. I play at all player counts, so I need some board games that work best as two player games.

This list is going to be some games that are only two players. And it’ll be other games that play best at two players as well. Because some games might play more, or even be fine at a higher or lower player count, but be best when played with two players.

Hanamikoji

This is a two player only game, so it works really well here. Hanamikoji, or if you prefer the theme of scholars Jixia Academy, is a game where you are trying to win the favor of different Geisha. You give them gifts to win the favor, but how you give them gifts is very interesting. I actually talk about it in my Top 100 Board Games (of all time) 2021 Edition this past Wednesday, which you can see here.

In the game you can only do four actions. The actions are very simple. You take one card to add as a gift in secret. Next options is that you discard two cards face down that won’t be used to gain favor. You give your opponent the choice of three gifts, they pick one to use for favor, you use the other two. And finally, you give your opponent the choice of two groups of two cards. To win, you need favor from either four Geisha or 11 points worth of Geisha.

This is a really fast game. Generally a round, which is the whole game, most of the time, takes 15 minutes. So it’s a nice one to pull out and play very fast. The set-up is also very simple and fast as well.

Skulk Hollow

Another two player only game, this one is a little bit bigger, but still pretty easy to play. Skulk Hollow is a two player asymmetrical game. One person plays as the Foxen, basically anthropomorphic foxes, and the other person as the Guardian. The fox are trying to take down the guardian, and the guardian has some specific goal to win.

What makes this game so fun is how you take down the guardian. The foxen need to get onto the guardians board, that means jumping from the main board onto the guardian. And from there, the foxen damage the guardian knocking out different abilities. The game uses simple card play to do all of this, but it works really well.

And with multiple foxen leaders to change up how the foxen play, and multiple guardians, you can play the game a ton of times without repeating combinations. This one has a really cute aesthetic which will likely make it easier to get to the table as well.

Dice Throne

This one, I will say, I do like with more players, but it is very good at two players. Dice Throne is a battling game where you take a fantasy hero, or you could late pledge the Marvel version, and have them fight against each other. The battling is done by rolling dice kind of Yahtzee style where you can roll three times and then activate your attack.

That sounds fairly simple, but the game isn’t that simple. You can upgrade your attacks, you can manipulate the dice. You place status effects on the other players or yourself to help you deal more damage, avoid taking damage, or heal yourself. And there are 16 different characters (24 with Marvel eventually) and all of them play differently.

But what makes this so good at two players is that you can buy duel packs. So you an just get two characters and play with them. It’s way less expensive to buy it than an 8 character box. And if you love it, you can always get more.

Five Tribes

This is a fairly different game in that it, like Dice Throne, plays well with more. And Five Tribes is a very classic game, but I really like Five Tribes as a two player game. In Five Tribes you are using a mancala like mechanism, pick everything up from a spot and then put them down in other spots, and scoring points. Everything you do in Five Tribes is meant to give you are more points.

What makes it work so well for two players is that per round you take two turns. And turn order per round is done by bidding. But the money you are bidding with is done with coins which are points at the end of the game. However, turn order can matter in this game. Sometimes amazing turns are on the board, and if you spot them, you need to go first. So while this game is great with more, I think with two it offers a whole new strategy.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

Yes, I know Gloomhaven has been on the list, and if you are already a big board gamer, just get Gloomhaven. But Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lions is easier to get to the table. And it teaches you through the first few scenarios how to play Gloomhaven, which makes it easier to learn as well.

Why two player and not more? I played this three player and really loved it. But Gloomhaven works well at two players. With fewer players you will have fewer turns where you don’t do anything. Or where what you were planning doesn’t work. Basically at two players, there is less randomness in the game. And if you want a dungeon crawler, there isn’t a better one, in my opinion, than Gloomhaven.

Two Player Games Honorable Mention

Honestly, I don’t have a ton for this. I already have talked about Marvel Champions twice, but I like that game solo and at two players. The game goes for a game like Arkham Horror: The Card Game, another Fantasy Flight Living Card Game (LCG). And something like two commander decks for Magic: The Gathering would work great as well.

What are your go to two player games? Would you want to get or give any of those games to someone for a two player game?

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