Online games for couples: 14 picks to play together, most of them free

Some couples share a sofa every night. Others share a time zone only on a good week. Either way, playing something together is one of the easiest ways to spend an evening that is not just scrolling side by side. This list is for people who are already a couple: partners, husbands, wives, people who have been together six weeks or sixteen years.

These are our picks, not a ranking. For every game we have checked the basics (where it runs, whether it is free, and whether two people can play it together) and the sources are listed at the bottom. Prices and features change, so check the store before you buy.

Free in the browser

Nothing to install, and both of you can play from a phone or a laptop.

1. Lichess (chess)

Lichess is a free, open-source chess site run by volunteers and donations, with no adverts. You can set up a game, send the link to your partner and play straight away. If one of you is much stronger, give yourselves a slower clock, or let the weaker player take white every time.

2. skribbl.io (drawing and guessing)

A free drawing-and-guessing game. Create a private room, send the link, take turns drawing while the other guesses. Custom rooms let you type in your own words, which is where it gets fun: inside jokes, places you have been, the name of that restaurant neither of you can pronounce.

3. WorldGuessr (geography)

You are dropped somewhere on Street View and have to guess where. WorldGuessr says every mode is free, including parties with friends, and it is paid for by adverts. Play as a team on one guess, or race each other.

4. Wordle (daily word puzzle)

One five-letter word a day, the same for everybody, free from The New York Times. It is not played live, but comparing grids every morning is a ritual many couples keep. Fittingly, Josh Wardle first made it for himself and his partner.

5. Board Game Arena (hundreds of board games)

Board Game Arena runs board games in the browser. Joining is free and you can make a private table for the two of you. Some popular titles need a Premium membership, and one Premium member can open those tables for friends.

6. AJ Cities (a Lagos open world)

Our own game, so take this one with a pinch of salt. AJ Cities is a free open-world game set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, and it runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. The two-player part is party mode: you each make a character, pick the same world and walk the estate together. More on that below.

Free on your phones

7. GamePigeon (iPhone only)

A free set of small games you play inside iMessage: pool, mini golf, darts, word games, chess, sea battle and more. It only works on Apple devices, so it suits couples who are both on iPhone. Extras cost money; the games themselves do not.

8. Ludo King

If you grew up arguing over a Ludo board, this is the one. Ludo King puts the game on your phone for free, with in-app purchases. It has online games for two to six players, private rooms for friends and voice chat.

Co-op games where one copy covers you both

These are not free, but in the first two only one of you has to buy the game.

9. It Takes Two

Hazelight’s 2021 co-op adventure is built only for two players, and its story is literally about a couple. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. One of you buys it; the other plays free with the Friend’s Pass. It is on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Switch, but both of you need to be on the same family of platform.

10. Split Fiction

Hazelight’s 2025 follow-up is co-op only too, with the same Friend’s Pass, and this time the pass works across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so one of you can be on a console and the other on a PC.

11. Stardew Valley

A farming game you can play online together. You can invite up to seven other players to your farm. It is a paid game; on Steam it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Not games, but date-night staples

12. Teleparty

A free browser extension that keeps a film in sync for both of you and adds a chat. Each of you needs access to the streaming service you are watching.

13. Spotify Jam

A shared queue you both add songs to. You need Premium to host a Jam, and Premium to join one remotely.

14. Jackbox Games

Party games where one person owns the game, shares their screen on a video call, and everyone plays from their own phone at jackbox.tv. Better with a few friends than with two, but a good one for a double date over video.

Walking the estate together in AJ Cities

Here is what playing AJ Cities as a couple actually looks like, honestly described.

• Pick the same world. There are three: always day, always night, or real Lagos time. If you pick the same one you usually land in the same estate, which holds up to 60 players.
• Dress up together. The Palmline Unisex Salon and Gatefold Clothing next to the main gate change your hair, skin tone and clothes for free.
• Talk your way in. Ask the police at the gate; most nights about four in five guests who ask are let in free.
• Go out. Walk June 12 Street, head down past the bush to the beach, or catch Joe-Izzy at Prizm from 9 pm Lagos time. The estate radio plays the same song at the same moment for both of you.

Two things to know. First, the estate is shared: other real players are around, so it is a night out, not a private room. Second, the party and the club are virtual, inside the game: there is no real venue, date or ticket. Optional tickets (₦250 to ₦1,500 at the gate, ₦10,000 to ₦60,000 for Prizm VIP rooms) last 24 hours and open more of the estate. Every price is on the tickets page.

AJ Cities is for adults only. Its story mode, AJ’s story, deals with crime and police corruption and is single-player, so it is one to take turns on rather than play together.

How to pick

• Five minutes before bed: Wordle, GamePigeon, a quick game of chess.
• A proper evening: It Takes Two or Split Fiction, a few hours at a time.
• Something to come back to: a shared farm in Stardew Valley.
• A night out without going out: a walk round the estate in AJ Cities.

Living apart for now? Our guide to games for long-distance couples picks the ones that work best across time zones.

What are the best free online games for couples?

Our picks: Lichess for chess, skribbl.io for drawing and guessing, WorldGuessr for geography, Board Game Arena for board games, and AJ Cities if you want to walk a virtual Lagos estate together. All run in the browser.

Do both of us need to buy It Takes Two?

No. One of you buys it and the other plays free with the Friend’s Pass, as long as you are on the same family of platform.

Can we play AJ Cities together?

Yes, in party mode. You each sign in, make a character and pick the same world. The estate is shared with other players, and it is 18+.