Long distance games for couples
Being in a long-distance relationship means a lot of calls that start with "so… what did you do today?" A game gives the call a shape. Every game below runs in the browser: one of you starts a room, sends the link, and your partner is playing a few seconds later, from the other side of town or the other side of the world. It's all free, and there's no account to make or app to install.
The best online games for long-distance couples
1. How Well Do You Know Me
The one to start with. You each answer a question about yourself and guess the other's answer, then both get revealed at once. You'll spend longer talking about the answers than giving them. The Couples pack is about date nights, visits and missing each other, and there are packs about the two of you, your future, and the everyday stuff too.
About 5 min a game · How to play How Well Do You Know Me
2. In Sync
This or that, both at once: beach or city, night in or night out. You score together for every time you land on the same side, so nobody loses, and the misses are the best part. One tap a round, so it fits at the start of any call.
About 2 min a game · How to play In Sync
3. Word Duel
Same secret word, two boards, six guesses each. You play at the same time, so neither of you waits, and you can see how close your partner is getting without seeing their letters. Good for a quick one before bed.
About 3 min a game · How to play Word Duel
4. Connect 4
The classic from every childhood cupboard. Easy to explain, gets tense fast, and short enough to play three in a row and argue about the best of three.
About 5 min a game · How to play Connect 4
5. Battleship
Good for a long call: slow enough to talk over, with a small jolt every time someone says "hit". Both fleets go down at the same time, so nobody waits at the start.
About 10 min a game · How to play Battleship
6. Dice Duel
Five dice, three rolls, thirteen boxes to fill. Mostly luck, with just enough choice to gloat about. Good for when one of you is tired and the other is feeling competitive.
About 10 min a game · How to play Dice Duel
7. Dots & Boxes
Draw lines, close boxes, steal the chain your partner set up. It rewards paying attention to them, which is kind of the point.
About 5 min a game · How to play Dots & Boxes
8. Checkers
For the couple who wants a proper game. Captures are compulsory, jumps chain, and a king changes everything. A good weekend-afternoon video date.
About 15 min a game · How to play Checkers
9. Reversi
Every move flips the board, so nobody is safe until the last disc. Legal moves are highlighted, so it's easy to pick up even if you've never played.
About 10 min a game · How to play Reversi
Long distance relationship games that start conversations
The long distance relationship games worth playing give you something to talk about. How Well Do You Know Me was made for exactly that. Each reveal turns into a question of its own: why the mountains and not the beach, when did you start liking tea. The Deep pack goes further, into worries, dreams and what home means, which are easy conversations to skip when you only have an hour on the phone.
The competitive ones do it differently. A close game of Connect 4 or a Battleship shot that lands gets the same shouting you'd do on the sofa together, and honestly that's most of what you miss.
Games to play with your boyfriend or girlfriend on a call
Get on a video or voice call first, then open the game in your browser. On most phones the call carries on in a small window while you play. Start a room, paste the link into your chat, and you're both in.
Pick for the mood. For five minutes before one of you has to sleep, Word Duel or Tic-Tac-Toe. For a proper date night, a best of five in Connect 4 or a full game of Battleship or Checkers. When you want to actually talk, How Well Do You Know Me.
Rematch keeps the same room and a running score, so the "who is winning this month" argument has a real number behind it.
More long distance date ideas to pair with a game
A game works best as one part of a date. Cook the same recipe at the same time and eat together over video. Watch the same film with a countdown to press play. Send a real letter with a room link written at the bottom. Plan the next visit day by day. Or order each other dinner on the same evening and play a few rounds while you eat.
Questions
- What are the best games for long-distance couples?
- Ones you can both open straight away, that fit inside a call and give you something to talk about. How Well Do You Know Me for conversation, Word Duel and Connect 4 for quick competitive rounds, and Battleship or Checkers for a longer date.
- Are these games free?
- Yes, all of them. There are no ads, no accounts and nothing to buy.
- Do we both need to download an app?
- No. Everything runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. One of you sends a link, the other taps it, and you're playing.
- Can we play if we're in different countries?
- Yes, that's why I built it. Moves sync live, so distance costs you a fraction of a second, and time zones only matter for deciding who is up late.
- Can we play while we're on FaceTime or a video call?
- Yes. Keep the call going and open the game in your browser. Most phones shrink the call to a small window while you play, and on a laptop you can put the two side by side.