How the date night games tool works

Most couples do not need to be convinced that a game night is fun. The hard part is choosing a game in the five minutes after dinner, when one of you says "we should play something" and neither of you can remember the rules to anything. This tool takes care of both problems. It picks a game that suits your mood and what you have lying around, and it explains how to play in a few plain sentences.

1. Set three filters. Choose a vibe (any, silly, romantic, competitive or deep talk), what you have on hand (anything, nothing needed, a deck of cards, paper and pen, or just a phone) and how much time you have (any, under 15 minutes or about an hour).
2. Tap "Pick a game for tonight." A card appears with the name of the game, three small tags that show its vibe, what you need and how long it takes, and short rules you can read out loud.
3. Keep it, or tap "Another game." You can keep tapping until something sounds right. Each tap shows a different game that still fits your filters.
4. Or play right here. Under the filters there is a "Play one here" row with three games built into the page: This or That, Finish the Sentence and the 20-Second Challenge. They run on one phone that you pass back and forth.

There are 52 games in the library. Fifteen use a regular deck of cards, twelve need only paper and a pen, seventeen need nothing at all, and eight use a phone, including the three you can play on this page. Everything is PG and friendly, so it works just as well on a first few dates as it does after twenty years together.

The filters, explained

The filters are strict. If you choose "deep talk" and "a deck of cards", you will only ever see deep talk games that use a deck of cards. Under the button, a small line tells you how many of the 52 games match, so you can see at a glance how much choice you have left.

Some combinations have no games at all. When that happens, the tool tells you so and shows a button for each filter you have set, such as "Any vibe", "Use anything" or "Any length", so you can loosen just one. There is also a "Clear all filters" button if you would rather start fresh. Your filters are remembered on this device, so the next time you open the page it is set up the way you left it.

When you tap "Another game", the tool works its way through every game that matches your filters before it shows any of them a second time, and it never shows the same game twice in a row. If you change a filter, it starts a new round of picks from the games that fit.

Saving and sharing a game

Every game card has a Save button. Once you save a game, a small "saved" link appears under the pick button. Tap it to see your list, with the full rules for each game. From there you can Copy list to copy the game names, one per line, Clear list to start over, or go back to all games. Your saved list stays in this browser on this device only.

Send to my partner shares the game name and its rules. On most phones this opens your usual share menu so you can send it in a message. On devices without one, it copies the game and a link to this page so you can paste it anywhere. It is a nice way to say "this is what we are doing tonight" before you get home.

The three built-in games are in the library too. When one of them comes up as your pick, its card has a Play it here button that starts the game straight away.

The three games you can play on this page

This or That

This or That is a quick, silly game about how alike you are. It has a bank of 75 pairs, like coffee or tea, sunrise or sunset, pancakes or waffles and camping or a fancy hotel. Each game uses 15 of them, drawn at random.

1. Type your first names. Names are optional. If you leave them blank, the game calls you Player 1 and Player 2. Names are remembered on this device, and the 20-Second Challenge uses them too.
2. Pick in secret. The screen tells one of you not to peek and asks the other to choose between the two options.
3. Pass the phone. A "Locked in" screen appears that does not show what was picked. The second person taps the button with their name to see the same two options and makes their own choice.
4. See both picks. The reveal shows what each of you chose, a heart if you matched, and a running count of your matches so far.

The person who picks first switches every round, starting with Player 1, so the phone is usually already in the right hands for the next round. After round 15 you see your total as a number out of 15, a friendly verdict, and a round-by-round list of every pair and who picked what. You can then play 15 new pairs that were not in the game you just finished, start again with new players, or go back to all games.

The best part is usually the round-by-round list. It is full of little conversation starters, like finding out your partner has been quietly on the crunchy peanut butter side all along.

Finish the Sentence

Finish the Sentence is a deck of 56 sentence starters, some sweet and some silly, such as "The moment I knew I really liked you was..." or "If we opened a little shop together, it would sell..." The deck is shuffled each time, and you see one card at a time with a counter that shows which card you are on.

• Next card moves on and counts the card as answered.
• Skip moves on and counts it as skipped. No reason needed.
• Under the buttons, a small tally shows how many cards you have answered and skipped so far.

The easiest way to play is to take turns: one of you finishes the sentence out loud, then the other has a go at the same card. When you reach the end of the deck, you see how many you finished and how many you skipped. You can shuffle the whole deck and play again, or tap the button to try only the cards you skipped. Sometimes a card that felt awkward at the start is much easier an hour later.

20-Second Challenge

The 20-Second Challenge is the lively one. There are 46 quick challenges, like "Name 5 things you love about your partner's face", "Say the alphabet backward from Z to M" or "Walk across the room like a runway model and strike 3 poses." A game is ten challenges, five each, taking turns and starting with Player 1.

1. Read the challenge. If it does not suit you, tap "Swap for another challenge" before you start.
2. Tap "Start 20 seconds." A big countdown runs from 20. Once it starts, you cannot swap the challenge, and the start button turns into "Done early" in case you finish before the time runs out.
3. Your partner is the judge. When the clock hits zero, or when you tap "Done early", the screen asks your partner whether you pulled it off. They tap "Yes, a point!" or "Not this time".

The score for both of you shows under every challenge. At the end you each get a score out of five, the winner is named (or it is called a tie), and a list shows every challenge with a check or a cross next to it. "Play 10 more" keeps the same names and serves up challenges you have not had yet, until all 46 have been used and the deck is shuffled again.

A tip for fair judging: agree before you start that the judge has to decide within three seconds. Long debates about whether "blue cheese" and "cheddar cheese" count as two different cheeses are fun, but they can slow the game right down.

The best card games for two with one deck

A single deck of cards is the most useful thing you can keep in a kitchen drawer for date nights. All fifteen card games in the library need just one standard deck, and between them they cover every mood. If you want even more ideas, our guide to card games for couples goes deeper.

The rest of the card games are Slapjack, Snap, Higher or Lower, War with a twist, Go Fish with memories, Memory match and a friendly game of blackjack played only for bragging rights and the choice of movie. Two of them have small twists made for couples. In War with a twist, whoever wins a war gets to ask the other one question that has to be answered honestly. In Go Fish with memories, every time you collect all four cards of a rank, you share a favorite memory of the two of you.

If one of you is new to cards, start with Crazy Eights or Kings in the Corner. Both can be explained in a minute, and the rules on each game card are written so you can read them aloud as you deal.

Games with no supplies at all

Seventeen games in the library need nothing but the two of you, which makes them perfect for a car ride, a long walk, a line at the movies or a power cut. Set the second filter to "nothing needed" to see only these.

• For laughing: Try not to laugh, Two truths and a lie, Charades for two, Hot and cold, Story in turns and Question tennis, where you can only speak in questions.
• For a bit of friendly rivalry: Twenty questions and a thumb wrestling championship, best of five with a rematch using left hands.
• For sweet moments: A to Z of us, the Memory lane quiz, the Mirror game, Back writing and the Dream day planner.
• For real talk: Rose, thorn, bud, Desert island picks, Our year in review and Getting-closer questions, a long conversation game based on a well-known study of how people grow closer.

Paper and pen games sit in between. Dots and Boxes, Ultimate tic-tac-toe, Paper Sea Battle and Categories are good for a competitive streak, while Blind portraits, Fold-over drawing and the Fill-in-the-blank love letter are almost impossible to play without laughing.

Tips for a fun game night

• Pick the game before dinner. Tap the pick button while the food is cooking, so the game is decided and the cards are on the table before the dishes are done.
• Set a small, silly prize. The winner picks the movie, gets the last cookie or chooses the next date. Stakes make even a simple game feel exciting.
• Mix a quick game with a long one. Start with a warm-up like the 20-Second Challenge, then settle into Gin Rummy or Paper Sea Battle.
• Take turns choosing the vibe. If one of you loves to win and the other loves to talk, alternate between competitive and deep talk nights.
• Put the phones face down. Except for the one you are playing on. A game night works best when nobody is checking messages between turns.
• Be a gracious winner. A little gloating is part of the fun. A lot of gloating means you are on dish duty.
• End with a question. After the last round, ask each other what the best moment of the night was. It takes a minute and it makes the evening stick.

If you want a whole evening planned around the game, our date night ideas guide has plenty of ways to set the scene, from a living room picnic to a themed dinner.

Variations for long-distance couples

A lot of these games work over a video call with a little creativity. Set the second filter to "nothing needed" or "paper and pen" and look for games that only need talking or drawing.

• Talk games work as they are. Two truths and a lie, Twenty questions, Rose, thorn, bud and Desert island picks need no changes at all.
• Drawing games work on camera. For Draw and Guess, each of you writes your list in advance and holds your drawing up to the screen. Blind portraits are even funnier over video.
• This or That works with two phones. Each of you opens this page, and one of you reads the pair out loud. Both write your pick down, then reveal on the count of three and keep your own tally of matches.
• Finish the Sentence works by screen sharing. One of you opens the deck and reads each card aloud, and you both answer.
• The 20-Second Challenge works on camera too. One person runs the timer on their phone and judges, and the other does the challenge on screen.
• Paper Sea Battle is a classic over the phone. Each draw your grids at home and call out your shots.

For games made especially for couples who live apart, see our long distance relationship games. If you enjoyed seeing how alike you are in This or That, the couples quiz is the natural next step, with questions about how well you really know each other.

Frequently asked questions