The 18 Best Couples Games That Make Staying In Way More Fun

Look, there's nothing wrong with spending date night on the couch, ordering takeout, and watching six episodes of a show neither of you is particularly invested in. Honestly, sounds like a pretty great Friday. But if your quality time together has started looking suspiciously like every other night of the week, it might be time to mix things up. And no, that doesn't mean you need to make a dinner reservation, put on real pants, or spend $200 on an activity you'll both pretend was worth it.

Which is where couples games come in. Whether you're looking to get to know a new partner better, reconnect with someone you've been with forever, or just find out which one of you is a sore loser (spoiler: probably both), there are plenty of games for couples that make staying in feel like an actual date night. We're talking conversation card games that'll have you learning things you somehow never knew about each other, competitive board games, ridiculous challenges, and a few flirty options for when you're feeling particularly romantic.

Prepare to find out whether your relationship can survive a little friendly competition. Below, we've rounded up the best couples games for pretty much every mood. So grab your partner, put down your phones (yes, both of you), and let the games begin.

Best Games for Couples

Whether you've been together for three months or three years, there's probably still plenty you don't know about your partner. (And no, their Chipotle order doesn't count.) The Skin Deep's {THE AND} Couples Edition features 199 thought-provoking conversation cards designed to get you both opening up about your relationship, experiences, and everything in between. Pull a few questions during your next date night, bring the deck on a road trip, or make an evening out of it. There's even a long-term couples edition for partners who've been together long enough to think they've already covered everything.

Okay, first of all, these cards are gorgeous. Like, cute enough to leave on your coffee table as decor. But beyond looking pretty, this conversation card game is designed to help you and your partner get to know each other on a deeper level. The 52-card deck features thought-provoking questions like “How do you find fulfillment?” and “What are you willing to fight for and why?” Prompts are color-coded from blue (the easiest) to red (the most intimate), so you can ease into the deeper stuff instead of immediately interrogating each other about your biggest fears. Fun!

If your usual post-dinner conversation consists of “What are we watching?” and “Did you remember to switch the laundry?”, this couples card game might be just what you need. With three types of cards—Insight, Ignite, and Invite—Coconu Connect encourages you and your partner to open up, flirt a little, and try something new together. Whether you're in the mood for a heart-to-heart or just want to shake up your usual date night routine, you can take things as seriously (or not) as you want.

Think you know absolutely everything about your partner? Cute. We're Not Really Strangers Couples Edition is here to prove otherwise. With more than 100 questions and wildcards across three increasingly personal levels, this conversation card game encourages you to get past the usual small talk and actually open up. Whether you've been dating for three months or married for 10 years, don't be surprised if you walk away knowing a few things about your person that you definitely didn't know before.

Nothing says romance quite like discussing who's responsible for cleaning the bathroom, amirite? Based on Eve Rodsky's Fair Play, this couples card game helps partners tackle the not-so-sexy business of dividing household responsibilities. The deck encourages you to have honest conversations about everything from chores to the mental load, so you can figure out who's doing what (and hopefully stop having the same argument about the dishes every week). Is it the most traditionally romantic date night activity? No. Could it make your relationship better? Absolutely.

Ever wish you could skip the “How was your day?” conversation and get into something a little more interesting? Created by psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel, Where Should We Begin? is a storytelling card game that encourages couples to open up about their experiences, memories, and feelings. With prompts like “Share something that's changed your worldview” and “One of the things keeping me up at night is…,” you might end up having a conversation you never would've thought to start on your own. And honestly, isn't that kind of the point?

Some nights you're in the mood for a deep conversation about your future together. Other nights you'd rather discuss literally anything else. Fair! This conversation card game for couples lets you pick your vibe with color-coded categories covering family, intimacy, your relationship, the past and future, and individual experiences. Stick to one topic or mix things up depending on your mood. Either way, it's an easy way to get the conversation going without having to ask, “So...what do you want to talk about?”

Planning a couples vacation? Before you book anything, you might want to make sure you're dating someone with the same definition of “relaxing.” With more than 135 travel-themed conversation starters, TableTopics Destination Anywhere gets you talking about everything from dream destinations to whether you'd rather take a guided tour or explore on your own. It's a fun date night game for couples who love to travel, plan imaginary vacations, or discover that one of them considers waking up at 6 a.m. on vacation a perfectly reasonable thing to do. (Terrifying, honestly.)

Nothing reveals how differently two people think quite like a good game of Would You Rather? With 250 questions ranging from silly and ridiculous to flirty and surprisingly philosophical, this couples card game is an easy way to shake up your usual date night. Take turns choosing between two equally questionable options, defend your answers, and prepare to learn exactly what kind of person you're dating. (For better or worse.)

Love a little friendly competition? Same. The Ultimate Game for Couples combines personal trivia questions with fun challenges to see just how well you and your partner know each other. You can play one-on-one for a low-key date night at home or invite another couple over and make things a little more competitive. Because nothing says romance quite like discovering your partner has absolutely no idea what your favorite movie is. Cool, cool, cool.

As if getting hit with a Draw Four wasn't enough to ruin your evening, now UNO has dares involved. UNO Dare takes the classic card game and adds ridiculous challenges, like walking around with a card between your knees or trying to blow a single card off a pile. You can stick to the included dares or make up your own, depending on how chaotic you're feeling. It's a fun card game for couples who'd rather laugh at each other than spend date night discussing their deepest feelings. (Respect.)

Get those brain juices flowing and stir up some hilarious conversations during your next date night. Draw a set of topics, roll the die to determine which letter your answers must begin with, and race against the timer to write down your responses. Good luck defending your answers afterward, because that's where the real fun happens.

This game is an absolute classic. No matter how old you are or who you're playing it with, it brings out the kid in you. Although it can be a fun way to mix up date night, it can also be a quick way to turn up the flirting. Make up your own rules as you go. May we suggest that whoever loses has to give the winner a kiss? Or handle the dishes for the next week? Honestly, both sound pretty good.

It's a fact: Everyone enjoys a good game of Jenga. But here's a way to take it to the next level and make it an extra-fun couples game. Grab one of those conversation decks and write some of the prompts on your Jenga blocks. Whoever pulls a block has to answer the question written on it. Or, you could write funny (and/or flirty) challenges that each player has to complete. Really, the world is your oyster, and you can personalize your Jenga blocks however you want.

Like Scrabble but without the bulky board, Bananagrams is an easy two-player word game you can toss in your purse and pull out over dinner, at a picnic, or pretty much anywhere. And once you realize how easy it is to set up and start playing, don't be surprised if it becomes your new favorite date night game.

The uber-popular Codenames game, but this version is designed specifically for two players, making it perfect for your next date night at home. You and your partner work as a team, giving each other one-word clues to identify secret agents hidden among a grid of words. It's a fun, cooperative board game for couples that puts your communication skills to the test. Because apparently understanding what your partner means by “banana” is now a relationship challenge.

If you like a little friendly competition, this two-player word game might be for you. Basically, you and your partner each create a secret word using your letter tiles, then use clue cards to try to figure out each other's words. Simple enough, right? Well, that depends on how good you are at getting inside your partner's head.

If you and your partner are always reading each other's minds, you'll love Wavelength. Not only does it look totally different from your typical board game (alllll your friends will be like, “What's this one?” at your next get-together), but it's all about guessing what someone else is thinking. Players give clues to help other players figure out where a hidden target falls between two opposing ideas, like “hot” and “cold.” Sounds easy enough, until you realize your definition of hot is apparently very different from everyone else's.