Top Board Games for Couples to Make Connecting Fun

Want to find good two player games that will help you connect in your marriage? Keep reading for our favorite picks!

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How Board Games Will Help You Connect

For us, playing board games brings us back to when we were kids. Both Josh and I had family game nights growing up and we love looking back on those memories. So can board games offer an opportunity for you and your spouse to have a deep emotional connection? Absolutely! Any chance you get to have fun with your spouse can bring you closer.

There are two types of board games: cooperative and competitive. Keep reading to learn about each and discover our favorite board games to play together!

Cooperative Games

Cooperative games require you to work together. Everyone either wins or loses together.

Are cooperative games too hard?

They can definitely be challenging. However, that makes it such a great resource to connect with your spouse! Feeling too tired from your long day of work and the kids? You can still play a tough cooperative game because you'll work together! Josh and I have played some of the games below when we absolutely do not have the brain power to focus. It makes the game so much sweeter because we lean on each other for help.

Why cooperative games will help you connect with your spouse

You win or lose together - as a team. I can't tell you how many times I've missed a crucial detail that Josh thankfully caught, saving us from making a huge mistake. Or maybe I'll come up with a good plan of action, seeing a couple of moves ahead into the game. Either way, we use our strengths to boost each other up. We praise each other and notice when the other has come up with a good idea. It's a great opportunity to compliment your spouse on something small.

The Best Cooperative Games

Pandemic

The thought of a game called Pandemic may sound a bit too morbid. But don't let the name turn you off! It's an incredible game of strategy and teamwork. Yes, a pandemic has broken out worldwide and your job is to find a cure for 4 diseases while outbreaks are spreading across the globe. However, the strategy and teamwork you need to win this game are so complex and very well thought out.

How this game will help you connect: You are assigned a role with special abilities. Use your role to work together with your spouse. This is a tough game and you won't always win - but that just makes it even more fun. Every time we lose, Josh and I are already ready to play again, determined to beat it the next time.

A bit more about the roles: As mentioned, you take on a role with special abilities while you play. Assign roles at random to change your experience each time you play. When playing with just 2 people, our favorite role combination is the Scientist and the Medic because of their abilities to find cures with less cards and treat diseases with less moves, respectively. However, don't let the other roles intimidate you! They may not be able to do as much as the Scientist and Medic, but they do force you to be more strategic and work and communicate together.

Note: Pandemic takes a while to set up. Be patient and use a conversation starter to connect even while you get ready!

Forbidden Island

In Forbidden Island, you need to collect all 4 treasures and fly off the island while it continuously floods around you. Tiles sink and make it a lot harder to get where you need to. Forbidden Island takes a lot less time to set up than Pandemic. But don't let this fool you: it's just as hard (if not harder!). Josh and I have lost several times. That just makes us want to try again! The strategy in Forbidden Island is similar to Pandemic so if you've played either, you'll already have a head start on the other.

How this game will help you connect: Forbidden Island is a lot more simple than Pandemic but requires just as much strategy. The teamwork that is needed to win the game can really help you connect with your spouse. Just because it's your spouse's turn doesn't mean you can't help and talk through the strategy together.