7 Valentine’s Day Board Games for Couples

So you might not be enjoying a romantic getaway in a castle for Valentine’s, but you can play Castles of the Mad King Ludwig. In this tile-laying game, each player has been hired to build a magnificent castle for Ludwig II.

You’ll start with a foyer, and gradually adding rooms as you go. However, you can’t just add on at random — the goal is to place each room in a logical spot within the castle.

You earn points for completing each room, and players take turns being the Master Builder for the round, responsible for setting prices for each room.

• Players: 1-4
• Play Time: 90 Minutes

Smash Up is kind of the ultimate nerdy mashup game — it’s rather implied in the name. It’s called a “shufflebuilding” game, but you can think of it as a sort of deck-building game.

Combine the decks from two factions to form your team, and then try to smash more bases than your opponent. Aliens Wizards vs Ninja Tricksters? It’s entirely up to you — or up to fate, if you let it.

The best part is there are several expansions with new factions that you can combine for even more crazy combinations, from the Science Fiction Double Feature to the Obligatory Cthulhu Expansion.

• Players: 2-4
• Play Time: 45 Minutes

There’s something at once both horribly cliché and and terribly appropriate about the idea of a couple of introverts curled up playing word games. Almost of the introverts I know tend to be drawn toward words — they love both writing and reading. But honestly, what’s wrong with that?

I like Bananagrams because it plays quickly, much more quickly than Scrabble (though that would certainly be a good choice as well). Each player drawers their tiles and builds a freeform wordcross with them. The game isn’t turn-based, but plays in real-time, which I think makes it more interesting.

• Players: 1-8
• Play Time: 15 Minutes

Not only is Splendor a great 2-player game, but I also think that the theme is very appropriate — you’re a merchant during the Renaissance, dealing in gems. I mean, Valentine’s Day is often synonymous with expensive jewelry, right?

In addition to acquiring jewels in the game, you also need to manage transportation and shops — everything that comes with doing business. You’ll need a bit of strategy to get ahead in Splendor, and be willing to take action, not just build up your resource reserves.

That said, the game plays quickly and the rules are designed with simplicity in mind. The game only takes a few minutes to set up and explain, and the whole thing wraps up in under a half hour, typically.

• Players: 2-4
• Play Time: 30 Minutes

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Carcassonne is on this list. It’s one of my favorite games, and often thought of as a “gateway” game, because it’s so simple — draw a tile and lay it out to build cities, pastures, roads, and even cloisters.

Unlike Castles of the Mad King Ludwig, you’re playing on the same board, so it’s possible to vie for control of territory and steal a city, road, or pasture from the other player. Of course, it’s up to you whether you really want to play that particular strategy on Valentine’s day.

Oh, and have we mentioned the expansions? Spice things up with the Inns and Cathedrals expansion or the standalone Carcassonne: The Discovery. There’s even a fast-paced dice version.

• Players: 2-5
• Play Time: 30-45 Minutes

Despite the fact that most of my childhood consisted of modifying the rules of any game to give my little sisters a chance to win (ahhh the plights of being the oldest child), I do actually enjoy the occasional classic game, and Jenga is one that’s especially suited to two people. The Throw & Go variation of Jenga comes in some of my favorite color, and it changes the gameplay somewhat by introducing dice rolls that dictate which block you remove — or the option to reverse an action and even force the other player to take out two blocks.

• Players: 1+
• Play Time: 15 Minutes

I don’t hate Catan, but I do dislike featuring it on so many lists. So instead, here’s Rivals for Catan, a variant of the game designed especially for two players. There are 3 gameplay styles, including a Duel variant if you’re feeling particularly competitive.

• Players: 2
• Play Time: 45 Minutes