My Top 10 Favorite Multiplayer Games That Play Great with Just 2 Players 

That lovely cat is just living his best life. We all need to be more like him.

I appreciate how you dive right into the content of your video. It is very rare for youtubers to not waste a bunch of time before getting to it!

Besides your picks: Azul, Carcassonne, Kingdomino, That's Pretty Clever!, Spirit Island, Five Tribes, Race for the Galaxy

Love 2 sided boards for different player counts. Thanks for ensuring games play well with 2 players.

Great list! We are always looking for some new two player options. Definitely adding Sagrada and Parks to our list. Also, it was so cool to see that some of our faves (Everdell, Five Tribes, The Isle of Cats, Castles of Burgundy) make it in this video!

I *really* appreciate you having the player count with other player count variants included... that feels so much more open and honest as a consumer compared to just "1-4" where we just *know* that 1 player was a variant anyway, etc.

Loved this video! Most of the time my wife & I play, so games that excel at 2 players are gold for us! She loves Kodama, 7th Continent & Terraforming Mars. I love 7 Wonders Duel, Lord of the Rings LCG & Five Tribes. We also play a lot of Istanbul, San Juan & Forgotten Waters. I've wanted to try Legacy of Dragonholt, so your recommendation was a good incentive to go for it!

I appreciate your goal of having games that play well at 2 players. That is how I play most of my games. I love games that scale well.

Thanks for this video! I love that your games work so well at 2 players. My wife and I played Wingspan 35 times during the pandemic and it seriously never got old. I decided I actually like it best with 2 for exactly the reason you mentioned: we can finish in almost 30 minutes most of the time! We just picked up Viticulture and so far feel the exact same way, we love how quickly it can move with 2 players. Keep up the good work!

Another great video Jamey. Playing primarily at two players this was super interesting. Also have to say since you've met Meghan and moved to your new place you look so happy and healthy, pleased you found a place for a fulfilling personal life alongside your passion for boardgames. Great to see. Keep up your amazing work 👍

Thanks for sharing! Loved hearing your enjoyment of PARKS at 2 players really stems from leaning into the relaxing element of the game :) You're right, at those higher player counts, there can be some stiff competition for trail site space!

Great List. At my home, I would add the Century Golem games, as well as the Azul series, which both work wonderfully at 2 players, and are a solid value

Great list. Always looking for two-player games aside from deck builders or combat or warfare themed games. Five Tribes: There's no better example of a multiplayer game that works so much better at two than it does at the maximum player amount, simply because of the analysis paralysis, plus, I personally love the auction element at two and the added incentive to bid for back-to-back turns. Just love Five Tribes at two.

Viticulture is superb at 2 player, really got my SO into gaming, can't thank you enough Jamey

It was very interesting to hear your favourite games in this respect. I might take another look at Parks, until now I'd resisted. Me and my partner enjoy very often playing Everdell and Dinogenics. Both games play perfectly at 2 players. So you should definitely give Everdell a try at this player count.

Spirit Island, simply the greatest 2 player game ever invented (that can also play up to six with expansions).

Thanks so much for this. Based on your video we went out and found PARKS at our area Target store. We've played once and love it. I am glad you included Dominion in HM but obviously I think it should have been higher.

Great list Jamey and you've given us at least a couple more to consider adding to the list that never ends :) We really enjoy Tzolkin at 2 players - there is no dummy player to manage, just seeding the board to take up spots on the gears for scaling. Another one we love is Pulsar 2849 which seems to fly under the radar but it continuously makes it back to our table and is my wife's current #1. We enjoy Tapestry although we found it to be much better at 3 players though we have not tried the shadow empire variant yet - that has some dummy player management if I recall. Love Wingspan and recently picked up Viticulture Essential edition but hasn't been unwrapped yet. Pendulum on pre-order, look forward to checking that out. Other 2 games in our top 10 include Dominion, Castles of Burgundy, Castles of Mad King - slightly better with 3 though I think, Smallworld, Clank, Everdell, and Pandemic. Love your work, content, and games...cheers!!

I think it is nice how you cite other reviewers. Good list, I have not played most of those games, but I got interested.

Video editing and production just keeps getting better

Oh! I had no idea we could play Between Two Castles with just two using a variant. Very nice!! I love the additional insight into Stonemaier games today, too. With my Player 3 (daughter/20yo) not liking board games and my Player 4 (son/16yo) working a lot and heading off to college next fall, each time I buy a game I check to make sure it can play at two (and solo)!

Thanks Jamie - very helpful list as I predominantly play solo or 2 player co-op but would like to get my other half into competitive games. In fact I’ve just bought wingspan for that reason and I know he’ll love the theme. For 2 player co-ops I think Aeons End is a good choice.

Great list! I also like Carcassonne with two players. Tile drawing luck can tarnish the experience when playing with some of the expansions, but I find it to be a very satisfying head-to-head experience.

That's one of our key buying requirements for games - if it doesn't play well at 2 AND 4-7 to bring to game nights, there's no point in owning it for us. A majority of my gaming is just with my husband but we have a great group we play with (soon again I hope!) that we bring games to. We have a few games that break the rule (Watergate is only 2 and a we own couple party games) but that's one of our primary purchase criteria.

Hi Jamey, I host a boardgames day and had to play with another players just the 2 of us because all other players were already split into groups and started playing. She was kinda new and we played Century spice road, Tiny Town, and finished with Parks. I had Castles of Burgundy with me there but I think it might have been too heavy.

Great list. I’d add in Blood Rage, Lord of the Ring JiME, Century Spice Road and Clank for sure. They are good in higher counts but I prefer in 2 as you get into the game a little more. Also Magic Maze and The Mind as I think you get a little more in sync in a two and the game is more fun that way.

One of my favourites which scales great is Keyflower. A great auction, worker placement game which scales with the number of tiles in play from 2 to 6. Such a good head to head at 2 players.

I like the added graphics on the video. Great job Jamey. Sagrada and Viticulture are really good at 2P

It sounds like parks really plays into the theme. Such as when your in a crowded park vs a not so crowded park. always enjoy solitude or just being with someone else.

Great list!! My top pick would be Grand Austria Hotel

Just listened to all your videos on Kick Starters. A lot of helpful information but now I have to go through all your blog posts... ha ha...

Great video. Like you, I don't mind if a game feels different at lower or higher player counts. My favourite game is Agricola, and I love it at two players. Plays in about 45 minutes, turns are quicker, tough decisions, and is super tight. I also love Railways of the World, and play it mainly at two players. With certain maps it is looser with two, but I find it a lot of fun either way. Others that I love at two players are Legendary Encounters: Alien, Century: Golem Edition, Arboretum, The Crew, Ascension, Azul, The Castles of Burgundy, Pandemic, Horrified, San Juan, Ghost Stories, Villainous, and Orléans, to name a few.

My girlfriend and I like to play heavier Euro games at 2 because it eliminates a lot of the downtime you'd get at higher player counts. Some of our favorites are Underwater Cities, Dinosaur Island, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Spirit Island, and Gaia Project.

What's up Leggo-my-Steggo? Just watching and commenting. Thanks for the list.

I'd add Paladins of the West Kingdom to the conversation and perhaps also Empires of the North. I completely agree with all of the games that I've tried that is on your list.

It's similar to Sagrada, but I really like Blueprints at two players. In particular, the added rule where you have to discard a die from the pool in addition to drafting one adds a nice additional tactical element.

Parks! Wow! I’m surprised as I hear very few people talking about this game, and it is excellent. Highly recommend, and beautiful artwork and components

My wife and I play 1775 a lot. Showed it to my brother and SIL and it was not nearly as fun. Actually slowed it down and the strategy seemed clunkier in a four-player game. Love it so much as a two-player! Also, regarding dummy players, I really like the dummy player (Man in Black) in Western Legends.

Everdell would definitely make my list!

In Scythe, u can play on modular board and remove some tiles to reduce the map. I played like this and I liked it a lot

My top 10 (in order of how much I like the game; they all work really well with 2p): 1. A Feast for Odin 2. First Class 3. Mystic Vale 4. Rajas of the Ganges 5. Cooper Island 6. Underwater Cities 7. The Castles of Burgundy 8. Agricola 9. San Juan 10. Wingspan Might like Pulsar and Everdell at 2p as well, but I haven't played them at that player count yet. Will play La Granja, Tzolk'in, Teotihuacan, Clans of Caledonia or Gaia Project with 2p, but I feel like they're better with more players after all. Didn't put coops like Pandemic or Too Many Bones there since I don't feel they qualify, as I could play them solo with several characters as well and it would have a similar feel.

Designing my own deck building cooperative post apocalyptic permaculture survival adventure game... just noticed my idea of leveling up abilities sounds similar to shards of infinity. I wonder how that works. Thanks for the content!

Surprised KingDomino (or Queen) didn't pop up on your list or at least the honorable mentions. Definitely one of my favorites to play at 2

I wasn't a fan of Fantastic Factories. My group and I thought the game was bland. I just got Castles of Burgundy and I can't wait to try it with my Wife. As far as a game you haven't mentioned, My best friend and I play Great Western Trail at 2 players. We love this game! Thanks for the list!

When I watched the first video about Fantastic Factories I knew it was going to be something special.

I'm kind of ashamed I don't have any Stonemaier games. You're such a good influence on and representation of the community, Jamey. It's cool to see someone that is part of the industry always promoting games they had nothing to do with just because they are a fan and want the industry to grow as a whole. That said I was totally planning on doing some more research and finding the Stonemaier game that would be my next purchase, but some dude made a great video on 2 player games and convinced me to buy Parks.

Fully agree with Dominion, Everdell & especially Glen More 2. Played a few 2 player games of Castles of Burgundy, but we felt the first player advantage was too big. One of my favorite 2 player games is Spirit Island, which can become a bit slow at 3-4 players.

I am among those that get to experience games only at two players; my brother picked up the hobby, and in the beggining his wife tried it but didn't take to it, so it left just the both of us. So it's really important that games play well at two and feel like they were made to be that way. We tend to dislike a lot of player interaction, specially if it's agressive, so if a game is a bit looser at two is ok, even welcome. We have a bunch of SM games (Scythe, Tapestry, Wingspan, and Viticulture) and they all do two player really well. The only one I think could be a little tighter is Scythe, since combat is an achievement that triggers endgame, and since resources should be scarce (as it is in our world) and fighting over them is a big part of politics and conflict. But also I see Scythe more as an euro engine building game than a combat game, so it's ok. One thing we do occasionally is use the modular boards to close off sections of the map so that we get a little bit more restricted for space and resources. I like Uwe Rosenberg's games at two (Agricola being tighter, Caverna is very open and fine, so is A Feast for Odin - if you pursue different strategies). Vital Lacerda's games are also amazing at two; I'd go as far to say they should only play at two because they are so heavy. Having more than that can extend the game way too much, and AP is a big deal on those games. Out of the honorable mentions, I only haven't tried Everdell, but all others work great at two. I really like them.

I am surprised that no-one mentioned through the ages in the comments. It is fenomenal 2 player super-heavy game. Additionally, almost all coops play the best in two, especially escape rooms and detective games.

Our favorite games at 2p in no particular order are: Viticulture, Paladins of the West Kingdom, Wingspan, Heaven and Ale, Arboretum, and Ticket to Ride.

Everdell is one of my favorite two-player games. It does scale well up to four as well, but it is really good at 2-players. You and Megan need to give that one a try. :) I'd also add Above and Below by Red Raven games to that list as well. It's a fun story-telling/city-building game that plays really well at 2-players.

Shards of Infinity is amazing!!

Games me and my wife love at 2p. 10) Doppelt So Clever 9)Coimbra 8)Wingspan (prefer at 3) (we have played it over 70 time) 7)Taverns of Tifenthal 6)TZOLK'IN 5)Teotihuacan (prefer it at 4) 4)CoB 3)Trismegistus 2)Viticulture 1)Grand Austria Hotel (you need to try it if you haven't)

Great video Mr. Stegmaier! Before I get into my top ten, I can say that my #2 game is Dominion, and I don't prefer it at two. I think three is the sweet spot. Bunny Kingdom is also in my top ten games, but I didn't like the two-player variant, each player having a deck they draw from each turn gives you too many chances to have cards the other players didn't even get a chance to see, which is part of the point in a card drafting game in my opinion. My last comment is I think Castles of Burgundy is terrific at 2, but I've only ever played it at 2, and I don't know if I'd like it more or less with more players. Here's my top ten multiplayer games that can play at 2! Honorable mentions that I enjoy at 2 and have played quite a bit at 2, but prefer 3 or more players so didn't make the list include Terraforming Mars, Everdell, Wingspan, Glen More II: Chronicles, Scythe and Quacks of Quedlinburg 10. Sagrada - Two player feels the same but less wait time, especially if someone at the table has AP 9. Roll Player - I once played this, my roommate and I 8 times in a row in a single sitting. It's a lot of fun at 2, love it at 3 also but at 2 you can get through game after game and I love it 8. Palaces of Mad King Ludwig - This is the other game my roommate and I can pull out and play 5+ times in a sitting. We play what we call "Gentlemen's Palace" and only cut each other off if we have too. Makes 3+ player games feel like an entirely different experience. 7. Villainous - I've only played at four-player once, the rest has all been two-player. Since you have to teach every player their character it makes playing with two much easier. Once everyone in the group knows the game well I'm sure it'd be better at higher player counts, but for now two-player is my preferred way to play Villainous. 6. Tainted Grail - Been going through this one with a friend, two-player feels perfect because while you take your turn the other player has the storybook. 5. Near and Far - For the exact same reason as Tainted Grail, and though I probably enjoy the story of Tainted Grail more, it feels like there's slightly more game in Near and Far so it gets the edge. 4. Santorini - This is my go to for a quick two-player game. Lots of fun, very quick, and I prefer it to the three and four-player versions. 3. Too Many Bones - I think this game is best at one or two players. Since I enjoy this slightly more at one player than my number two pick, I put it at number three. They'd be switched on a solo-games list ;) 2. Gloomhaven - I enjoy this at one and two players, but I enjoy it slightly less at one player. This is a perfect game to grab your best friend or significant other and playthrough. If this gets set up, it's a Gloomhaven day and we're gonna spend about 6+ hours going through as many missions as we can. 1. Dominations - Admittedly, this might only be because it's my "new hotness" for the moment, but also because I can't imagine right now trying to play this with more than two. There is a lot of thinking that goes on in this game, and I feel like the wait time in a three or more player game would take forever. Every play for me so far has been one on one but just thinking about going to higher player counts made this jump to my mind immediately when I read the title of this video. My thoughts on what you were saying to developers about having variants, I definitely appreciate when a game has variants (I don't mind having a game that has rules for competitive, co-op and a solo mode for example) but I usually look at the variants as "not the game" or at least not the intended experience. If a game is 3-7 players with a 2 player variant, I honestly usually don't ever give that 2 player variant a try. There might be exceptions to the rule, but I've found I enjoy most variants I have tried less than the intended player count.

My wife and I enjoy Azul, agricola, wingspan, roll player and Vinhos deluxe

Five Tribes is fantastic at two. You each get to play twice each round, I think bidding for turn order can become even more important at various points in the game, it is much less prone to AP and zips right along. I primarily play games at 2 players and when I have the chance to play any of them at higher player counts it becomes a different experience. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think when you talk about having more control at 2 players, it's a more strategic experience. The more you add, the more the game state changes between turns, and it becomes more tactical and reactionary. I don't mind this, but the primary reason I would play with 3+ players is for a more social experience. Winning becomes almost an afterthought at higher player counts. I really enjoy Terraforming Mars and Wingspan at 2, and most Feld games I've played I much prefer at 2, in particular CoB, Trajan, Carpe Diem and Bora Bora.

One thing that's really helpful is boardgamegeek they say what player counts are playable and which are the best

There used to be a whole tournament scene for two player Dominion. Definitely worth playing at two players, if Dominion is your thing

thumbs up for Castles of Burgundy :D

Citadels 👍

I love wingspan with just me and my wife. But I will say the pink cards are very different in 4 player. They almost activate every turn around the board in a 4-5 player game.

One game that I actually find better at lower player counts is Carcassonne, because at higher player counts, the game feels far more decided by random chance. However, at two players, you can better expect that certain kinds of tiles will be drawn in the future and with two players, you know that you will be seeing exactly half of the tiles so you can really build towards the high probability that you will draw certain tiles. It makes the game far more strategic, rather than tactically opportunistic and I didn't actually come to like the game until I tried it at 2 and 3 players.

I love galaxy trucker, Concordia, and Great Western Trail as 2 player games. Concordia is better with more but it is still a fantastic experience!

There's a dummy player at Glenmore 2 chronicles, but it's super easy to manage. Great game! Other games that play great at 2: Azul, Horrified, Aeon's end, It's a wonderful world.

My husband & I love playing Wingspan together!

Rajas of the Ganges, Hadara, Glass Road, Tiny Towns, Grand Austria Hotel, Roll Player, At the Gates of Loyang. Honestly most games work fine at two, it's the marked case that a game becomes pretty much unplayable at two.

I wish I didn't had to manage AI in Tapestry :) Overall very nice list, now I have some games to check. Many coops are nice at 2 players, as I sometimes wish for shorter game and with more players some coops tends get long. Aeon's End is nicer with two players, as you get two turns, not one per round. Mentioned Isle of Cats is very nice, but I also like it at 3 and 4 players. Roll Player also, as it tends get longer with more players.

Well I am super interested in glen Moore now

I play 2-player a lot with multiplayer games and my top 10 at the moment would be 1 Terraforming Mars 2 1830 3 Firefly 4 Race For the Galaxy 5 Eclipse 6 Scythe 7 Wingspan 8 Through the Ages 9 Castles of Burgundy 10 Pulsar 2849

I really like Five Tribes, Carcassonne, Tash-Kalar and The Ancient World with just 2 players.

I really like Oceans from North Star Games at 2 players. Evolution, its predecessor, wasn't quite as good at 2 players as at higher counts (in my opinion), but I know that 2 players was a design focus for them for Oceans.

10. New York 1901 9. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle 8. The Quest for El Dorado 7. Azul 6. Carcassonne 5. Forbidden Desert 4. Wingspan 3. Through the Desert 2. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game 1. The Castles of Burgundy

100% here for the cat in the background.

Anyone else enjoy watching the sunbathing cat? I know I did. Totally agree re dummy players. Nice list and thank you for always considering the 2-player people. I just gave away a lot of 3+ player games, because I realised there's so little chance of me being able to get to play them, someone else should enjoy them.

Jamie, which expansion for Shards of Infinity is the one that allows for co-op play?

Am I the only one who always looks forward to seeing his cat in the videos???

You missed a big SM game - Charterstone. That's a game predicated on 6 basic resources available in six different charters, so that must have been a design headache to get it working at lower player counts. It's interesting that you don't like the dummy player idea (especially if management is required), since a lot of Scythe players seem to like to throw in an Automa at 2p. (I don't; I like it fine at 2p.) Did this fan pressure cause the development of Tapestry's Shadow Empire variant? I would be interested to know which games on your list play at 2p "as is", and which ones require set up changes. For example, I wouldn't consider Sagrada to have different rules at 2p; the rule is dice = 2x player count + 1. Even though there are different numbers of dice, the rule is the same. But Castles of Burgundy requires you to set up a tighter board (fewer tiles available). Some games work well at 2p but are nonetheless a pain to set up (e.g., Puerto Rico, Crusaders, Dinosaur Island, Orleans), because you have to consult the rule book every time to see what you have to remove. A game like Tapestry, like you say, is super easy to scale down - just flip the board over and go; everything else stays the same. I wish you'd gone more into the pros/cons of these design decisions. Seems like there are methods - different sized boards, removing cards and tiles, adding a dummy player (managed or not), reducing available spaces, decreasing the number of rounds (Russian Railroads, Teotihuacan), reducing the threshold for the end game trigger (Puerto Rico, Crusaders) - or just letting the game go as is (either playing just the same or creating a different, but still fun, feel). Or, I guess, making mechanical changes that render the 2p game a variant (7 Wonders, Between 2 games). As someone who designs 2-5+ games exclusively, you must have explored all of these ideas.

Twilight Struggle might be one of the best board games ever, and is only a two player game ( US vs USSR during the Cold War ). Spirit Island is a great coop choice with two ( up to four ), my wife and I play, it and have tons of fun, it has lots of difficulty tweaks, and replayability. We agree on Sagrada, it is fast and fun, and I can always get my wife to go for a couple games. Race for the Galaxy is another good choice for a quick fun two player experience, but it can go up to 4. I still need to look at Scythe and Wingspan. We tend to play most games on PC, as long as it has a good port, just to save the time of setup and avoid the pieces becoming cat toys.

Hi! Thank you for your videos! Have you played Res Arcana? We got crazy about it, playing 2 players version for a month again and again and it gets more and more exciting. Looking forward to try also 4 players version soon.

Jamey, have you tried Scythe at two players plus the Automa?

Petrichor with expansions!

Res Arcana and Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North have both been dominating two-player play recently.

Me in the beginning of the video: This guy knows his board games. Jamey; “... I haven’t played Five Tribes...” Me: You know nothing Jamey... nothing!!! 🤣🤣

I pretty much only play 5 tribes as a 2 player game. It really sings at 2.

I cannot believe you havent played five tribes at 2 players! We've talked about this Jamey....its 10x better at 2 player cause you can go back to back and combo! Way better. Top 5 game for me and the wife

I enjoy Caylus Magna Carta with two as well, though 3 is the best. p.s. might be just me, but you are very (too? :-) close to the camera....

I think the reason that people like Five Tribes, is the same reason you like Spirit of the Forest, less change between turns.

I like Five Tribes. But definitely not as two players. In my opinion it wreck the auction for first player and you get way too many times where you go back to back. That is such a powerful thing. And I think it is something you should work for. But with there or four it is great.

Would picking Tash-Kalar be cheating? I've never played with more than 2 and that seems to be the consensus of the people I've talked to. In fact we discussed just this weekend that we should try the multiplayer gameplay just for the experience.

IMO I think that Bunny Kingdom does fine at two, but the two player rules are a bit weird.

I really like Troyes at 2 players.

The best 2 player game is Scythe. Idk if you’ve heard of it, it’s from a small Indy developer. It’s the only game my non gamer wife likes, and we play it just us 2 alll the time.

Anachrony, Troyes, Teotihuacan...

I hate games that have a dummy player at 2. I really like Race for the Galaxy and Caylus at 2 players. I haven't tried Small World at 2, but would like to? Can anybody tell me how that is?

I kind of prefer playing brass on 2 rather than 4. I think the 4 player game an get a bit long some times

Glassroad is one unpopular game that works great with 2 players.

You dont like Lords of waterdeep at 2 players? 😮

I think Tzolkien is really bad at 2 players. The dominant strategy by far is resources, so both players are forced into that strategy to have a chance of winning. With 4 players it will balance out as resource strategy becomes worse when there are more people who can go for it and more people to take the building / resource conversion action. Just go and watch the very top players on BGA execute the resource strategy in a 2 player game. Its completely degenerate. They will completely ignore food early game and pull out an excel spreadsheet for resource conversion late game.

I still say Legacy of Dragonholt isn’t a game just a glorified CYOA novel.

I don't like playing Bunny Kingdom in 2 players because the rules say that you take 10 cards in to your hand and put 10 cards face down in front of you as reserve cards. Then each time before you choose a card you pick up a card from the reserve and add it to your hand. You play 1 card and discard one more card then pass the other cards to your neighbour. So i think you played the game wrong at 2 players Jamey. In a 3 or 4 player game you play 2 cards but not in a 2 player game. That is why i don't like bunny Kingdom at 2 players.