Sometimes the best opponent is the person next to you. Every game on this page has a real two-player mode on one device: you share the screen, take turns, and settle it then and there. There are no accounts to create, no invites to send and nothing to install, so you can be playing in seconds on a computer, tablet or phone.
Why 2 Player Games
Playing someone in the same room is a different game from playing a computer. You can see them hesitate, you can bluff, and the rematch starts the moment the last move lands. Pass-and-play also suits the times you actually have a friend nearby: a kitchen table, a long car ride, a lunch break, a parent teaching a child. All of these games are classics people already know, so nobody has to read the rules first.
What's on this page
Strategy for two. Castling is full-rules chess with battle animations on every capture, and a 2-Player mode on the menu. Mancala is the Kalah version of the stone-sowing game, with pass-and-play for two on one screen.
Race and luck. Ludo has a local two-player mode in which Red and Blue start on opposite sides of the track. Roll, race your tokens home, and capture the other player on the way.
Two to four players. Dots and Boxes and Neon Tic Tac Toe both take up to four people on one device, and Mahjong Table seats up to four at the real four-player tile game, with each hand hidden as the device is passed around.
Where to start
For a quick game with a child, start with Neon Tic Tac Toe or Dots and Boxes. For two adults with half an hour, Mancala or chess. For a family of four, Dots and Boxes or Mahjong Table. Every game here also has a computer opponent for when you are on your own, and you will find all of them, and more, on Board Games.
2 Player Games FAQ
Are these 2 player games online or on the same device?
On the same device. Every game on this page has a local mode where two people share one computer, tablet or phone and take turns, often called pass-and-play. There is no online matchmaking and nobody needs an account, so you can start a game with whoever is sitting next to you in a few seconds.
Can I play these games alone, against the computer?
Yes. Every game here also has a computer opponent. Castling, our chess game, has five AI skill tiers. Mancala and Dots and Boxes each have three AI levels, Neon Tic Tac Toe and Ludo have AI opponents too, and in Mahjong Table the computer fills any seat a person is not using.
Which games work for more than two players?
Three of them go up to four. Dots and Boxes has pass-and-play for two to four players on five grid sizes. Neon Tic Tac Toe takes up to four players on boards from 3×3 up to 10×10. Mahjong Table seats up to four people at one table, with the computer playing any empty seat.
How do I start a two-player game of chess or Ludo?
In Castling, pick 2-Player on the menu instead of playing the AI. You get full chess rules and the same battle animations on every capture. In Ludo, choose 2 Players (Local): Red and Blue start on opposite sides of the track, and the other two colors sit out.
How does pass-and-play work in Mahjong Table?
Choose how many people are at the table, from one to four, before you start the hand. Each player's tiles stay hidden from the others, so you can pass the phone or move aside at the computer without giving your hand away. It is the real four-player game, Charleston opening included, not mahjong solitaire.
Which game is quickest for two people?
Neon Tic Tac Toe on the 3×3 board is over in under a minute, and Dots and Boxes on a small grid takes only a few minutes. Mancala is a short game with real strategy in it. Chess, Ludo and mahjong are the ones to choose when you have an evening.
