As a family of 4, my family is kind of the poster child for family activities. We love that it’s so easy to find games and even “family deals” that are perfect for all four of us to participate in. That said, there are many, many times when all four don’t WANT to participate. How many times do you sit down to play a game, only to realize that it’s really not fun unless you have another player or two? Yeah, me too – a lot. This is where 2-player games and even single-player games come in!

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Gnomes at Night is one of our favorites because it’s actually cooperative. When you’re feeling like you’re just not communicating the best with one of your children (or your spouse), pull out this game. Leave the timer in the box, at least at first, and just focus on excellent communication.

More recently, I found one other 2-player cooperative game. Shadowed Kingdom weaves memory, strategy, thinking about the other person (without communication!), and Disney.

Chess is well-known, but still super popular for a reason. It’s just a fantastic game. And it is possible to teach your child how to play, even if you don’t know how!

Odin’s Ravens is a favorite in my family, for kids and adults! In fact, this is one of the few games my husband has purchased, and it has been totally worth it.

Everyone has heard of Checkers, but it’s still a great game. I love it because if you can make a move to take your opponent’s piece, you have to. Great for some kids as they go through super-competitive phases!

Mancala is simple to play, simple to DIY, but challenging enough for adults! I love a game that I can beat my husband at, but then the next game, my son beats me.

Othello is more modern than I realized, but we still love it. It’s another of those games that’s relatively simple, but so challenging to win. It’s forever challenging all of us to better develop our logic skills!

Hnefatafl is sort of Othello and Chess, designed by the Norse. That said, it’s a great logic-only (no luck!) game for two players.

Magnetic Chess (wow, my family really loves our Chess!) is another logic-only two-player game, this time featuring very strong magnets.

Mastermind, while not cooperative, is less antagonistic than most other 2-player logic games. If your child is going through that super competitive phase, this is an excellent game to introduce them to. It still works on developing their logic, but if you hit that sweet spot of difficulty, it’s so much fun.

Cat Lady is for 2-4 players, but it is so enjoyable with just 2 players. In fact, usually my husband and I play it without our kids, just the two of us. It is a totally different game when there are more players, but I really enjoy it as a 2-player game.

Wingspan is another game that can use more players, but I think I prefer it with just 2. When you get more than 3 players, the game gets *really* long. Having 2 players preserves all the functionality of the cards (there are some birds that have benefits when someone else does something), but keeps the game to a more manageable length.

Technically, Gnomes at Night belongs down here, too, but I’ve never cared for the “teams” functionality. While there is a game mechanic that allows 4 players, I think it works best as a 2-player game.