The 12 best free 2-player board games to play online
Some games are simply better with two. Here are our favourite two-player board games, from five-minute fillers to games you can spend a lifetime getting better at. Every one is free, needs no download or sign-up, and works on a phone, tablet or computer.
How two-player works on BoardGameSite
Every game on this list can be played against a friend on the same device: take turns, and pass the phone or share the screen. You can also play any of them against the computer, at three levels, when there’s nobody around. Online play with a friend on another device is on its way.
Quick picks
- Best for a quick game: Four in a Row or Dots and Boxes
- Best to learn for life: Chess or Go
- Best with a bit of luck: Backgammon
- Best for kids: Checkers, Mancala or Four in a Row
- Best for word lovers: Letter Tiles
1. Chess
The king of two-player games. Each piece moves differently, and the goal is to trap your opponent’s king. Chess has no luck at all: every win is yours. It takes an afternoon to learn the moves and a lifetime to master, which is exactly why so many people love it. A game usually takes 10 to 30 minutes.
Good for: anyone who enjoys planning ahead. New to it? Our Chess learning path teaches it in short, hands-on lessons.
2. Checkers
Simpler than chess, but far from simple. Pieces move diagonally, jump to capture, and become kings when they reach the far side. Because captures are compulsory, you can set traps that force your opponent into a bad jump. Games take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Good for: families, and a great first strategy game for children.
3. Backgammon
One of the oldest board games in the world, and the best mix of luck and skill on this list. You race your checkers around the board and home, with the dice deciding how far you go and your decisions deciding how well you use them. The dice mean a beginner can beat an expert on a good day, but over many games, skill wins.
Good for: players who like some excitement with their strategy.
4. Four in a Row
Drop discs into a grid and be first to line up four. It takes a minute to learn and a game lasts around five minutes, but there’s real strategy: the centre column matters most, and the best players set up two threats at once. There’s also a new daily puzzle to solve.
Good for: a quick game with anyone, of any age.
5. Mancala
A counting game played for centuries across Africa and Asia. Scoop up the seeds from one pit and sow them one by one around the board, aiming to fill your store. Landing in your own store gives you another turn, so the best moves chain several turns together. Games take about 5 to 10 minutes.
Good for: kids practising counting, and adults who like puzzles.
6. Go
Two players take turns placing stones to surround territory. The rules fit on a postcard, yet Go is often called the deepest board game ever made. On BoardGameSite you play on the 9×9 board, the size beginners learn on, so a game takes 10 to 20 minutes.
Good for: players who want something new to get properly good at.
7. Reversi
Trap your opponent’s discs between two of yours and they flip to your colour. The lead can swing wildly, right up to the last move, and grabbing the most discs early is usually a mistake. Corners are everything.
Good for: anyone who likes a game full of comebacks.
8. Dots and Boxes
The pencil-and-paper classic. Take turns drawing a line between two dots; complete the fourth side of a box and you claim it and go again. It seems simple until the end, when long chains of boxes open up and whoever has to open them first usually loses.
Good for: a quick, clever game that kids can win against adults.
9. Nine Men’s Morris
An ancient game of placing and moving pieces to form “mills” of three in a row. Every mill lets you remove one of your opponent’s pieces. It’s short, tactical and much older than chess.
Good for: players who like quick strategy with a bit of history.
10. Five in a Row
Also called Gomoku: place stones anywhere on a big board and be first to get five in a line. Unlike Four in a Row, there’s no gravity, so attacks build up fast from anywhere on the board.
Good for: fans of Four in a Row who want something sharper.
11. Hex
Each player tries to connect their two sides of a diamond-shaped board. One of the neat things about Hex is that a game can never end in a draw: someone always connects. It was invented by mathematicians and loved by them ever since.
Good for: puzzle lovers and anyone who hates draws.
12. Letter Tiles
A crossword-style word game: build words from your seven tiles and link them to the words already on the board. High-value letters on bonus squares can swing the score.
Good for: word lovers who want a head-to-head game.
Play them now
Chess
The world’s great strategy game, with every rule. Play the computer at three levels or a friend.
Checkers
Jump your opponent’s pieces, crown kings and clear the board. Captures are compulsory.
Backgammon
The ancient race game. Hit blots, build points and bear off all 15 checkers before the computer or a friend.
Four in a Row
Drop your discs and line up four before your opponent: across, down or diagonally. Plus a daily puzzle.
Mancala
The ancient counting game with Kalah rules. Sow seeds, chain extra turns and capture your opponent’s seeds.
Go
The ancient game of territory on a 9×9 board. Surround areas and capture stones against the computer or a friend.
Reversi
Trap your opponent’s discs between yours to flip them. Most discs when the board fills wins.
Dots and Boxes
Take turns joining dots. Close the fourth side of a box to claim it and go again. Most boxes wins.
Nine Men’s Morris
The ancient game of mills. Place and move nine pieces, make lines of three and take your opponent’s pieces.
Five in a Row
Gomoku on a 15×15 board. Place stones and get five in a row before your opponent does.
Hex
The connection game invented by Piet Hein and John Nash. Join your two edges before your opponent joins theirs.
Letter Tiles
A crossword tile game. Build words from your rack, hit the bonus squares and outscore the computer or a friend.
Questions
What is the best free 2-player board game online?
For pure strategy, Chess. For a mix of luck and skill, Backgammon. For a quick game with anyone, Four in a Row. All three are free on BoardGameSite with no sign-up.
Can I play these games with a friend?
Yes. Every game on this list can be played by two people on the same device, taking turns. You can also play each one against the computer.
Which two-player game is easiest to learn?
Four in a Row and Dots and Boxes can be learned in a minute. Checkers and Mancala take a few minutes and have more depth.
Which two-player board games are good for kids?
Checkers, Four in a Row, Mancala and Dots and Boxes are all easy to learn, quick to play and good for thinking ahead. Mancala is also great counting practice.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Every game runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and they’re all free.