20 Games to Play on a Date

What makes a good date game

A date game isn’t about winning. It’s a shortcut to the kind of conversation that usually takes months to get to: funny stories, strong opinions, small confessions. The best ones share three traits:

• Ten-second rules. If you need to read instructions, it’s the wrong game for a dinner table.
• They make you talk. Games that end in “wait, tell me more” beat games that end in a score.
• They scale up or down. You can keep things light on a first date and go deeper on your hundredth.

Games to play on a first date

1. Two Truths and a Lie

Each of you says three things about yourself, one of them made up. The other person guesses the lie. It’s the classic icebreaker for a reason: you learn three facts, and the guessing gives you an instant follow-up question.

2. This or That

Rapid-fire choices with no explanations allowed: coffee or tea, mountains or beach, early bird or night owl, texting or calling. Go back and forth quickly, then pick the one answer that surprised you and ask about it.

3. 21 Questions

Take turns asking each other questions, with the right to pass once. On a first date, keep them light: favorite trips, childhood hobbies, worst jobs. Our 21 questions game guide has lists for every stage.

4. Would You Rather

“Would you rather have a fancy dinner or street food in a new city?” The answers reveal a lot about someone without anyone feeling put on the spot. Start with silly ones and see where it goes.

Games to play at a restaurant

5. Guess the Order

Before you both order, each of you predicts what the other will pick, down to the drink. Reveal after the waiter leaves. Bonus points for guessing a side dish.

6. People-Watching Stories

Pick a table across the room and invent their story together: Who are they? Is this a first date or an anniversary? What’s the secret one of them is hiding? Keep your voices down and your stories kind.

7. Highs, Lows and Buffalo

Each of you shares a high point of your week, a low point, and a “buffalo”: something random or strange that happened. It’s an easy way to catch up without the usual “how was your day.”

8. Napkin Doodles

Borrow a pen from the server. One of you draws something on a napkin in 30 seconds and the other guesses. It’s Pictionary for two, and it only gets funnier when the drawings get worse.

Games to play on a date without anything

These need no props, no phone and no table, which makes them perfect for walks, drives or waiting in line.

9. 20 Questions

One person thinks of a person, place or thing; the other has 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it. Use people you both know to make it personal.

10. Word Association

Say a word, your date says the first word that comes to mind, and you keep going as fast as you can. Stop when someone hesitates, then trace back how you got from “pizza” to “grandma.”

11. One-Word Story

Build a story together, one word each, back and forth. It falls apart quickly in the best way and usually ends with both of you laughing.

12. Never Have I Ever

Take turns saying something you’ve never done; if the other person has, they tell the story. Keep it playful on early dates and save the bigger confessions for later.

At-home date night games

Can’t agree on what to do tonight? Spin the date night wheel: 36 date ideas for home, going out, or free and cheap.

13. Taboo for Two

Take turns describing words for one minute while the other guesses, without saying any of the five forbidden words on the card. Make your own cards from our taboo words list or play free on the Taboo page.

14. Who Am I

Write a famous person on a sticky note and put it on your date’s forehead. They ask yes-or-no questions until they guess who they are. Choose characters you both love, or each other’s celebrity crushes.

15. Blind Taste Test

Each of you picks five snacks, drinks or sauces from the store, then blindfolds the other and has them guess. Chocolates, chips and hot sauces all work. Keep a running score.

16. Playlist Swap

Each of you builds a five-song playlist around a theme: songs from high school, songs for a road trip, songs that remind you of the other person. Take turns playing them and explaining your picks.

17. Truth or Dare

Keep the truths curious and the dares silly or sweet, like “serenade me for 30 seconds” or “do your best impression of my mom.” Our truth or dare questions for couples have plenty to choose from.

18. Cook-Off Challenge

Pick three ingredients you both have in the kitchen. Each of you makes one small dish using all three, then you taste and judge each other’s creations. Losers do the dishes.

19. Who Knows Who Better

Write down five questions about yourself (“What’s my comfort movie?” “What did I eat for breakfast today?”) and quiz each other. It’s harder than you’d think, even for long-term couples.

Games to play on a date on your phone

20. Party game apps for two

If you’d rather not come up with questions yourselves, let an app do it. Duoo is an iPhone and iPad app with 15 games, and most of them work with just two players: Would You Rather, Never Have I Ever, Who’s Most Likely To, Taboo, Who Am I and more. It’s one phone passed back and forth, it works offline, and it’s free to download, with a subscription and free trial that unlock all games and categories. Our games for couples to play on phone guide covers more options.

How to pick the right date game

• First date: Two Truths and a Lie, This or That, Would You Rather. Keep it light and let both of you share equally.
• Dinner out: Guess the Order, People-Watching Stories and Highs, Lows and Buffalo fill the wait for food.
• Walk or drive: 20 Questions, Word Association and One-Word Story need nothing at all.
• Night in: Mix one active game, like Taboo or a cook-off, with one talking game, like truth or dare.
• Long-term couples: Who Knows Who Better and the playlist swap often turn up things you didn’t know about each other.

Tips for playing games on a date

• Read the room. If your date seems shy, start with a game where you answer first, like Two Truths and a Lie, so they can see how it works.
• Don’t keep score too seriously. A little competition is fun, but a date where one person wins every round isn’t. Switch to a talking game if things get too competitive.
• Skip anything too personal early on. Questions about exes, money or family drama can wait until you know each other better.
• Let the game end naturally. The best date games turn into regular conversation. When that happens, put the game away.
• Have a backup. Keep two or three questions in mind for quiet moments, or keep a game app on your phone for a night in.

Running out of conversation starters? Try our questions to ask your boyfriend, which work for any partner.