Games for couples at home: 10 for a night in

A game takes the pressure off an evening. Nobody has to come up with something to say, there's a reason to laugh, and the rules give you permission to be a bit sillier, or a bit bolder, than you'd be otherwise. The best couples' games aren't really about winning. They're an excuse to pay close attention to each other for an hour.

Here are ten worth keeping in the nightstand, starting with the ones we built for exactly this, then a few classics. After the list: how to set up the room, and a few house rules that keep game night fun for both of you.

The games

1. Conversation Cards

Draw a card, answer it, then your partner answers the same card. The Conversation Cards come in decks that run from light and playful to deeper and more intimate, so you can start easy and see where the evening goes. It's the best choice for a night when you mostly want to talk. If you'd rather start with a list, questions to ask your partner has thirty.

2. Ember Dice

Three dice: one says what to do, one says where, and one says for how long. You take turns rolling and either of you can skip any roll. Ember Dice has levels, and the Warm level keeps clothes on and is mostly kisses and fingertips. It's a good one for the end of the night, when talking has done its job.

3. Yes / No / Maybe

Less a game than a very good conversation in disguise. You each go through a list of ideas privately and mark them yes, no or maybe, then see only where you overlap. Nobody sees the other's no's. Doing it side by side with a drink makes it feel like a game, and the shared maybes give you plenty to talk about. Start at Yes / No / Maybe.

4. Two truths and a kiss

The old party game, played for two. One of you says three things about yourself, two true and one invented. If your partner spots the lie, they win a kiss. If they don't, you do. Things you've never mentioned before make the best truths. The Two Truths and a Kiss scene sets it in a lamp-lit study.

5. The question bowl

Each of you writes five questions on slips of paper, folds them, and drops them in a bowl. Take turns drawing and answering. Because you wrote them for each other, they tend to be funnier and more specific than anything on a printed card. It works for a group of friends too, and Lantern Hour is that version.

6. Truth or dare, rewritten

Truth or dare goes wrong when one person is surprised by a dare they didn't want. So write the dares together first. Each of you adds a few to a list, and the other can cross out anything they'd rather skip, no explanation needed. Then play from the list. Keep the dares at the level you've both agreed on for the night, and make "pass" free.

7. A two-player card game with small stakes

Gin rummy, cribbage, speed or any game you both know. What makes it a date is the stakes: the winner of each hand picks the next song, or chooses who gives the next shoulder rub, or decides what's for dessert. Keep the stakes small and kind, so losing is half the fun.

8. A cooperative board game

In a cooperative game you play together against the board, and you win or lose as a team. If one of you is far more competitive than the other, this is the fix. It's also a surprisingly good way to see how you plan and solve problems together, minus the stakes of real life.

9. Story night

Turn off the lamps, light a few candles, and take turns telling a story one sentence at a time, or each tell the best true story the other hasn't heard. On a rainy night it's even better. Storm Night In is built around a game nobody has to win.

10. The Midnight Room (October only)

Every October, Braise opens The Midnight Room, a candlelit game for two to four hosted by Vesta, with hide and seek, dares and a sealed prize for the winner. It's free, and it closes again at the start of November until next year.

Set up the room for a game night

A game played at the kitchen table under the overhead light feels like homework. A game played on the floor of a lamp-lit bedroom feels like a date.

• Get low. Floor cushions, a big rug or the bed itself. Sitting close and a little lower than usual changes the mood instantly.
• Light it warm. One or two lamps and a few candles. Flameless candles are the easy choice when you're sitting on the floor next to cushions and throws.
• Something to share. A bowl of something salty, a bowl of something sweet, and water within reach.
• Phones in another room, except the one you're using for the cards or the dice.
• Music, low. Enough to fill the pauses while someone thinks.

If you love a pattern-filled, cushion-heavy room for nights like this, look at Maximalist and Boho Riad. The Pattern and Play scene is the playful evening that goes with them, and the Lighting Planner will help you light your own room the same way.

House rules that keep it fun

• Agree on the level before you start. Silly, flirty or something more. It's easy to turn up later and awkward to turn down halfway.
• Anyone can pass, any time. On any card, any roll, any dare. No penalty, no teasing.
• Have a pause word. It sounds formal for a game night, but it makes it easy to say "slower" or "not that one" without stopping the whole evening.
• Let the loser choose something. The next game, the next song, the next date. It keeps a competitive streak from souring the night.
• Stop while it's fun. End on a good round rather than playing until someone's tired. You'll want to play again.

Games can be the whole evening or just the start of one. If you want ideas for the rest of the night, date night at home has twenty, and how to plan an intimate evening covers the room from start to finish.