A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

10 of the Best 2-Player Card Games

Grab your favorite person, shuffle, deal, and compete!

1 / 11

Three 2 player card game covers in front of green background
via Amazon.com (3)

Two’s company

Looking for a fun way to fill time with your favorite travel partner or entertain a bored child? You need the best 2-player card games! There’s a time and a place for adult party games, and there’s definitely group-based fun to be had with the best card games, but sometimes you just want to play with your one bestie. There’s nothing like pitting your wits against one another or working together to win to bring you closer. Card games are entertaining, portable, and perfect for every occasion, from camping (these are the best camping games for endless fun) and traveling to a quiet night in. If you’ve got a bit more space to play in, you can check out the best board games for two people, but these are the best 2-player card games for all ages and all spaces.

2 / 11

Alakazam! card game cover
via Amazon.com

Alakazam!

Wizards of all ages will enjoy this magical dueling game. With beginner and advanced rules for different levels of play difficulty, this is one of the best 2-player card games. Each wizard duels with spells, counter-spells, and even the ability to summon monsters to the battle. Built-in spinners make Alakazam! a fun, fast-paced game for two.

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3 / 11

Space Park card game cover
via Amazon.com

Space Park

One of the most beautiful games, Space Park has gorgeous artwork, pretty crystals, rockets, space exploration, and a robot! The board is made up of tiles, so there’s a different setup every time you play. Travel around the board, gaining resources, tokens, and badges. The player to get 15 explorer points first, wins.

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RELATED: Classic Board Games

4 / 11

Couch Skeletons card game cover
via Amazon.com

Couch Skeletons

This is a simple, quick, and fun game for two. The skeletons are looking for a couch to crash on, and each player is trying to fill their couch first, and knock those old bones off their opponent’s couch! Couch Skeletons is one of the best 2-player card games for Halloween, or for anyone who’s a little bit spooky. It’s perfect for those in-between moments when you want to play a shorter game or one that doesn’t require as much concentration. Don’t forget to check out the best outdoor games for kids if you need some outdoor inspiration.

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5 / 11

The Game card game cover
via Amazon.com

The Game

Great for two players, The Game is a cooperative game where you play cards in sequential order on two stacks from one to 100, and 100 to 1, all without revealing your hand. Playing all the cards together wins the game. Test your memory with this portable team game.

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6 / 11

Dungeon Mayhem card game cover
via Amazon.com

Dungeon Mayhem

In Dungeon Mayhem, you play as one of four characters: A Paladin, Wizard, Barbarian, or Rogue. Trapped together in a dungeon full of treasure, your goal is to defeat your opponent and claim all the treasure for yourself! Will you hit them with the Finger-Wag of Judgment or the Vampiric Touch? This fast, fun battle is one of the best 2-player card games for fans of fantasy or Dungeons and Dragons.

$12.99

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7 / 11

The Fox In The Forest card game cover
via Amazon.com

The Fox in the Forest

This trick-taking game is one of the most beautiful and best 2-player card games. The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, and the trick-taking style (where the highest card in the trump suit each round wins) adds a layer of strategy that makes The Fox in the Forest a game with a ton of replayability. Fairy Tale character cards add special abilities and allow you to change the trump suit. You win by scoring more points than your opponent, usually by winning tricks, but there’s a twist: get greedy and win too many tricks, and you will lose the game, and the humble player will win.

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RELATED: Best Online Board Games

8 / 11

Arboretum card game cover
via Amazon.com

Arboretum

Another absolutely gorgeous game, Arboretum challenges you to build the most beautiful path through the garden by planting trees. Each tree card has a different point value, and players can earn more points by combining tree species. Reviewers note that there is a decent amount of strategy, as only one player can score a single path of each tree type. Keep an eye on the discard pile, or you might lose your arboretum!

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9 / 11

Kombio card game cover
via Amazon.com

Kombio

This game is very new, but the reviews are overwhelmingly positive! The goal of the game is to use your wits and bluffing skills to get the lowest score. Cards on the table can be viewed, shed, and swapped, putting your memory to the test as well. For those who love strategy, Kombio is one of the best 2-player card games.

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10 / 11

Control card game cover
via Amazon.com

Control

Easy to pick up, fun to play, Control finds you playing as a time traveler fighting to escape a spacetime rupture before your opponents. Strategically refuel your time machine, whilst preventing others from doing the same. This is a fast-paced card game perfect for traveling with.

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11 / 11

Quiddler card game cover
via Amazon.com

Quiddler

If you love word games, then Quiddler is the best 2-player card game around! The goal of the game is to make all the cards in your hand into words. The number of cards increases with each round, starting with three and ending with ten. With two bonuses each round, for the most words and for the longest word, the highest score at the end of the ten rounds wins.

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NEXT: Strategy Board Games

Chloë Nannestad
Chloë writes about quirky facts, trivia and humor for Reader's Digest. She loves to put her research skills to use to discover the meaning behind everyday objects or the right way to interpret a pet’s behavior—and as an enthusiastic pub-quiz team member, her favorite topic to write about is trivia. Chloë has been covering lifestyle topics for Reader's Digest since 2020 and has also had work published in Mashed and Tasting Table. When she's not writing, you can find her knitting, jogging or adding another houseplant to the jungle in her apartment.