Face-to-face – Two-Player Board Games for Better Reading
I love one-on-one interactions. As a parent and a teacher, they are incredibly valuable for fostering deep engagement and connection.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
Not every game works well with two players, even if the box says it does. And then there are games labeled "2-4 players" that, in reality, shine best as a duel—I’d say Azul is a great example of that.
But when I talk about two-player games, I mean those that were designed specifically for two people—no more, no less. Since their mechanics were built around this exact player count, they are far more likely to offer a well-balanced, engaging experience.
Personally, I love these games. And some of them even involve reading. So, let’s take a look at a short list of great two-player games that integrate reading!
Beer & Bread
A beautifully balanced two-player game of card drafting, resource management, and strategic decision-making.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up, 30-45 min, 2 players
Tools
60 game cards, 2 player boards, 2 scoring markers, 10 resource tokens, 5 upgrade tiles, 2 multipurpose markers, and a rulebook.
Skills
Reading comprehension, strategic planning, resource management, and decision-making.
Instructions
A two-player card-driven resource management game where players draft and play cards to harvest, produce, and upgrade their brewing and baking operations. Success depends on reading and timing card abilities, managing resources wisely, and adapting to the alternating fertile and dry years.
Codenames: Duet
A classic game with a familiar gameplay, optimized for two players.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 11 and up, 15-30 min, 2 players
Tools
200 double-sided word cards, 15 green agent cards, 11 timer tokens, 1 assassin card, 1 key card stand, 100 challenge cards, a key card holder, and a rulebook.
Skills
The game enhances word association, inference skills, critical thinking, and verbal communication.
Instructions
Two players work cooperatively to find all of their secret agents by giving one-word clues that relate to multiple words on the grid. They must be careful not to guess incorrectly, as some words belong to their opponent, and one deadly assassin word will cause an immediate loss. The game is won if all agents are identified before running out of guesses.
Targi
A clever two-player worker placement game with tactical positioning, resource management, and intense competition.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 12 and up, 60 min, 2 players
Tools
80 cards, 45 goods tokens, 15 victory point tokens, 6 tribal markers, 4 player figures, 1 robber figure, and a rulebook.
Skills
Reading comprehension, strategic planning, resource management, and decision-making.
Instructions
A two-player worker placement game where players take turns placing figures along a grid to claim goods, trade resources, and acquire tribe cards for points. Careful reading of card abilities and planning ahead are key to outmaneuvering the opponent and maximizing efficiency.
The Fox in the Forest Duet
Two-player? Trick-taking? And actually good? Yes!
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up, 30 min, 2 players
Tools
30 beautifully illustrated cards, 22 forest tokens, a game board, a tracker token, and a rulebook.
Skills
Strategic thinking, cooperative decision-making, reading comprehension, and inference skills.
Instructions
A cooperative trick-taking game where two players work together to collect all the forest tokens without running out of turns. Players play cards to move through the forest, using special abilities to adjust movement and strategy. Success depends on reading the card effects carefully and planning tricks without verbal discussion.
Two-player drafting, combo-building, and competition.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up, 2 min, 2 players
Tools
18 oversized beautifully illustrated cards, 4 relic tokens, and a scorepad with a rulebook.
Skills
Reading comprehension, strategic planning, pattern recognition, and decision-making.
Instructions
A two-player drafting game where players take turns picking cards to build a civilization over three rounds. Each card has unique abilities and scoring conditions, requiring players to read carefully and plan ahead to maximize points. After each round, one card is kept permanently, shaping long-term strategy.
