Long-Distance Relationship Games: 21 to Play on a Call, Over Text or Online

Most long-distance calls go the same way. How was your day. What did you eat. I miss you. All true, and after a few months, a bit thin.

Games fix that. They give you something to do together instead of something to report. Here are 21 long-distance relationship games, sorted by how you'll actually play them: on a call, over text, or online. Most are free and need nothing but a phone.

What actually kept us going

My partner and I did long distance for two years, between Utrecht and Fribourg in Switzerland. What kept us going wasn't one clever game. It was always having the next visit planned, and making it special. Games and calls fill the time in between. Make an effort, and ask what your partner needs from the calls and messages; I wasn't always the best at that part. But keep it fun, too. If it starts to feel like an obligation, that's when distance gets hard. Give each other some grace.

Games to play on a call

These work on a voice or video call. No apps, no setup.

1. 20 Questions. One of you thinks of a person, place or thing. The other gets twenty yes-or-no questions to find it. Make it personal: only things from your shared history.

2. Two Truths and a Lie. Say three things about your week or your past. Two are true. The other guesses the lie. It works best when you've known each other long enough to think you know everything.

3. Would You Rather. Take turns asking. Start silly, then go bigger: would you rather live in my city or yours? The answers tell you more than you expect.

4. Never Have I Ever. The classic, minus the drinks if you like. Good for finding the stories you haven't told each other yet.

5. The quiz about us. Each of you writes ten questions about the relationship. Where was our first trip? What did I order that night? Loser plans the next date.

6. Name that song. Hum it, or play the first three seconds. First to name it wins the round.

7. Finish the sentence. One starts a sentence, the other ends it. "The first thing I'll do when I see you is…" It gets sweet fast.

Games to play on a video call

These need you to see each other, so save them for FaceTime, WhatsApp video or whatever you use.

8. Charades. Films, songs, or things that happened to the two of you. Bad acting is the point.

9. Scavenger hunt. Call out an object. Something blue. Something I gave you. Something older than us. First one back at the camera with it gets the point.

10. Draw each other. Two minutes, pen and paper, no looking down. Hold them up at the same time.

11. Cook-off. Same ingredient, thirty minutes, phones propped on the counter. You judge by looks, since nobody can taste the other plate.

Games to play over text

Different time zones? These run slowly, across a whole day, one message at a time.

12. Emoji story. Tell a film, a memory or your day using only emoji. The other one translates.

13. One-word story. Build a story one word per message. It will not make sense. That's why it's fun.

14. Photo of the day. One photo each, every day, on a theme you pick together. Your walk to work. Your lunch. The sky right now. After a month you have a small record of two lives running side by side.

15. Song lyric chain. Text a line from a song. The reply has to start with your last word.

16. Question of the day. One real question, answered before bed. If you want a list to work through, we wrote one: questions to ask your long-distance partner.

Online games for couples

For evenings when you want to play something properly. Platforms, prices and features change, so check each game's own page before you buy.

17. A slow, cosy game. Games like Stardew Valley and Minecraft let two people share one world online. You build something together, a bit each evening, and it's still there tomorrow. That matters more than it sounds when you live apart.

18. A co-op game made for two. It Takes Two is built for exactly two players, and one of you can join through the game's Friend's Pass. Overcooked 2 is the loud, chaotic option: you run a kitchen together and shout a lot.

19. Quick games. Online chess, word games and party packs like Jackbox, where one person shares their screen and the other joins on their phone. Good for a twenty-minute call when neither of you has the energy for more.

20. Guess the place. In GeoGuessr you're dropped somewhere on the map and have to work out where you are. Or make your own version for free: send a photo of a street corner in your city and let the other one find it. You end up knowing each other's streets without having walked them.

That last one is close to what we do. A custom artwork puts your two cities in one place, so both are in the room every day. The Two-City Skyline Canvas (from €99) blends both skylines into one piece. The Two City Poster Set (from €69) is two map prints, one per city, made to hang side by side. You see a free digital preview before anything is printed. Create Your Artwork · See Personalised Poster Sets

One game that lasts all year

21. The bucket list draft. Take turns picking things you'll do when you're in the same place again. One pick each per call. No vetoes. By the next visit you have a plan you built together, one evening at a time. Need ideas to pick from? See our bucket list ideas for couples.

How to keep game night going

Pick a regular night, so it doesn't depend on who has energy. Take turns choosing the game. Keep it short: twenty good minutes beats two tired hours. And let some calls be nothing at all. Not every evening has to be an event.

For more ways to spend time together from afar, see our long-distance relationship activities and date ideas and our long-distance relationship tips. Got a date coming up? There's also our guide to anniversary ideas for long-distance couples.

Who we are

We're TwinCity Artworks. We make custom artwork that combines two or more cities into one piece, for people whose hearts live in more than one place: expats, couples in different countries, and families spread across the map. You choose the cities, see a free digital preview, and request changes before anything is printed. Visit TwinCity Artworks

FAQ

What games can long-distance couples play?
On a call: 20 Questions, Two Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather and a quiz about your relationship. Over text: emoji stories and a photo of the day. Online: co-op games made for two, or a shared world you build together.

What games can we play over text?
Emoji story, one-word story, song lyric chain, photo of the day and a question of the day all work one message at a time, so they suit different time zones.

What games can we play on a call without any apps?
20 Questions, Two Truths and a Lie, Would You Rather, Never Have I Ever, name that song and finish the sentence need nothing but your voices.

Are there free long-distance relationship games?
Yes. Every game in the call, video call and text sections is free. Some online games cost money, so check each game's own page first.

How often should long-distance couples have a game night?
There's no rule. A regular night, once a week or so, works for many couples. Short and regular tends to last longer than long and rare.