10 Games to Play with Your Player Two This Valentine’s Day

Because of course you're going to be Player One.

Sometimes, you’d just rather stay at home and play a game with your significant other. You could order food to pick up, or have it delivered to you, and never have to step out and deal with the awful traffic and awkward reservations that comes with planning Valentine’s Day dinner. Maybe your partner has never been introduced to video games before. Valentine’s is a good time to sit down with them and share one of your passions. Or beat them up in a brawler. It works.

In no particular order, here are 10 video games that you can play with your player two this Valentine’s Day.

1. Divinity: Original Sin

Divinity: Original Sin is a fantastic role-playing game that has been around since 2014 on Steam. You have the option to start with pre-made characters, or you can customize their looks and abilities. I always opt for taking the Pet Pal ability because there are some truly hilarious dialogue scenarios that come from speaking to animals. You can also unlock some hidden side quests via talking to them. Your significant other will love stopping at every cow and chicken they see just to check whether or not they might have some vital input on the situation at hand. Hmmm, yes Mr. Cow. Moo, I agree.

Divinity: Original Sin also has some built in romance with the two main Source Hunters you’ll be playing. Depending on how you interact with each other, you could progress as romantic partners or decide to keep it platonic. Your relationship with each other affects your dialogue options and ultimately how your story ends. One of my favorite ways to settle disputes is through the ‘rock, paper, scissors’ method. If you both can’t agree on how to solve an intense situation, you can leave it up to good old RNG. And man, does it feel good to win.

2. Divinity: Original Sin 2

You might be starting to sense a theme here. I promise there aren’t 10 different iterations of Divinity: Original Sin. It’s just a really great game for couples. The sequel to Original Sin, actually lightens up somewhat on the romance, and offers a cast of characters for you to choose from with different stories and reasons as to why they’re on Rivellon. Divinity: Original Sin 2 actually takes place centuries after the first game, so if you haven’t played that one, I think it’s safe to say that you and your partner could just pick up here. There are many more classes and customization that have been unlocked in the sequel as well as new races that you can choose from. Creating your character exactly how you want is important. After all, you’re going to be spending several hours with them. Why not offer your love a few more options? The lizardmen are pretty cool.

3. Insurgency: Sandstorm

No, no, don’t go, please. Hear me out. Insurgency: Sandstorm is a team-based shooter game. Maybe your honey has thumbs that are too big for a controller-that’s okay. Insurgency: Sandstorm is available to play on Steam and is pretty cheap for all of the content you get. If you’ve ever wanted to introduce your partner to a first person shooter, I think this is one of the best ways to get started. There are the typical capture points and objectives to locate and several different multiplayer game modes with less lag and screaming 10 year olds. Insurgency seems more happy to gear themselves towards a more mature, casual audience. With offline training and bots to give them a nudge, Insurgency could prove to be a nice introduction to the genre.

4. Trine 4

That..wasn’t intentional. But I think I’ll keep it at this spot in the list. Like many others mentioned here, Trine 4 is a team game. You’ll have to work together if you want to push past objectives and succeed where other heroes have fallen. The most recent addition to the Trine series offers gorgeous graphics with some pretty creative and dynamic puzzles. Just in case you’re wondering, you can play as Zoya the thief, Pontius the warrior, and Amadeus the wizard. Though there’s not much in the way of customizing your character to look like you, there is a lot going for its skill trees which let you customize your abilities and skills to play how you want. The music is really gorgeous, as well. If you’re looking for a game that’s a little less violent, but still heavy on the graphics and story, Trine 4 might be up your alley.

5. Stardew Valley

Yeah, I didn’t realize that, either! Stardew Valley is actually multiplayer now. Cool, huh? Now, you can play in a game for 1-4 players either over LAN or the internet. Long distance couples thank you so much for that option. If you have already started a single player world, you can also convert that to a multiplayer game in order to play with your partner. I personally love fishing, farming, and homesteading in general. Being able to bring in my partner on all the action makes it that much more fun. Here honey, you stay home and pull up the carrots and play with the dog-I’m going to go catch some fish.

6. Temtem

Temtem is all over the place right now. The colorful graphics and nostalgic combat harkens back to an age where we would beg to go to Burger King to collect little golden cards in plastic red and white balls. Even if they never got into Pokemon seriously, your significant other probably more than likely relates it to fond time in their life as well (or their child’s!). As the game that it took so much inspiration from, Temtem is a collection adventure game. You go out into the world and capture adorable Temtem that can be tamed and used to battle other tamers. A neat addition to this game is the unique customization of your own little home. Your two will spend hours exploring the vibrant world and relaxing while you rank up your Temtem in order to eventually decimate each other.

7. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

If your partner is a bit more familiar with first person shooters or is looking to up their game, you might want to try out Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. There is a lot of strategy and communication that has to happen in Rainbow Six Siege in order to succeed with your team. Customize your character, strengthen your communication skills, and use your environment to your advantage. Unlike Insurgency, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege allows you to change your environment by using some pretty fancy gadgets and explode-y tools. If you’ve both got a computer capable of running it, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and you might find your Chinese take-out getting colder as you hone in and focus on completing objectives together.

8. Conan Exiles

Conan meets Minecraft. That’s one of the best ways I know how to describe Conan Exiles. Conan Exiles has also been on the market for some time, but is constantly getting new releases and updates. It is also has an impressive modding community behind it. Just take a moment and look through some of the ehm…more popular…mods. Specifically for Valentine’s Day. Clothing mods, building mods, animation…mods. After an hour or so of playing with the more risque options available to you, you may find yourself moving from the game room to the bedroom.  You’re welcome.

9. Total War: Warhammer 2

So you’ve both had a long day. One of you works in the restaurant industry, another works in business. Or, one has stayed with the gremlin all day long and needs a break. Enter Total War: Warhammer 2. For when you just need to blow off some steam and beat up each others’ armies. Another game with a strong modding community, Total War: Warhammer 2 is a strategy game that drops you into the world of Warhammer as the leader of your own army. Though the interface can be a bit intimidating, after your army has been set up you can beat each other up as many times as you want. Winner takes all. Dishes, clothes, changing the litter. It’s on.

10. Grim Dawn

Last, but definitely not least, Grim Dawn. Grim Dawn is an apocalyptic hack-and-slash love letter to those familiar with the realm of Diablo-esque games. Is your lover fond of dark fantasy, and ARPGs? Maybe give Grim Dawn a try. “Enter an apocalyptic fantasy world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, iron is valued above gold and trust is hard earned. This ARPG features complex character development, hundreds of unique items, crafting and quests with choice & consequence.” I think that sums it up pretty brilliantly. If your partner isn’t bothered too much by gore and mature elements, I think you would definitely enjoy exploring the world for secrets together, as well as unlocking the stories of the citizens of Grim Dawn.

All of the games listed above I have personally played and enjoyed with my long-distance love. Maybe we’re just kind of weird, but I think if there’s even a slight chance that something from this list might put a sparkle in your significant other’s eye this Valentine’s Day, go for it. Everyone has different tastes and expectations. Share your passion for gaming with them, and you may find that they start to develop a love for it, too. If nothing else, just enjoy a quiet, relaxing weekend of well-deserved quality time together. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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