15 Long-Distance Games for Couples You Can Play on Your Phone

What are the best long-distance games for couples?

The best long-distance games are short, need little setup, and work in turns when your schedules do not overlap. Start with games you can play on any call or text thread, such as Would You Rather or Two Truths and a Lie, then add an app only when you want turn-based play or a ready-made question set.

The table sorts 15 games by whether you play live or take turns, what you need, and roughly how long a round takes. Most need nothing more than a call or a chat; a few work best in an app that both of you install.

How did we choose these games?

HeartSee publishes this article, and two games on the list, This or That and You or Me, are formats in our app. Both also work without it. No app paid to be included and there are no affiliate links. Facts about apps come from their US App Store listings, checked on 28 October 2026; we did not install and test every app. Times are rough estimates for one round, not measurements.

We left out Long Distance Game for Couples, a top result in searches for long-distance games, because its listing describes an app for sending personal messages rather than a game, and its latest version was from September 2022.

• Can you play a round in a few minutes?
• Does it still work when only one of you is awake?
• What does each of you need to install?
• Does it suit your relationship, including the app's age rating?

Related reading: Read our review methodology

Which games can you play without an app?

Most good long-distance games are older than smartphones. All of these work on a phone call, a video call, or a text thread, on iPhone or Android, and none needs an account.

• Would You Rather: take turns offering a choice between two options. Keep a few light ones ready for tired evenings.
• Two Truths and a Lie: each of you says three things about your day or your past, and the other guesses the lie. It works well for newer couples.
• 20 Questions: one person thinks of a person, place, or thing, and the other has 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it.
• Emoji Story: tell your day, a film, or a memory only in emojis, and let your partner decode it.
• Story Chain: write a story one sentence at a time in your chat, a turn each, whenever you have a minute.
• Photo Scavenger Hunt: send a list of five things to photograph, such as something blue, your view right now, or something that reminds you of them, and swap photos by the end of the day.
• Playlist Swap: each of you makes a short playlist on a theme, then you listen and guess why each song is there.
• Doodle and Guess: draw something and hold it up to the camera, or send it as a drawing, and the other person guesses what it is.
• Movie Bingo: before a film you both stream, each of you writes a card of things you expect to happen, then marks them off on a call while you watch.
• Guess My Answer: one of you answers a question about yourself in secret, the other guesses, then you swap.

Related reading: 25 long-distance relationship questions for deeper conversations

Which apps have games for couples?

Apps help most when you want turn-based games that wait for the other person, or a set of questions you do not have to invent. These five were checked on the US App Store on 28 October 2026.

• GamePigeon: free games that run only inside iMessage, including 8-Ball, Mini Golf, Sea Battle, Four in a Row, Chess, Word Hunt, and 20 Questions. Rated 4.0 from about 234 thousand ratings and 13+, with optional purchases from $1.99 to $4.99; latest version from September 2024. Skip it if either of you uses Android, because it needs iMessage.
• Plato: Fun Multiplayer Games: more than 50 multiplayer games, such as Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Pool, and Ocho, with group chats and voice chat. Free with in-game coin purchases, 4.7 from about 288 thousand ratings, rated 18+, needs iOS 15.6. Skip it if you want something private for two: it is a social app with chat rooms.
• Lovify: Couple Games & Quiz: a two-player quiz where one partner answers questions about themselves and the other guesses, with "1000+ questions across 50+ topics". One partner creates a room and shares a code. Free, with premium purchases from $0.99 to $11.99 that the listing describes as a one-time fee; 4.8 from about 1.8 thousand ratings, rated 18+, needs iOS 15.6. Skip it if you mostly play at different times; the listing suggests pairing it with a video call.
• Paired: Couples & Relationship: daily questions, games, and quizzes; you add your answer and then unlock your partner's. 4.7 from about 210 thousand ratings, needs iOS 17.0, with Premium purchases listed from $14.99 to $74.99. Skip it if you do not want to pay twice; the listing does not say one subscription covers both partners.
• HeartSee (our app): an iPhone app for two whose daily games include This or That and You or Me, alongside questions to answer together. In a developer reply on the App Store, the Games feature "now includes 450+ games and questions". Partners pair with a code or a link. Free, with Premium from $4.99 to $39.99 plus a $7.99 weekly plan; 4.8 from 13 ratings, needs iOS 15.1. Skip it if one of you uses Android.

Related reading: Couples games in HeartSee

Which games work when you are in different time zones?

Choose games that take turns. A move in GamePigeon, a sentence in Story Chain, a photo for the scavenger hunt, or an answer in Paired can wait for the other person's morning. Nobody has to stay up, and the game still moves every day.

Keep live games, such as 20 Questions, Movie Bingo, or a round of chess in Plato, for the hours you are both awake, and use them to start a call rather than fill the whole call.

How often should long-distance couples play games?

There is no right number. A game is useful when it gives a call somewhere to start or fills a quiet day with something small. If it starts to feel like a task you owe each other, play less often or switch games.

One pattern that is easy to keep: a turn-based game or a daily question during the week, and one longer live game at the weekend. Let either of you skip a round without explaining why.

Related reading: Long-distance rituals and shared projects · What to do with your long-distance boyfriend or girlfriend

Do both partners need the same app?

For the games without an app, no: a call or a chat works between any two phones. Every app above needs both of you to install it, because the game is shared between two phones. GamePigeon also needs iMessage on both sides, and HeartSee is iPhone only.

Check the age rating as well. On 28 October 2026 Plato and Lovify were rated 18+, GamePigeon 13+, and HeartSee 9+.