30 Long Distance Relationship Games to Play Over Video Call (or Anywhere)

Here's a thing we believe strongly: games are the fastest way to make a video call feel like actually hanging out. Conversation is wonderful, but it carries the whole weight of the call. A game gives you something to react to together — and reacting together is what "spending time" actually means.

Here are 30 long distance relationship games, sorted by how much setup they need.

No-prep talking games (start in the next 60 seconds)

1. Two truths and a lie — yes, still, forever. Play the "childhood edition" or "before we met edition" for new material.
2. Would you rather — escalate from silly to revealing. The follow-up "why?" is the whole game.
3. 20 questions, people edition — think of someone you both know; partner guesses who.
4. Story one-word-at-a-time — build a story alternating single words. Collapses into chaos, which is the point.
5. "What's my line?" — quote something the other person has said before; they have to remember the context.
6. Rapid-fire favorites — 60 seconds, as many "favorite ___?" questions as you can. Compare how many you got right later.
7. The interview game — take turns asking real questions you've never asked. If you run dry, we keep 100 questions for long distance partners exactly for this.
8. Truth or dare, distance edition — dares become "sing the chorus of…", "show us your worst photo from 2019", "text your mom a compliment right now".

Video call classics

9. Pictionary — paper and a marker each, or a shared whiteboard app. Terrible drawings are better than good ones.
10. Charades — acts surprisingly well over camera.
11. Battleship — draw your own grids on paper. Old school, zero cost.
12. Guess the sketch (of each other) — 5 minutes to draw your partner from memory. Reveal simultaneously. Apologize.
13. Taste test — each of you buys three mystery snacks for yourself from the other's "menu" of instructions, then rates them live.
14. Cook-off — same ingredients list, 45 minutes, plate and present your dish like a cooking show. (More where that came from in our 50 long distance date ideas.)
15. Scavenger hunt — "bring me something red, something older than you, something that smells good" — first back to camera wins each round.
16. Karaoke roulette — a playlist on shuffle; whatever comes up, you commit.

Online and app games

17. Chess, Scrabble-likes, and word games — async games are lovely for time zones; you play a move on your lunch, they play one on theirs.
18. Co-op video games — anything you can play together counts as shared adventure, and shared adventure is scarce in an LDR.
19. Online party games — drawing-and-guessing and trivia party games that run in a browser while you're on a call.
20. Geography guessing games — drop into a random street view and guess the country together. Bonus: add "we'll go here someday" pins.
21. Watch-party trivia — pause the show at intervals and quiz each other on what happens next.

Games by mail (slow, but they hit different)

22. Postcard chess — one move per postcard. Absurd. Romantic. Absurdly romantic.
23. The photo assignment — mail each other a disposable camera with themes to shoot; develop and swap.
24. Open-when envelopes with forfeits — letters that assign tiny games or dares to be done on camera. (Our full guide to open-when letters has 50 prompts.)

Games designed for exactly this

25.–30. We saved a whole book's worth for last. The #LDR Activity Book is eight chapters of games and activities built specifically for couples at a distance — personality tests you compare on camera 👀, crossword puzzles about each other 🔑, relationship bucket lists 📝, and even games for conflict resolution 😤. It was created with a Registered Psychologist and a Sexologist, so the games are sneakily doing real relationship work while you play. Get the Set of 2 so you each have your own copy to fill in, or start tonight with the digital version. For a ready-made game night, Date Night Connection Rituals gives you complete evenings with zero planning.

The rule underneath all 30: it doesn't matter how silly the game is. What matters is that for an hour, you weren't two people on a call — you were two people playing. That's the real thing. 🎮