9 long-distance relationship games you can play online
Video calls are great, but after a while you run out of "so, how was your day". Doing something together, even something small, makes the distance feel shorter. These all run in a browser or as a light extra on a call, and most are free.
A note up front: the first pick is PixyPlace, which we make. The rest are other people's games we like; we're not paid to list them.
How to pick one
- Same time, or different times? Across time zones, games you can play in turns (a shared canvas, a daily puzzle, a chess game by correspondence) beat ones that need you both online.
- Make, play, or talk? Some nights you want to build something together, some nights you want to win, and some nights you just want to talk. Have one of each.
- Keep it light. The best long-distance game is the one you actually come back to. Ten minutes a day beats a three-hour session once a month.
Make something together
1 PixyPlace: a pixel world for two
A small pixel canvas that belongs to just the two of you. You each get a little ink that refills every 10 minutes, so you add a few pixels whenever you have a minute, and the world grows when you both show up on the same days. When you open it, a short replay shows what your person painted while you were asleep. It's made for exactly this: staying close a little every day, across time zones.
How drawing together works · Start a world · 25 things to draw together
Play against each other
2 Lichess: chess with a link
Send a challenge link and play. Correspondence games let you each make a move whenever you have time, which suits different time zones well. No ads, and a friend can join straight from the link.
3 Board Game Arena: board games in the browser
Hundreds of board games, many of them great with two players. Turn-based mode lets a game run over several days.
4 Daily word and number puzzles
Do the same daily puzzle (Wordle, a crossword, a sudoku) separately, then send each other your results. It's a tiny ritual that gives you something to talk about every single day.
Do something side by side
5 Teleparty: watch the same show
Syncs playback on streaming services you both already pay for, with a chat on the side. Pick a series and make it "your show" that you only watch together.
6 An online jigsaw puzzle
Multiplayer jigsaw sites let you both move pieces on the same puzzle. Upload a photo from your last trip and put it back together on a call.
7 Cook the same recipe
Not a game, but it plays like one: same recipe, same time, two kitchens, one call. Rate each other's plate at the end.
Talk about things that matter
8 The 36 questions
A set of 36 questions from a well-known psychology study on closeness, in three rounds that go gradually deeper. Even couples who've been together for years find new answers.
9 A couples question app
Apps like Paired send you both a daily question and show your answers once you've both replied. Good for the days when a call isn't possible.
Questions
What games can long-distance couples play without downloading anything?
Browser games work best: a shared canvas like PixyPlace, chess on Lichess, board games on Board Game Arena, and daily puzzles you compare afterwards. All of them open from a link.
What can we play if we live in different time zones?
Pick games you can play in turns: a shared world you both add to when you're awake (PixyPlace replays what changed while you were away), correspondence chess, turn-based board games, or the same daily puzzle.
What's a good daily ritual for a long-distance relationship?
Something small you both do every day: add a few pixels to your shared world, send each other your daily puzzle result, or answer one question each. Small and daily beats big and rare.
Is PixyPlace free?
Yes. It runs in the browser on any phone or computer, with no account and no download.
Start your shared world tonight
Make a world, send the link, and paint the first pixels together. Tomorrow there'll be a little replay waiting.