When you live in different cities, the nightly call can start to feel like a status update. You cover work, dinner, the dog, then run out of things to say.

Playing the same game at the same time fixes that. It gives you something to do together instead of just something to talk about, and a little friendly competition brings back the easy, playful side of being a couple.

You’re not alone in needing it, either. Roughly 3.5 million married couples in the U.S. live apart for reasons other than divorce, according to U.S. Census Bureau data—and that’s before you count dating and engaged couples.

The best phone games for long distance couples are free, easy to start and, most importantly, let you play with each other rather than getting matched against a random stranger. Even better: Some let you earn money through KashKick.

Below are nine games actually work for two people in different places, sorted by the kind of night you’re in the mood for.

What Makes a Game Work for Long Distance Couples

Not every “multiplayer” game is built for couples. Most drop you into a match with a random person, which is the opposite of what you want on date night. Three things separate a real long-distance game from one that just claims to be multiplayer.

1. It Lets You Choose Your Partner

This is the big one. The game has to let you invite a specific person by username, friend code or link, so you actually land in the same game. If the only option is “quick play” against strangers, it won’t work for the two of you.

2. It Fits Your Schedules

Real-time games are great when your evenings line up. When they don’t, turn-based games let each of you take a turn whenever you have a free minute, which is a lifesaver across time zones.

3. It Pairs Well With a Call

The best long-distance games leave room to talk. You want something you can play while you’re on FaceTime—not a game so intense you both go silent for 20 minutes.

Easy, Cozy Games for a Relaxed Night

These are low-pressure picks for when you just want to wind down together.

1. Words With Friends

Words With Friends is a classic for a reason. It’s a Scrabble-style word game where you build off each other’s tiles, and it’s perfectly suited to long distance.

• Best for: Couples who like a slow, brainy back-and-forth
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Search your partner by username and start a private game

Because it’s turn-based, neither of you has to be online at the same time. You play a word, they play one back over their morning coffee and the game stretches across the day. The built-in chat lets you send little messages between turns, which is half the fun.

2. Yahtzee with Buddies

Yahtzee with Buddies is the official mobile version of Hasbro’s dice game. You roll for combos, chase the high score and needle each other over chat while you play.

• Best for: Couples who like a relaxed, lucky-roll pace
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Add your partner by username and send a direct challenge

Open the Friends icon, search for your partner by username or email and send a challenge. Like Words With Friends, it’s turn-based, so it flexes around mismatched schedules. And since it’s in the KashKick catalog, you can earn a little cash while you roll (more on that below).

3. Bingo Blitz

Bingo Blitz blends classic bingo with a travel-themed collecting game. It’s cheerful, simple and easy to dip into for a few minutes at a time.

• Best for: Relaxed teamwork with almost no learning curve
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Add your partner in the Friends Center, then play together
• Earn while you play: Currently available through KashKick

Add your partner by their user ID in the Friends Center, then join the same bingo room or team up in the Partners Ranch feature to grow a shared farm. It’s the kind of game you can leave running in the background while you actually talk.

Friendly Competition for a Little Spark

When you’d rather go head-to-head, these bring out the playful rivalry.

4. Match Masters

Match Masters is a head-to-head twist on match-three puzzles where you and your partner compete on the same board. It’s quick, colorful and easy to learn.

• Best for: Short, competitive rounds between bits of conversation
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Invite your partner with a friend link, then start a private match

Send your partner a friend link, then challenge them to a private match with a shared code. No random opponents, just the two of you trying to knock each other off the board.

5. Draw With Buddies

Draw With Buddies is a Pictionary-style drawing-and-guessing game. One of you doodles a word, the other tries to figure out the masterpiece (or disaster).

• Best for: Couples who like to laugh at each other’s art
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Add each other as friends and invite with one tap

The 1v1 mode has no time limit, so you can take your time perfecting your drawing before sending it over to be guessed. It’s silly in the best way, and the bad drawings usually get more laughs than the good ones.

6. Monopoly GO

Monopoly GO is a fast, social take on the board game with dice rolls, board building and friendly sabotage. Odds are one of you already has it installed.

• Best for: Teaming up on shared goals during co-op events
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Add your partner with a friend code, then team up in Partners events
• Earn while you play: Currently available through KashKick

Add your partner with a friend code, then join forces during Partners co-op events to collect tokens and split the rewards. Between events you can gift each other spins, so there’s always a reason to peek at their board.

Bigger Adventures for Gamer Couples

If you both like meatier games, these give you a whole world to share.

7. Mech Arena

Mech Arena is a fast 5v5 shooter built for short sessions. It’s the pick when you want real action instead of dice and tiles.

• Best for: Couples who want real-time team battles
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Invite your partner straight into a Team Battle or Custom Match
• Earn while you play: Currently available through KashKick

Drop your partner into a Team Battle and you both get a small XP bonus for teaming up. There’s also a Custom Match mode where you host and invite your partner directly, so you can fight on the same side instead of against each other.

8. Diablo Immortal

Diablo Immortal is an action RPG full of dungeon crawling and loot hunting. It’s the most involved game here, which makes it great for couples who want an ongoing world to explore.

• Best for: Couples who want a bigger game to grow into
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Invite your partner into your party from the friends list
• Earn while you play: Currently available through KashKick

Once you’re both past the short intro and on the same server, tap the plus icon by your character portrait and invite your partner into your party. Clearing dungeons side by side gives a long-distance night the feel of a real shared adventure, and crossplay means it works even if one of you is on a phone and the other on a PC. Just pick the same server first, since there’s no cross-server play.

9. Settlers of Catan

Catan is the beloved resource-and-trading strategy game, and the mobile version brings it to your phones. It’s a great fit for couples who like to scheme.

• Best for: Strategy-minded couples who enjoy a longer game
• Platform: iOS and Android
• Why it works: Create a private game and invite your partner to join

You can set up a private match and invite your partner so it’s just the two of you (or pull in friends for a bigger group). Trading, blocking and gently betraying each other over a video call is a surprisingly fun way to spend an evening together.

How to Earn a Little Cash While You Play

Here’s a bonus most couples don’t know about: A few of the games above can pay you. If you play them through a rewards platform like KashKick, you earn real cash for hitting in-game milestones. It won’t fund your next plane ticket to see each other, but it can cover a takeout night or chip away at one.

You don’t earn from the game itself. You earn through KashKick, which partners with game studios and passes a cut to you. The math is simple, since $1 Kash equals $1 USD with no points to decode. Game offers range up to $800, though the highest amounts usually require optional in-app purchases, so treat the top numbers as a ceiling.

Once you hit $10, you can Kash Out in 1-3 business days via PayPal, Venmo, gift cards or a charity donation. One member, Kayla, earned over $1,200 in less than two years, mostly through games and KashBack.

Collectively, KashKick paid out $12,749,486 to members in 2025, so it’s worth checking which of the games above are live in the catalog before you start.

Sign up for KashKick if you’d like date night to pay you back a little.

How to Spot a Game Worth Your Time

A few quick checks before you and your partner commit to a new download.

Skip Anything That Charges to Play

Legit games never ask for an upfront payment just to start or to “unlock” multiplayer. If one does, walk away.

Expect In-App Purchase Nudges

Most of these games are free but lean on in-app purchases. You can play all of them without spending a dime, so agree on that going in.

Stick to Official App Stores

Download from the Apple App Store, Google Play or directly through KashKick. Fake versions of popular games circulate on shady sites, so the official source keeps you safe.

The Bottom Line on Phone Games for Couples Long Distance

Distance is hard, but the right phone games for couples long distance turn a routine call into actual time spent together.

Reach for Words With Friends or Yahtzee when you want something slow and easy, Match Masters or Draw With Buddies for a little competition, and Diablo Immortal or Catan when you want a bigger adventure to share. The trick is always the same: Use the in-game friend system so you land together, not with a stranger.

And if you’d like a few of those nights to pay you back, you can earn real cash on some of these mobile games through KashKick. Sign up for KashKick and turn date night into a little extra cash.