There’s a moment in every adult’s board gaming life when they realise Monopoly was never fun. It was just the only game anyone owned. The arguments weren’t charming, the four-hour death spiral wasn’t strategic. The person who won was always the one who got Mayfair early and then spent two hours watching everyone else slowly go bankrupt.
Here’s the good news: board games for adults have come a long way. The best modern games are smart, beautiful, deep, and designed to finish in under an hour. They’re also one of the best date nights in London. Better than a film where you sit in silence for two hours. Better than a restaurant where you run out of things to say by the main course. Better than whatever that “immersive experience” was that cost 45 pounds and turned out to be a queue.
We’ve got over 1,000 games at Draughts across both our venues – Stratford in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Waterloo in the Leake Street Arches – and our staff can match you with the perfect game in about thirty seconds. If you want a head start, here’s our guide to the best board games for adults, whether you’re coming as a couple, a group, or just two mates who want something better than staring at a pub quiz screen.
Best Board Games for Adults
The Best Two-Player Games (a.k.a. Date Night)
Two-player board games are a different experience from group games. They’re intimate, competitive, and revealing. You learn a lot about someone from how they play – whether they’re cautious or reckless, strategic or instinctive, gracious in defeat or quietly furious.
7 Wonders Duel is one of the best two-player games ever designed. You’re building an ancient civilisation across three ages, drafting cards that give you resources, military strength, scientific knowledge or points. There are three ways to win – military supremacy (push your armies to your opponent’s capital), scientific dominance (collect six different scientific symbols) or the most points at the end. Games take about 30 minutes and the tension builds beautifully. It’s the kind of game where you watch your opponent’s moves as carefully as your own, and every card pick feels like a statement. Outstanding for a date.
Fog of Love is unlike anything else in our library. It’s a romantic comedy in a box – a two-player game where you play a couple navigating a relationship. You choose personality traits, respond to scenarios (first dates, meeting the parents, arguments about whose turn it is to do the washing up) and try to fulfil your secret romantic destiny. It’s funny, emotional, and generates conversations that don’t happen over a normal dinner. Fair warning: it will make you both laugh, and it might make you think.
Patchwork is a quieter, more strategic option. You’re both building a quilt (stay with us) by buying fabric patches from a shared market and fitting them onto your board like a puzzle. It’s spatial, tactical and oddly satisfying – the Tetris-shaped pieces click into place and the economy of buttons-as-currency is elegant. Games take about 20 minutes and it’s one of those games that’s easy to learn, hard to master, and impossible to play just once.
Jaipur is a fast, sharp trading game where you’re rival merchants competing in an Indian marketplace. Buy, sell, trade camels, gems, leather and spices. It plays in about 20 minutes per round and the push-your-luck decisions – do you grab that pile of gems now or wait for a bigger haul? – create genuine excitement. It’s colourful, quick and endlessly replayable.
The Best Games for a Night Out with Friends
Group games are where board gaming really comes alive. The table gets loud. Alliances form and shatter. Someone does something so brilliant or so catastrophically wrong that the whole venue hears the reaction. These are the games that turn a Tuesday evening into a story.
Wavelength puts one player behind a screen with a dial set to a hidden position on a spectrum – something like “underrated to overrated” or “hot to cold.” They give a single clue, and everyone else debates where on the spectrum they think the dial is. The clues spark conversations you’d never normally have, and the disagreements are genuinely hilarious. “You think CHEESE is overrated? What’s wrong with you?”
Codenames splits the table into two teams. A grid of words is laid out, and each team’s spymaster gives one-word clues to guide their team to the right words while avoiding the assassin card. It rewards lateral thinking and creative connections, and the moments where a single clue links three words perfectly are electric. One of the most-played games in our library for good reason.
Secret Hitler is a social deduction game set in 1930s Germany where players are secretly assigned as Liberals or Fascists, with one player as Secret Hitler. The Fascists know each other but the Liberals don’t know who to trust. Policies are passed, accusations fly, trust evaporates, and when the hidden Fascist is finally caught – or when they’ve been quietly manipulating everyone the whole time – the table erupts. It’s intense, dramatic and brings out a side of your friends you didn’t know existed.
Skull is the purest bluffing game we’ve got. Four cards each – three flowers, one skull. Stack them face down, then dare someone to flip cards without hitting a skull. It’s poker stripped to its absolute essence, and it works with anyone from four to six players. Rounds take five minutes, but the psychological warfare lasts all evening.
Exploding Kittens is fast, stupid and brilliant. Draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten and gets eliminated – unless they’ve got a Defuse card. Attack cards, skip cards, and the kind of ridiculous illustrations that get funnier with every drink. It’s the perfect warm-up game before something heavier, or the perfect game for a group that just wants to laugh.
The Best Strategy Games for Serious Players
Sometimes you want to sit down with a glass of wine and put your mind to the test, with mechanics, decisions, consequences. The kind of games where you’re still thinking about what you should have done differently on the bus home. These are those games
Wingspan is a card-driven engine-building game about attracting birds to your wildlife reserve. It sounds gentle. It isn’t. Every bird you play triggers abilities that chain together in increasingly satisfying combinations, and the competition for food, eggs and nesting spots is fierce. It won the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award and it’s one of the most beautiful games ever produced – the illustrations are stunning. Two to five players, about 60 minutes.
Terraforming Mars is for the player who wants something properly complex. You’re a corporation making Mars habitable – raising temperature, creating oceans, building cities, planting forests. It’s deeply strategic with hundreds of unique project cards, takes about two hours, and the player who reads instruction manuals for fun will absolutely love it.
Ark Nova puts you in charge of building a modern zoo, balancing conservation, research, appeal and finances. It’s one of the highest-rated games in the world, with clever action-selection mechanics that reward long-term planning. About two hours for two players, longer with more.
7 Wonders (the original, for three to seven players) is one of the most awarded board games on the planet – over 30 international awards and more than a million copies sold. Players simultaneously draft cards to build ancient civilisations. The simultaneous play means zero downtime, and a game takes about 30 minutes regardless of player count. Sophisticated enough for serious gamers, accessible enough for newcomers.
Why Board Games Are a Better Date Than Almost Anything Else
Here’s the thing about dates in London: most of them involve sitting opposite someone and hoping the conversation carries itself for two hours. Sometimes it does, sometimes you’re both scrolling through your phones by dessert. A board game gives you something to do together. Something that creates natural conversation, reveals personality, generates shared moments, and doesn’t rely on you both being sparkling conversationalists from 7pm to 11pm.
You learn things about people when you play games with them. How they handle losing, whether they’re generous or ruthless. How they think, whether they laugh at themselves. Half an hour around a game table tells you more about someone than three dinners ever could.
And it’s not expensive. A date at Draughts costs a fraction of what you’d spend at most London restaurants — and you’ll actually remember it afterwards. A game has a way of focusing you on each other. No phones, no awkward silences, no performance. Just two people right there in the moment together.
Date Night at Draughts
Both our venues are brilliant for dates, but they’ve got different vibes.
Draughts Waterloo is at Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN – inside the famous graffiti tunnel beneath Waterloo station. Walking through 300 metres of constantly changing street art to get to your date is an experience in itself. The venue sits in the railway arches with exposed brick, atmospheric lighting and a bar that knows what it’s doing. After the game, walk out onto the South Bank for the river, the Southbank Centre and some of the best views in London. Call us on 020 7450 5339.
Draughts Stratford is at 5 Aquatics Walk, inside Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 2AS. It’s bright, spacious and surrounded by the park’s waterways and gardens – ideal if you want to combine your date with a walk before or after. The canal towpath to Hackney Wick is one of the best strolls in east London. Stratford station is served by the Central, Jubilee and Elizabeth Lines, DLR and National Rail.
Both venues are a bar, board game kitchen and lounge with a full food menu, a well-stocked cocktail bar, and over 1,000 games. Our staff will recommend the perfect game for you in seconds – just tell them it’s a date and they’ll know exactly what to pull from the shelf.
Book your date night at draughtslondon.com – evenings and weekends fill up fast, and you don’t want to start your date with “sorry, there’s a wait.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best board games for adults?
The best board games for adults depend on what you’re looking for. For two players, 7 Wonders Duel and Fog of Love are outstanding. For groups, Wavelength, Codenames, Secret Hitler and Skull are consistently brilliant. For serious strategy, Wingspan, Terraforming Mars and Ark Nova offer deep, rewarding gameplay. All are available at Draughts, where our staff can recommend the perfect game for your group.
Is Draughts good for a date night?
Draughts is one of the best date nights in London. Board games give you something to do together that creates natural conversation, reveals personality and generates shared moments. Our two-player games like 7 Wonders Duel, Fog of Love and Patchwork are perfect for couples. Both our Waterloo venue (in the Leake Street graffiti tunnel) and Stratford venue (inside Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) have great atmosphere for dates.
What board games should I play on a date?
For a first date, 7 Wonders Duel is ideal – it’s competitive, strategic and takes about 30 minutes. Fog of Love is a romantic comedy in a box that generates brilliant conversation. Patchwork is a quieter strategic option. Jaipur is fast and exciting. Our staff at Draughts will recommend the perfect date game if you tell them it’s a date – they do this every day.
What are the best board games for groups of friends?
For groups, Wavelength and Codenames are perfect for creative thinking and team play. Secret Hitler is a social deduction game that gets incredibly intense. Skull is a pure bluffing game that works brilliantly with four to six players. Exploding Kittens is fast and funny. All available in the Draughts library at both venues.
What is Fog of Love?
Fog of Love is a two-player board game that plays like a romantic comedy. Players create characters with personality traits and navigate relationship scenarios – from first dates to arguments to major life decisions. It’s funny, surprisingly emotional, and one of the most unique date night games available. It’s in the Draughts library at both venues.
Where is Draughts?
Draughts has two London venues. Draughts Stratford is at 5 Aquatics Walk, inside Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2AS. Draughts Waterloo is at Arch 16, Leake Street, London SE1 7NN, inside the graffiti tunnel beneath Waterloo station. Both venues are a bar, board game kitchen and lounge with over 1,000 games.
How much does a date at Draughts cost?
Check draughtslondon.com for current pricing. There’s a cover charge per person for unlimited access to the games library, plus food and drinks from the menu. Compared to most London date nights – dinner, cinema, cocktail bars – a date at Draughts is excellent value and significantly more memorable.
Do I need to know how to play board games to go to Draughts?
Not at all. Our staff will teach you any game in the library – that’s what they do, and they’re brilliant at it. Many of our best date night games can be learned in under five minutes. If a game doesn’t click, swap it for something else. There are over 1,000 to choose from.
What are good two-player board games?
The best two-player games at Draughts include 7 Wonders Duel (civilisation-building strategy), Fog of Love (romantic comedy), Patchwork (spatial puzzle), and Jaipur (trading game). For something more complex, Wingspan and Ark Nova both play brilliantly at two. Our staff can recommend based on your preferences and experience level.
What are the best strategy board games for adults?
For serious strategy, Wingspan (engine-building with birds, 60 minutes), Terraforming Mars (making Mars habitable, 2 hours), Ark Nova (zoo-building, 2 hours) and 7 Wonders (civilisation drafting, 30 minutes) are all outstanding. All available at Draughts and suitable for players who want more depth than party games.
Is Draughts good for a first date?
Draughts is one of the best first date spots in London. A board game takes the pressure off conversation – you’ve always got something to talk about, something to react to, and something to laugh about. Our Waterloo venue in the Leake Street graffiti tunnel is particularly atmospheric. Book ahead at draughtslondon.com.
What is 7 Wonders Duel?
7 Wonders Duel is a two-player civilisation-building card game and one of the most acclaimed board games ever made. Players draft cards across three ages to build their civilisation, with three possible victory conditions: military supremacy, scientific dominance, or the highest score. It takes about 30 minutes and is perfect for competitive couples. Available at Draughts.
Can I book Draughts for a date night?
Yes – and you should. Evenings and weekends are our busiest periods. Book at draughtslondon.com to guarantee a table. If you’d like a specific game set up before you arrive, mention it in your booking notes and we’ll do our best to have it ready.
