The Best 2-Player Games on iPhone

The definitive chess app, brilliant for two players online or pass-and-play locally. Tutorials, puzzles, and a vast community make it the best way to play the world's greatest two-player game.

Its multiplayer co-op lets two friends share a farm online — plant, mine, and build a life together. One of the warmest two-player experiences on any platform.

Frantic, shouty co-op where you bark nonsense instructions at each other to keep a ship from exploding. Best with two phones in the same room — pure chaotic joy.

Real-time online races against a friend, with the kart-racing charm only Nintendo delivers. Quick, colorful, and endlessly re-runnable head-to-head.

Challenge a friend to a private real-time duel — three minutes of card-fueled mind games. The 2v2 mode is even better, pairing you up against the world.

A whole arcade of two-player classics — Pool, Backgammon, Ludo, and dozens more — bundled with built-in chat. The Swiss Army knife of head-to-head mobile gaming.

Team up or face off in three-minute brawls. The 'Friendly Battle' option makes it a perfect quick duel between two friends who know each other's mains.

The asynchronous word-duel that's kept friends and grandparents connected for over a decade. Play a move, pass the turn — a two-player slow burn done right.

Crisp, physics-perfect pool against a friend online. Easy to challenge someone directly, satisfying to sink the 8-ball, and forgiving for casual players.

The beloved tile-laying board game, beautifully digitized for pass-and-play or online. Strategic, elegant, and ideal for two players who like to think.

Local Wi-Fi multiplayer mayhem — a 2D jetpack shooter you can play with a friend on the same network. A nostalgic, chaotic two-player staple.

A physics-based local-multiplayer brawler made for laughs. Two players, abilities chosen on the fly, and ragdoll chaos — the perfect couch-style duel on a phone.