2 player games on one screen

What makes a good 2 player game

A good game for two lets you sit side by side, or face to face, and settle things on one screen. Every game on this page can be played by two people on the same computer, tablet or phone. One of you takes WASD and the other takes the arrow keys, you each drag on your own half of a touch screen, or you take turns and pass the device across the table.

The page cuts across almost every category on Kiloo. There are quick party duels built for two, such as pushing a friend out of a sumo ring, and sports like air hockey, volleyball and penalties. There are board and card classics like Chess, Ludo and Rummy, word and maths games, racing with split screen, and even tower defence and strategy. Most of the games also have a solo mode against a computer opponent, so you can practise on your own before a rematch.

2 player games to start with

For a fast first match, try the duels made for two. In Air Hockey you flick the puck into a goal the width of your striker, first to seven by default. Sumo Bump has you wind up and charge to shove the other wrestler over the rope while the ring shrinks. Tug Team is about timing: only a press on the green part of the power meter really heaves the rope. Blob Volley keeps the ball off your own sand and lets you jump at the net for a smash.

If you like aiming, Tank Duel gives you shells that bounce off the walls up to twice, so the winning shot is often a bank shot. Castle Cannons has you drag back from a cannon, read the wind and knock the walls out from under the other king. Penalty Shootout swaps you between taker and keeper after every kick, five kicks each. In Snake Duel you leave a copper trace behind you and try to cut the other rider off, and Bumper Cars is a sixty-second scramble to knock stars out of each other's cars.

For a calmer evening, Chess has every rule and a board you can face from both sides, Dots and Boxes is the pen-and-paper game where closing a box gives you another turn, and Fleet Battle is the hunt for five hidden ships. Ludo works for two to four, with people and computer players in any mix. Kart Rush has split screen for two on one keyboard, and in season Reindeer Dash and Bunny Race appear for a festive race.

Sharing one keyboard or one phone

On a computer most duels split the keyboard down the middle. Player one uses WASD, often with Space to fire or charge, and player two uses the arrow keys with Enter. Neon Pong and Air Hockey also let player one use the mouse. Tug Team is even simpler: player one presses A or the left arrow and player two presses L or the right arrow. In nearly every game P pauses and M mutes, and R starts a rematch.

On a phone or tablet you each drag or tap on your own half of the screen. Tank Duel, Snake Duel, Bumper Cars and Castle Cannons have a phone layout for two, with each set of controls facing outwards towards one player. For Penalty Shootout and Bumper Cars, lay the phone flat between you. The turn-based board and card games only need you to tap and hand the device over.

Frequently asked questions