Games for a long-distance couple
The problem is not the game. It is the clock.
Most games recommended for long-distance couples are live games: pool, a quiz, a drawing game. They are lovely on a call and dead on a Tuesday, because live play needs two people free at the same moment, and a couple seven hours apart almost never are.
So the useful question is not “which game is fun” but “which game still counts when only one of us is awake”. That is the question Duelo was built around.
Games you can play while they are asleep
7 of the 13 games work asynchronously. You get a puzzle, you play it, your time and score are stored. When your partner opens the app, they get the identical puzzle. Their result lands next to yours and the head-to-head moves one way or the other. Neither of you waits for anything.
A daily one takes two or three minutes each. That is small enough to survive a busy week and enough to keep a score running for months, which is the part that matters.
Games for when you are on a call
When you are both free, go live. The board games are one shared board with alternating moves, so you can leave the video on and argue. The two panic games have a clock and exist to make somebody shout.
Games where you are on the same side
Not every evening wants a winner. Sudoku and Queens are co-operative: one board, both of you filling it in at once, no turns, no loser. Split the grid by regions, or do not, and catch each other's mistakes.
Duelo, in plain facts
- iPhone and Android, and the two play each other: an iPhone player and an Android player share one board.
- 13 games in one app: word games, puzzles, board games and two live panic games.
- 7 of them work when the other person is asleep: you play, they answer whenever they next open the app.
- Sudoku and Queens are co-op: one shared board, both of you on the same side.
- No strangers, no bots, no matchmaking queue. Every opponent is a person you invited.
- Free, no subscription. A one-off Pro purchase removes ads and adds cosmetics; it cannot buy a win.
- A permanent head-to-head record per friend, per game. It never resets.
- Made by a one-person studio in London. Last updated October 2026.
Questions
What games can a long-distance couple play on their phones?+
Duelo has 13 two-player games for couples apart: crossword, word search and word-grouping races, co-op Sudoku, four in a row, a hidden-fleet game and more. 7 of them work when you are not online at the same time. Free on iPhone and Android, and the two platforms play each other.
Does it work if one of us has an iPhone and the other has Android?+
Yes. One account on each phone, one shared board between them. Nothing is iPhone-only or Android-only, and there is no feature one platform gets first.
Do we have to be online at the same time?+
Not for 7 of the games. You play your side, the result waits, your partner plays theirs whenever they wake up, and the head-to-head updates. The board games and the two live panic games need you both there, which makes them good on a call.
Is there a game we can play together instead of against each other?+
Yes. Sudoku and Queens are co-op: one shared board, both of you filling it in live, no turns and no loser. Everything else is a duel.
Is it free, and will my partner see ads?+
Free to play with no subscription. There are ads; a one-off Pro purchase removes them and adds cosmetics. Pro gives no advantage in any game.
Can strangers join our games?+
No. There is no matchmaking, no queue and no public lobby. Every game is between you and the person you invited, and nobody else can see it.