Games to play with a friend, online
Almost every “games with friends” product is really a games-with-strangers product that lets you invite people. The lobby is the main event and your friend is an option inside it.
Duelo is the other way round. You pick a person, and the games exist to give the two of you something to argue about. There is no lobby to browse and no matchmaking queue — there's a friend, a game, and a score that has been running since the first time you played.
Pick by who you're playing
A friend …who is never online when you are
This is the hard one, and it's the reason most games with friends lapse. Use Anytime mode: you play, your score is stored, they beat it tomorrow. Eight of the ten games support it.
A friend …who is sitting right next to you
Go live, and pick something with a clock. The whole point of being in the same room is the noise people make when they lose.
A friend …who you'd rather not compete with at all
Some people don't want a rival, they want company. Co-op puts you both on one board with no turns and no loser.
A friend …who is much better than you at everything
Rating-based matchmaking can't help you here, because you picked this opponent on purpose. Pick a game where skill matters least, or one where you have the edge.
All ten, plainly
- Crossword Chaos — crossword race. Race a friend to crack cryptic clues.
- Word Chaser — word search race. Hunt themed words before a friend does.
- Cluster Clash — word grouping puzzle. Lock 4 hidden themes before your friend.
- Cipher Storm — five-letter word race. Crack five hidden words head-to-head.
- Path Pursuit — word trace grid. Trace words to claim the grid.
- Connect Four — four-in-a-row board game. Line up four before your rival.
- Sudoku — co-op sudoku. Team up on one board, live.
- Bomb Pass — hot potato party game. Pass the bomb — don't hold it when it blows.
- Trapdoor Panic — hidden minefield game. Step careful — one tile drops you.
- Queens — co-op logic puzzle. Crown the board together.
The head-to-head record is the actual product
Every duel you finish against a specific person goes into a record against that person — per friend, per game, and it never resets. Not a global leaderboard you'll never place on. A number between you and one other human being.
That's the bit that makes people come back. A leaderboard says you're 40,000th. A head-to-head says you're 14–11 down to your brother, and that is intolerable.
Questions
What games can you play with a friend online for free?+
Duelo includes ten free 1v1 games: a crossword race, a word search, a word-grouping puzzle, a five-letter word race, a letter-trace grid, four in a row, co-op Sudoku, co-op Queens, and two live panic games. There is no subscription and nothing is locked.
What can I play with a friend in a different time zone?+
Anything in Anytime mode — eight of the ten games. You complete a run, it's stored, and your friend answers it whenever they next open the app. Neither of you needs to be online at the same moment for the result to count.
Do we both need to download the app?+
To keep a running head-to-head record, yes — the record has to belong to two accounts. Joining a live room someone has shared with you works from the link they send.
Is there a game two people can play together rather than against each other?+
Yes. Sudoku and Queens are co-operative: one shared board, no turns, both players filling it in live. They're the two games where you're on the same side.
What's a good game to play with a partner every day?+
Something short with a permanent record. A daily Anytime challenge takes a couple of minutes each and builds a head-to-head score that never resets, which is what turns it into a habit rather than a session.