Online multiplayer gaming on smartphones is fairly popular these days with gamers having a wide variety of titles and genres to choose from. We already have a comprehensive article on the best multiplayer games. This list, however, is a bit more different, specific. Listed below are some of the best two-player mobile games that can be played by two (or more people) on the same smartphone! We have included free and paid games available for both Android and iOS devices.

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2 Player games: the Challenge

Just like the first game on this list, this one too is a collection of two-player games. 2 Player games: The challenge features beautiful minimal graphics and aims to keep you focused on the duel with your opponents. Among the games to choose from include PingPong, Spinner War, Snakes, Poll, Tic Tac Toe, and Penalty kicks. We’re sure you will be open to more multiplayer hames on the same device once you get used to the first two games in this list.

Download 2 Player games: the Challenge from the Google Play Store

Download 2 Player Games : the Challenge from the iOS App Store

King of Opera

This fun party game has up to four players assume the role of egoistic opera singers who are trying to push their rivals off the stage. You’ve got to keep your tenor in the spotlight while using the power of your girth to knock the others away.

A simple button press is all you need. / © Tuokio

The controls are intuitive for most people to grasp quickly, and even your most touchscreen-averse friends and family members will quickly become fierce contenders. Each player has a button that sends their wobbly warbler to the center stage, and the game’s spinning physics takes care of the rest.

Download King of Opera from the Google Play Store

Download King of Opera  from the iOS App Store

Chain Reaction (Free)

Chain Reaction is a kind of strategy ‘board’ game for up to 8 players that share just one device. Players take it in turns to place colored orbs into cubes on a grid. Once a cube has reached critical mass the orbs explode into the surrounding cells adding an extra orb and claiming the cube for the player.

Up to 8 players can join in for maximum chaos. / © NextPit

The goal is to overwhelm your opponents’ orbs, taking over all the cubes on the board. Simple yet addictive, Chain Reaction is a great time killer for a large group of friends.

Download Chain Reaction from the Google Play Store

FruitNinja (Free)

Even the most casual of mobile gamers probably know about Fruit Ninja, one of the first mobile games to be successful around the world. What few people know is that it has a multiplayer mode that you can play on a single screen. So, along with your opponent, you can use a single smartphone to cut all that fruit.

There are two modes of play, Classic Attack, and Zen Duel. In the first mode, you play as you normally would, cutting fruit in half with your sword and losing if you miss three fruits. In the second mode, you have to cut as many fruits as possible in two minutes.

Download FruitNinja from the Google Play Store

Download FruitNinja from the iOS App Store

Glow Hockey 2 (Free)

Air hockey is another well-known game. The smartphone version isn’t exactly famous, but you’re probably already familiar with this fun game that’s often played at arcades and in malls. It’s a great game, where a table humming with air lets you send hockey pucks flying. The objective is to hit the puck into the opponent’s goal.

The concept in Glow Hockey is the same, only you’re using a smartphone screen. You and your opponent hold the device with one hand and block each other’s shots with the other. It may sound silly, but in one minute you’ll be absorbed by the competition. It’s great for playing with friends or with kids.

Download Glow Hockey 2 from the Google Play Store

Download Glow Hockey 2L from the iOS App Store

Badland and Badland 2 (Free)

Badland is a beautiful game that won several awards, and although it’s best known for its single-player mode, it also has multiplayer modes for up to four players. You can play either with or against each other. The most important goal is to survive a deadly scenario, similar to Super Meat Boy.

In multiplayer mode, each player has their own portion of the screen dedicated to their character. The goal is to reach the end of the individual stages. In the competitive mode, you can lead friends to their death, which will lead to plenty of laughs and quarrels. It’s totally free, although it has some extras that can be purchased. This is definitely worth it if you’re a group of a few friends looking to have some fun.

Download Badland from the Google Play Store

Download Badland from the iOS App Store

Bounden ($2.99)

This is one of the most unique and beautiful games on this list. It will make you dance. Yes, this game demonstrates that with some creativity, you can take your smartphone to levels you couldn’t imagine. As you play, you and your partner hold the smartphone and press a button on the screen.

From there, you just have to do what the game says. There are commands to spin, rotate, and perform dances, always with the goal of doing everything in sync. It is one of the most original games that exist for smartphones and it will definitely make you laugh. Just be careful not to drop your phone on the floor!

Download Bouden from the Google Play Store

Download Bounden from the iOS App Store

Micro Battles 1, 2 and 3 (Free)

Utilizing a retro 8-bit style, Micro Battles is a cute game designed for quick matches between two players. It’s a 2-player exclusive and it’s made up of competitive mini-games. In the free version, one of the four mini-games can be played per day.

You can pay an additional $1.99 if you want access to all four at once. But there is a way to play more than once per day – you just need to download the other two editions of the game. That’s, in total, 12 fast and distracting mini-games. They have different themes, such as outer space, the old west, airplanes, soccer, vikings, and more.

Download Microbattles Series from the Google Play Store (MB1, MB2, MB3)

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes ($14.99)

This game has a much higher price compared to others on the list, but I still decided to include it. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, players use the same smartphone to play, but don’t use the device at the same time. You also need another device (either a smartphone, tablet or computer) to access the manual used in the game.

Extremely fun and full of tension, in this game, one person takes care of a bomb that needs to be defused, while the other has to use a manual and give them instructions on what to do. If you don’t solve the riddles in time, the bomb will explode and everyone loses. It’s a frantic game you’ll either love or hate. Oh, and you need a VR device, but if you don’t have one, you can also play the PC version.

Download Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes from the Google Play Store

Download Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes from the iOS App Store

Are there any other multiplayer games you like playing with friends? Let us know in the comments.