Video Games To Play With Your Partner On Valentine's Day
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, you might be searching for the perfect date night getaway with your special someone. Though you might not immediately associate video games with romance, both indie and AAA developers have placed a growing emphasis on teamwork and relationships in recent years. Some titles accomplish this through clever co-op mechanics that encourage players to come together to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. Other games spin bittersweet stories of love and loss, exploring the risks and rewards of putting your heart on the line.
Whether you prefer sweeping RPGs, moody platformers, or nostalgia-packed action adventures, there are plenty of options to strike just the right tone. This Valentine's Day, stay safe and cozy at home and pick up one of these games to play with a partner.
Haven is all about relationships
The plot of Haven centers on Yu and Kay, two young lovebirds who ran away from their homeworld to be together. The pair must battle enemies as they restore peace to a fractured planet and discover the secrets of their new home.
Developer The Game Bakers billed Haven as a "romantic space adventure," and it delivers on that promise. As highlighted by IGN's Kyle Campbell, Yu and Kay's stats increase as they grow closer in their relationship. Cooking new and exciting dishes together, snuggling up in bed, or crafting helpful items to use while exploring all raise their relationship meter.
The Game Bakers described Haven as "immediate to play, accessible, a pause in a busy day, a game that will make you smile," emphasizing its easy to grasp mechanics and relaxing setting. Even though there are moments of tension in Haven, it's an overall chill experience, especially with its smooth electronic soundtrack composed by DANGER.
Haven is a great romantic pick for couples that have less experience with complicated button combos and want to experience a sweet, nuanced story about love and relationships.
Stardew Valley lets you marry your coworker
Stardew Valley might not seem like an obvious choice to play with a partner, especially considering such a large part of the game involves wooing townsfolk. However, the farming sim has a multiplayer option that allows farmhand sweethearts to get hitched, which may be of interest for couples that want to share the responsibility of property management. Together, players can harvest crops, fight monsters in the mines, and raise a family.
The Stardew Valley 1.5 Update added loads of additional content to the cozy farming game, bringing the goodies released for PC in December 2020 to consoles as well. There's never been a better time to dive into this fan-favorite title. Adventuring through Pelican Town may even help players understand a few Tik Toks.
Stardew Valley is a great option for solo-players, too, of course. Isn't it cool to play a game originally made by one individual? Sometimes the most special person in your life is you.
Super Mario 3D World is co-op fun
Some couples like to get competitive, even on a day when many people want to emphasize love and relaxation. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury remasters a classic multiplayer Mario game originally released on the Wii U and adds a bonus adventure exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. Critics gave the game glowing reviews, and particularly noted how Bowser's Fury compliments the original title. There's even a cool photo mode to play around in. And cats. Very cute cats.
While Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury might not seem romantic at first glance, it's the perfect choice for gamer couples that feel nostalgic about older Super Mario Bros. games like Super Mario World for the SNES. The side scrolling action in Super Mario 3D World, paired with the creative costumes and powers available to Mario in-game, provides a varied co-op experience for couples that like to race each other, or just carry each other around. We all need a helping hand sometimes.
Transistor sings couples a sad song
Gamers might know Supergiant Games from its smash hit Hades, but it has several other releases worth giving a try, including the romance-driven Transistor. The game follows Red, a singer who has traumatically lost her voice. She finds herself in possession of the Transistor, a massive sword of unknown origins. Gradually, Red discovers that the sword is more than it appears to be.
While Transistor's description might not sound lovey-dovey on the outside, its plot quickly turns tragically romantic as players realize that the consciousness inside Transistor might have been someone who was in a relationship with Red prior to the accident. Transistor is a must play for couples that enjoy a good, well-written story, or for fans of Supergiant's other titles, like Bastion and Hades. Transistor also has a detailed soundtrack that captures the mood of the narrative, which can lend some ambiance to a couple's gaming session.
Eternal Hope tells a tale of undying love
For puzzle fans, Eternal Hope offers a romantic premise combined with stylized puzzle play. After the young protagonist tragically loses his girlfriend, he journeys to the underworld to escort her soul out of purgatory. Players join the boy as he travels through various landscapes to find his love, along with the help of a fairy companion. Throughout the game, the boy transverses the land of the living and the spirit world, seeing shadows that live on the other side that could potentially help him solve puzzles.
While some reviews criticized Eternal Hope's gameplay, the story was praised as moving and charming. Eternal Hope is a single-player game, but its focus on love and undying devotion fits the holiday perfectly, providing a nice shared experience for couples that want to split gaming duties.
If none of these options strike your fancy, you can always share one of the most romantic games of all time with your boo, or, you know, play something far less romantic, alone.