If you searched for boyfriend plays video games all day, you are probably feeling a little left out right now. They get home, sit down at the PC, and the evening disappears into one more game, then another. The same thing happens to people whose girlfriend games every night, and to couples who both play but never the same thing. This guide starts from a simple idea: gaming is a hobby your partner genuinely enjoys, and the goal is not to take it away but to turn part of that time into time you both enjoy. Nobody has to be the bad guy. You will work out what you actually want, use a short checklist to talk about it calmly, look at six common situations with something concrete to try for each, and plan a first game date if you would like to join in. You do not need to know anything about games to start. If you already want to pick something to play together, the list of PC couple games is a good place to browse first. Everything here works the same whether your partner is a boyfriend, a girlfriend or anyone else you love.
First decide what you want: more time, to play together, or a fair schedule
Before you bring it up, pick the one thing you want most, because the same frustration can point to very different fixes. If you want more time together, asking them to game less tends to sound like a punishment. Suggest something concrete instead, such as two evenings a week for dinner and a walk, so the conversation adds time with you rather than taking time away from the game. If you want to join the game, you do not have to jump straight into the competitive game they play every night. A co-op game that is new to both of you is much easier, so browse two player co-op games on PC or build something together in Minecraft, where a skill gap barely matters. If what bothers you is that the week simply feels unfair, the answer is a shared schedule: game nights, your own hobby nights and together nights written into one calendar. It is fine if all three apply, but open the conversation with the one that matters most and you will both stay calmer.
How to talk about it without a fight
- Pick a calm moment, such as after dinner, not in the middle of a match or when either of you is tired
- Ask what they like about the game first: time with friends, the challenge, or a way to unwind after work
- Say what you would like (two evenings together this week) instead of what they do wrong
- Agree on game time and together time with real days or hours, not a vague less
- Agree that the last game is announced before it starts, and let the agreed last game finish. Ranked matches cannot be paused and leaving lets the team down
- Watch a match together first and ask them to explain what is happening on screen
- If you play together, no raging at each other. Mistakes happen, and cheering each other on through a loss is rule number one
Six common situations and what to try
| Situation | What to try | Games or posts to start with |
|---|---|---|
| Games every night after work | Split the week into game nights and together nights, and now and then sit in for one match | Pick one game from PC couple games |
| Plays ranked a lot | Ranked has to be finished, so agree on a start time for the last match; play together in casual modes or as a duo | LoL duo guide, VALORANT duo guide |
| Wants me to play too | Watch one of their matches first, then start with a co-op game that is new to both of you instead of ranked | Two player co-op games, Minecraft |
| I want to try but I am a total beginner | Start with modes against bots or casual queues, with your partner as the helper who explains | Co-op vs. AI in League of Legends, Quick Play in Overwatch |
| We are long distance | Turn the nights you cannot meet into game dates, each on your own PC, on a call while you play | The online co-op picks in PC couple games |
| We like different games | Take turns playing one match of each other's game, or find a third game that is new to both of you | Games to play with friends on PC |
Plan your first game date
- 1Pick an easy co-op gameChoose a game where you are on the same side and a skill gap barely shows. Building, cooking and puzzle games produce far more laughs than competitive ones. If you are stuck, start from PC couple games or Minecraft.
- 2Set up togetherInstall the game, create accounts, add each other as friends and test headsets or a voice call the day before or half an hour early. Let the more experienced player handle settings so the date does not start with troubleshooting.
- 3Play short sessionsKeep the first date under an hour, about two or three rounds. Stopping while it is still fun makes the next date something to look forward to. The stronger player's job is to help the other person enjoy it, not to win.
- 4Save the funny momentsFalling off a ledge, yelling at the same time, the round you barely won: these are even funnier on replay. Keep recording on so you can sit together and watch them back afterwards.
- 5Talk about what was funAfterwards, share your favourite moment and what you would like to try next, then pick the next game date. Taking turns choosing the game keeps it fair and shows you respect each other's taste.
Keep your matches together with DOR
DOR is a free Windows app. Once it is installed, supported games record automatically every time you launch them, so the moments you laughed at on your first game date are already saved without pressing a thing. League of Legends, VALORANT, PUBG, Overwatch, Fortnite, CS2 and FC Online also get automatic kill and highlight clips. If you duo in LoL or VALORANT with DOR running on both PCs, Party Clip lets each of you upload one clip from your own point of view of the same match and joins them into one video, so you can watch the same fight from your screen and your partner's side by side. After a LoL or VALORANT match, DOR shows the people you just played with, so you can follow each other right away or choose create a guild with these friends to start a small guild just for the two of you. In that guild you can share clips, pin posts and post a schedule such as duo tonight with a time and number of slots, and every guild member gets a notification. Putting your agreed game nights on the guild schedule makes them easy to keep. If you are new to playing as a duo, read the LoL duo guide next.
