Can the two of you play The Past Within on a single phone? It is a fair question โ passing one device back and forth is how a lot of couples actually play. The honest answer depends on what you mean by "together".
How The Past Within is designed to be played
The Past Within is a two-player puzzle game built around two people with their own devices. The Past Within, from Rusty Lake, is a co-op-only puzzle adventure built for exactly two players โ each of you plays in a different time period and has to describe what you see to solve shared puzzles. It is the definition of a couple game: you literally cannot finish it alone. The design assumes each of you has your own screen and your own view of what is going on.
That is not a limitation so much as the point โ in this kind of game, built around one of you seeing what the other cannot, and a shared screen would give both of you the same information.
What to do if you only have one phone between you
- Play it in turns rather than at once, handing the phone over at natural breaks.
- Or pick something built for one device from the start. 2 Player Games: The Challenge is the obvious one โ it is a whole collection designed around two people sharing a single screen.
- If you are in the same room with two phones, just use both. Same-room play with separate screens is a different, better experience.
We keep a full list of these on our games for two people on one phone guide.
Playing The Past Within properly, on two devices
- Install it on both phones.
- Start a two-player session and connect with your partner.
- Each of you follows your own half of the story on your screen.
- Sit next to each other if you can โ with this kind of game, being in the same room and talking out loud is half of it.
The Past Within is on both the App Store and Google Play, so it does not matter which of you is on iPhone and which is on Android.
Games in the same vein
- Tick Tock: A Tale for Two โ Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is a cooperative puzzle game designed for two people โ you each see different clues on your own screen and must talk to make progress.
- Sky: Children of the Light โ Sky: Children of the Light, from the makers of Journey, is a serene social adventure about flying through beautiful realms and sharing light with others.
- Minecraft โ Minecraft is the iconic sandbox where you mine, craft and build almost anything, from a cozy cottage to a sprawling castle.
Where to go next
If nothing here fits, start from the other end and pick the game with the lowest cost to open on a bad day. For us that is Our Flower Garden.
- Games Like The Past Within to Play as a Couple
- How to Play The Past Within With Friends
- Is The Past Within Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is The Past Within Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- Can you play The Past Within on one phone?
- The Past Within is built for two devices, one each. If you only have one phone between you, take turns with it โ or pick a game designed for same-device play instead.
- Does The Past Within have split screen?
- No. The Past Within gives each player their own screen on their own phone rather than splitting a single display.
- Can we play The Past Within in the same room?
- Yes, and it is often the best way to play it โ two phones, one sofa, talking out loud instead of typing.
