Split screen, shared screen, one device between two people: this comes up constantly for Tick Tock: A Tale for Two. Here is the practical answer.
How Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is designed to be played
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is a two-player puzzle game built around two people with their own devices. 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. As a couple game it is ideal: buy it once, play across two devices and solve its charming clockwork world together. 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, the sort of puzzle that turns into a conversation, 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 Tick Tock: A Tale for Two 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.
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two 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
- The Past Within โ 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.
- 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
One more suggestion, unrelated to Tick Tock: A Tale for Two: keep something running that neither of you can lose at. Our Flower Garden is ours โ a shared garden, tended a few minutes at a time.
- Games Like Tick Tock: A Tale for Two to Play as a Couple
- How to Play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two With Friends
- Is Tick Tock: A Tale for Two Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is Tick Tock: A Tale for Two Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- Can you play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two on one phone?
- Tick Tock: A Tale for Two 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 Tick Tock: A Tale for Two have split screen?
- No. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two gives each player their own screen on their own phone rather than splitting a single display.
- Can we play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two 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.
