Getting into the same session as someone you know — rather than being dropped in with strangers — is the part of Avakin Life that people actually search for. Here is the whole process, start to finish.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. Avakin Life 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.
It is free to download, so there is no reason for one of you to hold off and watch over the other's shoulder.
Step by step
- Install it on both phones. Do this before you sit down to play — first-launch downloads are always bigger than you expect.
- Add each other as friends in-game. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Meet up in a shared space or mini-game.
- Stay on a call while you set up the first time. Working out one game's friend system together takes five minutes; doing it over text takes half an hour.
When you cannot find each other
- Make sure you are both fully signed in, not playing as a guest — guest accounts are the most common reason a friend request never arrives.
- Check you have both got the app updated. A version gap can hide one of you from the other.
- Have the person creating the session send the invite rather than both of you searching at once.
- Restart the app on both phones before assuming something is broken.
Making Avakin Life work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. Avakin Life is a few silly rounds rather than a long session, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Hang out and play mini-games in one shared world.
- Casual, welcoming and easy to jump into together.
- Customise your space and explore as a pair.
Agree on how long a session is before you start. "One more round" is how a ten-minute game eats an evening.
Similar games worth having installed
- Stumble Guys — Stumble Guys is a chaotic knockout party game where up to 32 players tumble through obstacle courses until one is left standing.
- Roblox — Roblox is not one game but a whole universe of millions of player-made experiences — obbies, roleplay, tycoons, horror and more.
- Plato — Plato packs dozens of two-player and group games — Ludo, dominoes, pool, word and strategy games — into one social app with built-in chat.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
Whatever you decide about Avakin Life, it is worth having one calm game in the rotation too. Ours is Our Flower Garden: a single garden you both tend, with no pressure to keep up.
- Is Avakin Life Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is Avakin Life Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- How to Play 2 Player Games: The Challenge With Friends
- How to Play 8 Ball Pool With Friends
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- How do I play Avakin Life with my partner?
- Install Avakin Life on both phones, add each other as friends in-game, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play Avakin Life with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so Avakin Life scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in Avakin Life?
- Usually one of you is signed in as a guest, or one copy of the app is out of date. Sign in properly on both phones, update both, then send the invite from one side rather than searching from both.
- Do we need to be in the same room to play Avakin Life?
- No. Avakin Life plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
