Tick Tock: A Tale for Two will happily match you with strangers all day. Playing with a specific person, which is what you want if that person is your partner, takes a couple of extra steps. They are below.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. 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.
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.
- Start a two-player session and connect with your partner. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Each of you follows your own half of the story on your screen.
- 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 Tick Tock: A Tale for Two work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is a game where the two of you have to actually talk to each other to get anywhere, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Designed for exactly two players — you truly need each other to finish.
- Splitting the story between two screens sparks constant conversation.
- A brilliant pick for a cozy couple game night in.
The couples who keep a game going are almost always the ones who attached it to something — after dinner, on the commute, before bed. The game matters less than the slot.
Similar games worth having installed
- The Past Within — The Past Within, from Rusty Lake, is a co-op-only puzzle adventure built for exactly two players — 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 — 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 — Minecraft is the iconic sandbox where you mine, craft and build almost anything, from a cozy cottage to a sprawling castle.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
A tip from running this list: pair a competitive game with a calm one. Our Flower Garden is the calm half of ours — a shared garden that waits for you.
- Can You Play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two on One Phone?
- Games Like Tick Tock: A Tale for Two to Play as a Couple
- 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
- How do I play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two with my partner?
- Install Tick Tock: A Tale for Two on both phones, start a two-player session and connect with your partner, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play Tick Tock: A Tale for Two with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so Tick Tock: A Tale for Two scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in Tick Tock: A Tale for Two?
- 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 Tick Tock: A Tale for Two?
- No. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
