International Games Week 2026: Date Night Game Ideas

By Suraj Giri · Published

Checked against the cited sources below.

Two board game pieces and a small stack of playing cards sit on a table beside a folded game board.
International Games Week runs November 7 to 13, 2026; these five screen-free games make a low-key date night without a screen.

International Games Week runs from Saturday, November 7, through Friday, November 13, 2026, part of the American Library Association's November-long International Games Month. This year's date night pick: five screen-free games for two, from a classic card deck to a shared quiz.

ItemDate or detailSource
International Games Week 2026Saturday, November 7 to Friday, November 13, 2026nationaltoday.com
International Games MonthAll of November, every yearALA Games and Gaming Round Table
OriginBegan as "National Games Day @ your library" in 2007nationaltoday.com
OrganizerAmerican Library Association's Games and Gaming Round TableALA Games and Gaming Round Table
Who takes partPublic and community libraries that choose to participateALA Games and Gaming Round Table

What International Games Week is

International Games Week began as "National Games Day @ your library" in 2007, organized by the American Library Association, according to nationaltoday.com. It has since grown into an international observance, coordinated by the American Library Association's Games and Gaming Round Table together with library associations in other countries, and now sits inside International Games Month, which the round table describes as running for all of November every year.

The week has no ticket, membership or entry fee attached to it. Any library that wants to take part can schedule its own event during the seven days, and the observance is just as easy to mark at home with two people and a game that needs no screen.

Five screen-free games for two

None of these require a library card, a console or a subscription:

  • A standard deck of playing cards, for a quick game of gin rummy or war between courses at dinner.
  • A two-player board game already in the house, reset and replayed rather than bought new for the week.
  • A trivia box or a set of question cards, read aloud and answered in turn.
  • A paper-and-pencil game such as tic-tac-toe or hangman, played on the back of a napkin or receipt.
  • A short phone-based quiz that two people answer separately and then compare, such as the site's own couple compatibility quiz or its FLAMES calculator, both built around typed-in names rather than a screen to stare at together.

When to fit a game night into the week

The seven days give two workable windows. A weeknight game, such as a hand of cards or a round of trivia questions, fits in twenty minutes and suits Monday, November 9, through Thursday, November 12, 2026, when a full evening out is less likely. A longer board game or a slower, talk-heavy quiz suits the weekend bookends, Saturday, November 7, or Friday, November 13, 2026, when there is more time to sit with it.

Nothing about the date requires spending money or leaving the house. The point of International Games Week, as nationaltoday.com describes it, is simply to notice games as a shared activity rather than a habit, which a five-minute card game at the kitchen table does as well as a library event does.

A day-by-day plan for the week

  1. Saturday, November 7, 2026: Open the week with a longer board game already in the house.
  2. Sunday, November 8, 2026: Play a hand of a classic card game after a meal.
  3. Monday, November 9, 2026, through Wednesday, November 11, 2026: Keep it short, a few trivia questions or one round of a paper-and-pencil game on a weeknight.
  4. Thursday, November 12, 2026: Try a phone-based quiz built for two, such as this site's quiz for couples, and compare answers out loud.
  5. Friday, November 13, 2026: Close International Games Week with whichever game from the week was the most fun to repeat.

More seasonal date ideas like this one are collected on the site's news section.

Sources

Questions people ask

What is International Games Week?
International Games Week is a library-based observance that grew out of 'National Games Day @ your library,' started by the American Library Association in 2007, according to National Today. It later expanded into an international event, run today under the American Library Association's Games and Gaming Round Table as part of the month-long International Games Month.
When is International Games Week in 2026?
International Games Week runs from Saturday, November 7, through Friday, November 13, 2026, according to National Today. It sits inside International Games Month, which the Games and Gaming Round Table describes as running for all of November every year.
Who organizes International Games Week?
The American Library Association's Games and Gaming Round Table organizes International Games Month, the November-long observance that contains International Games Week. Public and community libraries that choose to take part host their own local events during the week.
What are good screen-free games for a date night?
A deck of cards, a two-player board game, a trivia box, a paper-and-pencil game such as tic-tac-toe or hangman, and a short phone-based quiz that two people answer together and compare, such as a compatibility quiz, all work without a screen dominating the evening.
Do I need to visit a library to take part in International Games Week?
No. Libraries that participate host their own local events, but the observance itself is simply a themed week. Two people can mark it with a game night at home, using any of the screen-free or low-screen games this article lists.

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