How couples play on video calls: the 2026 Cupie data report

Couples call each other every day, but almost nobody knows what actually happens on those calls. So we looked. This report looks at video calls between couples on Cupie, the free app where couples play games together on a video call, from July 22 to October 19, 2026. Everything here is a total across many couples. We never looked at names, messages, answers or call audio.

Do couples play games on video calls?

Yes, a lot. 70.5% of calls included at least one game, and calls with a game had 6 games on average, across about 2 different games. New couples jump in fast: most play their first game on day one.

Calls with a game were much longer. The median call with a game lasted 23.3 minutes, against 6.6 minutes for calls without one. To be fair, this is a link, not proof that games cause longer calls: a longer call simply has more time for a game. Even so, among calls of 10 minutes or more, calls with games still ran longer (31 vs 25 minutes median).

Which games do couples play most?

Here is the share of game-playing couples who played each game at least once in the three weeks when all 14 games were live (September 29 to October 19, 2026).

Two things stand out. First, the most popular game is a conversation game: Get Closer, a deck of questions about each other. Second, Four in a Row is the game played most often: it makes up 1 in 4 of all game sessions, because couples ask for a rematch again and again. Tic Tac Toe gets finished 94.8% of the time once it starts, the highest of any game.

Keep in mind that 9 of the 14 games unlock as a couple's streak grows, so games like Chess and Get Romantic rank lower partly because they unlock later. See every game in our guide to games to play on FaceTime and long distance relationship games.

How do new couples start?

With conversation, not competition. The most common first game for a new couple was Get Closer (24.9%), followed by Tic Tac Toe (21.3%), Four in a Row (16.7%), Truth or Dare (15.5%) and Minigolf (13.4%).

Among the most-answered Get Closer cards were "What do you think is the main way I show / give love?", "On a scale of 1-10, how open do you feel I am with you? Explain." and "What about me most intrigued you before we started dating?" Cards are dealt in random order, so these are close to a tie, not a clear favorite. Want more like them? Try our deep questions to ask your partner.

When do couples call each other?

Late. The busiest hour is 10 to 11 pm in the caller's own time zone, with 15.5% of all calls. 4 in 10 calls start between 9 pm and midnight, more than 6 in 10 start after 6 pm, and 1 in 7 starts after midnight. Mornings are nearly empty: only 1.6% of calls start between 5 and 9 am.

Sunday is the biggest calling day (15% above an average day) and Friday is the quietest (19% below). Our guess: Friday is when couples who can see each other, do. Weekdays and weekends are otherwise about even. Calls are long, too: the median call lasted 18 minutes, and 1 in 8 ran an hour or longer.

How many couples are long distance?

Many. 32.1% of couples have partners in different time zones, 12.8% are at least 3 hours apart and 7.4% are 6 or more hours apart. Up to 23.7% have partners in different countries (an upper bound, because VPNs and roaming can make a country look different). The most common cross-border pairs are Canada and the US, the UK and the US, Italy and the US, Spain and the US, and Italy and Spain.

Couples who turned on Cupie's distance widget live a median of 519 km (323 miles) apart, and 39% are more than 1,000 km apart. Not every couple uses that widget, and long-distance couples are more likely to, so read that number as "long-distance couples on Cupie", not all couples. If that's you, our long distance relationship tips and long distance date ideas are a good next read.

Where do couples on Cupie live?

All over the world. The biggest groups are in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

How well do partners know each other?

Pretty well. In Cupie's couple quizzes, partners answer the same questions on their own and then see how many answers match. The average match was 64.4%, 81% of results were 50% or higher, and 1 in 11 quizzes ended in a perfect 100% match.

Couples agree most on school and work (86.7%), food (73.2%) and hobbies (72.5%), and least on lifestyle (53.9%), money (55.1%) and moral values (56.3%). By format, "Who is more likely to" quizzes had the lowest agreement (55.3%), which makes sense: those are the ones couples argue about. Try a round with our couples quiz or would you rather questions for couples.

Truth or dare: what do couples pick?

Truth wins, 55 to 45. This is based on just one day of tracking (October 19, 2026), so treat it as a first look. In Truth or Dare, the game gets bolder every 4 rounds, and 38% of sessions made it to the top level. In the Get Spicy deck, almost 1 in 4 couples went all the way to the last phase. Our free truth or dare for couples list starts milder.

Methodology

• Window: July 22 to October 19, 2026 (90 days, UTC). Game rankings use September 29 to October 19, 2026, the first period with all 14 games live.
• Calls: completed 1:1 video calls of 60 seconds or more. Unanswered and shorter calls are not counted.
• Games: a game counts when the partner accepted it and it started.
• Time of day: each call is placed in the caller's own device time zone (98% of calls had one).
• Location: country from IP address at the end of a call. Time zones from each partner's device.
• Privacy: only totals across many couples. Every group shown has at least 50 couples. No names, account ids, messages, quiz answers or call audio were used. Team and test accounts were removed.
• Limits: calls with games are longer, but that is a correlation. Games that unlock later rank lower. Quiz rankings follow the order quizzes are dealt, so we don't publish them. The truth or dare split covers one day.

Journalists and bloggers: you are welcome to use these numbers. Please credit "Cupie data report 2026" with a link to this page, and reach us through the Help Center for more detail.