55 Long Distance Date Ideas (That Are More Than Just a Call)

The best long distance date ideas give you something to do together, not just something to talk about. Play a game on a video call, cook the same recipe, watch a movie in sync, or take a walk "together" on the phone. Below are 55 ideas sorted by mood, budget and time zone, plus a simple plan for making virtual dates a habit that sticks.

A quick note before the list: a date is more than a call. If every night is the same "so, how was your day?", the calls start to feel like a chore. The trick is to add one shared activity. It gives you something to laugh about, something to remember, and a reason to look forward to the next one.

What makes a good long distance date?

The dates that work best share three things:

• You do it at the same time. A live, shared moment beats a recap. Watching the same scene or making the same move in a game feels like being in the same room.
• It has a small goal. Win the game, finish the puzzle, cook the dish, pick a winner. A goal gives the call shape, so you are not just staring at each other.
• It fits your real life. A 20 minute game before bed that you actually do every night beats a perfect three hour date you keep pushing back.

Keep that in mind and almost anything below can become your thing.

Game night dates (the easiest place to start)

Games are the fastest way to turn a quiet call into a real date. You laugh, you trash talk a little, and the time goes by fast. Here are ideas that work on any phone.

1. Play games on a video call. In Cupie you call your partner and play live games together, synced on both phones: Minigolf, Pool, Chess, Cup Pong, Four in a Row, Tic Tac Toe and more. You see each other's faces the whole time, which is the best part.
2. Best of five tournament. Pick three games, play each one, and the loser plans the next date.
3. Truth or Dare over video. Keep it cute or make it flirty. Our list of truth or dare questions for couples has both.
4. Would You Rather. Quick, silly and surprisingly revealing. Start with these would you rather questions for couples.
5. Take a couples quiz. See how well you really know each other, then argue about the answers. Try our couples quiz.
6. A geography guessing game. Drop into a random Street View spot and guess where in the world you are. Free versions like OpenGuessr let you play with a friend.
7. Online trivia. Pick a category you both love (movies, music, your favorite show) and keep score across the week.
8. 21 Questions. No app needed. Our guide to the 21 questions game has rules and question ideas.

Want more? We rounded up the best games to play on FaceTime and long distance relationship games in their own guides.

Inside the Cupie app

Silly questions for a video date, from Cupie

Word for word from the Get Silly deck in Cupie (Big screen). The deck has 105 cards.

• Big screenIf we were a trendy startup, what would our tagline be?
• Big screenWhat should our catchphrase be?
• Big screenWhat would our life look like as a musical?
• Big screenSuppose we entered a talent show; what would our act be?
• Big screenIf we got matching tattoos, what ridiculous thing would they be?
• Big screenIf our first date had a blooper reel, what scene would definitely make it in?

Watch and listen together

Movie night is the classic virtual date for a reason. The hard part is keeping both screens in sync, so you laugh at the same joke at the same time. Here is what works as of October 2026.

9. Teleparty movie night. Teleparty syncs playback in the browser and adds a chat. The free version works with services like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube and HBO Max. Premium (listed at $6.59 a month) adds services like Crunchyroll, Paramount+ and ESPN+. Each of you still needs your own streaming account.
10. SharePlay on FaceTime. If you both have Apple devices, you can watch shows or listen to music together inside a FaceTime call. Apple notes that each person needs their own access to the content.
11. The countdown method. No tool needed: both press play on "3, 2, 1". Low tech, works everywhere.
12. Listen to an album front to back. Each of you picks one album the other has never heard. Spotify Jam lets you share a queue in real time (one person needs Premium to start a Jam).
13. Build a shared playlist. Add one song a day that reminds you of each other. Play it the next time you visit.
14. Bad movie night. Pick the worst rated movie you can find and rate it out of ten together.
15. Start a series together. One rule: no watching ahead. Breaking it is a punishable offense.
16. Watch a live event at the same time. A game, an awards show or a concert stream. Text your hot takes or keep the call open.

Good to know: Amazon shut down its own Prime Video Watch Party feature in 2024, so older guides that recommend it are out of date.

Food dates

Eating together is one of the most normal couple things there is, and it translates well to video.

17. Cook the same recipe. Pick a dish, shop for the same ingredients, and cook side by side on video. Compare the results honestly.
18. Bake-off. Same recipe, but now it is a competition. Judge on looks only, since you cannot taste each other's.
19. Order dinner for each other. Each of you secretly orders the other's meal through a delivery app. Eat together on video.
20. Breakfast date across time zones. If you are far apart, one person's breakfast can be the other's dinner. Eat "together" anyway.
21. Country night. Pick a country, cook one dish from it, put on music from there, and learn three words of the language.
22. Taste test. Buy the same five snacks or drinks and rank them together, blind if you can.
23. Coffee date before work. Ten minutes, same mug, no phones except the one you are calling on.
24. Virtual picnic. Both take your food outside to a park and call from there.

Deep talk dates

Long distance couples often say the distance made them talk more. Use it. These dates are about learning something new about each other.

25. The 36 questions. A famous set of questions from a 1997 psychology study, built to make two people closer. Try our 36 questions to fall in love.
26. Deep question night. Take turns pulling questions you have never asked. Start with our deep questions to ask your partner.
27. Love language night. Both take our free love language quiz, then compare results and talk about what each of you needs while apart.
28. Childhood tour. Show each other old photos and tell the story behind each one.
29. Five year plan date. Where do you want to live? What does a normal Tuesday look like when you finally close the distance?
30. Letter reading. Each of you writes a letter, then reads it out loud on the call.
31. Two person book club. Read the same book, one chapter a week, and talk about it on Sunday.

Creative and active dates

32. Walk and talk. Both go for a walk at the same time and call. Show each other what you see.
33. Work out together. Pick the same free YouTube workout and do it on video. Suffering is better shared.
34. Hometown tour. Walk your partner through your favorite places in your city on video.
35. Virtual museum visit. Google Arts & Culture offers virtual tours of museums and cultural sites around the world. Share your screen and wander a gallery together.
36. Draw each other. Ten minutes, no erasing, then reveal at the same time.
37. Same puzzle race. Buy the same jigsaw puzzle and race to finish it over a few calls.
38. Learn something new. A language, a dance, a craft. Pick a free online class and learn it together.
39. Stargazing. Use a free star map app and look at the same moon at the same time, even if it is a different time of night for each of you.
40. Plan a dream trip. Pick a place, build the full itinerary, and save it for when you can actually go.
41. Design your future home. Use a free floor plan tool or a shared board and argue about the couch.

Flirty and romantic dates

Keep the spark alive. These are suggestive, not explicit.

42. Dress up dinner. Dress like you are going somewhere nice, light a candle, and eat together on video.
43. Spicy question deck. Cupie has Get Romantic and Get Spicy question decks you can play together on the call (the app is rated 18+ for this reason).
44. Flirty truth or dare. Raise the stakes slowly.
45. Recreate your first date. Same food, same music, same outfit if you still have it.
46. Slow dance on video. Prop up the phone, play your song, and dance. It is silly. Do it anyway.
47. Write a list. "20 things I love about you". Read it out loud on the call.

Surprise dates by mail

48. Care package. Their favorite snacks, a hoodie that smells like you, a handwritten note.
49. Open-when letters. A stack of envelopes labeled "open when you miss me", "open when you had a bad day", and so on.
50. Unbox on video. Send a small gift and make them open it while you watch.
51. Matching items. Matching mugs, bracelets or plants that you each keep alive.
52. Postcard from your day. Mail a postcard from a normal Tuesday. It arrives days later as a small surprise.

Reunion dates

53. Countdown calendar. Cross off days together until your next visit.
54. Meet in the middle. Pick a city halfway between you that neither of you knows well.
55. Bucket list visit. Keep a shared list of things to do in person, and pull from it every visit.

How do you plan dates across time zones?

Time zones are the most common reason long distance dates fall apart. A few rules help:

• Find your overlap window. Write down the hours you are both awake and free. That is your date window.
• Use the "my morning, your night" date. Breakfast for one, dinner for the other. It feels odd at first, then it becomes cute.
• Take turns with the hard hour. If one person always stays up late, it starts to feel unfair. Swap.
• Keep their local time in sight. Cupie's home screen widgets show your partner, the distance between you and their local time, so you know at a glance if it is a good moment to call.

How often should long distance couples have a date?

There is no magic number, but most couples do well with a mix: short daily check-ins plus one planned date a week. The daily call keeps you in each other's lives. The weekly date keeps it fun. If you want a light routine, try a 15 minute game every night and one bigger date (movie, cooking, deep questions) on the weekend.

Cupie builds this in with a daily streak. New games unlock as your streak grows, which gives you a small reason to show up every day. For more ideas on making the distance easier, read our long distance relationship tips.

A sample week of long distance dates

What do real long distance couples say?

Here is what a few Cupie users wrote in their reviews:

"my bf and i spend 2hours every night on cupie, we love the games but we now also just use it in general instead of facetime" (jessyjsssy, App Store)

"me and my partner are long distance with me being in the military and we downloaded this yesterday and it was brilliant." (App Store review, UK)

Cupie is free on iPhone and Android, and as of October 2026 it has 4.8 stars on both the App Store and Google Play. Both partners need the app, and it is built for video calls, so there is no text chat yet. If you want a wider comparison, see our list of the best long distance relationship apps.