RISK with two players is a wildly different game than with 3 or more.
It’s amazing how the strategies are so different, even when the core mechanics of the game are the same.
Whether playing OTB with a neutral army or head-to-head on RISK: Global Domination, we’ve got you covered with some strategies to answer the question:
How do you win RISK with 2 Players?
Tired of losing at RISK?
Not sure how to get better?
Check out our list of simple yet powerful RISK Global Domination Strategies to improve your game and winning potential.
Table of Contents
#1 Do A Manual Placement
Luck is a huge factor in this version of the game, and where you start makes a huge difference.
If you’re playing with someone and you do an auto-placement, you may doom yourself before the match even begins.
Opt for a manual placement and make sure you are equally placed in an area where your opponent is. It’s in your best interest not to leave them alone in any one area.
#2 Accept That It’s A Lot Of Luck
More than any other mode of RISK (which has small elements of luck), 1v1 RISK is largely based on luck.
If you go first, you have a massive advantage. You’ll break any bonuses and set yourself in a good position for the rest of the game.
Even beyond this, the dice rolls may lean in your favor or the other person’s at key moments. One bad roll is enough to lose it in 2-player RISK.
#3 Capture As Many Territories As Possible
The name of the game is to gain as many troops for each reinforcement as possible. You do this in two main ways for a 1v1 game:
- Get many territories
- Get continent bonuses
Each round, one of your top priorities is to get both of these as much as possible.
Learn how to win with the Australia strategy in RISK (just not in 2-player).
#4 Break The Enemy Bonus Every Time
The flip of the previous tip is to limit your opponent’s reinforcements each turn. Do this by breaking their bonus first and then taking away territories.
Don’t be afraid of overextending yourself. In a drawn-out battle, the player with more bonuses and more territory will win quickly.
#5 Keep Larger Armies Ready To Attack
Never, I repeat, never block in your largest army.
It may feel safe to hide your large army in a defensive position rather than right next to enemy territory, but in this case, it’s a mistake.
If you’re blocked in, all your opponent has to do is capture everything and leave you alone. You’ll spend a whole turn fortifying and getting the army back in the game.
During this turn, they’ll collect a big reinforcement and tip the scales in their favor.
#6 Spread To At Least Two Far Apart Places
Keeping a large army is a good idea, otherwise, they’ll just mop you up.
But one large army may be a bad idea. They can turn in a card bonus and break it with their attacker advantage.
Split into two faraway places, so the enemy has to spend valuable time and resources getting you in both places.
#7 Create Bottlenecks
Bottlenecks are the name of the game in defensive 2-player RISK. If you can set up a place where a medium army is hard to break through, you’ll have a chance at holding more territories and maybe even a continent bonus.
Australia may seem like an obvious choice, but the bonus is too weak to make a big difference in 2-player.
North America and Africa are the common continents here.
Africa can be held with a three-territory bottleneck. North America is a three as well, with a higher bonus.
If you strategize right, you can hold both North and South America with three borders.
Just don’t get too settled into your one or two continents. Balance it with being aggressive and stopping the enemy from getting their troops.
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#8 Turn In Cards Right Away
When playing head-to-head RISK, cards are a huge luck factor. Can you turn it in right away?
Do you get the best bonus?
Whether on a Fixed bonus or Progressive bonus, you need to be ready to act every time you can turn one in.
Use this to beef up your larger army and take out 1) continent bonuses and then 2) their large army.
#9 Use Specific Maps
If you’re planning on the app or desktop game, you’ll have access to other maps besides the classic world map.
Some of these have narrow paths and a ton of bottlenecks. Rivertown comes to mind.
In these cases, they may be better for a 2-player matchup, especially if you know the map well.
#10 Ignore The Neutral Army
If playing OTB, the official rules state there needs to be a random neutral army in the mix.
Don’t waste your time going after this neutral army unless you can take a continent for an easy win.
Focus instead on stopping your human opponent’s growth.
If playing online RISK with a bot in the third position, do the same, but keep an eye on the bot, or they may end up too strong to defeat.
Check out our guide for how to beat Australia in RISK.
