The English–Hindi edition sold in IndiaPhoto: Tabletop Universe
The back of the box, in English and HindiPhoto: Tabletop Universe
What's in the boxPhoto: Next Move Games (Plan B Games)
Factory displays loaded with tilesPhoto: Next Move Games (Plan B Games)
Take all the tiles of one colour from a displayPhoto: Asmodee
Placing tiles on your boardPhoto: Asmodee
Chunky resin tilesPhoto: Next Move Games (Plan B Games)
The drawstring bag of tilesPhoto: Asmodee
Video

Family game

Azul

Draft colourful tiles and build the best-scoring palace wall

2–4players · best with 2-4
30–45 minplaying time
8+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 3 min
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Families with children aged 8 and up who want real decisions without long rules

Think twice if You want lots of chatter and laughter: Azul is quiet and thoughtful

How we rate it

Learning curve. On a turn you just take one colour and place it, so the rules are about as light as Ticket to Ride and lighter than Catan. The planning gets deeper as the rounds go on.

Luck & skill. Which tiles land on the factories is random. What you take, and what you leave for others, decides the game.

Interaction. Nobody attacks anyone directly, but every pick changes what others can take. Leaving someone a pile they can't use is a big part of the game, and it's sharper with two players.

Set-up. The first time, press the factory displays and other cardboard pieces out of their sheets. After that, give each player a board and a scoring marker, lay out 5, 7 or 9 factories and draw 4 tiles from the bag onto each. That takes 2 or 3 minutes.

Reading. There are no words on the tiles or boards. Only the rulebook needs reading, and the Indian edition includes it in Hindi.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Check price on Amazon.in

Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Is Azul right for you?

Great if

  • Families with children aged 8 and up who want real decisions without long rules
  • Couples, because it plays well with just two
  • Mixed-language tables, since nothing on the tiles or boards needs reading
  • A gift for people new to modern board games

Skip it if

  • You want lots of chatter and laughter: Azul is quiet and thoughtful
  • Someone in your group hates being blocked, since you can force others to take tiles they don't want
  • You want a strong story or theme, because here it is light (decorating a palace wall with tiles)

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Spiel des Jahres · Winner · 2018 official award mark
Winner · 2018

Spiel des Jahres

Germany’s Game of the Year: the jury’s top family-game honour.

Meet the jury’s choice ↗
More recognition 1

As d'Or, Jeu de l'Année (France's Game of the Year), 2018 (Winner)

How Azul plays

Each player has a board with a 5×5 wall on the right and five 'pattern lines' on the left that hold 1 to 5 tiles. In the middle of the table are small round 'factory displays': 5 for two players, 7 for three and 9 for four. Each one gets four random tiles from a bag of 100.

  • Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The tiles and boards have no text, so nobody needs to read during play. The Indian edition comes with an extra rulebook in Hindi.
Placing tiles on your board · Photo: Asmodee

How to play Azul in 4 Minutes · Teach The Table

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Pick

    Take every tile of one colour from one factory display and push the rest into the centre. Or take every tile of one colour from the centre. The first person to take from the centre in a round also takes the first-player marker, which costs 1 point.

  2. 2
    Place

    Put the tiles on one of the five pattern lines on your board. A line holds only one colour, and only a colour you haven't already placed in that row of your wall. Tiles that don't fit fall to your floor line and lose you points.

  3. 3
    Tile

    When every tile has been taken, each full pattern line moves one tile across to your wall. It scores 1 point, or more if it joins tiles already in its row or column.

  4. 4
    Win

    The game ends after the round in which someone completes a row of five on their wall. Add bonuses: 2 points per full row, 7 per full column and 10 for each colour with all five tiles placed. Highest score wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Azul rulebook (English, web version) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Azul goes

On your turn, take all the tiles of one colour from one factory and push the rest into the centre of the table. Or you can take all of one colour from the centre. The first person each round to take from the centre also takes the first-player marker, which goes on their floor line and costs a point. Put the tiles you took on one of your pattern lines. Each line can hold only one colour.

Any tiles that don't fit drop to the floor line at the bottom of your board, and each tile there costs you points. A lot of the game is about leaving your opponents with piles they don't want.

Once every tile has been taken, each full pattern line moves one tile across to the matching spot on your wall, and the rest go back. Each tile you place scores a point, plus extra points if it touches other tiles in its row or column.

The game ends after the round in which someone completes a horizontal row of five on their wall. At the end you earn 2 bonus points for each complete row, 7 for each complete column and 10 for each colour you have placed all five of. The highest score wins.

What's in the box

What's in the box · Photo: Next Move Games (Plan B Games)
  • 100Tiles
    chunky resin tiles, 20 in each of 5 colours and patterns
  • 4Player boards
    double-sided: a coloured wall for the normal game and a grey wall for the variant
  • 9Factory displays
    round cardboard discs; use 5 for two players, 7 for three and 9 for four
  • 4Scoring markers
    one per player, moved along the score track on your board
  • 1Starting player marker
    taken by the first player to pick from the centre each round
  • 1Bag
    linen bag for drawing tiles
  • 1Rulebook
    English; the Green Elephant Indian edition adds a Hindi rulebook

Box: 26.2 × 26 × 7.4 cm, 1.1 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

The list is from Next Move Games' official Azul page (100 resin tiles, 4 player boards, 9 factory displays, 4 scoring markers, 1 starting player marker, 1 linen bag, 1 rulebook). The official rulebook adds that there are 20 tiles of each colour, that boards are double-sided, and how many factories to use. Indian listings say the Green Elephant Indian edition has the same components, made in the same factory, plus an extra rulebook in Hindi.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in

Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Green Elephant Games is the authorised Indian distributor of an English/Hindi edition, made with Plan B Games and Asmodee. Indian listings describe it as having the same components as the English version, plus a Hindi rulebook, so the extra rulebook is the only difference. Our Amazon.in link goes to the international Plan B Games edition.

Before you choose

  • Look for Plan B Games or Next Move Games on the box. The Indian edition also names Green Elephant Games and says English/Hindi. Generic brand names on Amazon.in 'Azul' listings are a warning sign.
  • Be wary of a set that costs a fraction of the usual price. One Indian website sold a much cheaper 'Azul' without naming Plan B or Next Move.
  • Check the contents: 100 tiles (20 in each of 5 colours), 4 player boards, 9 factory displays, a bag, scoring markers and a first-player marker. If the scoring markers or the first-player marker are missing, it is likely a copy.
  • Unofficial copies have been sold under other names, such as 'Blue Standard Edition', to avoid trademark checks. Be careful with a game that looks like Azul but goes by a different name.
  • Check print quality: dull or uneven tile colours and blurry box printing are common signs of an unofficial copy.

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers and players agree that Azul is one of the easiest modern games to teach that still rewards real planning. The rules are short, set-up is quick, and the heavy, colourful tiles look and feel lovely. It works with 2, 3 or 4 players, and one game often turns into two. The catches: the palace theme is just decoration, and much of the skill is leaving others with tiles they can't use, which can feel a little mean.

What people love

  • Very few rules and almost no exceptions, so new players get it within a round
  • Chunky resin tiles that look great on the table, plus quick set-up and pack-up
  • Early turns feel free and easy, but each round gets tenser and needs more planning
  • Good for families and people new to board games, while experienced players still enjoy it

Common complaints

  • The theme of tiling a palace barely matters, so it plays like an abstract puzzle
  • Forcing someone to take tiles they can't place can feel mean, especially with two players
  • With 3 or 4 players it's more about grabbing chances than planning ahead
Based on 6 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

More like Azul

SIDE BY SIDE

Which game is the best fit?

Our picks if Azul isn't quite right.

Swipe to compare every game

Azul and alternatives: reasons to consider them, players, play time, age, rules and Indian editions.
Compare
the games.The details that make a difference.		 YOU’RE VIEWING
Azul box Azul
ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Splendor box Splendor ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Ticket to Ride box Ticket to Ride ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY Jaipur box Jaipur
Why consider itThis game

Draft colourful tiles and build the best-scoring palace wall

A different fit

Also easy to teach, with collecting and planning ahead using gem chips and cards instead of tiles

A different fit

Another family game with simple turns, if you'd like a bit more theme and a map

A different fit

A quick two-player trading card game for couples who play mostly as a pair

Players2–42–42–52
Best with2-42-342
Play time30–45 min30 min30–60 min30 min
Age8+10+8+10+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableImportedImportedAvailable
On this pageExplore Splendor Explore Ticket to Ride Explore Jaipur

Questions people ask about Azul

Is Azul available in India?

Yes. Green Elephant Games distributes an official English/Hindi edition, and the international Plan B Games edition is sold in India too. Our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to the Plan B Games edition; check that the box names Plan B Games or Next Move Games.

Is Azul good for 2 players?

Yes. With two players you use five factory displays instead of nine, and the game works well at that size. If you only ever play as a pair, Azul Duel is a two-player-only version released in 2025.

What is the Hindi edition of Azul?

It is the official edition for India from Green Elephant Games, made with Plan B Games and Asmodee. The components are the same as the English version, with an extra rulebook in Hindi.

How can I tell if an Azul copy is genuine?

Check that the box names Plan B Games or Next Move Games (and Green Elephant Games for the Indian edition). Be wary of a set that costs a fraction of the usual price, especially if the listing doesn't name the publisher.

Game facts

Designed by
Michael Kiesling
Publisher
Plan B Games / Next Move Games (part of Asmodee)
In India
Green Elephant Games (English/Hindi edition)
First published
2017
Players
2–4
Language
No reading – The tiles and boards have no text, so nobody needs to read during play. The Indian edition comes with an extra rulebook in Hindi.
Box size and weight
26.2 × 26 × 7.4 cm, 1.1 kg
Awards
Spiel des Jahres (Germany's Game of the Year), 2018 (Winner); As d'Or, Jeu de l'Année (France's Game of the Year), 2018 (Winner)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.