Azul board game: rules, scoring and strategy
How to play Azul: draft colourful tiles from factory displays, complete rows on your wall and avoid broken tiles. Scoring explained with simple strategy tips.
- Type
- Board game
- Players
- 2–4
- Age
- Ages 8+
- Play time
- 30–45 min
- First released
- 2017
- Designed by
- Michael Kiesling
- Publisher
- Plan B Games
Azul is a tile-drafting game inspired by the decorative ceramic tiles of Portugal, which themselves carry a long influence from Islamic art. Players are tile artists decorating a palace wall. Each round, they take sets of coloured tiles from small factory displays in the middle of the table and place them in rows on their personal board. Completed rows move one tile onto the wall, where it scores points based on how it connects to other tiles. The rules are compact and the pieces are bright and heavy, yet the game hides sharp decisions about what to take and what to leave for others. It was designed by Michael Kiesling and published in 2017.
Our verdict
Azul looks gentle but plays sharply. Every choice also decides what your opponents can take next, so you learn to count tiles and sometimes force a rival to accept penalty tiles. The game is quick, about 30 to 45 minutes, and works very well with two players. The finished wall feels like a small piece of art, which children and adults both enjoy. It is one of the clearest examples of a modern family game that is easy to learn and still rewarding after many plays.
What works
- Beautiful and tactile components
- Short rules with real depth
- Excellent with two players
What does not
- Can feel tense and unforgiving for young children
- Scoring takes a few rounds to understand
How to play Azul
Each round begins with tiles drawn randomly onto several round factory displays. On your turn, choose one display and take all tiles of one colour from it; the remaining tiles move to the centre. Alternatively, take all tiles of one colour from the centre; the first player to do so also takes the first-player marker and a small penalty. Place the tiles into one of five pattern lines on your board, which hold one to five tiles. A line may contain only one colour, and you cannot place a colour already on the matching wall row. Tiles that do not fit fall to the floor line and cost points. When all tiles are taken, each full pattern line sends one tile to the wall, scoring one point plus points for every connected tile in its row and column. The game ends when someone completes a horizontal row on the wall. Bonuses reward full rows, full columns and all five tiles of one colour.
Tips for new players
- Place tiles in the middle of your wall early; they connect in both directions and score more.
- Avoid taking more tiles than a line can hold unless it forces a bigger penalty on a rival.
- Count which colours remain before choosing; sometimes leaving tiles hurts the next player.
- Plan toward column and colour bonuses in the final rounds.
Good for
Azul: common questions
How many players can play Azul?
Azul supports two to four players.
When does a game of Azul end?
At the end of the round in which at least one player completes a full horizontal row on their wall.
What is the floor line in Azul?
It holds tiles you take but cannot place, and each tile there subtracts points at the end of the round.
Azul belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
