Azul is a family now. Since the original won the Spiel des Jahres in 2018, Next Move Games has added standalone sequels, a two-player version, a travel size, and a handful of add-ons. That is a gift and a trap. Each new box is good, but none of them replace the original, and the original still has corners most players never explore.
This lesson starts with what changes at different player counts, then the variant already in your box, then the add-ons and the rest of the family.
How does the game change by player count?
Azul plays 2 to 4, and the number of factory displays changes with the count.
- Two players: 5 displays, 20 tiles a round. The tightest count. You can track nearly every tile, and every pick is a direct duel. Denial matters most here.
- Three players: 7 displays, 28 tiles a round. A good balance of planning and surprise.
- Four players: 9 displays, 36 tiles a round. The most crowded. The table changes a lot between your turns, so flexible boards and fast lines gain value.
If your group likes a tense, chess-like game, two players suits it. If it likes table talk and swings, go to four. Our guide to two-player games for date night explains why Azul holds up so well at two.
The gray side of the board
Flip your board over and you will find a gray wall with no colors printed on it. This is the variant in the rulebook, and it uses every rule from the normal game with one change.
- When a tile moves from a pattern line to your wall, you may place it on any space in that row.
- No color may appear twice in the same row, and no color may appear twice in the same column.
- If a full pattern line’s tile has no legal space on the wall, all the tiles from that line go to your floor line.
Everyone must use the same side. The gray side turns your wall into a second puzzle: you design your own pattern, but every placement narrows the next one. Try it once your group can score the colored side without help.
The original, and the travel size
If you are buying a copy for someone else this season, the original Azul is still the one to start with.
Azul Mini is a smaller format of the same game. It still has 100 resin tiles, 4 player boards, and 9 factory displays, plus plastic trays. Its rulebook keeps the same rules as the original. Each board slides into its tray, and you track your score with point sliders instead of a marker. It suits travel and small tables.
Add-ons for the original
Next Move collects these on its special editions page.
Azul Crystal Mosaic needs the original Azul. It swaps in new double-sided player boards, with overlays that fit on top of them. It plays with the gray-side rule, so you choose where each tile goes in its row, and it changes the floor line values. One side adds spaces that double a tile’s points. The other changes the end bonuses to 3 per row, 10 per column, and 12 per color.
The Azul Promo Collection adds two special factory displays. The Rainbow Factory lets you take one tile of each color instead of all of one color. The Big Factory holds 6 tiles, and nobody may take from it while other displays still have tiles. It works with Azul, Stained Glass of Sintra, or Summer Pavilion. Next Move lists it as a promotional item.
Azul Master Chocolatier is a limited collector’s edition of Azul with a chocolate theme. It is a complete game with its own boards, tiles, and bag, and the same rules, plus a Special Factories variant with five kinds of special displays.
The standalone family
Each of these is a full game. None needs the original, and each keeps the drafting idea at its heart while changing what you build.
Azul Stained Glass of Sintra has you draft glass panes to fill palace windows, over six rounds. It plays 2 to 4.
Azul Summer Pavilion sends you back to Portugal to build the summer pavilion King Manuel I planned, with 132 resin tiles and a round counter. It plays 2 to 4.
Azul Queen’s Garden has you arrange plants, trees, and ornamental features in a royal garden, with jokers in the mix. It plays 2 to 4.
Azul Duel is built for exactly two players. You draft tiles as in Azul, and you also decide the pattern those tiles will form.
How to choose
- Your group loves the original as is: play the gray side, then stop and enjoy it.
- You want more of the same with a fresh look: Crystal Mosaic.
- You want a new puzzle with the same feel: Stained Glass of Sintra or Summer Pavilion.
- You mostly play as a couple: Azul Duel.
- You want it on a trip: Azul Mini.
If Azul’s look is what won you over, our comparison of Azul vs Sagrada covers the other famous pretty-tile game. For a broader way to decide on any add-on, see our piece on whether expansions are worth it.
Next lesson
The Azul Midgame: Reading the Table
Level 2 begins with the midgame: reading every board at the table, counting colors, and deciding what to leave in the center for someone else.
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Unofficial. Not affiliated with Next Move Games, Plan B Games, or Asmodee. Azul is a trademark of Plan B Games.