Playing with Tiles: Which Azul Should You Choose?

Abstract strategy games come in many flavors, but one title has undeniably become an icon of the genre — the Azul series. The first installment won over fans with its beautiful design and addictive gameplay, and the sequels tried to raise the bar even higher. That leaves players today with the question: Which Azul should I choose?

Honestly? I can’t answer that for you! Instead, I’ll walk you through each game in the series and what they have to offer. I haven’t personally played every single one, so don’t treat this as a definitive recommendation list. Think of it more as a guide — a starting point for your own search for your perfect Azul. We’ll look at the main releases, expansions, and special editions. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of which Azul is right for you.

Azul – Where It All Began

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 8+ – 30–45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

In 2017, the board gaming world was introduced to Azul, and players were immediately captivated by its presentation. Almost everyone praised it as a beautiful game and fell in love with its chunky, candy-like tiles. They’re actually made of a resin-like material, and they look so tempting that an adult could easily mistake them for sweets. Of course, looks alone don’t make a great board game — but Azul proved it had the gameplay to match.

In the game, you’re decorating the walls of the royal palace in Évora, using tiles inspired by traditional Portuguese azulejos. On your turn, you take all tiles of one color from a factory display and place them in one row of your player board. Any tiles you can’t legally place cause you to lose points. At the end of the round, completed rows transfer a tile into your wall, scoring points based on adjacency. The game continues until someone completes at least one full row on their wall.

The rules are simple enough — maybe not the perfect first board game, but after two or three plays you’ll have no problem teaching it. Yet despite the approachable rules, the gameplay can be surprisingly brain-burning, as you plan which tiles to take and where to place them for the best score. That combination of beauty and strategy made Azul an instant hit and set the tone for a growing series.

Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra – The Glass Showdown

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 8+ – 30–45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

Just a year later, a sequel appeared: Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra. In some ways, it felt like a natural follow-up to Azul’s success; in others, it seemed like a direct answer to another hit game, Sagrada. Either way, we had ourselves a glasswork showdown.

Instead of tiles, players now draft colorful translucent pieces to create stained glass windows. The boards are modular, and your moves are restricted by the position of your glazier pawn — you can only place glass in the column where your glazier stands, so positioning and timing are key.

The rules are slightly more complex than in the original Azul, but still approachable for casual players. Whether it’s “better” than the first Azul is a matter of taste — and at this point, nobody knew the series was only just getting started.

Azul: Summer Pavilion – A Colorful Return to Roots

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 8+ – 30–45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

Another year later came Azul: Summer Pavilion, which returned to a gameplay style closer to the original, with players drafting tiles from a shared display and placing them into patterns for points. The tiles are diamond-shaped, the boards are new, and the scoring patterns are fresh, but fans of the first game will feel right at home.

The big twist is the “wild color” rule — in each round, one color acts as a joker, but you can’t take a group of tiles that is the wild color. This small change adds a lot of tactical depth. Many fans actually consider Summer Pavilion the best Azul yet, with ratings almost identical to the original.

A fun but purely cosmetic addition is the cardboard “tower” for discarded tiles. It’s not essential to gameplay, but it looks nice on the table — the kind of extra that component lovers enjoy.

Azul: Queen’s Garden – A Step Up in Complexity

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 10+ – 45–60 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

With Queen’s Garden, the Azul series took a more complex turn. Players now collect tiles featuring both colors and patterns, and must expand their gardens by adding new board sections. Scoring depends on various arrangements and combinations, making it less beginner-friendly but still relatively accessible to hobby gamers.

While the pastel color scheme and refined components fit the series’ reputation for beauty, Queen’s Garden didn’t capture quite as much excitement as earlier entries — perhaps due to a bit of Azul fatigue in the community.

Azul: Master Chocolatier – Sweet as It Sounds

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 8+ – 30–45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

In 2022, the designers brought a delicious twist to the original Azul formula: Master Chocolatier. Mechanically, it’s nearly identical to the first Azul, but the tiles are designed to look like gourmet chocolates. The realism is so convincing you might actually have to warn guests not to eat the pieces!

The only rule change is the addition of double-sided factory displays, with an optional advanced mode on the reverse side. It’s a small tweak, but the thematic overhaul and component quality make this a standout version — and at the time of writing, it holds the highest BoardGameGeek rating of any Azul.

Azul: Mini – The Travel Edition

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2–4 players – Ages 8+ – 30–45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

Azul: Mini shrinks the original game down for portability. The resin tiles are replaced with plastic, but the boards now include overlays with pegs to hold tiles in place and built-in scoring sliders — a nice functional improvement. The game comes with a fabric travel bag, making it much easier to take on the go.

Azul: Duel – Two-Player Tile Drafting

(Next Move Games / Plan B Games – 2 players – Ages 10+ – 45 min – Designer: Michael Kiesling)

It was only a matter of time before we got a dedicated two-player Azul. Azul: Duel mixes familiar elements with new mechanics, such as dome tiles that open up new placement spots. It offers plenty of strategic depth for head-to-head play, though some have criticized the thin boards and the awkwardly oversized discard tower that has to be disassembled for storage.

Azul: Crystal Mosaic – Fixing a Common Issue

One of the original Azul’s biggest annoyances was how easy it was to bump the scoring marker by accident. Crystal Mosaic solves this by adding plastic overlays to hold components in place, along with new player boards featuring alternate scoring setups. It’s handy, but priced like a full game, so whether it’s worth it depends on how much you love Azul.

Azul: Glazed Pavilion – The Summer Pavilion Overlay Pack

Like Crystal Mosaic, Glazed Pavilion adds overlays for Summer Pavilion, along with four new boards and a score tracker. Again, it’s aimed at die-hard fans who want to upgrade their favorite version.

Small Tile Packs

In some markets, small expansion packs for the first Azul have been released — including red tile sets, blue tile sets, and a “joker” set with transparent wild tiles. They’re rare and often out of print, so most players stick with the main games.

So, Which Azul Should You Choose?

The U.S. editions of Azul are published by Next Move Games (part of Plan B Games), and over the years we’ve seen everything from pure aesthetic reskins to more complex reinventions. Whether you prefer the elegant simplicity of the original, the tactical twists of Summer Pavilion, the complexity of Queen’s Garden, or the irresistible charm of Master Chocolatier, there’s probably an Azul for you.

And the best part? Whichever you choose, you’ll end up with a game that’s both gorgeous and satisfyingly strategic.