TL;DR: If you’re looking to reclaim an hour of your evening from the clutches of Roblox or endless YouTube scrolling, Azul is your new best friend. It’s a tactile, gorgeous strategy game that feels like a puzzle but plays like a competitive sport. It’s perfect for ages 8+, takes about 30-45 minutes, and actually makes kids use their brains for spatial reasoning instead of just chasing dopamine hits.
Quick Links for the Intentional Parent:
- The Original: Azul
- The Best Sequel: Azul: Summer Pavilion
- The "Math-y" Alternative: Sagrada
- Where to play it online (legitimately): Board Game Arena
Azul is a board game where players are "tile-laying artists" tasked with decorating the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora. I know, "decorating a palace" sounds like the plot of a slow Netflix period drama, but stay with me.
The game is built around these heavy, resin tiles that look and feel like Starbursts (please don't let the toddlers eat them). You draft tiles from "factories" in the middle of the table, try to complete rows on your player board, and then "wall" them to score points.
It’s simple enough to learn in five minutes but has enough "chess-brain" energy to keep a teenager engaged. It’s basically the board game equivalent of those satisfying "oddly satisfying" ASMR videos, but with actual social interaction.
We spend a lot of time worrying about "brain rot" content—those high-speed, low-substance videos or games that leave kids overstimulated and cranky. Azul is the literal antidote.
- The Tactile Satisfaction: In a world of glass screens, the "clink" of these tiles is a sensory win. Kids who thrive on fidget toys or building in Minecraft will love the physical nature of the game.
- The "Hate-Drafting": This is where the "Ohio" energy comes in (for the uninitiated, that’s kid-speak for "weird" or "cringe," but in this context, it’s about the chaos). In Azul, you can see what your opponent needs. If you take the tiles they want, they might be forced to take tiles they can’t use, which "break" and cost them points. It’s just the right amount of "savage" for siblings to enjoy.
- Low Barrier to Entry: Unlike Catan, there’s no trading or complex negotiation. You just pick tiles. This is great for kids who get frustrated by the "politics" of other board games.
Ask our chatbot for more board games that help with sibling rivalry
If you search for "Azul" on the App Store or Google Play, you’re going to find a graveyard of unofficial clones. Most of these are ad-riddled, "freemium" nightmares that strip away the very thing that makes the game good: the intentional, focused experience.
If your kid wants to play Azul on a screen (maybe for a long car ride), avoid the knock-off apps. Instead, head to Board Game Arena. It’s a browser-based platform that has the official license. It’s clean, it’s fair, and it doesn’t have the "dark patterns" designed to make your kid spend money on virtual tile skins.
Learn more about why we prefer browser-based games over App Store clones
We talk a lot at Screenwise about "intentionality." Most screen time is passive—we’re consuming what an algorithm feeds us. Azul forces a different kind of engagement:
- Pattern Recognition: They have to visualize how tiles will move from the staging area to the wall. This is foundational spatial math.
- Executive Function: "If I take the blue tiles now, I’ll have to take the red ones later, which will overflow my floor line." That’s planning and impulse control in action.
- Delayed Gratification: You don't score the big points until the end of the round. You have to build the foundation first.
If you’ve noticed your kid has the attention span of a goldfish after an hour on TikTok, a round of Azul is like a palate cleanser for their brain.
The box says 8+, and for once, the box is right.
- Ages 5-7: They can play "Open Handed." They’ll understand the matching (put the red tiles with the red tiles), but they won’t get the strategy of blocking other players. It’s still a great way to practice counting and colors.
- Ages 8-12: This is the sweet spot. They’ll start to see the patterns and get a kick out of making Mom or Dad "drop" tiles on the floor.
- Teens: They’ll appreciate the depth. It’s a "cozy" game that doesn’t feel babyish.
If Azul becomes a hit, you don't have to go back to Monopoly (please, for the love of all that is holy, don't go back to Monopoly). Try these:
This is a beautiful game about building an ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest. It has a similar "pick a piece, place a piece" vibe but feels a bit more "zen" and less "I’m going to ruin your life by taking your tiles."
If the drafting mechanic in Azul is what they love, Splendor is the next logical step. You’re collecting gems to buy cards to get more gems. It’s addictive in the best way possible.
Based on the popular Dorfromantik video game, this is a cooperative tile-laying game. Everyone works together to build a landscape. It’s perfect if your kids are currently in a "we can't stop fighting" phase.
While Azul is beautiful, it can be surprisingly "cutthroat." In the final rounds, players can be forced to take a huge pile of tiles they can't use, resulting in a massive penalty.
If you have a child who struggles with losing or feels "picked on," I’d suggest playing a few rounds where everyone focuses on their own board rather than blocking others. You can even frame it as a "community build" until they get the hang of the mechanics.
Check out our guide on teaching sportsmanship in digital and physical games
Azul is the rare "Triple Threat" of family gaming:
- It’s fast (no 3-hour marathons).
- It’s stunning (it looks great on a coffee table).
- It’s deep (you won’t be bored playing it for the 50th time).
In a world where we’re constantly fighting the "brain rot" of low-quality digital content, Azul is a high-quality, high-connection alternative. It’s not just a game; it’s a way to prove to your kids that "offline" doesn’t have to mean "boring."
- Buy the physical game. Avoid the sketchy mobile clones.
- Set a "No-Phone" rule for the table. Even for you.
- Try a "Tournament Saturday." Winner gets to pick the next movie on Disney+.