Splendor Review – The Satisfying Snap of a Perfect Engine

Splendor has a rare self-awareness. It knows exactly what type of game it wants to be, a streamlined, straightforward engine-builder, and never strays from that identity. Like the gemstones it revolves around, it’s been polished, buffed, and refined into a sparkling diamond.

The result?

One of the best board games of the last decade.

How to Play

Splendor is about collecting and leveraging gems to build an efficient engine. Most of your turns revolve around two actions: collecting gem tokens or buying gem cards.

When you purchase a card, it stays in your tableau and discounts future purchases based on the gem displayed on the card. At first, you’ll rely heavily on tokens to buy cards. But as the game progresses, your engine will kick in. Cards you’ve collected provide discounts, allowing you to pick up new cards with little to no tokens. This progression, from scrimping and saving to rapid-fire purchasing, is Splendor’s beating heart.

There are three ways to collect gem tokens:

1. Two tokens of the same color (if at least four are available).
2. Three tokens of different colors (the most efficient default move).
3. A golden token (wild) by reserving a card to buy later.

Reserving a card also blocks opponents from sniping it… although it costs you a turn.

Victory comes when a player reaches 15 points. Points can be earned in two ways:

• High-value cards: These pricier cards offer both gem discounts and victory points.
• Royalty tiles: Earned by collecting specific sets of cards in matching colours, these tiles add strategic depth and bonus points to your total.

From there, it’s a sprint to the finish. Turns speed up, cards become cheaper, and players vie for the most valuable options. All to be the first to reach 15 points.

Efficiency, Efficiency, Efficiency

Splendor thrives on efficiency. Collecting gems efficiently often means grabbing three gems of different colours. The default, most versatile move. But what’s efficient in theory isn’t always what’s best in the moment, especially when the game limits how many gems are available at any time.

So you’re stuck with this constant tension: do you stick to your plan or adapt to snatch gems before they disappear?

It’s a bit like shopping on Boxing Day. Sure, the deals are incredible, but they’re hard to grab when you’re battling the crowds. Wait for the chaos to settle, though, and the best stuff will already be gone.

That same scarcity runs through every part of Splendor. Not just gems, but cards and Royalty tiles, too. Once someone claims the card or tile you’ve been eyeing, it’s gone for good. And so Splendor becomes a race to every objective.

This scarcity is especially brutal when chasing those expensive, high-value cards. You can’t aim for them without broadcasting your intentions, which makes them prime targets for your opponents to reserve. Of course, you can reserve the card yourself, but it’ll cost you a turn, the least efficient move you can make. That said, if losing the card would completely derail your strategy, it’s a tradeoff worth taking.

This is why flexibility is key. Splendor rewards players who keep their plans open-ended. Aim for your first choice, but always have a backup ready. If things go smoothly, great. If not, pivot quickly and keep your momentum going.

And this, ultimately, is what makes Splendor such a standout experience. It combines ever-changing gameplay with simplicity and intuitiveness, allowing you to start playing within minutes. Turns are lightning-fast, games fly by, and you’ll be eager to shuffle the deck and play again.

See Your Plans Come to Fruition

Splendor offers multiple paths to victory. You might collect a large number of low-cost low-value cards, focus on a few high-value ones, attract royalty, or mix and match strategies. Because the market and available royalty tiles change every game, you’ll need to tweak your approach each time you play.

Even with these variations, Splendor doesn’t feel chaotic to play. Unlike games like Dune: Imperium, where it feels like you’re playing on shifting sand and constantly reacting to opponents, Splendor lets you set your plan and execute it. Player interaction exists (cards get snatched, resources run dry) but it’s more about staying one step ahead than reacting on the fly.

While this might sound too strategic and not so action-orientated, the real joy comes from the speed at which you execute your plan. Turns are lightning-fast, and before you know it, you’re closing in on victory… or staring at a missed opportunity.

Of course, this style has its drawbacks. If you fall behind early, it can feel impossible to catch up. But the game’s short playtime turns this into a feature, not a flaw. You can immediately tweak your approach, jump into a new game, and test a fresh strategy.

It’s a feedback loop that’s as addictive as it is satisfying, something I’ve only seen matched in Dominion.

This combination of speed, simplicity, and strategy is why Splendor has endured for nearly a decade with little competition. It’s engine-building streamlined to perfection: quick to learn, fast to play, and endlessly replayable.

It’s one of my favourite board games, and one that everyone should play.