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Splendor box
Box image: Bored Game Company

Family game

Splendor

A quick gem-trading race where every card makes the next easier.

Players
2–4
Best with
2-3
Play time
30 min
Age
10+
Rules
Easy
Language
No reading

Splendor is a 30-minute card-and-token game for 2 to 4 players aged 10 and up. You collect gem tokens to buy cards, and each card makes your later purchases cheaper. It suits couples, families with older children and anyone who wants a calm, quick strategy game with no reading during play. Genuine copies were ₹2,999–₹4,500 at Indian stores on 4 October 2026.

Is Splendor right for your table?

A good pick for

  • Couples and pairs – it works well with just two
  • A short game after dinner on a weeknight
  • Tables where people speak different languages, since the cards have no text
  • Introducing teenagers to strategy games

Skip it if

  • Your group wants lots of chatter and negotiation – Splendor is quiet, and you mostly focus on your own plans
  • You want a strong story or theme; the Renaissance-merchant setting is thin
  • You only ever play as two and already own Splendor Duel

How Splendor plays

In the middle of the table are gem tokens in five colours plus gold jokers, three rows of face-up cards from cheap to expensive, and a few noble tiles.

On your turn you do just one thing: take three gems of different colours; take two gems of the same colour (only if at least four of that colour are left); reserve a card and take a gold joker; or buy a card by paying gems. You can't hold more than 10 tokens at the end of your turn, or more than three reserved cards.

Every card you buy gives you a permanent gem of its colour, which counts as a discount on all your future purchases. Your cheap early cards slowly add up to a small engine, until you can buy expensive cards for very little.

Many cards carry prestige points. When the cards in front of you match what a noble asks for, that noble visits you at the end of your turn and brings extra points.

When someone reaches 15 prestige points, you finish the round so everyone has had the same number of turns. Then the highest score wins.

Takes about 10 minutes to teach. The cards and tiles use only symbols and numbers, so nobody needs to read during play. Only the rulebook has text, and a Funskool-imported copy was listed with Hindi and English instructions.

Buying Splendor in India

No Splendor is made in India; every genuine copy is imported. Funskool has imported it: a FunCorp listing names Funskool India as importer and quotes an MRP of ₹2,999 with Hindi and English instructions. Specialist stores bring in their own stock at ₹3,900–₹4,500. Stock comes and goes, so check availability before you plan it as a gift.

Splendor (2014) is still in print from Space Cowboys, and recent boxes carry refreshed branding. The publisher lists two expansions, The Silk Road (2025) and The Sun Never Sets; the older Cities of Splendor (2017) has four modules. Splendor Duel (2022) is a separate game for two players, and Splendor Marvel is a re-themed version. On 4 October 2026, Board Games India listed The Silk Road at ₹2,000 and Splendor Duel at ₹3,000, both out of stock, while Bored Game Company had Splendor Duel in stock at ₹3,000.

How to make sure you get a genuine copy

Clone risk: High
  • The box should show the Space Cowboys logo (with Asmodee on recent copies), and the name is spelled 'Splendor'. Listings titled 'Splendorr' or sold under unrelated toy brands are not official.
  • An imported box sold in India should carry an MRP sticker with the importer's name and address, for example Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai.
  • A new copy priced well below about ₹2,500 is a warning sign; genuine copies were ₹2,999–₹4,500 at Indian stores on 4 October 2026.
  • Check the listing photos against the publisher's images: thin or lightweight tokens, dull or blurry card art, or a missing rulebook suggest a copy.
  • Prefer listings where the brand shown is Space Cowboys or Asmodee, sold by a known Indian board game store.

Splendor is a frequent target for unofficial copies in India. Amazon.in and FirstCry searches on 4 October 2026 turned up several 'Splendor' listings under brand names that are not Space Cowboys or Asmodee, some with misspelled titles. Because genuine stock is patchy, these listings often fill the gap.

If Splendor isn't quite right

Azul box

Azul

2–4 players30–45 min8+
from ₹4,499 genuine

Another calm 30–45 minute strategy game with no text and good-looking pieces

Jaipur box

Jaipur

2 players30 min10+
from ₹2,000 genuine

A quick trading card game built for two players

Catan box

Catan

3–4 players60–90 min10+
from ₹3,299 genuine

A bigger, chattier economy-building game with trading, for 3–4 players

Questions people ask about Splendor

Is Splendor available in India?

Yes, as an imported game. On 4 October 2026, Bored Game Company had it in stock at ₹4,500, and other specialist stores listed it at ₹3,900–₹4,499 but out of stock. Funskool has also imported it with Hindi and English rules (MRP ₹2,999).

Can 2 people play Splendor?

Yes. For two players you remove three tokens of each gem colour, leaving four (the gold stays), and put out only three nobles, which keeps things tight. If you only ever play as a pair, Splendor Duel is a separate two-player version.

Is Splendor good for kids?

The box says 10+. The rules are short (one action per turn and no text on the cards), which suits children around that age. For younger players, Space Cowboys released a simplified Splendor Kids in 2025.

Should I buy Splendor or Splendor Duel?

Buy Splendor if you'll sometimes play with 3 or 4 people. Splendor Duel is made only for two and adds card powers and three different ways to win. It was ₹3,000 at Bored Game Company on 4 October 2026.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the publisher, Indian distributors and the store listings below. Prices were checked on 4 October 2026.

Prototype notes for review (won't appear on the live site)
  • Amazon match: exact link, high confidence. Listing title seen: "Space Cowboys for Adult Splendor Board Game,140 pieces".
  • How it was found: Composio Amazon.in search 'Splendor Space Cowboys Asmodee board game', 5 Oct 2026: B00IZEUFIA, ₹3,857, 14,400 reviews. Previous pick B0FWBY47P9 did not appear in results.
  • Seller and import status for Amazon.in listing B0FWBY47P9 are not visible without opening the page, which was not done.
  • Genuine Splendor tokens are often described as heavy poker-chip-style discs, but no publisher source confirmed this today, so the clone check does not rely on it.
  • The FunCorp/Funskool listing gives a minimum age of 13, while the publisher and box say 10+.
  • Whether Funskool still imports Splendor: the game is not on Funskool's own website, and the FunCorp listing is out of stock.
  • Bored Game Company's SKU is 'SCSPL01AR'. It is not confirmed whether this is a particular regional print run.
  • A Flipkart listing titled 'Asmodee Splendor – with Hindi & English Instruction' exists, but its price and seller could not be read.
  • Whether The Sun Never Sets expansion, Splendor Kids or Splendor Silk Road are sold in India (apart from Board Games India's out-of-stock Silk Road listing).