How to Play Splendor: Setup, Actions, Nobles & Scoring
Splendor is a shared-market game about buying development cards that permanently reduce future gem costs. Choose one action per turn, collect nobles when your purchased-card bonuses qualify, and finish the turn cycle after someone reaches at least fifteen prestige points.
Researched rules guide. Checked September 12, 2026. Current publisher English base-game rules, refreshed edition; expansion modules and Splendor Duel are separate. No hands-on testing is claimed. Editorial standards.
On this page: Set up cards, nobles and gem supply · Take exactly one of four actions · Card bonuses reduce cost permanently · Reserving keeps an option, not a bonus · Nobles check purchased-card bonuses · Return down to ten tokens at turn end · Fifteen triggers the finish, not automatic victory
Set up cards, nobles and gem supply
Shuffle each of the three development-card levels separately. Reveal four cards from each level in a row beside its deck. Shuffle the nobles and reveal a number equal to the players plus one: three at two players, four at three and five at four.
The colored gem bank changes with player count: four tokens of each color at two players, five at three and seven at four. All five gold tokens are used at every count. Gold is a wild payment resource, not a sixth color for the ordinary take-gems action.
No player begins with tokens or development cards. Give the first-player marker to the youngest player and take turns clockwise. The marker helps identify the final turn of an equal-turn finish.
Take exactly one of four actions
- Take three tokens of different ordinary gem colors. If fewer than three different colors are available, take the available different colors as the shortage rule permits.
- Take two tokens of one ordinary color, only if at least four tokens of that color are in the bank before you take them.
- Reserve one development card and take one gold token if available.
- Buy one development card from the display or your own reserved hand.
You cannot take gems and buy in the same turn. A free card still consumes your buy action. Taking two identical gems is not permitted merely because there are two left in the bank.
Card bonuses reduce cost permanently
Each purchased card adds one permanent bonus of its printed gem color. Subtract your bonuses from a new card’s cost, then pay any remaining requirement with matching tokens and optional gold wilds. Return paid tokens to the bank.
Example: A card costs four green and two blue. You own three green bonuses and one blue bonus. You need to pay one green and one blue; gold can substitute for either. You keep all your purchased cards and their discounts afterward.
Bonuses do not create spare tokens when they exceed a cost, and buying a card does not let you immediately buy a second. Replace a purchased display card from that same level’s deck if cards remain.
Reserving keeps an option, not a bonus
Reserve one visible card or draw the top card blindly from a level deck. Your reserved hand can contain at most three cards. You may reserve without receiving gold when the gold bank is empty, provided there is room.
A reserved card provides no discount or prestige until purchased. It is a future option you must still pay for. You cannot discard a reserved card just to create another reservation slot.
Replace a visible reserved card from its level’s deck when possible. A blindly reserved card is not chosen after inspecting several deck cards. Gold gained from reserving counts toward the token limit like any other token.
Nobles check purchased-card bonuses
At the end of your turn, compare your permanent card bonuses with the requirements of visible nobles. If you qualify, a noble visits automatically without consuming another action or spending those cards.
Only one noble may visit you per turn. If multiple nobles qualify at once, choose one; another can be earned on a later turn if still available and you still qualify.
Tokens cannot satisfy a noble requirement, gold is not a permanent bonus, and reserved cards do not count. Count the colors on cards you have actually bought.
Return down to ten tokens at turn end
You may briefly exceed ten tokens during your action, but must return enough at the end to have at most ten. Gold is included. You may return tokens just taken if you choose.
Example: You have nine tokens and take three different colors. You now have twelve and must return two. The action is legal; the required return is part of completing the turn.
Purchased-card bonuses are not physical tokens and do not count toward this limit. There is no three-card cap on your purchased display: that cap applies only to the reserved hand.
Fifteen triggers the finish, not automatic victory
When a player reaches at least fifteen prestige points at the end of their turn, finish the current cycle so every player has taken the same number of turns. A noble earned that turn can cause the trigger.
Example: Ana started a three-player game. Ben reaches fifteen on his turn; Cara takes her remaining turn, then the game ends. Ana does not start another cycle. If Cara reaches sixteen, Cara wins despite Ben triggering the finish.
Total prestige from purchased cards and nobles. Highest total wins; ties favor the player who purchased fewer development cards. Reserved cards and nobles are not counted as purchased development cards for that comparison. If still tied, victory is shared.
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Sources and scope
Checked September 12, 2026. Examples are original illustrations; use the rulebook for card-specific wording and edition differences.
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