Board games · strategy

Blokus

Every piece placed eats a little more of your opponent's territory. Easy to learn, brutal to master — strategy, family edition.

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Spatial strategy

Each piece must touch one of your own only at the corner — a real placement puzzle.

2 to 4 players

Plays just as well as a duel or with four people around the table.

No luck involved

No dice, no chance — just strategy, which makes it a real battle of wits.

Who is it for?

For families who love thinking games where strategy matters more than luck.

What to know about the Blokus board game

Blokus is a strategy board game from Mattel Games, based on an original concept by Bernard Tavitian. The box holds a 400-square board, 84 pieces in four colours (21 per player: red, blue, yellow and green) and a score pad. It plays 2 to 4, ages 7 and up.

The Blokus rules fit in one sentence: every new piece must touch a piece of your colour, but only at the corners, never along a side. Each player's first piece must cover a corner square of the board. Once placed, pieces don't move. When you can't place anything, you pass. At the end, count the squares left in your unplayed pieces: lowest total wins.

With 2 players, each person runs two colours (blue and red against yellow and green). With 3, the fourth colour is played in turns and isn't scored. Mattel also added patterns on the pieces so colour-blind players can tell the colours apart. Blokus Duo is a separate edition built only for two players, on a smaller board.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

Just one rule to learn, so you're playing in a minute.
No dice, no cards: pure strategy.
Works well with 2, 3 or 4 players.
Pieces designed to be colour-blind friendly.

Limits

Small pieces: keep away from kids under 3.
Very young players can get boxed in fast by adults.
Wider box than a card game, so less handy for travel.
Almost no luck, so a weaker player has little chance to catch up.

Before you buy

Make sure it's classic Blokus (4 colours, 400 squares), not Blokus Duo, Trigon or a travel version.
Mattel's recommended age is 7+.
If you mostly play as a couple, classic Blokus has official 2-player rules, so you don't need Duo too.
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FAQ

How do you play Blokus?

Each player picks a colour and places one piece per turn. Your first piece covers a corner of the board; after that, each piece must touch one of your own only at the corners. Pass when you can't move. The player with the fewest squares left wins.

What are the Blokus rules for 2 players?

In classic Blokus, each player controls two colours: one plays blue and red, the other yellow and green, in the order blue, yellow, red, green. At the end, add up the leftover squares from both of your colours.

Blokus vs Blokus Duo: which one should I get?

Classic Blokus plays 2 to 4 on a large board. Blokus Duo is a separate edition made only for two players, with a smaller board. For a family that sometimes plays with four, the classic is more flexible.