In Azure, players harness the power of the Lung Mei, or dragon paths, lines of energy that flow across the Earth. These paths draw their strength from the Four Auspicious Beasts: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North. Straight paths build energy, while natural barriers diffuse it.

Players place stones on the board to collect qi in the form of cards and wisdom in the form of points. They also compete to earn the favor of the Auspicious Beasts. The first player to reach the end of the path of wisdom wins the game.

On each turn, a player places a stone, collects the boons from the covered space, and gains favor with the Auspicious Beasts. Placing a stone requires paying the appropriate qi cost, determined by the color of the board domain and the number of boon symbols on the chosen space.

Careful management of qi cards allows players to expand their options and strengthen their strategy throughout the game.

Azure includes four double-sided boards that can be connected, flipped, and rotated in any arrangement within a 2×2 grid, creating more than 24,000 possible layouts. The game also features the Gifted module for experienced players, introducing variable one-time-use abilities that can change the course of the game.