In Royals, players take on the roles of the great noble houses of the 17th century, fighting for dominance in Europe at that time. With the aid of the right country cards, they occupy influential positions and obtain bonuses for this in the form of victory points. The higher the rank of the title associated with the position, the more country cards will be required. Already-occupied positions may be contested by playing intrigue cards.

The game proceeds over three periods, with a scoring taking place after each period. During scoring, the players with the greatest influence in each of the four countries gains victory points. After the last period scoring, the game ends with the scoring of the individual titles. The player with the most victory points wins the game.