CATAN – Classic Trading & Strategy Board Game

Trade, build and settle your way across the ever-changing island of CATAN. Gather valuable resources, negotiate with your opponents, build roads and settlements, and race to become the first player to reach 10 victory points.

A modern board-game classic since 1995, CATAN combines strategy, negotiation, resource management and just enough luck to keep every game unpredictable. With a modular island that changes from game to game, every settlement brings new opportunities — and new competition.

3–4 players | Ages 10+ | 60–90 minutes

What Is CATAN?

In CATAN, you and your fellow settlers are competing to develop the island's most successful civilisation.

The island is made up of different terrain types, each producing a particular resource. Forests provide lumber, hills produce brick, pastures produce wool, fields provide grain and mountains produce ore. Collect the resources you need, trade with other players and use them to expand your network.

But resources aren't always where you need them. Successful CATAN players need to negotiate, adapt their plans and make the most of the opportunities presented by the dice and the ever-changing board.

The current UK edition is the CATAN 6th Edition (2025) from CATAN Studio.

How to Play CATAN

Every turn revolves around three key activities: produce resources, trade and build.

1. Roll the Dice

Roll both dice to determine which terrain produces resources. Players with settlements or cities next to the matching number collect the relevant resource cards.

Rolling a 7 activates the robber, potentially forcing players with large hands of cards to discard and allowing the active player to move the robber and steal a resource from another player.

2. Trade Resources

Don't have the resources you need? Make a deal.

Trade with other players to exchange surplus resources for what you need, or use the standard bank exchange when negotiations don't work in your favour. The trading system is one of CATAN's defining features and encourages players to negotiate throughout the game.

3. Build and Expand

Spend resources to construct:

• Roads to expand your network

• Settlements to establish new communities

• Cities to upgrade settlements and increase production

• Development Cards for additional abilities and potential victory points

The first player to reach 10 victory points during their turn wins the game.

Why You'll Love CATAN

Every game feels different
The modular island layout means the board can change from one game to the next, creating new strategic possibilities.

Trading is at the heart of the game
CATAN isn't simply about collecting resources. You need to negotiate, persuade and decide when a trade benefits you — and when you're helping an opponent too much.

Easy to learn, difficult to master
The basic turn structure is straightforward, while settlement positioning, resource probabilities, trading and development cards create plenty of strategic depth.

Great for groups
With 3–4 players and around an hour of playing time, CATAN is particularly well suited to family game nights, regular gaming groups and players looking for an accessible strategy game.

A modern classic
First released in 1995, CATAN has become one of the world's best-known modern board games, with more than 40 million copies sold according to Asmodee UK.

Who Is CATAN For?

CATAN is a great choice for:

• Families with older children and teenagers

• Board-game beginners looking for more strategic depth

• Players who enjoy negotiation and trading

• Fans of resource-management games

• Groups who enjoy competitive interaction

• Players looking for a gateway into modern board gaming

• Experienced gamers wanting a classic with plenty of replayability

Its 10+ age rating and 60–90 minute playing time make it an approachable introduction to more strategic modern board games.

Main Mechanics

• Dice rolling – determine which areas produce resources

• Resource management – collect and spend five different resource types

• Trading & negotiation – exchange resources with other players

• Network building – connect roads and settlements across the island

• Tile-based modular board – create a different island configuration

• Area positioning – compete for valuable locations

• Hand management – decide when and how to spend your resources

• Development cards – add additional options and surprises

• Victory point race – reach 10 points before your opponents

Games Like CATAN

If you enjoy CATAN, you might also enjoy:

Ticket to Ride – Another accessible modern classic, with players competing to build railway routes across a map.

Carcassonne – A tile-laying classic focused on building landscapes, roads, cities and scoring opportunities.

Kingdomino – A quicker tile-laying game where players construct their own kingdoms and compete for valuable combinations.

Concordia – A deeper trading and development game built around cards, resources and expanding across the Roman world.

7 Wonders – A fast civilisation-building game combining card drafting, resource management and development.

Dune: Imperium – A more complex strategy experience combining deck-building and worker placement.

CATAN Game Information

Detail	Information
Game	CATAN
Edition	6th Edition (2025)
Publisher	CATAN Studio
Players	3–4
Age	10+
Playing Time	60–90 minutes
Game Type	Strategy / Trading / Resource Management
Main Mechanics	Trading, resource management, dice rolling, network building
Release	2025
UK RRP	£49.99
Product Code	CN3081
Barcode	029877030811

Current UK product information lists the 6th Edition at £49.99 RRP, with a product weight of 1.4 kg and dimensions of approximately 29.9 × 29.6 × 9.8 cm.

What's Included?

The CATAN base game includes:

• 19 terrain tiles

• 6 coastal pieces

• 9 harbour pieces

• 18 number tokens

• 95 resource cards

• 25 development cards

• 4 building cost cards

• Longest Road and Largest Army cards

• 16 cities

• 20 settlements

• 60 roads

• 2 dice

• 1 robber pawn

• Rulebook

These are the standard CATAN base-game components listed by Asmodee UK.

CATAN FAQ

How many players can play CATAN?

The standard CATAN base game supports 3–4 players. A separate 5–6 Player Expansion is available for larger groups.

How long does CATAN take to play?

A typical game takes around 60–90 minutes, although playing time can vary depending on the group and how quickly players negotiate and make decisions.

What age is CATAN suitable for?

The current CATAN base game is recommended for ages 10 and up.

How do you win CATAN?

The first player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins. Points come primarily from settlements, cities, certain development cards, and the special awards for Longest Road and Largest Army.

Is CATAN different every time you play?

Yes. The island is constructed from modular terrain and coastal pieces, allowing the layout and resulting resource opportunities to vary between games.

Can I expand CATAN?

Yes. The CATAN range includes expansions such as Seafarers, Cities & Knights and Traders & Barbarians, as well as a 5–6 Player Expansion. The expansions add new scenarios, mechanics and ways to explore the CATAN system.

Is CATAN good for beginners?

CATAN is widely regarded as an accessible introduction to modern strategy board games because its basic objective and turn structure are straightforward, while trading, positioning and resource management provide additional depth.

Buy CATAN from Roll The Dice

Bring one of modern board gaming's most recognisable classics to your table with CATAN.

Trade resources, negotiate with your rivals, build your roads and settlements, and race to establish the most successful civilisation on the island.

Will you negotiate your way to victory — or let your opponents have the resources they need?

Shop CATAN by CATAN Studio at Roll The Dice Cornwall.