Tabletop games
Catan
KosmosKlaus Teuber1995
- players
- 3–4
- minutes
- 75
- years
- 10+
In the box
19 terrain hexes and a sea frame with 9 harbours · 18 numbered tokens · 95 Resource cards and 25 Development cards · 2 special cards (Longest Road, Largest Army) · Settlements, cities and roads for 4 players · 2 dice and 1 robber
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Klaus Teuber
- Artwork
- Volkan Baga, Tanja Donner, Pete Fenlon, Jason Hawkins
- Publisher
- Kosmos
- Mechanics
- ChainingDice RollingHand ManagementHexagon GridHidden Victory Points
- Expansions
- Catan: Cities & Knights · 2018
- Catan: Seafarers · 2017
- Catan: 5–6 Player Extension · 2022
- Catan: Traders & Barbarians · 2016
- Catan: Seafarers 5–6 Player Extension · 2010
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Everyone builds roads, settlements and cities on the island; the first to reach ten victory points during their own turn wins. On your turn, roll two dice: every terrain hex showing that number produces a resource for the adjacent settlements, and a 7 activates the robber, which blocks a hex and steals a card. You may then trade with the other players or with the bank, then build. A settlement is worth 1 point and a city 2; Longest Road and Largest Army are worth 2 points each.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
3 to 4 players, 19 terrain hexes, 2 settlements with roads
- Three to four players. Nineteen terrain hexes form the island, surrounded by the sea frame and its harbours.
- Eighteen number tokens (from 2 to 12, no 7) are placed on the hexes, all except the desert.
- Each player places two settlements, each with an adjoining road: a first round clockwise, a second round in reverse order. The second settlement yields one resource per adjacent terrain hex.
- The robber starts on the desert, which produces nothing.
How to play
Roll 2 dice and collect, Trade, build, 7 = robber
- On your turn, roll two dice: every terrain hex showing that number produces a resource for the adjacent settlements.
- A 7 produces nothing and activates the robber: anyone holding more than seven cards discards half of them (rounded down), then the roller moves the robber and draws a card at random from a player with a settlement or city next to its new hex. The occupied hex no longer produces.
- You may then trade with the other players (always with the active player), or with the bank at 4 for 1, or at 3 for 1 or 2 for 1 thanks to the harbours, then build.
- A Development card may be played at any time during your turn, only one per turn, and never one bought that same turn (except a victory point card).
- Road: one brick and one lumber. Settlement: brick, lumber, grain, wool. City: three ore and two grain, replacing a settlement. Development card: ore, wool, grain.
Scoring
Settlement 1, city 2, Longest Road 2, Largest Army 2
- Settlement: 1 point. City: 2 points.
- Longest Road, at least five segments: 2 points. Largest Army, at least three knights: 2 points. Both change hands during the game as soon as someone does strictly better.
- Each victory point card drawn from the development deck: 1 point, kept secret until the end.
End of the game
10 points, During your own turn
- The game ends as soon as a player has ten points during their own turn. Reaching ten points outside your turn is not enough: you must wait for your turn to announce it.
- The 5–6 Player Extension is also played to ten points; Cities & Knights is played to thirteen.
House rules and pitfalls
Victory point cards stay hidden: a player showing eight points may actually have ten.
- Victory point cards stay hidden: a player showing eight points may actually have ten.
- Blocking with roads is a legitimate tactic, and often the only possible defence.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family · Play with the game assistant
Variants
Format
Base game — 10 points
5-6 player extension — 10 points
Cities & Knights — 13 points
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What happens when you roll a 7 in Catan?
Every player holding more than seven cards discards half of them, rounded down. The roller then moves the robber to a hex of their choice and steals a card from a player adjacent to it.
Can you build a settlement anywhere?
No. Every settlement must be connected to one of your roads, and be at least two intersections away from any other settlement or city, your own included.
How do you win at Catan?
By being the first to total ten victory points during your own turn. A settlement is worth 1 point, a city 2, Longest Road and Largest Army 2 each, and each victory point card 1. It is the same rule as in the older boxes of The Settlers of Catan.
How much do a road, a settlement and a city cost in Catan?
A road costs one brick and one lumber. A settlement costs one brick, one lumber, one grain and one wool. A city replaces a settlement for three ore and two grain. A Development card costs one ore, one wool and one grain.
How do you get Longest Road and Largest Army?
Longest Road goes to the first player with an unbroken road of at least five segments; Largest Army goes to the first to have played three knights. Each is worth 2 points and changes hands as soon as another player does strictly better.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.