Board Games
How to play Catan
Collect resources, trade, and build until you reach ten victory points.
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How do you play Catan?
Roll dice to produce resources for matching terrain beside settlements and cities. Trade resources and spend them to build roads, settlements, cities, or development cards. Move the robber after a seven and block one terrain hex. The first player to reach ten victory points on their turn wins.
Jump to the step-by-step rules ↓EDITOR'S TABLE NOTES
Is Catan a good fit for your group?
This game works especially well for three or four players who enjoy trading, probability, route planning, and indirect competition. Before setting up, decide whether that matches the experience your group wants today.
Rules version covered here
This guide describes the base game of Catan without expansions. Edition wording may vary, but settlements, roads, production, robber movement, trading, and the ten-point goal remain central.
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Learn Catan in under a minute
About this video
This original mini lesson covers what you need, setup, normal play, the winning condition, and one beginner tip. Continue below for the complete written guide.
INTERACTIVE LEARN-TO-PLAY
Practice Catan before the first round
Walk through the setup, try a sample turn, and get a quick answer when play stalls.
Assemble the island and place number tokens according to the rules.
Each player places two settlements and roads, then collects starting resources from the second settlement.
Playable example turn
Step 1 of 4
Roll dice to produce resources for matching terrain beside settlements and cities.
What should we do now?
Start with this action: Roll dice to produce resources for matching terrain beside settlements and cities.
Scoring and winning
The first player to reach ten victory points on their turn wins.
Common dispute to prevent
Building without a route to expansion. Agree on any edition-specific variation before the first turn.
The objective
Your goal is to collect resources, trade, and build until you reach ten victory points. Before play begins, make sure every player can explain how the game ends and what determines the winner. That one check prevents many mid-game disagreements.
What you need
A Catan base game set. Lay out every required item before teaching the rules. If pieces, cards, controllers, or play space are missing, resolve that before the practice turn.
How to set up
- Assemble the island and place number tokens according to the rules.
- Each player places two settlements and roads, then collects starting resources from the second settlement.
Setup check: Ask one player who did not arrange the game to compare the table, field, or screen with these steps. A fresh look often catches an incorrect starting position.
How to play: step by step
- Roll dice to produce resources for matching terrain beside settlements and cities.
- Trade resources and spend them to build roads, settlements, cities, or development cards.
- Move the robber after a seven and block one terrain hex.
- The first player to reach ten victory points on their turn wins.
Example first round
An 8 is rolled. Every settlement touching an 8-numbered terrain hex receives one matching resource; a city receives two. A building blocked by the robber produces nothing from that hex.
How scoring and winning work
- A settlement is worth one victory point and a city is worth two.
- Longest Road and Largest Army are each worth two while held.
- The first player to reach ten points on their own turn wins.
Useful variations
- Use the recommended beginner layout for a balanced first game.
- Keep initial hands visible during one teaching round.
- Add expansions only after everyone understands the base trading and building rhythm.
Beginner strategies
- Seek access to several resource types and useful numbers.
- Trade when it improves your position without helping a leader too much.
Choose one of these ideas for the first game instead of trying to remember every strategy at once. Afterward, identify one decision that changed the result and one move you would test next time.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Building without a route to expansion.
- Forgetting that settlements must be at least two intersections apart.
If an illegal move is discovered, pause and agree on the least disruptive correction. For casual play, consistency and a shared understanding matter more than reconstructing many turns.
Frequently asked questions
Can two players play standard Catan?
The base rules are designed for three or four players.
Are hidden victory points revealed immediately?
Usually they remain hidden until they help produce a win.
Related board games guides
Official instructions for your edition or the game publisher’s current documentation take priority over this summary. If you spot a factual error or an important edition difference, please tell us.
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