Catan guides

Trade, build, and settle the island — the game that launched modern board gaming.

Catan (originally The Settlers of Catan) is the trading-and-building game widely credited with kicking off the modern board-game boom. Players harvest resources from a modular island and spend them to build roads, settlements, and cities in a race to ten victory points.

The base box handles 3–4 players; the 5–6 player extension bolts on to seat a bigger table. Here’s how each works.

Which Catan version should you buy?

Compare the editions at a glance, then jump into the full how-to-play guide for any of them.

Version	Best for	Players	Time	Ages	Guide	Buy
Catan Base Game	3–4 players and learning the game	3–4	60–120 min	10+	Read guide	Amazon
Catan 5–6 Player Extension	bigger groups of 5 or 6	5–6 (with base game)	90–150 min	10+	Read guide	Amazon

All Catan guides

Catan Base Game 3–4 players · 60–120 min How to play → Catan 5–6 Player Extension 5–6 (with base game) players · 90–150 min How to play →

Catan add-ons worth owning

Catan storage / organizer insert Sort resource cards and pieces so setup takes a minute, not ten. Hexagonal board frame Stops the island sliding apart when someone bumps the table.