Catan – How to Play

Players: 3–4 players

Playing time: 60–90 minutes

Game Objective

The goal of Catan is to be the first player to reach 10 victory points. Players earn points by building settlements, upgrading them into cities, and achieving special achievements like the longest road.

Step 1 – Prepare the Board

• Shuffle the hexagonal terrain tiles.
• Build the island by placing the tiles in a hex shape.
• Place number tokens on top of each terrain tile.
• The desert tile does not receive a number token.
• Place the robber on the desert tile.

Step 2 – Initial Placement

• Each player places one settlement and one road.
• Players take turns placing settlements clockwise.
• Then players place their second settlement counter-clockwise.
• The second settlement produces starting resources.

Step 3 – Resource Production

• At the beginning of each turn, the player rolls two dice.
• The number rolled determines which tiles produce resources.
• If a player has a settlement next to that tile, they receive resources.
• Cities produce two resources instead of one.

Step 4 – Trading Resources

Players can trade resources with other players to obtain the materials they need. Trades are negotiated freely between players.

Step 5 – Building

• Road – expands your network.
• Settlement – gives victory points and resources.
• City – upgrades a settlement and produces double resources.
• Development cards – give special abilities.

Step 6 – The Robber

• If a player rolls a 7, the robber activates.
• Players with more than 7 cards must discard half.
• The active player moves the robber to another tile.
• That tile no longer produces resources.

Winning the Game

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

Other instruction source: How to Play Catan – Dicebreaker