''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a comp ...
designed by
Klaus Teuber
Klaus Teuber (born June 25, 1952) is a German former dental technician and designer of board games. He is best known for designing the strategy board game Catan.
Career
Teuber won the Spiel des Jahres ("Game of the Year") award four times: for ...
. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by
Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von Catan''. Players take on the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources. Players gain victory points as their settlements grow; the first to reach a set number of victory points, typically 10, wins. The game and its many expansions are also published by Catan Studio, Filosofia, GP, Inc., 999 Games, Κάισσα (Káissa), and Devir. Upon its release, ''The Settlers of Catan'' became one of the first
Eurogame
A Eurogame, also called a German-style board game, German game, or Euro-style game, (generally just referred to as board games in Europe) is a class of tabletop games that generally has indirect player interaction and abstract physical componen ...
s to achieve popularity outside Europe.
, more than 32 million copies in 40 languages had been sold.
Gameplay
![Gen Con - 20030724 - Giant Settlers of Catan Game](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Gen_Con_-_20030724_-_Giant_Settlers_of_Catan_Game.jpg)
The players in the game represent settlers establishing settlements on the fictional island of Catan. Players build
settlements, cities, and roads to connect them as they settle the island.
The game board, which represents the island, is composed of hexagonal tiles (
hexes) of different land types, which are laid out randomly at the beginning of each game.
Newer editions of the game began to depict a fixed layout in their manual, which has been proved by computer simulations to be fairly even-handed, and recommend this to be used by beginners. In 2016, editions of the game were released with a conventional fixed layout board in this configuration, the hexes of which cannot be rearranged.
Players build by spending
resources
Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their a ...
(wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore) that are depicted by these resource cards; each land type, with the exception of the unproductive desert, produces a specific resource: hills produce brick, forests produce lumber, mountains produce ore, fields produce grain, and pastures produce wool. On each player's
turn, two six-sided
dice
Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...
are rolled to determine which hexes produce resources. Players with a settlement adjacent to a hex containing the number just rolled receive one card of the corresponding resource; cities produce two cards of the corresponding resource. For example, if a player has one city and two settlements adjacent to a grain hex, that player would take four grain resource cards if the corresponding number was rolled.
There is also a robber token, initially placed on the desert; if a player rolls 7, the robber must be moved to another hex, which will no longer produce resources until the robber is moved again. That player may also steal a resource card from another player with a settlement or city adjacent to the robber's new placement. In addition, when a 7 is rolled, all players with 8 or more resource cards must discard their choice of half of their cards, rounded down. For example, If a player has 9 resource cards, and a 7 is rolled, the player must get rid of 4 cards.
On the player's turn, the player may spend resource cards to build roads or settlements, upgrade settlements to cities (which replace existing settlements), or buy development cards. Players can trade resource cards with each other; players may also trade off-island (in effect, with the non-player bank) at a ratio of four-to-one resources for one of any other. By building settlements adjacent to ports, players may trade with the bank at three-to-one (three of any single resource type) or two-to-one (two of a specific resource) ratios, depending on the port's location.
The goal of the game is to reach ten victory points. Players score one point for each settlement they own and two for each city. Various other achievements, such as establishing the longest road and the largest army (by playing the most
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
cards), grant a player additional victory points.
Resource cards can also be spent to buy a development card. There are three different types of development cards, including cards worth one victory point; knight cards, which allow the player to move the robber as if they had rolled a 7 (but without the remove-half rule); and the third set of cards which allow the player one of three abilities when played.
![Nepomuk 280 - Osadníci z Katanu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Nepomuk_280_-_Osadn%C3%ADci_z_Katanu.jpg)
Teuber's original design was for a large game of exploration and development in a new land. Between 1993 and 1995 Teuber and Kosmos refined and simplified the game into its current form. Unused mechanics from that design went on to be used in Teuber's following games, ''
Entdecker
''Entdecker'' (, German language, German for "Discoverer") is a German-style board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published in 1996 in games, 1996 by Goldsieber in German language, German. Although the game won 2nd prize in the Deutscher Spiel ...
'' and ''
Löwenherz
''Löwenherz'' (; German for "Lionheart") is a German-style board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published in 1997 by Goldsieber in German and by Rio Grande Games in English. A revised edition, titled ''Löwenherz: Der König kehrt zurück'' ...
.'' The game's first expansion, ''
Catan: Seafarers,'' adds the concept of exploration, and the combined game (sometimes known as "New Shores") is probably the closest game to Teuber's original intentions.
Extensions, expansions, and updates
The base game of the Catan series, ''Catan'', is designed for 3–4 players. In 1996, an extension to allow up to six players was released for the base game.
As well as extra components to accommodate more players, the expansion adds an extra building phase to the turn, so that players can participate in the game during each other's turns. Players may not trade with other players during this phase nor may they trade in with the bank (maritime trade) from their own hand.
After releasing the 5- to 6-player extension, Teuber began to publish expansions for the base game. The first, ''
Seafarers of Catan
''Catan: Seafarers'', or ''Seafarers of Catan'' in older editions, (german: Die Seefahrer von Catan) is an expansion of the board game ''Catan'' for three to four players (five-to-six-player play is also possible with both of the respective five-t ...
'', was released in 1997;
it was later retitled ''Catan: Seafarers''. ''Seafarers'' adds ships that allow players to cross sea hexes, and includes scenarios in which players explore an
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
of islands. It also adds gold-producing hexes that allow players to take the resource of their choice.
The second major expansion to the game, ''
Cities and Knights of Catan
''Catan: Cities & Knights'' (german: Städte und Ritter), formerly ''The Cities and Knights of Catan'' is an expansion to the board game ''The Settlers of Catan'' for three to four players (five to six player play is also possible with the ''Sett ...
'' (later ''Catan: Cities and Knights''), was released in 1998.
It adds concepts from the card game and its first expansion to ''Catan'', including Knights who must be used to defend Catan from invading barbarians, and improvements that can be bought for cities that give benefits to players. Three commodities (paper, coin, and cloth) can be produced, in addition to the original resources. A 5- to 6-player extension for ''Cities & Knights'' was released at the same time. In 2000, a book of variations for ''Settlers'' was released.
The third large expansion, ''
Catan: Traders & Barbarians'', was released in 2008.
''Traders & Barbarians'' collects a number of smaller scenarios, some of which have previously been published elsewhere. The set includes an official two-player variant.
A special edition of the game was released in 2005: a 10th-anniversary collector's edition of the base game and ''Cities & Knights'', with hand-painted 3D tiles and playing pieces.
Mayfair Games released a fourth edition of ''The Settlers of Catan'' in 2007, with new artwork, a locking frame, a deeper box, and an insert tray; there was also a minor rule change. Soon after its release, two changes were made to the fourth edition. The robber playing piece was changed from a black to a grey color and the soldier development card was renamed a knight. Fourth-edition versions of ''Cities & Knights'', ''Seafarers'', and the 5- to 6-player extensions were also released.
''
Catan: Explorers & Pirates'', the fourth large expansion, was released in 2013. which introduces new elements for the game including moving ships, new resources, and pirates.
The Catan line was rebranded in 2015 for the 20th anniversary of the series, with the original ''Settlers'' game renamed simply ''Catan''.
Variants and scenarios
In 1998, the first ''Historical Scenario'' pack was released, which allows players to re-enact the building of the
pyramids of Egypt
The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite at least 118 identified "Egyptian" pyramids. Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan. Of ...
or the expansion of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
's empire using ''Catan'' game mechanics. A second scenario pack for ''Settlers'' concerning the building of the
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
and the
Trojan war
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has ...
was released in 2001.
was published in 2000. It contained the rules and pieces for 15 new scenarios and many variants.
''Atlantis: Scenarios and Variants'' was published in 2005. ''Atlantis'' was a boxed set which collected a number of scenarios and variants published in gaming magazines and at conventions, such as ''The Volcano'' and ''The Great River''. The set also included a deck of ''event cards'' which replaced the dice in the main game, giving it a less random spread of resource production. The event cards, which were also available as a standalone item, have since been re-released in a modified form in the ''Traders and Barbarians'' expansion.
Kosmos, Mayfair, and 999 Games released the first stand-alone "Catan Geographies" title, ''Catan Germany'', in 2008.
In 2009, ('Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers') was published. This was a scenario pack for fans that included six new scenarios and the pieces needed to play them. It was re-released in 2017 with artwork updated to match the 2015 fourth edition of ''Settlers of Catan''. ''Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers'' will be available in English as of July 16, 2021.
''Catan: Oil Springs'' is an expansion by Erik Assadourian and Ty Hansen introduced in 2011 designed to draw attention to environmental issues. It is offered as a free download or for purchase from the Mayfair Games website. The scenario adds oil fields that can be used to make other resources and develop metropolises, but disasters can strike if too much oil is used. Oil can also be taken out of the game, for victory points and to prevent disasters.
The scenario ''Catan: Frenemies'' was released in 2012. In ''Frenemies'', players are rewarded with redeemable "favor tokens" for "helping" their opponents by moving the robber harmlessly, giving away resources, and connecting their roads to their opponents' road networks. Depending on the circumstances, these favors might not be helpful.
''Helpers of Catan'' is an expansion released in 2013. The computer opponent characters from the PC/Mac game ''Catan – Cities & Knights'' return in this scenario as "helper cards", which can be used during gameplay; for example, the helper card for Candamir allows the player who uses it to substitute any one resource when buying a development card.
Spinoffs and other related products
The popularity of ''The Settlers of Catan'' led to the creation of spinoff games and products, starting in 1996 with ''The Settlers of Catan'' card game (later renamed to ''
Catan Card Game
The ''Catan Card Game'', originally named ''The Settlers of Catan: The Card Game'', is a card-game adaptation of ''The Settlers of Catan'' board game. It is a member of the ''Catan'' series of games developed by Klaus Teuber and published by Ko ...
''), and the 2003 novel,
''Die Siedler von Catan'', by German historical fiction author
Rebecca Gablé
Rebecca Gablé (born 25 September 1964) is a German author of historical fiction. Gablé is best known for her medieval chivalry romances. She also works as a literary translator from English.
After, leaving school, in 1984 she embarked on a one ...
, which tells the story of a group of Norse seafarers who set out in search of the mythical island of Catan.
In 2002 a travel edition of ''Catan'' was published, featuring playing pieces which slot into a fixed-layout board.
In 1999, ''
Starfarers of Catan'' was released. It was loosely based upon the original ''Catan'', including similar dice mechanisms for resource production as well as trading and building. However, the spin-off also introduces spaceports, spaceships, and the flight mechanism.
The "Catan Histories" subseries includes ''Settlers of the Stone Age'', a re-release of ''Struggle for Rome'', ''Settlers of America,'' and ''Rise of the Inkas''.
The ''Catan Dice Game'' was released in 2007. The game is played with six dice, the faces of which depict one of six resources (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore, or gold). The dice are rolled up to three times, and the score of each roll is recorded by "building" roads, settlements, cities, and knights on a score sheet that shows a miniature version of the island of Catan. In the base game, one to four players try to get the highest score. There is also a "plus" version of the game, which, like the original ''Catan'' board game, is a race to be the first player to score 10 victory points.
In addition to the ''Catan Card Game'' above, two additional card game spinoffs have been published. ''Rivals for Catan'', published in 2010, is a two-player strategy game for expert players that plays like a board game, and ''The Struggle for Catan'', published in 2011, is a two- to four-player game that plays more like a card game and is suitable for Catan novices.
''Catan Junior'' is a 2012 spinoff for families with children. The game is based on the original ''Settlers of Catan'' with a "pirate" theme and simpler rules. Players build "pirates' lairs" in the islands and build ships to reach new building sites. Resource and development cards are replaced with tiles, trading and building are simpler, and the "Ghost Captain" does not steal resources as the robber in the base game does.
''Star Trek Catan'' is a spin-off of the original series released in 2012 by Mayfair Games. The game uses the same basic components with new names, new graphics, and some minor rules additions. The building costs and resources match the original game. It incorporates the "Helpers of Catan" expansion, with the cards renamed as
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
characters.
''A Game of Thrones Catan: Brotherhood of the Watch'' is a spin-off based on
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...
's ''
A Song of Ice and Fire
''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who init ...
'' series. As Brothers of the Night Watch, players harvest resources from the Gift to build settlements and keeps, while contributing to the defense of the Wall. The game was released in 2017 in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Czech/Slovak, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Hebrew and French.
''Catan: Dawn of Humankind'' is a spin-off featuring the first humans published by Catan Studios in 2022. Players move their tribe to explore new continents and establish camps.
Catanimals
Mayfair released a series of mini-stuffed animals based on the different resources presented in the game. An updated set of Catanimal Sprite plushes was introduced in early 2021 and are based on new illustrated characters by artist
Kay O'Neill
Kay O'Neill (also known as K. O'Neill, and who has published under the name Katie O'Neill) is an illustrator and writer from New Zealand.
Biography
O'Neill is a self-taught artist who has produced several comics and graphic novels. They initi ...
.
Reception
Richard Dansky comments that "for all of its elemental simplicity, ''The Settlers of Catan'' has breathtaking depth and breadth of experience. It's a resource-management game, defined by position and strategizing. It's a social game, defined by
horsetrading of resource cards and 'Siccing the Fritz' (as my friends call the robber) with bloodthirsty bonhomie. It's a game of chance, ruled by dice rolls and card draws. It's a hardcore game and a light social pastime and everything in between, a laboratory where I can test a hundred different play styles and a genuine reason to invite friends over."
It is popular in the United States where it has been called "the board game of our time" by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''.
A 2012 American documentary film titled ''
Going Cardboard
''Going Cardboard: A Board Game Documentary'' is a 2012 documentary about the American adoption of German-style board games, and includes coverage of the 2009 board game event ''Spiel'' in Essen, Germany, as well as interviews with many prominent ...
'' (featuring Klaus Teuber) is about this game's impact on American gaming communities and what came of it.
Awards
* 1995:
Spiel des Jahres
The Spiel des Jahres (, ''Game of the Year'') is an award for board and card games, created in 1978 with the purpose of rewarding family-friendly game design, and promoting excellent games in the German market. It is thought that the existence ...
Game of the Year
* 1995:
Deutscher Spiele Preis
__NOTOC__
The Deutscher Spielepreis (, ''German Game Prize'') is an important award for boardgames. It was started in 1990 by the German magazine ''Die Pöppel-Revue'', which collects votes from the industry's stores, magazines, professionals ...
1st place
* 1995:
Essen Feather
The Essen Feather (german: Essener Feder) is an award for German-style board games, given at the Deutscher Spiele Preis ceremony at the ''Spiel'' game fair in Essen, Germany. The award is given to games with well-written rules, as it was felt t ...
* 1995: Meeples' Choice Award
* 1996:
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 aw ...
for ''Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game''
* 2001: Origins Hall of Fame
* 2004: Hra roku
* 2005: Gra Roku Game of the Year
* 2006:
Games Magazine Hall of Fame
* 2015: GamesCom Vegas Game of the Century
Video games
Since the game's release, a number of computer games have been published based on ''Settlers of Catan'' and its spinoffs. The first sanctioned English-language release was ''Catan: The Computer Game'', developed for the PC by Castle Hill Studios and published by
Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a casual gaming company based in Seattle, with a regional office in Oakland, California, owned by Aristocrat Leisure. It is a developer and distributor of casual games for computers and mobile devices. It has been accused of ...
. This off-line game was available from MSN, as it was acquired by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
who also released ''Catan Online'' in August 2005 on
MSN Games
MSN Games (also known as Zone.com - formerly known as The Village, Internet Gaming Zone, MSN Gaming Zone, and MSN Games by Zone.com) is a casual gaming web site, with single player, multiplayer, PC download, and social casino video games. Games ...
, the game now requiring an internet connection. In 2005,
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
edited the first portable version of ''Settlers of Catan'' on the
N-Gage Nokia
Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...
handheld device.
In June 2009 the MSN version of ''Settlers'' was discontinued. The same game later became available on other online services. Teuber and
Big Huge Games
Big Huge Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Timonium, Maryland since 2000, known first for real-time strategy games such as ''Rise of Nations'', later for the console RPG '' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning'', and more recentl ...
worked together to produce ''Catan'', a version of ''Settlers'' for the
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
. It was released on 2 May 2007.
Game Republic
was an independent video game developer based in Tokyo, Japan. The company, which employed just under 300 individuals before its closure, was founded on July 1, 2003 by Yoshiki Okamoto after he departed from Japanese game developer and publis ...
developed a
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
version in 2008 titled also ''
Catan
''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von Catan''. Pl ...
''.
A
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
version of ''Settlers'' was developed by Exozet Games GmbH in collaboration with Klaus Teuber. The game can be played against computer opponents, and includes
Nintendo WiFi online play. It was released in 2009, but only in Europe.
''The Settlers of Catan'' online game was announced on 16 December 2002. Catan Online World allows players to download a
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
application that serves as a portal for the online world and allows online play with other members. The base game may be played for free, while expansions require a subscription membership.
Two official PC versions of Catan have been released, ''The First Island'' (the basic game only) and ''
Cities & Knights'' (with ''Seafarers'' and ''Cities & Knights'' expansions). ''The First Island'' is available for the PC only in German. ''Cities & Knights'' was available in both English and German.
Catan and some of its expansions are also available in various languages for mobile phones,
iPhone,
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
,
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
,
BlackBerry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
and
Android smartphones.
''
Catan
''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von Catan''. Pl ...
'' was released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2007. It was pulled without notice in mid-2014. There is no official word on why it was pulled or if it will return. Another game called ''
Catan
''Catan'', previously known as ''The Settlers of Catan'' or simply ''Settlers'', is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag (Kosmos) as ''Die Siedler von Catan''. Pl ...
'' was released for the
PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
in 2008. It also has been discontinued.
Mayfair Games announced in 2010 that a version of ''Catan'' was coming to Facebook.
In 2010, Vectorform showcased a
Microsoft PixelSense
Microsoft PixelSense (formerly called Microsoft Surface) was an interactive surface computing platform that allowed one or more people to use and touch real-world objects, and share digital content at the same time. The PixelSense platform consist ...
game for ''Settlers of Catan''. USM also developed an Android and iOS mobile app version simply called "Catan" with the various expansions available as DLC.
In August 2013, ''Catan: Creators Edition'' was made available for PC on Steam and Mac OS X in the Mac App Store. ''Catan: Creators Edition'' officially replaces the previous ''Catan: Cities & Knights''. The game features both Seafarers plus the Cities & Knights expansions and includes a level editor.
In the summer of 2014, Bontom Games collaborated with Catan GmbH and Internet Explorer to develop an asynchronous version of Catan. ''Catan Anytime'' is a short-session, turn-based game designed for mainstream gamers. On 10 June 2016, Catan Anytime announced on their Facebook page that ''Catan Anytime'' had shut down operations. The web site catananytime.com is no longer available.
![Catan Universe fixed setup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Catan_Universe_fixed_setup.svg)
In April 2017, ''Catan Universe'' launched. Catan GmbH collaborated with Exozet and United Soft Media to make a cross platform version of Catan. ''Catan Universe'' is available in web, Steam, Amazon, iOS and Android platforms. While the Steam version has an average score, the mobile versions have a higher score of 4/5 stars. The game gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019/20 with a large number of new players, which overwhelmed servers at times.
In December 2017, the unlicensed and unendorsed website Colonist.io was launched.
On June 20, 2019 a version of Catan was released for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
, being developed by United Soft Media and Exozet, and being published by
Asmodee Digital
Asmodee is a French publisher of board games, card games and role-playing games (RPGs). Founded in 1995 to develop their own games and to publish and distribute for other smaller game developers, they have since acquired numerous other board game ...
.
In November 2019,
Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc. ( ) is an American software development company based in San Francisco. Niantic is best known for developing the augmented reality mobile games '' Ingress'' and ''Pokémon Go''. The company was formed as Niantic Labs in 2010 as a ...
announced that it was developing a new
augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...
mobile game, ''
Catan: World Explorers''. The game is to be based on the ''Catan'' board games; players will move through the real world, using their smartphones to build a Catan universe. However, during September 2021 Niantic announced the augmented reality game would be shut down after a year of early access without actually releasing it.
In November 2021,
Dovetail Games
Dovetail Games (DTG), a trading name of RailSimulator.com Ltd (RSC), is a British simulation video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 2008 by Paul Jackson (formerly VP at Electronic Arts and Director General of ELSPA, now UKIE), Ti ...
and Asmodee Entertainment announced their intentions to bring a "digital tabletop" version of Catan to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. This project is a collaboration between Dovetail Games, Asmodee, Catan GmbH and Nomad Games. Dovetail Games are known for their simulation products, notably ''
Train Simulator
A train simulator (also railroad simulator or railway simulator) is a computer based simulation of rail transport operations. They are generally large complicated software packages modeling a 3D virtual reality world implemented both as comme ...
'', ''
Train Sim World
''Train Sim World'' (abbreviated to ''TSW'') is a train simulation game series developed by Dovetail Games. It was released on 24 July 2018. For the first time, ''Train Sim World'' allows players to walk around the game world in a first-person ...
'' and ''Bassmaster Fishing 2022''.
Film/television adaptation
A short film titled ''The Lord of Catan'' was released in 2014. Actors
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Winifred Burkle and Illyria on the supernatural drama series ''Angel'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on the action drama series ''Alias'' (2005 ...
and
Fran Kranz
Francis Elliott Kranz (born July 13, 1981) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his portrayal of Topher Brink in the science fiction drama series ''Dollhouse''. He had prominent roles in the films ''The Cabin in the Woods'' an ...
starred in the film as a married couple enmeshed in an increasingly intense game of ''Catan''.
In February 2015, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' announced that producer
Gail Katz
Gail Katz is a film, television, and theatrical producer. Katz heads Gail Katz Productions. Katz has worked at New World Pictures, where she was Vice President of Finance, then Vice President of Production. After leaving New World, Katz began p ...
had purchased the film and TV rights to ''The Settlers of Catan''. Katz said, "The island of Catan is a vivid, visual, exciting and timeless world with classic themes and moral challenges that resonate today. There is a tremendous opportunity to take what people love about the game and its mythology as a starting point for the narrative". In October 2017, ''Variety'' reported that
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
was negotiating to acquire the rights to adapt it into a film, with Gail Katz still attached to the project.
Tournaments
U.S. National Championship
Every year, thousands of Americans compete at local qualifying Catan tournaments in the United States.
The winners of those tournaments are then guaranteed a seat at the Catan United States National Championship, which is held every year at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio.
World Championship
The first Catan World Championship was held in 2002 at the game fair "Internationalen Spieltage” in Essen, Germany. It took place there every year until 2008, when it was hosted at Gen Con Indy, in the United States. Since then, the Catan World Championship has taken place every two years, with the location alternating between the United States and Germany.
In 2018, there were participants in the World Championship from over forty countries. A maximum of two players per country are allowed to participate.
To be eligible to compete in the World Championship, all players must be over the age of 18, as well as a citizen or permanent resident of the country in which they are competing.
The World Championship is structured in three rounds: the preliminary round, the semifinals, and the finals. The preliminary round consists of three games, of which the top sixteen players advance to the semifinals. The semifinals are seeded based first on wins, then points, and then the quality of victory (percentage of total points earned per game) in the preliminary round games. The winner of each semifinal game then advances to the finals. The winner of the finals becomes the Catan World Champion.
As of March 2020, all Catan local qualifying tournaments have been postponed until 1 June 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Many national championships (including the U.S., Canada, and the UK) have also been postponed or canceled. On 12 May 2020 Catan Studio announced that they planned to postpone the Catan World Championship one full year, to November 2021. On 26 January 2021, another update further postponed it until November 2022. The event is still planned to take place in Valletta, Malta.
Here is a list of past winners and finalists of the Catan World Championship.
Online tournaments
There are various short-form, long-form, and ongoing online Catan tournaments, including the Digital CATAN World Championship (DCWC), which debuted in autumn 2021, with a qualification round from August to October and a finals round held on 13 November.
See also
*
List of world championships in mind sports
This article gives a list of world championships in mind sports which usually represent the most prestigious competition for a specific board game, card game or mind sport. World championships can only be held for most games or mind sports with ...
* ''
Going Cardboard
''Going Cardboard: A Board Game Documentary'' is a 2012 documentary about the American adoption of German-style board games, and includes coverage of the 2009 board game event ''Spiel'' in Essen, Germany, as well as interviews with many prominent ...
'' (Documentary, includes an interview with Klaus Teuber)
References
External links
*
* (Documentary, includes an interview with Klaus Teuber, Benjamin Teuber, and Guido Teuber.)
*
Catan Studio publishers of English Language CATAN.
CatanShop.coman
CatanShop.de officially licensed online retailers for games and CATAN merchandise.
{{Authority control
Embracer Group franchises
Board games introduced in 1995
Board games with a modular board
Deutscher Spiele Preis winners
Multiplayer games
Origins Award winners
Spiel des Jahres winners
Territorial acquisition and development games