Catan rules: how to play and how to score

Catan quick rules

The goal

Everyone grows their settlements on an island made of terrain hexes, which produce five resources: brick, wood, wool, wheat and ore. With them, you build roads, settlements and cities, and you get development cards. The first player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins: a settlement is worth 1 point, a city 2, and the rest comes from two bonus tiles and from some cards.

Your turn

Your turn starts with the Production phase: roll both dice, and every terrain hex whose number disc shows that total produces, for all players. Each settlement on a producing hex gives its owner one resource card, each city two. Then comes the Action phase: trade and build as often as you like, in any order, then pass the dice to the player on your left.

The seven and the robber

On a 7, no hex produces. Each player with more than 7 resource cards in hand returns half of them to the supply, rounded down: with 9 cards, you return 4. Then you move the robber to a new hex and take one random card from a player with a settlement or city there; as long as the robber stays, that hex produces nothing.

Trading

During your Action phase, you may trade resource cards with the other players, who never trade with each other. With the supply, you trade 4 identical cards for 1 of your choice. A settlement or city on a port makes it cheaper: 3 for 1 at a three to one port, 2 cards of the resource shown for 1 at a two to one port.

Building

A road costs one brick and one wood, and must connect to one of your roads, settlements or cities. A settlement costs one brick, one wood, one wool and one wheat; it goes on an intersection connected to your roads and must follow the Distance Rule: the three neighboring intersections must be empty. A city costs two wheat and three ore, and replaces one of your settlements.

Development cards

A development card costs one wool, one wheat and one ore: keep it hidden, and don’t play it on the turn you get it. After that, you may play just one per turn, at any time, even before rolling: Knight, Road Building, Invention or Monopoly. Victory Point cards stay hidden until the turn they make you win.

Bonus tiles and the end

Longest Route (at least 5 roads in a row, not counting branches) and Largest Army (3 Knight cards played) are worth 2 points each, and change hands as soon as another player does better. The game ends as soon as a player has 10 or more points during their own turn: they then reveal their Victory Point cards. You never win during another player’s turn.

Beginner pitfalls

When placing your starting pieces, aim for numbers that come up often, like 6 and 8, and for varied resources. Avoid holding more than 7 cards: a 7 would cost you half of them. An opponent’s settlement on your line of roads cuts it in two, and you only have 5 settlements: remember to upgrade them to cities.

With five or six players

With the expansion, the island is bigger and has two deserts; you still play to 10 points. In the 2025 edition, two markers point to two players: player 1 takes a normal turn, then player 2, sitting three seats to their left, takes an Action phase without trading with the others. In earlier editions, after each turn, all the other players may build in turn with the cards in their hand: that’s the Special Building Phase.

Seafarers

Seafarers is played in scenarios: each one gives its board, its extra rules and the number of victory points to reach. A ship costs one wood and one wool, goes on the edge of a sea hex and leads to other islands; ships count for Longest Route. The pirate is the robber of the seas, and a gold field hex that produces gives the resource of your choice.

Cities & Knights

Cities & Knights is played to 13 victory points, without development cards or Largest Army. Your cities also produce paper, cloth and coin, which pay for city improvements in Science, Trade and Politics; the first player to the fourth level of a track places a metropolis, worth 2 more points. When the barbarian ship reaches Catan, the active knights must drive it off, or the players who defended the least lose a city.

How to score Catan

Victory points

Your total on a single counter, if you don’t want the breakdown. You need 10 to win, on your own turn.

Settlements

1 victory point each.

Cities

2 points each. The city replaces the settlement, which no longer counts.

Longest Route

2 points, for the first player with at least 5 roads in a row; it changes hands as soon as someone does better. It’s called “Longest Road” in earlier editions.

Largest Army

2 points, for the first player to play 3 Knight cards, then for whoever has played the most.

Victory Point cards

1 point each, kept hidden until the turn they make you win.

VP tokens (Seafarers)

Tokens earned according to the scenario, for example 2 for your first settlement on a small island. The scenario also sets the number of points to reach.

Cities & Knights

You play to 13 points. Each metropolis adds 2 points to its city, so 4 in all; each VP token for defending Catan, each Victory Point progress card (Printing, Constitution) and the merchant are worth 1 point.

Worked example

Mia has 3 settlements (3), 2 cities (4), Largest Army (2) and a hidden Victory Point card (1): 3 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 10 points. On her turn, she reveals her card and wins; if she reaches 10 during someone else’s turn, she waits for hers. With Cities & Knights, a city turned metropolis is worth 2 + 2 = 4 points, and you need 13 to win.

Common mistakes

• Counting both the settlement and the city that replaced it: a city is worth 2 points, not 3.
• Claiming the win during another player’s turn: you can only win on your own turn.
• Keeping Longest Route after an opponent’s settlement has cut it, or another player has beaten it.
• Forgetting hidden Victory Point cards when adding up.
• Stopping at 10 with Cities & Knights: it’s played to 13 points. With Seafarers, the scenario sets the target.

How to set up Catan

A game takes about 1.5 hours. Follow the first four parts, then the one for the expansion you’re playing. For a very first game, the rulebook offers a ready-made island, the Fixed Setup on pages 4 and 5.