Edition: The Catan base game for 3 to 4 players, formerly known as The Settlers of Catan. Last checked October 25, 2026
Catan Rules: How to Play Catan (Settlers of Catan)
In Catan you build roads, settlements and cities on an island and trade resources with the other players. Here are the rules explained in short, and answers to the questions that often cause disagreements at the table.
- Players
- 3 to 4
- Age
- 10 and up
- Playing time
- 60 to 120 minutes
How to win: The first player to reach 10 victory points on their own turn wins.
Who is right?
The classic arguments at the table when you play Catan.
Can you play a development card on the turn you bought it?
No, except victory point cards.
A new development card can only be played on a later turn. You may play at most one development card per turn. Victory point cards stay hidden and count as soon as they get you to 10 points.
Some families let beginners play the card right away to make the game easier to learn.
Can you play a knight before rolling the dice?
Yes.
A development card may be played at any time during your turn, including before you roll. That is handy if the robber is sitting on one of your own tiles.
Some play that cards can only be used after the roll. That is not the official rule.
Can other players trade with each other when it is not their turn?
No.
Every trade during a turn must include the active player. Two other players may not trade between themselves.
At the family table some allow free trading between everyone, which means more chatting but longer turns.
Do you have to discard if a 7 is rolled in the first round?
Yes.
The 7 rule applies from the very first roll. If you have more than 7 cards, discard half, rounded down, and the robber moves.
The friendly robber: the robber may not be moved to a player with 2 points or fewer. That protects new players early on.
Do you have to trade before you build?
Not necessarily.
The basic rules describe a turn as roll, then trade, then build. The rulebook also offers a combined option where you mix trading and building freely after the roll. How strictly this is worded varies between rulebook editions.
Most people mix trading and building freely, which is also easiest for new players.
What you need
- Hexagon terrain tiles and a sea frame with harbors
- Number tokens
- 2 dice
- The robber
- Resource cards: lumber, brick, wool, grain and ore
- Development cards
- Roads, settlements and cities in each player's color
- Longest Road and Largest Army cards
- Building cost cards
Setup
- 1Build the island from the terrain tiles, put the sea frame around it and place the number tokens. Beginners can use the suggested layout in the rulebook.
- 2Put the robber on the desert.
- 3Everyone rolls both dice, and the highest roll goes first.
- 4In the first round each player places one settlement and one road. In the second round the order is reversed, so the last player places twice in a row.
- 5For your second settlement, you immediately take one resource from each terrain tile it touches.
How to play
- 1Roll both dice. Every tile with the number rolled produces resources for the settlements and cities touching it. A settlement gets 1, a city gets 2.
- 2If you roll a 7, no tiles produce. Everyone with more than 7 cards in hand must discard half, rounded down.
- 3On a 7 you move the robber to a new tile and steal a random card from a player with a settlement or city on that tile.
- 4You may trade resources with other players, but only trades that include you, and only on your own turn.
- 5You may also trade with the bank: 4 of a kind for 1 of your choice, or a better rate if you have a settlement on a harbor.
- 6Build roads, settlements and cities, or buy development cards, as long as you have the resources.
- 7A new settlement must connect to your own road and be at least two road segments away from every other settlement and city.
- 8As soon as you have 10 victory points on your turn, you win.
Building costs
- Road: 1 lumber and 1 brick.
- Settlement: 1 lumber, 1 brick, 1 wool and 1 grain.
- City: 2 grain and 3 ore. A city replaces one of your settlements.
- Development card: 1 wool, 1 grain and 1 ore.
Victory points
- Settlement: 1 point.
- City: 2 points.
- Longest Road: 2 points to the first player with a continuous road of at least 5 segments. The card changes hands if someone builds a longer road.
- Largest Army: 2 points to the first player who has played 3 knights. The card changes hands if someone plays more.
- Victory point cards among the development cards: 1 point each.
House rules
Pick the rules you want to play with tonight. Everyone at the table has to agree.
Our Catan rules for tonight
Everything else follows the official rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards can you hold in Catan?
There is no limit, but when a 7 is rolled, everyone with more than 7 cards must discard half, rounded down.
What is the difference between Catan and Settlers of Catan?
It is the same game. The name was shortened to Catan and the art was updated, but the basic rules are the same.
Can you play Catan with 5 or 6 players?
Yes, but you need the 5 to 6 player extension, which adds more tiles and an extra building phase between turns.
Source: The publisher's rulebook for the base game and common family tradition. The rules are written in our own words. Ask the referee if you are unsure.