The question on everyone’s lips: do you Catan?

There are some games that sullenly sit on the shelf, and then there’s Catan, the board game that can turn a rainy afternoon, a family holiday or an after-dinner gathering into a full-scale negotiation over sheep, brick, wheat and who absolutely does not deserve the longest road.

With a long weekend an school holidays coming up, Catan is the kind of game families need on standby: clever enough to keep older players engaged, accessible enough for newer players, and social enough to pull everyone away from their screens for a while.

Catan 6th Edition

The latest Catan 6th Edition refresh keeps the classic gameplay intact, while introducing updated artwork, clearer rules, visual examples and refreshed components. The result – a polished upgrade.

The magic, as always, lies in the balance between strategy and conversation. You are building settlements, expanding roads and chasing resources, but the real game often happens across the table: the trade you manage to make, the deal you probably should not have accepted, and the very personal betrayal of someone placing the robber exactly where you needed production most.

Expansion sets

For families who already know the island well, the expansion sets open up bigger adventures. Seafarers takes players beyond the original island, adding ships, new shores, exploration and varied scenarios. Catan: Explorers & Pirates raises the stakes by sending players on sea voyages to discover new lands, build harbours, complete missions and face pirates.

Catan: On the Road

But Catan is no longer only one big-box board game for the dining room table. Catan: On the Road turns the experience into a faster, card-driven format, ideal for holidays, travel bags and shorter play sessions. It keeps the spirit of resource gathering, building and trading, but gives it a lighter, more portable rhythm.

CATAN Zip!

CATAN Zip! takes portability even further. In this version, the island is created on a shared map pad, with players drawing roads, settlements and cities as the game develops. It includes unique maps, resource tokens, themed pens, storage boxes, a travel bag and a dice shaker, making it especially well-suited to holidays and casual play away from home.

EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan

Then there is EXIT: The Game – Adventures on Catan, which brings an escape-room twist to the Catan universe. Designed for curious puzzle fans aged 10 and up, it sends players on a cooperative journey to discover and settle the island while solving riddles along the way.

So, whether your school holiday plans involve road trips, cousins sleeping over, long lunches or a few much-needed quiet days at home, there is a Catan for the moment.

The only real question is: do you Catan?

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