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Want to finally add Catan to your board game collection? These are the versions and expansions I recommend
Catan is a board game icon for a reason. It takes everything you love about childhood classics and serves them with gameplay that's much more satisfying, properly blending luck and skill. But which version should you play?
With Amazon Prime Day US deals serving up so many different versions of Catan it can feel impossible to choose one, thankfully for you I’ve played them all and I know the answer.
The base game is at a phenomenally good asking price of $29.99 — saving you 45% at Amazon if you’re a Prime member — but there are plenty of alternatives and expansions to consider sticking in your basket too.
• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale
Of course, the classic base game is the best starting point, especially with the Prime Day deal Amazon has going on right now. The only issue is that the game can have an awkward number of players at exactly three or four, which is why the five-to-six player expansion is an excellent pickup if, like me, you find your game nights are rarely small enough for the base limit.
Alternatively my partner I have loved the two-player Rivals game as it provides a lot of the same strategic rivalry without needing a group over to get a game in.
If you’ve opted for the classic original, you also have the option to enhance it with one of three expansions (which can be expanded further with components for five or six-player games). My favorite is Cities & Knights as it takes core elements in the base game and makes them a little more complex — such as expanding the role of cities, and giving your army of knights an enemy to oppose — without altering the game so much that it feels inaccessible. Explorers & Pirates alters the game board to include islands to be explored (and harvested), as well as pirates to contend with; much like Cities & Knights, it expands the core elements of the base game without making it feel unfamiliar.
Traders & Barbarians includes several smaller changes in one larger package. There are new two-player rules, you can replace dice rolls with event cards, there are new trading mechanics, and the addition of fishing — a mechanic all games need in my opinion.
Lastly, I’ve included three entirely different standalone versions of Catan. New Energies will feel very familiar except there’s now an energy mechanic, with consequences to contend with as you pollute the world (and benefits to be gained by investing in renewables). Dawn of Humankind introduces a much larger map (essentially the whole globe) and encourages true exploration and travel supported by the game’s familiar resource gathering. Meanwhile, On the Road turns the classic into a portable card game with streamlined rules that make it excellent for playing while traveling.
Dawn of Humankind is pricier than we’ve seen in the past, unfortunately, but I love these Catan alternatives so much that I can’t include them.
Prime Day board game sale — top picks
The best Catan games and expansions
More Prime Day deals in the US
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- Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34
