Best Catan Expansions In 2024 (2024)

One of the best games to bust out with friends to get that competitive spirit going, Settlers of Catan is one of those classic board games that appeals to gamers of all skill levels. Perfect for introducing new players and those more experienced alike, Settlers of Catan is a fantastic board game that gives you and your friends new ways to play every game.

If you’re looking to spice up your Settlers of Catan games a bit, you can always pick up an expansion. Each of these expansions brings new mechanics, tiles, and even allows for more players to join in the game. If you’re looking to expand your empire in Catan, you can’t go wrong with these addons to your game.

Updated May 31, 2024 by Vaspaan Dastoor: While Catan has a number of major expansions, it also includes a few Scenarios. These are smaller additions to the game that change things around only a bit. They don't expand the game per se, but add a few new mechanics to prevent the classic gameplay from getting monotonous. We've added a few of them to this list.

Catan: 5-6 Player Extension

Grab two more players to join you in your settling of new lands with the 5-6 Player Extension. This expansion on the base game adds a new element of strategy to your game.

Pros

• Expands the base game to include 5-6 players.
• Introduces new mechanics to the base game.

Cons

• Games tend to go on longer with more players.

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The most straightforward expansion for Settlers of Catan, the 5-6 Player Extension does just that, turns the four player game into a five or six player experience. By adding brown and green pieces, as well as more terrain tile and harbors, you can invite more players to your games.

All the basics of the game remain the same, though it does add an additional build phase to each player's turn. Since you have more players, the island gets bigger with the additional tiles, preventing players from running out of terrain too quickly and making sure to give enough room for all players to grow.

Catan Scenario: The Helpers

A mini-expansion for players looking for a smaller way to change up their games, The Helpers introduces twelve new cards to give players new abilities and mechanics to play with.

Pros

• Easy to store since the cards are so small.
• Adds a ton of variety to the game without needing a huge expansion.

Cons

• Not a complete expansion so no new tiles or pieces.

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A mini-expansion for Settlers of Catan, Catan Scenarios: Helpers of Catan works with a few specific expansions, Catan: Seafarers, Catan: Seafarers 5-6 Player Extension, and then the base Catan: 5-6 Player Extension. The Helpers comes with twelve cards, each one featuring a different character along with a special ability players can use.

The big appeal of using The Helpers expansion is that it makes the game a little less punishing for bad rolls and makes trading a little easier. Since you and all other players start with a Helper at the beginning of the game, you have plenty of opportunities to use them to help grow your cities.

Catan: Explorers and Pirates

Explore new islands and open ports in these Settlers of Catan expansion. Islands are randomly revealed as you explore the open seas, leading to different games every time.

Pros

• Enjoy the open seas as you explore new islands.
• Tons of new pieces and mechanics with this huge expansion.

Cons

• More mechanics and expansions means longer games.

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The fourth expansion for Settlers of Catan, Explorers and Pirates brings brand new ways to play the classic board game. Explorers and Pirates lets players vie for resources across three islands, starting on one and eventually branching out to the other two by building ships to cross the sea. The new islands are randomly determined so you never know exactly how the new island is going to look.

The Explorers and Pirates expansion also lets you build ports. These port settlements function like cities, providing victory points and giving resources though they require different resources to build. The final major change to the game is the introduction of gold, which can be earned if you don’t get any resources when you roll for production, letting you exchange two pieces of gold to the bank in exchange for resources.

Catan: Traders and Barbarians

Introducing rules for a two player variant and tons of other ways to play, the Traders and Barbarians expansion adds all new mechanics to explore.

Pros

• Introduces a two-player rules set.
• New fishing mechanics!

Cons

• Expanded rules can make the game more complicated.

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​​The third major expansion for The Settlers of Catan, Traders and Barbarians introduces new mechanics and scenarios for players to change up the game with. Traders and Barbarians is a collection of smaller expansions, brought together into one big one with some extra material to tie everything together.

The most interesting change in rules provided in this expansion is that Traders and Barbarians lets players play the game with just two players through the addition of a new mechanic called Commercial Chips to force trades with the other player. This expansion also brings some other new mechanics like fishing, caravans, and even barbarian attacks on your settlements to spice the game up a bit.

Catan: Seafarers

Boats, trade routes, and even islands of gold await you in the Seafarers expansion to Settlers of Catan. New rules and new randomly chosen islands bring a new level of strategy to Catan.

Pros

• Expands on core rules of the game without changing too much.
• Endlessly versatile and brings new variance to each game.

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If the island of Catan isn’t enough for you to explore, you can always adventure out to sea with the Seafarers expansion. This add-on to the main game lets players build shipping lanes, which function similarly to roads but are decidedly more wet.

Seafarers adds plenty of water tiles and islands to explore, each one randomly chosen, providing a fun and unique game experience every time you play. There are also new scenarios to play through, adding even more twists to your game. The other neat thing about this expansion is that it introduces the Pirate, a piece that acts similarly to the Thief, but works on the ocean instead of on land.

Catan: Cities and Knights

A bit of feudalism never hurt anybody.

Reinforce your cities, deploy knights to protect them, and gather new types of resources in this expansion for Settlers of Catan.

Pros

• Tons of cool new mechanics to explore.
• Introduces new resources to the game to strategize in new ways.

Cons

• Lots of new rules can overcomplicate the game for some players.

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The most popular expansion by far for Settlers of Catan is the Cities and Knights add-on. This expansion brings several new mechanics and twists to the game, drastically changing the core gameplay in interesting ways. Two of the biggest changes that come with the expansion is the introduction of knights, which can be used to protect your lands from invading barbarians, and the ability to improve upon your cities, granting additional boons to your cities.

There are also new mechanics called commodities that let you reinforce cities while also utilizing a new set of development cards to improve your game with a wider range of effects. This expansion brings tons of new ways to play that are drastically different from the base game, making it the best way to change up your games.

Catan Seafarers + C&K Scenario: Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers

This scenario expansion for Settlers of Catan requires the Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions. It adds a ton of new features and scenarios that even veterans can enjoy.

Pros

• Defeat menacing dragons, dig canals, and explore islands

Cons

• Requires Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions
• Complex set-up

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Even if you are a veteran of the Catan universe and expansions, the Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers expansion adds enough variety that will keep you interested. Plus, never before have we seen mythical creatures in Catan! The only unfortunate aspect to this expansion is that it requires both Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions for the base game to enjoy.

The scenario pack comes with a bunch of new game components that allow you to modify other existing scenarios, or create your own. The Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers expansion will allow old and newer players to embark on their very own adventure to explore hidden islands for riches and slay mighty dragons.

Catan Cities & Knights Scenario: Legend of the Conquerors

Legend of the Conquerors is a scenario expansion for the Cities & Knights expansion for Settlers of Catan. It introduces a campaign structure with a chapter-based structure that encourages playing with a dedicated group through the story.

Pros

• Campaign structure
• Interwoven narrative

Cons

• For seasoned players

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Are you a seasoned veteran of the Catan lands and want a more structured story to experience in the beloved world? That is what the scenario expansion Legend of the Conquerors sets out to do. It requires the base game and Cities & Knights to work, but offers interesting gameplay choices and narrative not seen in other Catan expansions.

The expansion features an interwoven narrative through chapter-based scenarios. This encourages a group of players to take on a longer journey with an evolving strategy and scenarios. Seasoned players will find new and interesting twists to the gameplay, and it will make Catan feel fresh to those with a lot of hours.

Catan: Soccer Fever Scenario Expansion

Strikers of Catan

There's nothing quite like soccer, or football, as the world knows it - to bring people together. The Soccer Fever scenario kicks off a game of soccer every time a new settlement is built, giving the winner vital victory points that add to the overall gameplay.

Pros

• A great addition for fans of soccer.
• Introduces the world's favourite game to the world's favourite board game.
• Keeps the original gameplay loop fresh.

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Catan: Crop Trust Scenario

Harvest or store?

Designed in collaboration with the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Crop Trust scenario of Catan introduces a semi-cooperative, collective goal of adding and preserving seeds in a seed vault. The vault itself looks like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, as it spreads awareness about seed storage while also adding a cooperative twist to the gameplay.

Pros

• Spreads awareness about seed and crop storage.
• Adds a semi-cooperative mechanic to a competitive game.
• Players must balance between harvesting and storing.

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A collective goal in a competitive game always makes things more interesting. The Crop Trust scenario will make you decide whwther to harvest for your own goals or store seeds to achieve a collective goal. This balance adds a new twist to the gameplay, while also spreading awareness.

FAQ

What is the best Catan expansion to buy first?

Generally, the best expansion to pick up first is the Seafarers one. It builds on the original mechanics of the game without diverging too much from the core rules.

Is Catan 5-6 Player Extension worth it?

If your playgroup is expanding a bit or if you want to introduce new players to the game, the 5-6 Player Extension lets you share the game with more players than before.

Do all Catan expansions work together?

Not all expansions work together, but many of them do. The Seafarers and the Cities and Knight expansions can be combined to further expand your game.