The 10 Best Catan Expansions to Play: A Definitive Guide

Are you interested in adding an expansion or two to your Catan game, but aren’t sure where to start? Catan (previously Settlers of Catan ) is a much-loved board game that’s been around since 1995, with several expansions that add new content to it. From Cities & Knights (which brings armies and metropolis cities to the game) to Seafarers (which lets players explore the ocean), every expansion has something different to offer. Read on for a complete guide to the best Catan expansions, including the pros and cons of each one!

Best Catan Expansions: Overview

Cities & Knights is the best overall expansion, with new development mechanics for the game.
Seafarers is the best expansion for beginners, adding oceans and islands to explore.
Traders & Barbarians is the most versatile expansion with 5 new gameplay scenarios.
The 5-6 Player Expansion is best for larger groups since it lets up to 6 players enjoy Catan .
Explorers & Pirates is best for players who enjoy adventure, adding hidden areas for players to discover.

1

Best Catan Expansion Overall: Cities & Knights

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Cities & Knights is a challenging fan-favorite Catan expansion. Among players, Cities & Knights is widely considered one of the best (if not the best) expansion; it adds new mechanics that give existing ones more substance. In C&K , players use a development flipchart to improve their cities via trade, politics, and science, unlocking new abilities with each improvement. Players can even turn their city into a metropolis for more resources and points. ^{[1]
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- Other mechanics:
 - Knights : Knights become the main defensive force for each player’s city (or metropolis), and players must use them strategically around the board to keep their cities safe.
 - Barbarians : Barbarians can invade and conquer cities in this expansion—and the aforementioned knights are the key to keeping them in check.
- Pros : C&K introduces new mechanics and resources, encouraging more strategy and careful planning from players.
- Cons : Some players may be a little overwhelmed by all the mechanics—especially newer players.

2

Best Expansion to Add First: Seafarers

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Seafarers is an easy-to-learn addition that expands the game’s scope. Want to explore the ocean surrounding Catan? With Seafarers , you can. The expansion adds more water tiles, additional islands (chosen at random each game) and shipping lanes, which essentially work like roads on the sea. It also adds the Pirate—which is like the Robber, but they roam the sea instead of the land. ^{[2]
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- Pros : Seafarers doesn’t change the Catan rules much, making it an ideal first expansion for your game—especially for new players. It also makes the game feel a little different each time you play!
- Cons : Explorers & Pirates has some overlap with this expansion in terms of mechanics.

3

Best Customizable Expansion: Traders & Barbarians

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Traders & Barbarians adds 5 scenarios to change up gameplay. Not only that, but it adds variant rules like the Friendly Robber (which makes the robber less punishing), Event Cards to replace the game’s dice, Harbormaster, which introduces a harbor-building mechanic, and rules to play Catan with 2 players. In short, it makes Catan more versatile—and each game feels unique! The 5 scenarios are:
- Fisherman of Catan : In this module, players collect fish as resources by building settlements near the ocean or lake tiles. With fish, you can get rid of the robber, steal resources, and build roads or gain development cards.
- Rivers of Catan : This module adds river tiles to the island of Catan, and players can earn coins by building roads and settlements along the river. Players can spend coins for resources, or hoard them for bonus points.
- The Caravans : Players can turn roads and settlements into caravans and add camels to their settlements to gain more points.
- Barbarian Attack : In this module, barbarians attack Catan and conquer settlements—so players must recruit knights to defend their land and capture any raiders.
- Traders & Barbarians : This scenario gives each player a wagon, with which they can pick up and deliver goods to earn money throughout the game and steadily improve trade by connecting more roads.
- Pros and cons : The sheer amount of new modules and mechanics in this expansion add a ton of replay value to Catan —but, on the other hand, they also make the game more complex.