How to Play Catan Online

Catan is a game by Klaus Teuber, first published in 1995. You can play Catan online through Board Game Arena or Catan Universe. We make Tollwick on Tavernly, a free browser alternative with its own art and names.

The short answer (checked 15 October 2026)

• Board Game Arena: free, in a browser, for 3 to 4 players.
• Catan Universe: free to start, with an account required.
• Tollwick on Tavernly: free, with friends by link or bots, no account.

Which way is right for you?

Pick by who joins you and how you want to play.

You want to…	Choose
Join a browser table	Board Game Arena
Use the publisher's app	Catan Universe
Invite friends with no account	Tollwick on Tavernly
Learn during a game	Tollwick on Tavernly
Play with friends for free	Board Game Arena or Tollwick on Tavernly
Play alone against bots	Tollwick on Tavernly

Method 1: Board Game Arena, in your browser (free)

Board Game Arena lists Catan games at about 35 minutes. The panel says "Free", and Catan needs no Premium. The panel also has a rules summary and a help link.

You need: a free Board Game Arena account.

1. Open the panel and sign in. Visit the Board Game Arena panel.
2. Join or host a table. Join a table, or create your own and invite friends.
3. Choose options before you start. The listing offers Cities & Knights, Easy Start and Friendly Robber. With Easy Start, players reroll a 7 in their first two turns.

Method 2: Catan Universe, the official app (free to start)

The Steam listing for Catan Universe lists Windows and Mac, with no Linux version, and a Steam release on 25 April 2017. You can start free. Purchases use the in-game currency Catan Gold.

You need: the app and a Catan Universe account.

1. Install the app. Choose the version for your device.
2. Sign in. Use your Catan Universe account.
3. Choose the free starter. Free multiplayer uses the scenario "Arrival on Catan".
4. Check paid content. The full base game and expansions require purchases.

We did not test the Catan Universe phone apps, the console edition, or live Board Game Arena tables.

Method 3: A Catan alternative: Tollwick on Tavernly

A Catan alternative: Tollwick on Tavernly is free in your browser, with no account required. Choose bot opponents, friends, or a coached game. Games take about half an hour, with no expansions, ocean ships, or tables for 5 or 6 players.

You need: a browser; you must be 13 or older.

Start against bots

1. Complete the age screen. Enter Month and Year on your first visit, then press Continue.
2. Choose your opponents. Select Easy, Medium or Hard, then press Play now. You join a table of 4; bots take empty seats within five seconds.

Set up a game with friends

1. Create your table. Press Play with friends, choose 3 or 4 seats, then press Start a private table.
2. Invite friends. Press Share invite, or tap the waiting-room link to copy it.
3. Begin when you are ready. Press Start now: bots take the empty seats.

Learn by playing

1. Start the coached game. Press Learn by playing. The six-step lesson begins with your two stalls and roads placed.
2. Try the throw. Tap the stones; a 5 gives you one Brick from the touching clay pit.
3. Practice a road. Pick it up, tap the ringed edge, and set it down.
4. Follow the prompts. Advance with Next, revisit with Back, or leave with Skip.

Learn the rules of Tollwick on Tavernly

Plain word	Name in Tollwick on Tavernly
settlement	stall
city	inn
road	road
robber	Tollman
development card	tale
harbor	jetty
resource	good
dice	fortune stones
lumber	Wood
hills	Clay pit (gives Brick)
pasture	Meadow (gives Wool)
mountains	Mine (gives Ore)
forest	Woods
fields	Fields (give Grain)

You build on an island of numbered hexes in Tollwick on Tavernly. Your pieces collect goods when their hex numbers appear, and you spend those goods on building and tales. During your turn, you can trade, build and play tales in any order after the throw.

1. Place your first stall and road. Place a stall and adjoining road twice, in snake order, without paying. Your second stall gives one good from each touching hex.
2. Throw the stones. Tap them or press R.

3. Collect goods. Except on 7, matching hexes pay players with pieces on their corners. Each stall collects one good; each inn collects two.
4. Trade goods. Trade with players, or exchange 4 of one good for 1 other at the bank. With a piece at a jetty, exchange 2 of its good for 1 other.
5. Build a piece. A stall needs your touching road and a free corner without pieces on neighboring corners. An inn replaces a stall.
6. Resolve a 7. Nobody collects; anyone holding 8 or more goods returns half, rounded down. Move the Tollman to another hex, blocking production, and take a random good from a player with a piece there.
7. Buy a tale. Pay its cost below. You may play one tale per turn, but cannot play one bought that turn.
8. Win at 10 points. Reach 10 during your own turn to win immediately. If nobody does after 30 turns each, the most points wins.

Build or purchase	Cost
Road	1 Wood + 1 Brick
Stall	1 Wood + 1 Brick + 1 Grain + 1 Wool
Inn	2 Grain + 3 Ore
Tale	1 Grain + 1 Wool + 1 Ore

What scores	Points
Stall	1
Inn	2
Renown tale, hidden until the end	1
Longest road, a chain of 5 or more roads without gaps	2
Town watch, most Night watch tales played, at least 3	2

Tips and warnings

• Spend goods when you hold 7 or more. A 7 makes anyone holding 8 or more goods give back half.
• Use a jetty for goods you have in abundance. Put a piece at that good's jetty to trade 2 for 1 instead of 4 for 1.
• Build the road before the stall. A new stall needs your road and a free corner without pieces on neighboring corners.
• Use the keyboard controls. Press R to throw; Put back (U) undoes a pick.
• Check the fair stones. You see a seed fingerprint before play and the secret seed afterwards. Use Verify a game to check every throw.

Warning: If your 90-second decision timer expires, the server plays a safe move for you.

Questions people ask

Do I need to download anything?

Board Game Arena runs in your browser without a download. Catan Universe is an app you install, and its login works across devices. For Tollwick on Tavernly, open the game page in your browser and choose a way to start.

Can I play Catan online for free?

Board Game Arena lists Catan as free, with no Premium needed. Catan Universe offers its free starter scenario, with paid content beyond it. Tollwick on Tavernly is a free alternative with no account required; choose it if you want to try our browser game.

Can I play alone?

You can start Tollwick on Tavernly against bots alone. Choose your bot level on the game page, or use the coached game to learn during play. Empty seats become bot seats, so you can begin while your friends are elsewhere.

Can I play with friends?

For Tollwick on Tavernly, create a private table and send its invitation link to your friends. They join through their browsers. The waiting room shows a table code and link, and you can begin with bots in seats that remain empty.

Can I play on my phone?

The Catan digital-games page lists Catan Universe for smartphones and tablets, as well as PC and Mac. You can use Tollwick on Tavernly in a phone browser. The publisher also lists a separate Console Edition for PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.

How many players can join?

Board Game Arena lists Catan for 3 to 4 players. Catan Universe allows up to 3 in its free starter scenario, and up to 6 with paid content. Tollwick on Tavernly supports 3 or 4 seats, including the people and bots at your table.

Sources

We checked these pages on 15 October 2026.

• BGA panel: designer, year, duration and options.
• BGA FAQ: accounts and tables.
• Steam, Catan Universe: platforms, account and purchases.
• Catan digital games: devices and consoles.
• Tollwick on Tavernly: rules, bots, controls and private tables.
• Verify a game: throw verification.

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Tollwick is not affiliated with or endorsed by the owner of Catan. Catan is a trademark of its owner. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you want the physical game, here is Catan on Amazon.