Officially it has a duration of one hour. But if you play Catan, time flies. Unless your rivals take away your sheep, wheat or wood without mercy and treachery. If so, minutes will feel like hours. Despite this, Catan is a game that has won the favor of gamers of all ages. One of the most recent board games, if we compare it with other more traditional ones, and that also has an online version. If you want to play Catan online, you can do it with Catan Universe.
And it is that although this board game is based on the material experience thanks to the original Catan and its many expansions, its success and popularity have been such that on the internet we can find online alternatives, official and not officers.
Let's see how we can play Catan online with the official version and some free alternatives to follow in this board game in which settlers, thieves and knights live together and face each other. Your goal, build towns, cities and roads if you get the necessary materials and don't take them away along the way.
The official game to play on-line
By way of introduction, it is worth remembering that Catan, whose full name is The Settlers of Catan, is a board game created by the German Klaus Teuber. Initially marketed in German, the game can be found in English, Spanish, Catalan, Basque, French and many other languages. In Spain, for example, it is sold by the publishing house Devir.
The original game can be played between a maximum of four players. To add more players and more game dynamics, there are currently up to five expansions available in Spanish and many others pending translation. Add to this the card and dice versions of the game. And like Monopoly, there are versions of Catan inspired by fictional universes like Game of Thrones or Star Trek.
But if we talk about Catan online, the official game to play from computers, tablets and smartphones is called Catan Universe and it has its own official page. The game is available for Windows, macOS, web browser, iPhone, iPad, and Android. You will also find it on Steam. The requirements to play are quite affordable and, in addition, several expansions are included. In addition, it can be played in English or Spanish, among other languages.
For the rest, the online game is mostly free, although it allows you to make purchases. And to start playing, you will have to register. Thus, with your user you can manage the games from different devices. The game includes a tutorial that will teach you the ins and outs of the game and you can play against other players online or against artificial intelligence. In the custom mode you can play against your friends, each one from their own computer or smartphone.
Games that are very similar to Catan online
You may not like Catan Universe, the official online proposal to play Catan from your computer, tablet or smartphone. The good news is that there are unofficial alternatives with other names. So you can play online with the same rules but with a different interface or graphics than the original.
Colonist is possibly the most popular alternative. It can be played directly from the browser. Against bots or against real players. It is free although with micropayments. And it offers the same gaming experience as Catan online: towns, cities, roads, wood, sheep, thieves, knights, etc. Instructions here.
Xplorers is a slightly more rustic version of Catan online. At the time of writing these lines it had almost 300 players online and more than 50 simultaneous games. To play, you need to have Java installed and create a user account. And for everything to go well, there are different experience levels to face players of your level.
Catan Assistant is an alternative version to Catan online created by the same people responsible for the official game in its installable edition. On this occasion, it is an aid to play Catan. You will have an assistant, the creator of Catan himself, who will tell you how to play and how to follow a good strategy. This app is available in English, German, Spanish, Catalan and other languages. To enjoy it, you will need the original game, in material or digital format.
