Catan Big Box (ED 2025). DEVIR

Step through the main gate into the world of Catan! This edition includes the base game, the 5–6 player expansion, the “Between Friends” mini-expansion, two alternative setup scenarios (instead of the classic hexagonal island, you can play either in India or on the Iberian Peninsula), and the Santa Claus and Easter Bunny mini-expansions.

The classic by Klaus Teuber never goes out of style, and now you have the chance to discover the board game that revolutionized the hobby in its most complete edition yet. Beyond the base game, this version already includes everything you need to expand the experience to 5 or 6 players, making it perfectly adaptable to different gaming groups.

The “Between Friends” mini-expansion adds guild favor tokens that players can earn throughout the game by performing good deeds (such as moving the robber without harming anyone or gifting a resource card). Depending on the guild, players can obtain various benefits during the game.

The Santa Claus and Easter Bunny mini-expansions introduce a new hex tile and new characters that affect gameplay. Both Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny offer their help to players in exchange for wool. If a player offers them this resource during their turn, they can move their figure to a hex to deliver gifts to the settlers of that territory and drive the robber away.

Catan offers countless elements that make it highly replayable. The game is played on a hexagonal board where players place their settlements and cities. Each hex has a number that changes from game to game. These numbers correspond to the sum of the dice rolled each turn. Depending on how likely a number is to appear, it is shown as large and red (very likely), large (likely), medium, or small.

Players with a settlement adjacent to a hex whose number is rolled collect resources from that hex. There are five resources: wood from forests, clay from hills, wool from pastures, grain from fields, and ore from mountains. With these resources, players can build more settlements and roads, upgrade settlements into cities, or purchase development cards. Depending on their strategy, players must manage their resources wisely to earn victory points.

Trading is essential in Catan. A player who lacks a certain resource will need to negotiate with others or take advantage of ports to trade. The game is won by earning victory points, which are gained by building settlements and cities, creating the longest road or largest army, or drawing development cards that grant additional points.

Although many factors can influence a match, Catan is quick to explain and easy to learn, with simple mechanics and a limited number of decisions to make. The choices players make have an immediate impact, affecting not only their own path to victory but also that of their opponents.

There is a high level of player interaction in Catan. For example, when a player rolls a seven, they move the robber — a piece that prevents resource generation on its tile. Catan is perfectly balanced, ensuring that victories are often won by a narrow margin, keeping the tension high until the very end.

Whether with family or friends, Catan is the essential board game for every home. With quick-to-learn rules and easy explanations, it’s the perfect gateway for social players discovering modern board games.