The best Catan expansions, ranked for 2026
Seafarers is the best first Catan expansion for most groups: it adds ships and islands without new card systems. Cities & Knights is the best second one and the deepest, but a four-player game ran 27.5 rounds in our bot games against 17.2 for the base game. Buy the 5–6 player extension only if you often have five or six people.
The ranking at a glance
We ranked the five big-box expansions by how much they add for the price of learning them, using what Catan players recommend and our own bots’ game lengths.
| # | Expansion | Best for | New rules to learn | Game length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seafarers | Your first expansion | Few: ships, islands, gold | A little longer |
| 2 | Cities & Knights | Groups who have played 20+ games | Many: knights, barbarians, progress cards | About 60% longer (27.5 vs 17.2 rounds at 4 players) |
| 3 | 5–6 player extension | Groups of five or six | One: the paired-player turn | Longer with more players |
| 4 | Traders & Barbarians | Variety and 2-player rules | Five small scenarios | Depends on the scenario |
| 5 | Explorers & Pirates | Players who loved Seafarers | Missions, ships that carry settlers | Long |
1. Seafarers: the best first expansion
Seafarers adds the sea. Ships work like roads on water, new islands pay extra points for the first settlement on them, and some scenarios add gold fields that pay any resource you like. Everything else is the Catan you know, which is why most players recommend it first.
Its scenarios change the map more than the rules: Heading for New Shores is the base island with small islands around it, and others hide the map in fog until you sail there. The 6th edition box also carries the base game’s old port tokens and the Wonders of Catan tiles.
2. Cities & Knights: the deepest expansion
Cities & Knights changes how Catan is won. Cities make commodities (paper, cloth, coin), commodities buy city improvements on three tracks, and the first to the top of a track builds a metropolis. Barbarians sail toward the island and sack cities unless the players’ knights defend it together. Development cards are replaced by progress cards. Games go to 13 points.
It is the expansion experienced groups end up playing most, and it is the one to buy second. It is long: in our 10,000 bot games a four-player game took 27.5 rounds against 17.2 for the base game. In those games science was the track most winners climbed highest. Catan’s own page says it combines with Seafarers and with Traders & Barbarians.
3. The 5–6 player extension
It is not a new game. It adds 11 hexes, 28 number discs and pieces for two more players, plus the 6th edition’s paired-player turn so six people don’t wait too long. Buy it if your group is regularly five or six. Each big expansion has its own 5–6 pack, so you need one per box.
4. Traders & Barbarians
A box of variants: five scenarios (including the merchants’ caravans and the barbarian attack) and small rule add-ons such as the Harbormaster and Friendly Robber, plus official rules for two players. It is the best pick for a group that wants variety more than a new core game.
5. Explorers & Pirates
A step further than Seafarers: ships carry settlers, the map is uncovered as you explore, and you complete missions for points. It is the most different game of the five and the least often recommended first, but players who loved Seafarers often call it their favourite.
New in 2026: Zip Edition and On the Road
Two smaller games came out this year. CATAN – Zip Edition (1 May 2026) is the base game in a zipped travel pouch, with a board you draw on and 50 layouts. CATAN – On the Road (3 April 2026) is a travel game played with cards: you draw resources, build from a shared pool and race to 7 points. Neither is an expansion; both make sense as a gift for someone who already owns the big box.
Which Catan expansion should you buy first?
- A new group, or a gift: Seafarers.
- You have played the base game 20 times and want more decisions: Cities & Knights.
- You are often five or six: the 5–6 extension for the base game first.
- Two players: Traders & Barbarians, which has the official two-player rules.
The cheapest way to decide is to play them before you buy. Seafarers and Cities & Knights are both playable free in Hearthsea, against bots or with friends, on 2 to 6 seats.
Questions people ask
What is the best Catan expansion?
Seafarers is the best first expansion for most groups because it adds ships and islands with few new rules. Cities & Knights is the deepest and the best second buy.
Which Catan expansion should I buy first?
Buy Seafarers first, unless your group is often five or six people, in which case the base game’s 5–6 player extension comes first.
Is Cities and Knights worth it?
Yes for groups who have played the base game many times. It adds knights, barbarians and city improvements, but games run longer: 27.5 rounds against 17.2 in our four-player bot games.
Can you combine Seafarers and Cities and Knights?
Yes. catan.com lists Seafarers and Traders & Barbarians as expansions Cities & Knights can be combined with. Seafarers scenarios with many small islands fit it less well.
Which Catan expansion is best for 2 players?
Traders & Barbarians includes the official two-player rules. Online, Hearthsea also has maps made for two.
Can I try Catan expansions before buying?
Yes. Hearthsea lets you play Seafarers and Cities & Knights free in the browser, against bots or friends, with no download.
Sources
Shop and publisher pages read on 19 October 2026; game lengths from our own simulations (10,000 base-game and 10,000 Cities & Knights games between Veteran bots).
Keep reading
Play Cities & Knights online, free
Seafarers maps: ships, fog and gold
Catan 6th edition vs 5th: every change that matters
Try two expansions before you buy one
Hearthsea is free: every mode and every island, bots, online rooms with friends and quick match, with no daily limit. Play Seafarers and Cities & Knights tonight, then decide which box to buy.
Hearthsea is free: every mode and every island, bots, online rooms with friends and quick match, with no daily limit. Play Seafarers and Cities & Knights tonight, then decide which box to buy.
CATAN is a registered trademark of Catan GmbH. Hearthsea is an independent game and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Catan GmbH or its publishers. Other game names belong to their owners and are used here only to describe and compare.