Catan 1v1 strategy: what wins in 5,000 two-player games

How we tested 1v1

We sat two Veteran bots, Hearthsea’s strongest quick-thinking level, at 5,000 games on the standard 19-hex island, a fresh random board each game, with the normal rules: 10 points to win, discard on 8 or more, robber on. Then we looked at what the winners did.

These are the official rules with two seats, which is how Colonist and most online sites play 1v1. They are not the two-player variant from Traders & Barbarians, which adds neutral players and trade tokens.

Longest Road decides 1v1

With four players, Longest Road is one of several ways to two points. With two, it is the game. The winner held it at the end of 82.6% of our games, and whoever held it won 93.4%.

The reason is space. On a 19-hex island with two players, there is room to build a long road without anyone cutting it, and the two points it gives are a fifth of the target. It also blocks: every edge you take is an edge your opponent can’t settle from. Open toward the middle of the island with wood and brick, and keep one road ahead of theirs.

Cities over settlements

Winners ended with 3.7 cities and 0.99 settlements on average; losers with 2.35 cities and 1.09 settlements. A typical win was four cities, Longest Road and very little else.

So the plan that wins most often in 1v1 is roads first to claim space and Longest Road, then turn every settlement into a city. Ore and grain matter from the middle of the game on.

The leader at round 12 almost always wins

With no third player to rob the leader or refuse them trades, an early lead snowballs. The player ahead at the start of round 12 won 86.6% of our games. Games are long, 30.3 rounds on average against about 17 with four players, but they are mostly decided in the first third.

That makes the opening worth more than in a four-player game. Take the strongest corner you can, aim for both wood and brick in your first two settlements, and use the robber on the hex that pays your opponent most, every time.

Does going first matter in 1v1?

A little. The first player won 52.7% of our 5,000 games, against an even 50%. With four players the first seat’s edge is about 3 points too (27.6% against 25%), so 1v1 doesn’t make it worse. Swap who starts each game in a match.

Development cards in 1v1

Our bots rarely buy development cards in 1v1 (0.74 a game between both players), so we can’t say how a heavy card plan does. What we saw: Largest Army was almost never won, because with two players there is little reason to play knights, and the few bots that bought 1 or 2 cards won 61.5% of the time. A Knight is still the best answer when the robber sits on your 6. Treat cards as a way to spend extra ore and grain late, not a plan.

Practise 1v1 online

Hearthsea plays 1v1 free in the browser: against a bot at any of its levels, against a friend with a room code, or in quick match. Besides the standard island it has 11 maps made for two players, smaller boards where every road is contested.

Questions people ask

Sources

All numbers come from our own simulation of 5,000 two-player games, run on 19 October 2026. For comparison:

1. Ranked 1v1 strategy guide, Colonist blog
2. CATAN game rules, catan.com
3. Catanatron, an open-source Catan simulator

Keep reading

• We simulated 10,000 games of Catan
• How to win at Catan-style games: a strategy guide
• Play a Catan-style game against AI bots

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.