8 Games Like Catan (and Which Part of Catan Each One Keeps)

Catan is the game that got most people into modern board games, so it’s natural to want another one like it. The trouble is that “like Catan” means different things. For some people it’s the trading. For others it’s the map that changes every game, or the feeling of an economy that snowballs.

So every pick on this list says which part of Catan it keeps and which part it drops. All eight are games we’ve reviewed, with our Bamboo (how easy to learn) and Pandas (how fun) scores. They run from the easiest step sideways to the heaviest step up. Catan itself scores 4/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Catan review, and if you’re happy with Catan, our versions ranking is the next thing to read.

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1. Bohnanza — The Trading Without the Board

Bohnanza is the game to buy if trading is your favorite part of Catan. It’s a card game about bean farming, and the twist is that you can never rearrange your hand. Cards have to be planted in the order you got them, so every turn the whole table is haggling to get rid of beans they don’t want and grab the ones they need.

We’ve played it about a dozen times, and it’s one of the easiest trading games to teach, 5/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Bohnanza review. It seats 2–7 using the variants in the box, with 3–5 the main game, and the US box says 12+. If you’re choosing between the two, Bohnanza vs Catan goes deeper.

What it keeps from Catan — the trading, louder. What it drops — the board, the dice and the robber.

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2. Ticket to Ride — Building Routes, Without the Arguments

Ticket to Ride is the other great gateway game, and it shares Catan’s route-building. You collect colored train cards and spend them to claim routes between cities, trying to connect the destinations on your secret tickets. There’s no trading, so it’s calmer, and the tension comes from someone taking the route you needed.

It scored 4/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Ticket to Ride review. Days of Wonder lists it for 2–5 players, ages 8 and up, at 30–60 minutes, so it works for younger kids and for two players, which Catan doesn’t. Our versions ranking covers which map to buy.

What it keeps from Catan — building a network across a map. What it drops — trading and dice, so a bad roll can’t ruin your night.

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3. Carcassonne — A Map You Build Every Game

Carcassonne gives you Catan’s changing map in a different way. Instead of a board made of hexes set out at the start, you build the map one tile at a time during play, placing roads, cities and fields and putting your followers on them to score.

It’s the most learnable game in its class, 5/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Carcassonne review, and it’s also the best of these for two players. It seats 2–5, the box says 7+, and it plays in 30–45 minutes. Catan vs Carcassonne compares the two directly.

What it keeps from Catan — a map that’s different every game. What it drops — trading and resources, for a calmer, quieter game.

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4. Splendor — The Engine Without the Table Talk

Splendor takes the part of Catan where your settlements start producing more and more, and makes it the whole game. You collect gem tokens, buy cards with them, and every card you own makes later cards cheaper, until you’re buying a card every turn.

We’ve played it 7 or 8 times with friends from the neighborhood, and it scored 4/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our Splendor review. Space Cowboys lists it for 2–4 players, ages 10 and up, and it plays in about 30 minutes, a lot shorter than Catan. Splendor vs Catan covers which suits your group.

What it keeps from Catan — building an economy that snowballs. What it drops — trading and the board, so it’s quieter and faster.

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5. 7 Wonders — Civilization Building for Big Groups

7 Wonders is the pick when you have more people than Catan can seat. Each player builds a civilization over three ages by picking one card from a hand and passing the rest, and everyone plays at the same time. You buy resources from your neighbors instead of trading with the whole table.

It’s the easiest real strategy game we rate, 5/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas in our 7 Wonders review. It seats 3–7, the box says 10+, and it plays in about 30 minutes once everyone knows it, however many are playing.

What it keeps from Catan — resources and building toward points. What it drops — the board, and the waiting between turns.

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6. Everdell — Catan’s Next Step Up

Everdell is where to go when your group is ready for something heavier. You send workers out to gather twigs, resin, pebbles and berries, then spend them to build a city of up to fifteen critter and building cards, many of which let you play another card for free.

It scored 3/5 Bamboo and 5/5 Pandas in our Everdell review, so it takes longer to learn and pays off more. It seats 1–4, the box says 13+, and it runs 40–80 minutes. It’s the best-looking game we own, according to our board game artwork list.

What it keeps from Catan — collecting resources to build. What it drops — dice and trading, replaced by planning.

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7. Scythe — For the Player Who Wants More Map

Scythe is for Catan players who wish the map mattered more. Each player runs a faction with its own abilities, gathering resources from territories and spending them on buildings, mechs and upgrades. Fights are rare and expensive, so most of the game is an economic race.

In one of our plays, my wife triggered the end while I was two turns from cashing in a huge popularity swing, and it was worth exactly nothing. Our Scythe review gives it 2/5 Bamboo and 4/5 Pandas. Stonemaier Games lists it for 1–5 players, ages 14 and up, and it needs a full first evening. Our Scythe for beginners guide helps.

What it keeps from Catan — territory, resources and a map you fight over. What it drops — the dice and the luck.

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8. Root — When You Want the Table to Argue

Root is the pick for Catan groups who love the arguing most of all. Four factions share a woodland map, and each plays by completely different rules, from an industrial empire to a lone wanderer. Players make deals, break them, and gang up on whoever’s ahead.

Nothing else produces an evening like it, which is the 5/5 Pandas in our Root review. The 2/5 Bamboo is the price, because every faction plays by its own rules and the first game isn’t the real game. Leder Games lists it for 2–4 players, ages 14 and up, at 60–90 minutes once learned. Root vs Scythe compares the two heavier picks here.

What it keeps from Catan — table talk, deals and a map. What it drops — anything simple.

Check Root price on Amazon →

Which One to Buy

If trading is what you love about Catan, buy Bohnanza. If you love building across a map, buy Ticket to Ride, or Carcassonne if you often play with two. If you want the same feeling in half the time, buy Splendor or 7 Wonders.

If your group has worn Catan out and wants more, step up to Everdell first, then Scythe or Root. All three ask for a full first game before they click. For more strategy games ordered by how hard they are to learn, see our best strategy board games list.

The Quick Picks Table

All eight, with what each keeps from Catan.

If you only buy one, buy Ticket to Ride for a family or Bohnanza for a group that lives for the trading.

Want more fighting than Catan has? See our games like Risk list, which picks seven that keep the conquest and drop the hours spent knocked out.

Coming to Catan from Monopoly? See our games like Monopoly list, which picks seven that keep the trading, money and dice but finish in under two hours.