Free · Browser · No download
Play Catan Online — Free, in Your Browser
Start a game of Settlers of Catan in under a minute. Solo against bots or multiplayer with friends via a shared link. Cities & Knights, Seafarers and custom maps are all included — no download, no account required.
Or jump straight into Basic 10-VP · Cities & Knights 13-VP · Random map
Three ways to play, all free
Pick the one that fits your mood. Switching modes is one click from the lobby.
Solo vs. bots
Practice openings, try a new map, or just play a quick game. Bots play the full ruleset including Cities & Knights and respond to robber, trading and dev cards.
Play solo →Multiplayer with friends
Open a lobby, copy the invite link, and send it. Friends join as guests — no account needed. Drop-in spectators can watch the game live.
Start a multiplayer game →Custom maps
Design your own board in the built-in map editor: place tiles, set numbers, add ports, save it, and play on it against bots or friends.
Open the map editor →Why play Catan here?
Fastest setup of any Catan site
From landing on the site to your first roll is a few clicks. No mandatory login, no matchmaking queue, no DLC store screen.
Free, everything included
Cities & Knights and Seafarers are free here. That's the part Catan Universe charges for and the reason most players come looking for an alternative.
Invite friends with a link
Share one URL. Friends join in their browser as guests. No accounts to create, no downloads to coordinate.
Works on phone and desktop
Same site, same game, no native app. The interface adapts to your screen so playing on a phone during the commute is fine.
Live spectator mode
Watch any running multiplayer game live from the lobby. Useful for learning openings or just for kibitzing.
Built-in tournaments
Run a round-robin or single-elimination event with the tournament builder — scoreboard, brackets and invite links handled for you.
How to start playing in 30 seconds
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1
Open the lobby
Go to gotland.gg. You'll see the lobby with active games and a "new game" button.
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2
Pick a mode and map
Choose Basic, Cities & Knights, a Seafarers scenario, or a custom map from the editor. Pick how many bots or human seats you want.
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3
Share or start
For multiplayer, copy the invite link from the lobby and send it to your friends. For solo, just hit start — the bots are ready.
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4
Play
Place your two starting settlements and roads, and you're in. New to the game? The how-to-play guide covers the rules in plain language.
Maps and rule sets available
Everything below is free and ready to play in the lobby.
Basic Catan
The original 3–4 player Settlers ruleset to 10 victory points. Resources, robber, dev cards, longest road, largest army. The game most people learned first.
Quick start →Cities & Knights
The expansion most fans consider the real game: commodities, knights, city walls, progress cards and the barbarian threat. Play to 13 or 15 VP.
About C&K →Seafarers-style sea maps
Boards with sea tiles, ships and islands. Discover new land for points and build trade routes across the water.
See maps →Custom & community maps
Design your own board with the built-in map editor — tile layout, number tokens, ports — save it, and play on it solo or with friends.
Open editor →Looking at other options too?
We keep an honest side-by-side comparison of gotland.gg, the official Catan Universe app, and Colonist.io — covering cost, features, expansions, replays and player base.
See the full comparisonFrequently asked questions
Can I really play Catan online for free?
Yes. gotland.gg is free with no install and no account required. Colonist.io is another popular free fan-made option. Catan Universe (the official app) is freemium — base game free with limits, expansions paid.
Do I need to download anything?
No. The game runs in your browser on desktop or mobile. There's nothing to install and no app store involved.
Can I play Catan online with my friends?
Yes. Open a multiplayer lobby, copy the invite link, and send it. Your friends click the link and join as guests in their own browser. No accounts needed for anyone.
Can I play Catan against the computer?
Yes. There are bot opponents you can play solo or mix into a multiplayer game to fill seats. They play the full ruleset including Cities & Knights.
Does it have Cities & Knights?
Yes — included free. There's a dedicated Cities & Knights page if you want the rules summary and where to play it online.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The game runs in any modern mobile browser. There's no native app — you just open the site.
Is it the official Catan game?
No. gotland.gg is an independent fan-made implementation of the underlying game design — it doesn't use official Catan artwork or branding. The only officially licensed digital version is Catan Universe.
Ready to play?
Open the lobby and you're in a game in under a minute.
Play Catan online — free