Board Games Similar to Catan for Large Groups

Catan works well for what it is: a trading and building game for 3 to 4 players (6 with the extension). But if you have 6, 7, or 8 people coming over, Catan either requires the extension, splits people into groups, or becomes a long waiting game.

The games below scratch the Catan itch — trading, building, resource management, social negotiation — but handle larger player counts without the downtime that kills Catan above 4 players.

What people actually like about Catan

Before picking an alternative, it helps to understand what Catan is delivering:

• Trading resources with other players (the social negotiation)
• Building and developing your position over time
• The luck of dice rolls balanced by strategic placement
• A game you can teach in 15 minutes

Not every alternative hits all of these. Some are heavier. Some focus more on one element. Here's what works best depending on what you want to keep.

Sidereal Confluence (for the trading)

If the trading is what you love about Catan — the negotiation, the deals, the "I'll give you two ore for three wheat" social dynamic — Sidereal Confluence is the natural destination.

Each player controls an alien race with a completely different economy. You can't get what you need from your own resources, so you trade. The trading phase is real time and simultaneous. Nine players stand around the table making deals at once. Every resource type can be traded. Deals can be anything — resources now, resources next turn, favours.

It's heavier than Catan and takes longer to teach. But the trading phase creates the same kind of negotiation energy that Catan's trading phase does, at a larger scale and with more complexity.

Works for 4 to 9 players.

The trading-focused Catan alternative. All negotiation, deep economies, up to 9 players.

7 Wonders (for the building strategy)

If the resource management and building progression of Catan is what appeals — collecting resources to build increasingly valuable structures — 7 Wonders delivers that in 35 minutes with no downtime.

You draft cards representing resources, buildings, and military. Three ages of cards represent the development arc. The simultaneous play means a 7-player game takes exactly as long as a 3-player game.

It's less social than Catan (there's no negotiation, player interaction is through drafting and limited military conflicts with neighbours), but it gives the same civilisation-building satisfaction in a fraction of the time.

Works for 3 to 7 players.

The building-focused Catan alternative. Simultaneous play, 35 minutes, 7 players.

Citadels (for the strategic depth)

Citadels is a city-building card game where each round you draft a character role from a rotating deck. Characters give you powers and resources. You use resources to build district cards into your city. First player to 8 districts triggers the endgame.

The role drafting is more strategic than Catan's resource acquisition, but the city-building arc and the way your position develops over time hits a similar satisfaction. You're growing something round by round while other players try to disrupt your plans.

Works for 2 to 8 players. Slows down above 6.

City-building with strategic role drafting. Works up to 8 players.

Long Shot: The Dice Game (for casual groups)

If your group plays Catan as a social occasion rather than a serious strategy game — you like the randomness of the dice and the relaxed betting — Long Shot is a lighter alternative that works at up to 8 players with no downtime.

Everyone bets on a horse race. The same dice roll affects all 8 players simultaneously. No individual turns. No waiting. The gambling and the shared reaction to every roll creates the same social energy as Catan's trading phase, without the complexity.

Lighter, faster, 8 players. Same social energy without the strategy overhead.

Captain Sonar (for competitive groups)

This is a sharp left turn from Catan's trading model, but if what your group loves about Catan is the competition, the map control, and the resource tension — Captain Sonar delivers all of that as a real-time team game.

Two submarine crews hunt each other. The Captain manages movement and map control. The Engineer manages resources (the sub's systems). The tension of resource management (can we afford to fire the torpedo?) combined with the spatial strategy (where are they?) creates a completely different game that hits the same competitive instincts.

Requires exactly 6 or 8 players.

Competitive tension, map control, resource management. Requires exactly 6 or 8.

A note on the Catan extension

If you specifically want Catan and have 5 or 6 players, the official Catan 5-6 Player Extension is the simplest answer. It extends the game you already own and know.

The problem is that it makes the game longer. A 6-player Catan can run 3 hours. If that's not a concern, the extension is the easiest path.

For groups that regularly play at 6 or more and want the game to stay under 90 minutes, the alternatives above are the better choice.

---

If this helped, you might also want to read our guides on best board games for large groups, games similar to Codenames, best games for 8 players.