STRATEGY GUIDES · ENGLISH

Catan alternatives online: trading, building or conquest?

Looking for a Catan alternative online? Compare familiar trading games with Hex Empires, where resource building meets armies, ships and conquest.

Hex Empires · Published November 1, 2026

Choose the experience you want to keep

A search for “Catan alternatives” can mean two different things: a familiar settling game on a screen, or a new strategy game that keeps the pleasure of building an economy. Decide which matters to your group before choosing a site. Familiar rules reduce the time spent teaching. A different ruleset gives experienced players new decisions and a chance to escape their usual opening habits.

When familiar settling is the priority

CATAN’s official description centers on collecting resources, trading and expanding settlements into cities. Its base game is a race to ten victory points. If your group wants that specific game, start with the official digital options linked by CATAN. Colonist is another browser destination to investigate if you are looking for a settling-focused experience. Check the current modes and access conditions on each service rather than assuming every expansion is included.

What Hex Empires changes

Hex Empires combines a hex map and resource economy with direct conflict. You develop towns and cities, build roads, recruit armies and use ships. An exposed settlement is a military concern as well as an economic asset. That changes the value of an opening location: production alone is not enough if an opponent can reach it before you can defend it. Players can pursue the configured point target or fight to be the last surviving banner.

A practical comparison for your first evening

Choose familiar settling when you want to teach mostly trading and construction. Choose Hex Empires when your group also wants attacks, defensive choices and sea movement. Begin with local practice to learn placement, then create a casual online room for friends. Registered players can also choose two-player or four-player ranked matchmaking. The two ranked formats keep separate ratings, so learning one does not alter your standing in the other.

Three questions to ask before starting

Does everyone want direct combat? Is the group comfortable learning a different victory system? Would you rather organize a room or wait for compatible ranked opponents? Answering those questions is more useful than a long list of supposedly identical alternatives. Matchmaking depends on the players currently searching; it does not guarantee an immediate game. On a phone, use the map zoom controls when placing pieces rather than relying on the smallest full-map view.

Is Hex Empires the official CATAN game?

No. It is an independent strategy game with its own rules. Similarities in hex maps and resource planning do not make its combat, setup or victory conditions interchangeable with CATAN. Read the rules before bringing over tactics from another game.