During my weekly board game night with friends, I’ve come to love playing both Settlers of Catan and Citadels.
If you also enjoy those games, then you might be looking for more games like them.
I’ve been doing my research and identified the best games for people who like Catan, as well as Citadels.
One of my favorite things about playing Catan (and Citadels) is getting to come up with personalized strategies against another player and personalized building, so that’s what I’ve focused on with finding other games.
So, if you’re looking for something new to add to your game nights, check out my recommended games like Catan below.
1. Power Grid
What I like about this game is that it’s easy to learn , fund ti play at all player counts, and it doesn’t take long to play a game. Once you’ve learned the basics, expect a two player game to take 45 – 60 minutes.
Power Grid is a building game that requires a bit of math since everything you’re doing costs money, but I think you’ll really enjoy the economic aspect of it.
So, here’s the basics for it: the economy is set up with a market that is affected directly by players, and power plants of significantly variable efficacy are auctioned off.
You get player interaction through the auctions, and through (temporary) control of locations on the map.
If you enjoy blocking other players as a strategy, then you will love Power Grid. Blocking players in and forcing them to spend more money to grow is what it’s all about here.
If you enjoy games that have expansion packs, then Power Grid ticks that box. You can get different expansion maps, which offer different resource quantities and change the gameplay a bit (like most expansion packs do).
Overall, this underrated game is a favorite at our weekly game nights.
2. Concordia
If you’re interested in a game that combines the best of Catan and Citadels, then look no further than Concordia.
With this game you get the role selection that’s familiar in Citadels, and good player interactions like in Catan. Just know that there are no die rolls in the game.
If you enjoy building stuff, then you still get that in Concordia, though it is a bit different. It’s basically getting resources, trading them, and using them to build more so you can get more resources.
I do really like the positive player interaction and that it’s a nice peaceful game. Though you don’t trade with the other players in Concordia. Instead your main interaction with them is just grabbing the cards first.
This game does have several expansion packs available, which means that you can change up game play for a bit more variety.
Expect for game play to take between 90 minutes to 120 minutes once everyone has learned the basics.
3. Castles of Burgundy
Though it will feel to you like less interaction than you get with Catan, Castles of Burgundy is awesome for the building aspect of the game. You also get dice rolling with this game.
Since the interaction is pretty low in Castles of Burgundy, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but other than that is really is reminiscent of playing Catan.
In my experience, Castles of Burgundy is a game that is best played with just two players, though you can do a slower game play with more players.
There are also a few expansion packs available, so you don’t have to worry about getting bored with this one.
4. Ticket To Ride: Europe
Skip the basic Ticket To Ride edition and skip right to the Europe edition for a better game. Seriously.
I know most people recommend the base version of TTR, but it is too simple.
With TTR: Europe, you can still block other player’s objectives and make them have to either use their station houses or take an alternate route. It’s a really fun strategy game that focuses on route building,
Best of all, this game is easy to learn and quick to play. With just two players, expect game play to take around 30 minutes once everyone knows the rules.
5. Bohnanza
If the trading aspect of Settlers of Catan is what you really enjoy, then Bohnanza is the right game choice for you. Plus this game is pretty cheap and fun to play.
This fun card game is very interactive because it is all about trading with the other players. I also like that it’s a relatively lighthearted game.
Despite that, you can establish vendettas with another player – but don’r worry because you then make up with the same player later in the game.
Overall, this is a different sort of strategy game where you’re making lots of decisions, like should you help yourself at the expense of someone else, or vice versa?
Bohnanza is an easy to learn game that’s a lot of fun to play on game night with people who also enjoy Catan.
6. El Grande
This is another great option for Catan fans who enjoy a game with a lot of player interaction. And I like that it’s another nice game, so you’re having nice interactions with the other players.
In El Grande your focus in gaining control of a large area, and it’s a really simply game to master and play.
Game play consists of bidding for cards and then playing the cards to move people and other stuff. It sounds simple, and it is, yet there’s still plenty of depth to this game.
There’s some expansions for this one too, which you can get with the original game if you buy the Big Box edition.
Based on my experience, El Grande is a game best played at its maximum player count, which is five players.
7. Chinatown
If you enjoy trading and bartering with other players in your games, then you’re going to love Chinatown. There’s a lot of that going on in this game, with a bit more negotiation than similar trading games on our list.
In Chinatown, you’ve got a map where you’re building stores, bartering with others, and trading goods.
So, at its core Chinatown is an economic game, which means that there’s a fair amount of math involved in game play.
Sometimes the gameplay can be slow if players really wanna take their time to calculate and determine the true value of trades. All that wheeling and dealing is still a fun time though, no matter how long it takes your fellow players to math it all out.
If you’ve seen the game Sidereal Confluence and though it looked interesting, then give Chinatown a try to prepare you for that game. You can thank me for this tip later.
8. Dominion
It feels almost silly to include this classic deck builder game, since most board gamers have already played it. But in case you haven’t played Dominion before, it’s something definitely worth considering when you grow bored of Catan.
Game play is easy and you’ll quickly pick it up as a noob. And there are tons of expansion packs, so you’ll never grow bored of playing Dominion.
Ask other board gamers the best way to play this game and you’ll get a variety of answers, but I think three players is the sweet spot for this one.
What you might not like as much about playing Dominion is that there isn’t much interaction with other players. Game play is basically take your turn, play your cards, buy some cards, and then shuffle and wait for your next turn.
Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that, but you should get the gist of it. If you’re okay with less interaction, then you should really enjoy playing Dominion.
9. 7 Wonders
A bit of fair warning about playing 7 Wonders – it is a bit more complex than Catan. But once you master it, 7 Wonders is a lot of fun to play.
As you might have guessed, this card crafting game is civilization themed, and there’s some good artwork on the cards and such.
Despite the complexity, 7 Wonders is a quick game to play at around only 30 minutes for game play. That’s because it’s fast paced!
Basically, you get a hand full of cards, and you get to play one of them, all while everyone else is making the same decision with a different set of cards. Then you pass around and repeat.
There are several expansion packs for 7 Wonders too, so you’ll never grow bored of this game. And I really like that it work with up to seven players, making it perfect for game night with friends.
You might not like that there’s not much interaction in 7 Wonders. But if you don’t mind that, or the extra complexity, then this will be a good addition to your board game rotation.
10. Carcassonne (with Inns and Cathedrals expansion)
Hands down one of my favorite games of all time is Carcassonne. This tile laying game is a simple building game that has several expansion packs available for variety.
And for fans of Citadels and Catan, I strongly recommend playing Carcassonne with the Inns and Cathedrals expansion.
One of the things that I love about Carcassonne is that each game you play is different. And you get to do a lot of blocking other players and trying to take advantage of their strategy by strategically placing your meeples.
You can play this game with as few as two people and it still be fun. Best of all, it’s easy to play and easy to learn.
11. San Juan
If you like the role selection and city building of Citadels while adding some interesting engine-building and hand management mechanics to it that you might enjoy.
It does not have the bluffing aspect that Citadels has because the choice of the characters is done in an open manner and sequentially, but otherwise it has many similar aspect.
Also, it plays much better as a two player game than Citadels.
If there a game like Catan that we missed that you think should be included? Just let us know!