Catanians, it’s been a while. So, we thought it was high time we treated you to a deluge of fun new things to get excited about, courtesy of this single article!

Coming to PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox Series X, and S consoles on 20th July, CATAN – Console Edition: The Helpers expansion represents our first addition to the base CATAN game.

Help has arrived! Call on the skills and services of CATAN’s most influential inhabitants as you strive to become the winning Catanian. Just remember, you’re not the only one seeking the assistance of CATAN’s best and brightest…

If you’ve been around the physical CATAN board and played The Helpers expansion with your real-life friends and family a few times, then you’ll be very familiar with how they work. But, if this all sounds new, or you need a refresher, then continue reading! Even then, we've got some good stuff to talk about in this article so you might as well just keep reading anyway.

The Helpers expansion adds an additional layer of strategy (and fun) to the base game of CATAN by introducing 12 characters known as Helpers. Each Helper brings their own unique and specialised skills to give players a strategic advantage in developing their fledgling communities into thriving cities. The rules and conditions of victory remain the same as it was in the base game, but the way to get there is just a bit more... Interesting. It probably goes without saying but just to be sure, you’ll need to make sure you own the base CATAN: Console Edition game to make use of this expansion.

With The Helpers expansion, you’ll always have one Helper in your deck for the entire game. Each helper has a unique skill, or ‘Helper’s Advantage’ that you can only use once, and only on your turn (although there are some exceptions to this).

Let’s say for talking sake you draw your Helper card, and you get Yngvi. With his Helper Advantage, ‘Makeshift Road Building’, if you want to build a road on your next turn, you can swap out 1 lumber or 1 brick with any other resource of your choice. Pretty slick!

No matter what Helper you have, after you’ve used your Helpers Advantage, you have the choice of either discarding your Helper and selecting a new one or keep a hold of it to use again on your next turn. Be warned though: If you draw a new Helper, you can’t play it on that same turn. That’s just how it goes I’m afraid.

The Helpers will be available to purchase by itself, or you can access The Helpers, plus LOADS more content by grabbing the all-new Season Pass.

The Season Pass is the ultimate way for you to get instant access to a plethora of awesome content coming to CATAN – Console Edition, for a single discounted cost. In picking up the Season Pass, you’ll get complete access to The Helpers, three seasonal cosmetic packs, as well as access to a BIG expansion in the form of Cities & Knights that we’ve got brewing away in the background. Three pieces of seasonal content and two DLCs all for a single discounted price? Can’t say fairer than that!

The glow of summer has faded, and fall has come to CATAN. Give your games an autumnal feel with the first of the Season Pass content pack.

Brrr – Pack your winter galoshes because a cold front has gripped CATAN bringing with it some festive and snowy content!

Spring has sprung on CATAN – The world wakes up after winter’s chill and comes alive again with this spring-themed content pack!

Here it is, folks; the big one. We’re all excited to finally share the news that the eagerly anticipated and critically acclaimed Cities & Knights expansion will be making its way to CATAN – Console Edition! We can’t give too much away just now, but what we can tell you is that you’ll be able to get Cities & Knights as a standalone expansion, or you can get access to it as soon as it releases if you decide to go down the Season Pass route!

For the uninitiated, Cities & Knights represents a massive overhaul of the base game. Success on CATAN has brought prosperity and wealth – but it has also brought unwanted attention. In search of riches, barbarians are descending on CATAN’s shores. The tide is rising. Can your Knights stop it? In addition to defending CATAN, you will need to compete with other players for improvements and commodities. Do you stand any chance of success, or are you doomed to failure?

All elements of the Season Pass mentioned above can also be purchased separately, if you'd prefer to do it that way.

So, what if you’re totally new to CATAN and you don’t want to feel like you’re missing out because you don’t own the base game? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The Super Deluxe edition of CATAN contains the core game of CATAN – Console Edition, The Helpers expansion and, Championship Maps! It really is a fantastic opportunity to get into CATAN the best way possible.

We’ll provide more details about everything in due course, but for continued updates on everything CATAN – Console Edition related, be sure to check back here regularly. And why not follow us on our socials while you’re here?

See you down the road, Catanians!