Catan: Console Edition brings local co-op and competitive play to Playstation and Xbox in 2023

The previously anticipated video game adaptation of classic board game Catan will arrive on Xbox and Playstation consoles sometime next year.

Digital publisher Dovetail Games will be handling the translation from countertop to console, which will be available on Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S consoles. Switch players enjoyed their own online version of Catan courtesy of Asmodee Digital, though the publisher shut down multiplayer servers last year.

Catan: Console Edition will support local four-player couch co-op alongside online multiplayer at launch. Those playing in the same room will be able to track their resource cards on their phone or perhaps another device to keep that precious information hidden. Players will only need to scan a QR code on their mobile device to access this neat bit of functionality.

The more competitive road builders and lumber hoarders among you can take a whack at the ladder, as Catan: Console Edition will also include a ranking system and matchmaking within online play. How that system will work is a bit unclear, though obviously winning will increase your rank and pit you against more cutthroat opponents in successive games.

Dovetail Games modelled its adaptation on the modern version of Klaus Teuber’s board game about gathering and trading resources. Players should still expect hexagonal geography tiles, little villages and roads, and that stinking robber lurking around the countryside. Differences will lie in the presentation - the developer is reportedly taking advantage of virtual graphics to bring the world of Catan to life.

"We tried to pay attention to the little details, like the bunting that decorates the longest road or the little chimney when someone builds a city; each part of the game has been carefully designed to bring the board to life," said Natalie Dodd, Studio Producer at Dovetail Games, in the press release.

Dovetail Games’ portfolio consists largely of train and fishing simulators, such as Train Simulator 2022 and bassmaster Fishing 2022. This will be the first board game adaptation tackled by the studio. Pricing information was not included in the release, but the Playstation version of Catan: Console Edition can already be added to players’ wishlists. A Microsoft listing is expected to hit that console’s online store soon.