CATAN Junior Board Game - Swashbuckling Adventure for Young Pirates! Strategy Game, Fun Family Game for Kids and Adults, Ages 6+, 2-4 Players, 30 Minute Playtime, Made by CATAN Studio

We wanted to find a board game that we, family with young children (5, 2, newborn), could all enjoy. We picked this product vs others because we have a few child-focused games but not all Keiki nor adults liked playing them. CATAN Junior on the other hand, has been great all around!Playability: CATAN Junior is more than a boiled down version of CATAN. It has its own elements and special actions that is a refreshing change for the avid CATAN player.Replayability: CATAN Junior allows you two different start places per color. I find that great structure and less guesswork but enough variety to play numerous times!Ease of use: The instructions were fast to read and understand. We were able to teach our 5-year-old while playing and she was able to pick it up. This was the first, real board game we introduced to our keiki that had structure to be played as such and I'm glad we did!

We absolutely love Catan: Junior in our household! I play it with my two sons, aged 9 and 6, and it consistently brings hours of engaging and competitive fun. The game is designed in a way that introduces strategy in an accessible manner, which keeps both kids and adults entertained.The gameplay is very visual, featuring colorful islands, ships, and resources that make it easy for kids to follow along. My sons especially enjoy collecting resources and building their pirate lairs, and they love the interaction that comes from trading. The pieces are sturdy, vibrant, and fun to handle, adding to the immersive experience.Although I haven’t played the adult version of Catan, I can see how this version simplifies things for younger players without losing the essence of strategy and planning. It’s a fantastic introduction to board games that require thinking ahead and negotiating with others. Highly recommend it for families looking for a game that’s engaging and helps teach problem-solving and planning skills!

My older kids first played Catan Junior at a campout with friends and couldn’t stop talking about it — so we had to get our own copy! It’s such a fun, kid-friendly version of the classic Catan game. The pirate theme makes it exciting, and the gameplay is simple enough for younger kids to learn while still keeping older ones engaged. Pretty sure my husband loves it the most!They love collecting resources, building pirate lairs, and figuring out their next moves. I love that it sneaks in strategic thinking, patience, and even a little math — all while they’re just having fun.It’s great for family game night, doesn’t drag on too long, and the quality is solid. If your kids are around 6–10 (even my 5 year old crushes it) and you want a screen-free game the whole family can enjoy, this one’s a winner!

We are not fans of Catan. Own it, don’t play it. With many, many games in our collection it just isn’t a hit and is hasn’t been played in years. This is an easy to learn version that is great for kids as young as 5. This one is similar, but also improves it with having a market to trade at and parrot tiles to take a chance on. I do feel like the parrot tiles are perhaps OP (overpowering), but that seems ok for a kids game and makes it a viable strategy for young ones to use and perhaps win.The tiles are thick (were kind of hard to punch out and left weird marks on the edges where they were still connected for shipping) and nice looking - vibrant. The miniatures seem a little flimsy but as long as you treat them well should last - they look fine, especially for the 20 dollar price point. The board is thin but seems okay at the cheap price point as well but I do wish it was thicker. As a whole, it has a solid table presence which is really important to get kids to want to play. The more table presence and visual appeal it has, the greater desire a child will want to play the game again, and this succeeds there.What I really don’t like is the insert. The layout seems like it might have been for a different game and just repurposed. It is really unfortunate but maybe it was to keep the price down? What I really wish was they had included baggies or something for the resources and player pieces which would have cost next to nothing to add if they were going to use this insert.The game is solid, and fun to play with kids. It I s also quick unlike the full version. You can play in 20 to 30 minutes very easily. For a kids game, we like it a lot and I don’t hesitate to play (which is surprising because I’m not a fan of Catan, and I was hesitant to buy this originally) but it’s quick nature and nice table presence just makes it enjoyable. If my children like it then I like it. I can overlook the clunky insert, and strongly recommend buying this, even if you don’t like Catan.

Great Intro to Catan for Kids!I love the full version of Catan, so I picked up Catan Junior for my 6-year-old niece—and she absolutely loves it! It's a fantastic way for kids to start learning the basics of trading and building, all while having fun. The pirate theme adds a fun twist, and the excitement of picking a pirate card keeps things engaging. A perfect mix of strategy and fun for younger players!