Game night · Scoring rules
Catan score tracker: how victory points work
In Catan the first player to have 10 victory points during their own turn wins. Points come from settlements (1 each), cities (2 each), the Longest Road (2) and Largest Army (2) cards and Victory Point cards (1 each), and everyone starts on 2 from their setup settlements.
How many victory points is each thing worth in Catan?
| Source | Victory points | Can it be lost? |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement | 1 | No. Upgrading it to a city replaces it |
| City | 2 | No |
| Longest Road: at least 5 road pieces in a row | 2 | Yes. It passes to a player who builds a longer road |
| Largest Army: the first to play 3 knights | 2 | Yes. It passes to a player who plays more knights |
| Victory Point card | 1 each | No. Kept hidden until it wins you the game |
A city is worth 2 but replaces a settlement worth 1, so an upgrade adds 1 point, not 2. Longest Road can also leave play for a while: if the holder's road is broken and they no longer have the longest road, the card goes to whoever now has the longest road of 5 or more, or is set aside if nobody does or two players tie for it.
When do you win Catan?
As soon as you have 10 or more victory points during your own turn, you say so and the game ends. If you reach 10 during someone else's turn, you have to wait for your turn, and you only win if you still have 10 then.
Victory Point cards stay hidden until that moment, so the points on the table are not the whole story: a player showing 8 may be one card away from winning. The Cities and Knights expansion plays to 13 instead of 10.
How do you track Catan points on a scoreboard?
Catan suits a one-tap scoreboard because almost every point is added once and never taken back. The awkward part is Longest Road and Largest Army: when one changes hands, the old holder drops 2, and the scoreboard has no minus. Undo only removes the most recent tap, which is rarely the one you need. The cleanest fix is to leave those two cards off the board until someone claims the win:
- Set one side per player and First to 10.
- Tap each player twice at the start for their two setup settlements. The board always starts at 0.
- Tap +1 for every new settlement and +1 for every city upgrade.
- Leave Longest Road and Largest Army off the board while they can still move. The cards sit face up on the table, so everyone can add 2 in their head.
- When a player claims the win, tap +2 for each special card another player holds, then tap in the winner's special cards and revealed Victory Point cards. The board ends the game the moment the winner reaches 10.
The board then only ever shows points that cannot be lost, so it is never too high, only short by the special cards on the table and any hidden Victory Point cards. If you would rather tap the cards as they are claimed, a card that changes hands leaves the old holder 2 points too high, with no way to take them off.
First to 10 also caps the saved result. A winner who finishes on 11, for example by taking Longest Road while on 9, is saved at 10, and other players' hidden Victory Point cards never reach the board. For exact final totals, choose Open-ended instead, tap in the last points, then tap End match.
A worked example: four players
| Moment | Board (Ana, Ben, Cara, Dan) | Real points |
|---|---|---|
| Setup: 2 taps each | 2 ‑ 2 ‑ 2 ‑ 2 | 2 ‑ 2 ‑ 2 ‑ 2 |
| Early building: +1 a tap | 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 | 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 |
| Ben takes Longest Road (no tap) | 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 | 5 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 |
| Ana takes Largest Army (no tap) | 5 ‑ 4 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 | 7 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 ‑ 3 |
| More building | 7 ‑ 5 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 | 9 ‑ 7 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 |
| Cara takes Longest Road from Ben (no tap) | 7 ‑ 5 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 | 9 ‑ 5 ‑ 8 ‑ 4 |
| Ana upgrades to a city: Ana +1 | 8 ‑ 5 ‑ 6 ‑ 4 | 10 ‑ 5 ‑ 8 ‑ 4 |
| Ana claims the win: Cara +2, then Ana +2 | Final 10 ‑ 5 ‑ 8 ‑ 4 | 10 ‑ 5 ‑ 8 ‑ 4 |
Ana's last tap takes the board to 10 and ends the game. The saved result matches the real points only because Ana finished on exactly 10 and nobody held a hidden Victory Point card.
How the app handles it
The scoreboard never takes points away, so it cannot move Longest Road or Largest Army from one player to another. First to 10 is built in; 13 for Cities and Knights is not, so use Open-ended and tap End match for that expansion.
Questions
How many points do you need to win Cities and Knights?
13, instead of 10 in the base game. The scoreboard has no First to 13, so play Open-ended and tap End match when a player reaches it on their turn.
Do you have to show your Victory Point cards in Catan?
No. You keep them hidden in your hand and reveal them only when they give you enough points to win on your turn.
Is a city worth 2 or 3 points in Catan?
A city is worth 2. It replaces a settlement worth 1, so upgrading adds 1 point to your total.
Can you lose Longest Road in Catan?
Yes. The card passes to any player who builds a longer continuous road, and a road of at least 5 pieces is needed to hold it at all. Largest Army moves the same way when someone plays more knights.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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