Each player takes on the role of a Prince of Catan, developing their own province and competing against the opponent to create the most successful area. The basic gameplay resembles the original Catan Card Game, where players expand their provinces by building settlements connected by roads.

Players can also construct upgrades to their settlements, which offer various advantages, or upgrade settlements to cities, allowing for more expansions. All these constructions require resources, which players collect each turn based on the roll of a die. Each turn also involves drawing cards to refresh players' hands.
Additionally, players can use action cards, which directly affect either their own province or the opponent's.

The Rivals for Catan features a limited number of cards compared to the original Catan Card Game and does not include the highly aggressive nature of some action cards from the old game. For this reason, all action cards can be used from the start of the game, unlike in the original card game.

Introductory Game
Focuses on the basic elements of the card game and offers gameplay more suitable for new players. It is played until 7 points of victory and includes 36 Expansion Cards, divided into four stacks. The game duration is approximately 25–30 minutes for beginner players.

Theme Games
Three Theme Games add more rules, expansions, and more aggressive cards. They can be played either separately or combined in a variant called «The Duel of the Princes».
Each Theme Game adds 24 Expansion and Event Cards, which are added to two separate stacks, independent of the cards from the Introductory Game. The duration of a Theme Game is approximately 45–60 minutes.

As with the original Catan Card Game, players can also play the Tournament Game, where each player pre-selects specific cards to create their own deck, from which they draw cards during the game.

Theme

The thematic setting of The Rivals for Catan is no longer limited exclusively to the feudal period of the Middle Ages, as in the original card game.
The Introductory Game takes place in the early years of the world of Catan, while each Theme Game transports players to increasingly advanced historical periods. These periods are known as:

• The Era of Gold

• The Era of Turmoil

• The Era of Progress

• 2022 Årets Spel Best Adult Game Nominee