Colonist

Abstract

Colonist is an online board game for players who enjoy building settlements, extending territory and making tactical deals with other players. It suits both newcomers looking for a straightforward strategy game and experienced board-game players who want practice, multiplayer matches or ranked competition.

How it plays

The rules are easy to approach, but each match leaves room for longer-term planning. You develop a position on the board, decide where to expand and negotiate with opponents while competing for the resources and space needed to grow. The result is a game where reading the table and choosing the right moment can matter as much as the initial layout.

• Play against bots when you want to learn or practise.
• Join online games with friends.
• Enter ranked mode and work towards a place on the leaderboard.

Maps and player counts

Alongside its traditional board setup, Colonist includes custom maps for players who want different layouts and challenges. Expansion options support larger groups, including games for five or six players and for seven or eight. Cities & Knights and Seafarers are also available as expansion formats, giving regular players more ways to vary the familiar strategy.

Choosing it

This is a good fit if you want a settlement-building game that can be played alone for training or online with a group. Profile customisation is present through selectable colours and avatars, although the main reason to choose Colonist is its combination of accessible rules, negotiation and competitive replay value.

Colonist is listed in the Board category and is developed by Colonist. It has a 4.24/5 rating from 5,519 reviews and more than 100,000 installs.