Official ruleBase game, 6th edition (2025) and 5th edition
What happens when the bank runs out of a resource in Catan?
Nobody gets itShort answer
If the supply can't pay everyone what a roll produces, nobody gets that resource this time. The exception: if only one player is owed it, they take whatever is left.
The rule
Resources are paid out all at once.
- Not enough for everyone: if the supply can’t cover every player owed a resource, that resource isn’t paid to anyone that roll.
- Only one player owed it: they take as many as the supply has left.
- Other resources from the same roll are paid as normal.
Example
An 8 is rolled. Ana is owed 2 ore and Ben is owed 1, but only 2 ore are left in the supply. Neither gets ore. Any other resources from that roll are still paid normally.
Why players argue about it
The intuitive fix is to pay players in turn order until the supply runs out. The rules don't do that: when there isn't enough for everyone, nobody gets that resource.