Single-Player Modes in The Isle of Cats Digital

March 25, 2025

Citizens of Squall’s End! Lookouts have spotted the sails of the evil Lord Vesh on the horizon! We must save the Isle of Cats before he arrives! The Isle of Cats Digital releases on Steam on March 26th, with mobile platforms soon to follow!

Digital board games let you play wherever you want, whenever you want. We know how valuable the solo experience is for countless folks who don’t have the luxury of having frequent game nights, and that’s why we always like to make sure there’s enough content to keep players busy — no other humans required!

Solo-bonding with cats is one of mankind’s great pastimes, and we’ve provided plenty of opportunities to do just that in The Isle of Cats Digital. Let’s take a look at all the content solo players can expect to enjoy when they arrive at the fabled island!

Versus AI

Want to play a straightforward game with other players, without actually having to gather other players? Say hello to AI opponents, who are always ready to game at any moment’s notice.

Versus AI mode allows you to create standard games of The Isle of Cats, substituting human players with computer opponents. AIs come in three difficulties — easy, normal, and hard — and will allow you to play the game at your own pace.

Whether you play with AI opponents with the intention of getting better against humans, or you simply prefer the convenience of not having to rely on other people, there’s no limit to the amount of games you can enjoy with your new robot overlords.

Family Mode

Included in the original tabletop version of The Isle of Cats, Family Mode is an alternative version of the game with simplified rules, making it suitable for younger players, those newer to board games, or those who simply prefer a more rules-lite experience. We’ve included Family Mode in The Isle of Cats Digital, with the option to play against AI opponents.

In Family Mode, there is no card drafting round and no fish to spend — instead, each player starts with two Lesson cards, and takes turns drafting cats from the island and placing them on their boat until the game ends, with the scoring rules for cat placement remaining the same.

With no fish and no discovery cards, Family Mode distills The Isle of Cats down to its tile-placement essence. Perfect for newer players or those craving a simpler experience!

Challenges

Challenges are digital-exclusive scenarios against AI opponents that provide unique rules and win conditions, allowing you to experience the game in novel ways and dip your paws into unconventional strategies.

We won’t spend too much time talking about Challenges here, as we already have a dedicated preview article where you can read about them in much more detail. But there are 10 Challenges total (20 if you count the Expert variant included with each one) and they will no doubt put your cat-rescuing skills to the test!

If that looks tricky, just wait until you see the Expert version!

Rescues

Rescues are also scenarios with unique rules and scoring modifiers, but unlike Challenges, the Rescue changes every three days, allowing you to revisit the Isle of Cats time and time again with fresh new variety even long after you’ve beaten the Challenges!

The other thing that sets Rescues apart is leaderboard scoring! It’s not that you’re directly playing against other players (these are single-player games with AI opponents), but you’ll gain a score based on how well you played, which is then measured against players from all over the world. By playing to the conditions of the unique Scoring Modifiers, you can increase your score! This means that every single Rescue will require its own unique strategy.

Every Rescue challenges you to pursue a different strategy — in this one, you’re rewarded extra points for having the highest speed, and you’ll also get extra Fish for playing your cats on border spaces!

The highest score of your first three attempts contributes to your leaderboard placement for a Rescue, and your best score will contribute to the Season Leaderboard! There are 10 Rescues per season, and if you play them all, you’ll also get achievement badges!

Solo Mode

For the traditional Isle of Cats experience, AI opponents allow for solo players to experience the game in the same way they would with human opponents. But the tabletop version of the game didn’t have that option, so it included a special Solo Mode with unique rules that allowed players to experience a single-player version of the game. This mode has been included in The Isle of Cats Digital!

This Lesson here is one of Mara’s Lessons, which means the points will go to her instead of you! In this example, it means you’ll want to work extra hard to ensure you’re catching those Rats!

In Solo Mode, your younger sister is tagging along, trying to take all the credit for your hard work on the island! She’ll start the game with a number of special Lesson cards, which she’ll gain points for if you satisfy their conditions. She’ll also remove cats from the pool, though she won’t have her own boat.

In other words, Solo Play provides a list of objectives that you don’t want to fulfill, because all those points go to her instead of you! You’ll still draft cards and rescue cats as normal, so you’re essentially playing against yourself and you’ll want to avoid completing objectives that give points to your “sister,” while at the same time fulfilling your own. Play on Easy, Medium, Hard, or Very Hard!

Set Sail for the Isle of Cats

Coming to Steam on March 26th with mobile platforms soon to follow, The Isle of Cats Digital draws ever closer on the horizon. Whether you’re sailing with other mateys or set to explore the island all on your own, The Isle of Cats Digital offers plenty of modes to keep players busy. Wishlist the game today on Steam, and be sure to check out our other previews to learn more about the game!

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