Katalon is played with a small round leather board (that folds up into a pouch thanks to a drawstring) and two sets of 12 pieces (polished stones of two distinctive colors).

The board shows five interconnected / overlapping square regions, each with five spaces arranged as on the 5 face of a standard six-sided die. The squares themselves are arranged in the same pattern, such that the central square overlaps each of the other four at one corner.

Players take turns placing their pieces onto the board, except that their placement options are limited by their opponent: If Player A plays a piece onto the top right space of a square, then Player B must play into the top right square, and so on. Players must fill empty spaces first, if forced to play into a full square they must replace an opponent's piece with one of their own.

There are three winning conditions:
- One player occupies all five spaces in a single square
- One player has the majority in three of five spaces when all spaces on the board are full
- One player has no pieces left off the board at at the start of their turn

Suggested publisher's playing Ages 8 and up.