Why Colonist.io is Going Portrait-First on Mobile

Hey settlers,

We wanted to share something that has been brewing behind the scenes—and you might have already noticed it: Colonist is slowly shifting toward a portrait-only experience on mobile.

And yep—we’ve heard you. Loud and clear.

Some of our most loyal players have reached out asking, "Why can't I rotate my phone anymore?" or "Is landscape mode coming back?"

So here’s the honest story, straight from the team

We’re a Small Independent Team

Colonist.io started as a passion project—and it still is. We're a small, dedicated team focused on building the best digital Catan experience possible. Every design decision we make is carefully weighed against our time, resources, and the ability to iterate fast without breaking your game.

Why Portrait Mode?

1. It’s Just Faster to Play

In our internal testing, portrait games on mobile are completed up to 30% faster than landscape ones. Why? The UI is cleaner, interactions are quicker, and it's easier to keep track of your hand, your roads, and the chat.

2. One-Handed Play is a Game-Changer

Let’s be real—most of us play while multitasking. Whether you're waiting in line, lying in bed, or sneakily playing during meetings (you didn’t hear that from us), portrait mode makes it easier to play with one hand.

3. Fewer Bugs, Better Experience

Supporting both landscape and portrait sounds good on paper—but it doubles the work. It means double the layouts, double the edge cases, and double the bugs. By focusing on one orientation, we can fix issues quicker, ship sooner, and improve the game more meaningfully.

4. The Data Backs It Up

• 95% of mobile games today are portrait-first. That’s what players expect.
• Over 92% of Colonist mobile games in the past 3 months have been in portrait mode.

So... Is Landscape Mode Going Away?

Eventually, yes. While it’s still technically available in some devices right now, we want to be upfront: landscape mode will be deprecated in the near future.

We know it can be challenging to adjust to such change, especially if you've gotten used to a certain playstyle. This wasn’t an easy decision. But it’s the one that lets us focus, build faster, and keep delivering a smoother and more intuitive game.

We’re Listening

Thank you if you’ve shared feedback with us—we’ve read every message and discussed it thoroughly, making sure concerns were not ignored. This decision wasn’t made in isolation; it’s based on observing how you play, understanding what works, and identifying where we can make the game even better.

In upcoming updates, we will continue working to improve the Portrait mode experience.