Stronghold Games' Terraforming MarsPhoto: FryxGames
Board, tiles, player boards, cards and cubesPhoto: FryxGames
Play cards, place tiles, raise the global targetsPhoto: Mshuang2, CC0
The board and its global tracksPhoto: FryxGames
Greenery and ocean tilesPhoto: FryxGames
Hexagonal tilesPhoto: FryxGames
Mars at the end of a gamePhoto: BiblioteKarin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Video

Strategy game

Terraforming Mars

Race rival corporations to make Mars warm, wet and breathable

1–5players · best with 3-4
1.5–2 hrsplaying time
12+recommended age
Learning curve
Involved4 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Low
Set-up
About 10 min
Reading
Lots

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Strategy groups with a free afternoon who enjoy long, planning-heavy games

Think twice if You want a family game for younger children, or one that finishes within an hour

How we rate it

Learning curve. A notch above 7 Wonders: each action is simple, but there are six resources, three global targets, milestones, awards and over 200 different cards to learn. Not as heavy as Brass: Birmingham.

Luck & skill. Mostly skill, but the cards you draw shape your strategy, and reviewers say a run of unhelpful cards, or cards you can't yet afford to play, can hold you back. The Draft variant gives more control.

Interaction. Mostly a race: you compete for board spaces, milestones and awards, and some cards let you take or destroy other players' resources, but much of the time you are building your own engine.

Set-up. Lay out the board and the 9 ocean tiles, set the temperature, oxygen and generation markers, hand out player boards and cubes, then choose corporations and buy starting cards. Choosing and buying cards takes longest in the first game.

Reading. Every project card has a short English explanation of its icons, and you read every card you draw; the English rulebook runs to about 16 pages.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

Is Terraforming Mars right for you?

Great if

  • Strategy groups with a free afternoon who enjoy long, planning-heavy games
  • Science and space fans: the theme follows real ideas about warming Mars and adding air and water
  • Solo players: the rulebook has a full solo mode played over 14 generations
  • Players ready to step up from Wingspan, 7 Wonders or Catan to something meatier

Skip it if

  • You want a family game for younger children, or one that finishes within an hour
  • Your group would rather not read lots of English card text
  • You care a lot about premium components: the player boards are thin and the cubes slide about

A place on the honours list

Good company to be in.

Recognition from beyond our table.

Deutscher Spiele Preis, 2017 (1st place)

Kennerspiel des Jahres (Germany's connoisseur game of the year), 2017 (Nominated)

How Terraforming Mars plays

Set-up: the board shows a map of Mars with tracks for temperature (starting at -30 °C), oxygen (0%) and each player's Terraform Rating, which starts at 20. Each player takes a player board with six production tracks: MegaCredits (money), steel, titanium, plants, energy and heat. You get a corporation card that sets your starting money and special ability, then deal 10 project cards and pay 3 MegaCredits for each one you keep. First-timers use the beginner corporation, which starts with 42 MegaCredits and a hand of 10 cards.

  • Time to teach: about 30 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Every project card shows its effect in icons with a short English explanation, and with more than 200 different cards there is a lot to read during play. The rulebook is in English and we found no Hindi edition, so at a mixed-language table each player needs to be comfortable reading English cards.
Play cards, place tiles, raise the global targets · Photo: Mshuang2, CC0

Terraforming Mars official tutorial: INTRO · Isaac Fryxelius · Official

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Research

    At the start of each generation, draw 4 project cards and pay 3 MegaCredits for each one you keep.

  2. 2
    Act

    Take one or two actions at a time (play a card, use a standard project, turn plants into greenery or heat into warmth, claim a milestone or fund an award) until everyone passes.

  3. 3
    Produce

    Collect MegaCredits equal to your Terraform Rating plus income, and resources from your production tracks.

  4. 4
    Win

    When oxygen, temperature and oceans all reach their targets, the game ends; Terraform Rating, tiles, milestones, awards and card points are added up and the highest score wins.

Read the official rules (PDF)Terraforming Mars rules · English
The full explanation: how a game of Terraforming Mars goes

A generation (round): everyone draws 4 new cards and buys the ones they want. Then players take one or two actions at a time, going round the table until everyone passes: play a project card, use a standard project such as building a city or an aquifer, turn 8 plants into a greenery tile or 8 heat into a temperature rise, claim a milestone, fund an award, or use the action on one of your blue cards. Finally everyone collects money equal to their Terraform Rating plus their income, along with resources from their production tracks, and unused energy turns into heat.

Terraforming: every step you raise the temperature or oxygen, and every ocean tile you place, raises your Terraform Rating by one. That means more income every round and more points at the end, so the race to terraform is also a race to grow your economy. Many cards also have requirements, so some can only be played once Mars is warmer or wetter.

How you win: the game ends after the generation in which oxygen reaches 14%, the temperature reaches +8 °C and all 9 oceans are placed. Players score their Terraform Rating, 5 points per milestone, 5 or 2 points for awards, 1 point per greenery, 1 point for each greenery next to their cities, and the points printed on their cards. The highest total wins; ties go to the player with more MegaCredits.

Tip: play the first game with beginner corporations and the standard rules. Once everyone knows the cards, the rulebook's Draft variant (passing cards round the table each generation) adds interaction, and the Corporate Era variant adds more cards and a longer, more economic game. It is a good pick for a long Sunday afternoon or a holiday strategy night with cousins who like to plan.

What's in the box

Board, tiles, player boards, cards and cubes · Photo: FryxGames
  • 1Game board
    Map of Mars with the temperature, oxygen and Terraform Rating tracks
  • 5Player boards
    Track your production and resources
  • 17Corporation cards
  • 208Project cards
    Every card is different
  • 8Reference cards
  • 200Player markers
    Transparent plastic cubes in 5 colours
  • 200Resource markers
    Copper, silver and gold plastic cubes
  • 3Game board markers
    Large white cubes for temperature, oxygen and generation
  • 9Ocean tiles
  • 60Greenery/city tiles
  • 11Special tiles
  • 1First player marker
  • 1Rules booklet
    English

Box: 1.79 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the component list in the official English rulebook (FryxGames PDF, © 2016 FryxGames and Stronghold Games). A US retailer's listing for Stronghold's box gives the same groups in short form (233 cards and 80 tiles). Expansions add their own cards, tiles and boards and need this base game.

Where to buy

Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.

How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Terraforming Mars is designed by FryxGames in Sweden. This guide describes Stronghold Games’ imported English base game for 1 to 5 players. We found no Indian-made or Hindi edition. Our buying link is paused until an available offer is confirmed.

Before you choose

  • The box should carry the FryxGames and Stronghold Games names and credit Jacob Fryxelius as designer. A set sold under an unrelated seller or toy-brand name instead is a warning sign.
  • Stronghold's product code is SG6005, and a US retailer gives its barcode as 696859265808. If in doubt, ask the seller for a photo of the barcode on the box.
  • Count the main pieces: 208 project cards, 17 corporation cards, 5 player boards, 200 transparent player cubes in 5 colours, 200 copper, silver and gold resource cubes, 9 ocean tiles, 60 greenery/city tiles and 11 special tiles.
  • The English rulebook's credits should carry both '© 2016 FryxGames' and '© 2016 Stronghold Games LLC'.
  • Thin player boards and plain plastic cubes are normal for the original (reviewers complain about them), so judge by the cards and the map instead: blurry text, washed-out art or flimsy cards are warning signs.

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers we read rate Terraforming Mars among the best engine-building games: every project card is different, chaining cards together is satisfying, and the science theme runs through every decision. They warn about long games that often run past the box's two hours, a punishing first play, little direct interaction, luck in the card draw and no catch-up for a player who falls behind. Components are the most common complaint, especially thin player boards and plastic cubes that slide or get knocked out of place, which players still discuss years later.

What people love

  • Chaining cards into an engine that feeds itself feels like solving a puzzle
  • Every project card is different, so no two games play the same
  • A theme rooted in real science about warming Mars and adding air and water
  • Draft and Corporate Era variants add depth once you know the basics

Common complaints

  • Long: games often run past two hours, especially with five players or newcomers
  • Thin player boards and cubes that slide around or get knocked off
  • Card-draw luck, little interaction and no way back for a player who falls behind
Based on 6 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Why consider itThis game

Race rival corporations to make Mars warm, wet and breathable

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Players1–51–41–52–4
Best with3-42-42-42-4
Play time1.5–2 hrs30–45 min40–70 min1–2 hrs
Age12+10+10+14+
RulesInvolvedEasyMediumInvolved
Indian editionImportedImportedAvailableAvailable
On this pageExplore Cascadia Explore Wingspan Explore Brass: Birmingham

Questions people ask about Terraforming Mars

Is Terraforming Mars available in India?

The English edition described here is Stronghold Games’ box of FryxGames’ design, imported into India. We found no Indian-made or Hindi edition. Our buying link is currently paused.

Can you play Terraforming Mars alone or with 2 players?

Yes, it plays 1 to 5. In the solo game you start with a lower Terraform Rating and must finish terraforming Mars within 14 generations, without milestones or awards. It works with two, but the reviewers we read found 3 or 4 players the best fit.

How long does a game of Terraforming Mars take?

The box says 90 to 120 minutes, but reviewers often report longer games, up to three hours or more with five players or with people learning the cards. Allow about 10 minutes to set up as well.

Is Terraforming Mars too hard for beginners?

It is a step up from Catan or Wingspan: the rules are clear, but there are hundreds of different cards and the first game can feel punishing while you learn what works. Use the beginner corporations, expect a teach of about 30 minutes, and keep it for players aged 12 and up.

What is Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition?

It is a separate, faster card game set in the same world, released in 2021, and it doesn't need the board game. It keeps the feel of building up your corporation in a shorter game with no map.

Game facts

Designed by
Jacob Fryxelius
Publisher
Stronghold Games (English edition); designed and first published by FryxGames of Sweden
First published
2016
Players
1–5
Barcode
696859265808
Language
Needs English – Every project card shows its effect in icons with a short English explanation, and with more than 200 different cards there is a lot to read during play. The rulebook is in English and we found no Hindi edition, so at a mixed-language table each player needs to be comfortable reading English cards.
Box size and weight
1.79 kg
Awards
Deutscher Spiele Preis, 2017 (1st place); Kennerspiel des Jahres (Germany's connoisseur game of the year), 2017 (Nominated)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.