Welcome to Mars, Where Oxygen Is Currency

If you’ve ever played Sid Meier’s Civilization IV and thought, “This would be better if it involved more corporate greed and less war,” congratulations — Terraforming Mars was made for you. It’s an economic engine builder dressed up as a space race, a game where plants, steel, and megacredits become your stepping stones to planetary domination.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Why not 5? Because I like my games like I like my planets: breathable, but not perfect.

The Premise: Capitalism Meets Climate Change

You and up to four other players take on the role of mega-corporations tasked with making Mars habitable. The Red Planet starts as a lifeless wasteland, and your goal is to raise the oxygen, temperature, and ocean levels — all while making sure your company turns a profit.

It’s both cooperative and competitive. Everyone contributes to terraforming the planet, but only one corporation walks away as the ultimate profiteer. In other words, you’re saving humanity for fun and profit. It’s like ESG investing, but with volcanoes.

How It Feels to Play

Playing Terraforming Mars feels like sitting inside a spreadsheet that tells a story. There’s an almost meditative rhythm to your turns: spend resources, play cards, trigger combos, score points.

Each round feels like running your own little business empire. You start weak — just a handful of credits and one or two sad projects. By midgame, you’re generating resources faster than you can spend them. By the end, you’re building cities, forests, and space elevators while your opponents stare in awe (or despair).

It scratches the same itch as The Evolution of Board Game Design — watching a simple setup unfold into something wildly complex, yet still elegant.

Why It Clicks

I think the magic of Terraforming Mars lies in how tangible everything feels. You’re not just earning points — you’re literally shaping the board. Every time someone adds a greenery tile, the oxygen meter rises. Place a city, and the whole landscape shifts. It’s world-building with math, and that’s oddly satisfying.

There’s also this underlying sense of momentum. Once your engine starts humming, it’s addictive. You start planning two, three, even five turns ahead. It’s the kind of flow that pulls you in so deep, you forget how long you’ve been playing. (Hint: it’s probably been three hours.)

Why It’s Not a 5/5

As much as I love it, Terraforming Mars is not a short game. Even with experienced players, it runs long — think “movie marathon” long. And because there’s so much card reading and planning, analysis paralysis can hit hard.

There’s also the aesthetic problem. The art ranges from breathtaking NASA shots to clip-art-level stock photos. It’s charming in a “made by a scientist, not a designer” kind of way, but don’t expect visual polish.

Also, the player boards are famously flimsy. Bump the table once, and your entire titanium empire scatters like confetti. (Pro tip: buy a third-party overlay or one of those fancy neoprene upgrades — you’ll thank yourself later.)

The Learning Curve

Terraforming Mars isn’t the hardest Eurogame around, but it’s dense. There’s a lot to track: income, production, temperature, oceans, milestones, and your ever-expanding hand of cards. The first game usually feels like wandering into a boardroom meeting halfway through and pretending you know what’s going on.

But once it clicks? It’s incredible. Every card interaction feels purposeful, every decision meaningful. You’ll start to see the economy behind the chaos, and it’s glorious.

If you like learning curves that pay off — the same way Twilight Imperium rewards repeat plays — this will scratch that itch.

Corporations and Personality

The game includes dozens of corporations, each with unique abilities that shape your strategy. Some reward early aggression, some thrive on long-term efficiency. Picking your corporation is like choosing your Civilization leader — you know you’re in for a completely different playstyle every time.

Want to cover Mars in cities? Pick Tharsis Republic and turn the planet into a capitalist skyline. Prefer a slower, resource-hoarding build? Helion lets you turn heat into money. And for the chaos lovers, there’s always Inventrix — the adaptable powerhouse that plays by its own rules.

The Expansion Problem

Terraforming Mars has expansions. Lots of them. Prelude is the one everyone says is essential, and they’re right — it jumpstarts your engine and makes the game flow smoother. Venus Next, Colonies, and Turmoil each add more complexity and flavor, but also extend playtime.

There’s also Ares Expedition, a streamlined standalone spinoff that basically answers the question: “What if we made this shorter and prettier?” It’s good — but the original still feels more epic.

If you’re new, start with the base game and Prelude. Add more only when you’re ready for full galactic capitalism.

Solo Mode and Group Play

Terraforming Mars is surprisingly fun solo. It turns into a puzzle — can you terraform the planet before time runs out? It’s quiet, focused, and oddly relaxing, like organizing your finances in space.

In groups, the game becomes a different animal. Suddenly you’re racing for milestones, blocking tile placements, and side-eyeing your friends’ engine builds. It’s competitive, but not cutthroat. You’ll steal spots and steal victories, but you’ll still grab pizza afterward.

It walks the perfect line between friendly and fierce — something few games pull off as well.

How It Compares

Terraforming Mars sits somewhere between Scythe and Wingspan in spirit. It’s heavier than the latter, but less aggressive than the former. It rewards planning over luck, and long-term efficiency over short-term splash.

If you’re a fan of progression — the thrill of watching small moves evolve into a sprawling empire — it’s unbeatable. It gives you that same Civilization IV satisfaction of zooming out at the end and thinking, “Look what I built.”

That blend of strategic growth and visual payoff is also why it stands out in the modern Eurogame landscape. It’s less abstract than older classics and more thematic than most economic games. You’re not just scoring points — you’re reshaping a world.

Who It’s For

Terraforming Mars isn’t for everyone. If you want constant action, you’ll be bored halfway through the second generation. If you thrive on slow-burning strategy, you’ll be obsessed by the third.

If you’ve ever looked at your Sid Meier’s Civilization save file at 3 a.m. and thought “one more turn,” this is your board game equivalent.

The Verdict

Terraforming Mars is one of the best examples of a modern engine-builder done right. It rewards planning, creativity, and long-term thinking without falling into the trap of pure optimization. The randomness of card draws keeps it fresh, while the sandbox design gives every play its own narrative arc.

It’s not perfect — it’s long, it’s messy, and it’s got the graphic design sensibility of a 2008 PowerPoint. But it’s brilliant where it counts: depth, replayability, and story through mechanics.

So yes, I like it. A lot. Four out of five stars. It’s Civilization IV in board game form — minus the nukes, but with just as much quiet satisfaction when you see the planet turn green.