Terraforming Mars is a strategic board game adaptation that challenges players to transform the Red Planet into a habitable world. As the leader of a corporation, you will engage in massive construction projects, manage resources, and create essential life-supporting elements like cities, forests, and oceans. The goal is to increase the planet's temperature, oxygen levels, and overall Terraform Rating while earning Victory Points through ambitious projects.

The game offers multiple modes, including single-player challenges and multiplayer options for up to five players, both online and offline. With various expansions and maps available, such as Hellas & Elysium and Venus, players can explore new strategies and objectives. Each variant introduces unique cards, corporations, and milestones, ensuring a complex and engaging experience. Whether competing against AI or human opponents, players must balance cooperation with competition to successfully terraform Mars.

Terraforming Mars features rich gameplay mechanics that emphasize strategy and resource management. Players place cards on the board to execute projects, which can range from planting forests and building cities to launching satellites and creating oceans. Each action contributes to increasing the planet's habitability by raising its temperature, oxygen level, or ocean coverage. The game also includes a Corporate Era variant, adding economic and technological layers with specialized corporations and cards.

In addition to the base game, several DLCs expand the gameplay. Prelude offers a faster start with new corporations and early-game boosts, while Hellas & Elysium provides alternative maps with unique challenges. The Venus expansion introduces a new Solar phase and additional cards, corporations, and resources. These expansions ensure that each playthrough offers new strategies and experiences, keeping the game fresh and challenging for both new and veteran players.