The Best Board Games Set on Mars 2026

Terraforming Mars is a strategic board game set in the 2400s, where players, representing giant corporations, embark on the colossal task of terraforming Mars. Sponsored by the World Government on Earth, each corporation competes to contribute most effectively to raising the planet's temperature, oxygen level, and ocean coverage to make Mars habitable. While players work together in the terraforming process, they also compete for victory points awarded for their contributions to terraforming, advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and other notable achievements.

Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition is an engaging engine-building game where players take on the roles of corporations with the ambitious goal of terraforming Mars. The game combines strategic resource management and project development to make the red planet habitable.

Martian Dice offers a light-hearted and engaging dice game where you play as Martians on a mission to abduct Earth's inhabitants. The goal is simple: collect as many Chickens, Cows, and Humans as possible while avoiding the planet's military defenses. It's a game of risk, reward, and strategy packaged in quick, fun turns perfect for family game night or as a warm-up for a longer gaming session.

Players use special dice in a card-driven game to develop their corporations and transform Mars into a new home for humanity. The dice represent resources for playing cards and performing actions, which include increasing production, terraforming, and placing tiles on the board. Players earn victory points by terraforming Mars, placing tiles, and achieving awards and milestones, with the game ending when two out of three global parameters are met.

Mission: Red Planet is a strategic board game set in the year 1888, where Steampunk technology has enabled mankind to reach Mars. Designed by Bruno Faidutti and Bruno Cathala, this game immerses players in a competitive race to colonize Mars and exploit its valuable resources: the explosive element Celerium, the dense material Sylvanite, and water from Martian glaciers, which could potentially terraform the planet.

Players are companies specializing in sending settlers to colonize the universe. They recruit settlers on Earth, transport them to Mars, and then to Ganymede, where the settlers' ships are launched. The game ends when a player has sent four settler ships into space, earning victory points for their launched ships and reputation.

Robots are constructing a colony on Mars that must be completed before the settlers arrive. Players build "domes" for the settlers to live in and then guide them to their designated domes. Resources are generated and moved along pathways, and players must build new tiles and keep track of time to successfully complete the colony before the oxygen runs out.

Players take on the role of Martian invaders or human resistance fighters in a battle for the fate of Earth, inspired by the humorous 1962 trading card series. They deploy armies on a square grid battlefield, moving alien units or soldiers to defend positions and eliminate opponents. With simple mechanics and a unique narrative-driven campaign, players engage in tactical gameplay filled with action and emotional scenarios in the war-torn city of Greenville.

Nemesis: Lockdown is a standalone expansion to the popular board game Nemesis. This expansion transports players to an entirely new setting: a secret multi-level base on Mars. Lockdown maintains the semi-cooperative, highly cinematic gameplay of the original Nemesis, while introducing an array of new mechanics and features. Players will engage in exploring the base, gathering items, crafting, running, and fighting against other species, all while trying to fulfill their secret objectives - which may conflict with the goals of others.

Players represent the UN forces of Earth, the military of Mars, the O.P.A. rebels, and the mysterious corporation Protogen Inc. The game focuses on politics, conquest, and intrigue, featuring key imagery from the series along with action points and events that allow players to maneuver fleets and influence. Each player has unique abilities, utilizing characters and events from The Expanse universe to gain control over the solar system.

On Mars is a complex and strategic board game that simulates the challenge of establishing and expanding a colony on Mars. Designed by Vital Lacerda, this game is known for its depth and intricate mechanics, appealing to players who enjoy a detailed and immersive strategic experience.

Martian Chess is a game for 2-4 players that uses Icehouse pieces and requires each player to have their own supply and a chessboard. Similar to chess, players take turns moving and capturing pieces, with each type of piece having its own movement rules. Key differences include determining ownership by location rather than color, scoring based victories instead of capturing pieces, and the ability to play with up to six players using geomorphic chessboard sections.

Risk 2210 A.D. offers a thrilling twist on the classic game of Risk by transporting players into a futuristic battleground. In this not-so-distant future, the world is gripped by conflict waged not by human armies, but by formidable war machines known as MODs, led by commanders with unique powers. Command cards add a strategic layer, and the war expands beyond continents to include seas and even the moon.

In the Mars mining colony ARES-6, crime pays off. Three factions compete for control over this corrupt new world, while players assume the role of mercenaries known as "freelancers," seeking to profit from the conflict and enhance their reputation. The game features a "Pay to Play" auction mechanism, where players must sacrifice their bidding power to place bids, navigating a web of shady contacts and dangerous missions to achieve their goals.

Planet Steam transports you to 2415, where the interplanetary federation has made strides in colonizing a new planet named "Steam." This planet, with its core heating up to 6,500°C, is ripe for the extraction of vital resources through a network of 42 shafts. As a player, you embody an ambitious entrepreneur in this steampunk-themed world, aiming to harness steam to extract resources, build your empire, and navigate the complexities of market dynamics.