# Terraforming Mars vs Hero Realms

The clearest difference is price: Hero Realms at Free against Terraforming Mars's $8.99. Hero Realms also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 45%). Terraforming Mars's advantage is ratings volume (7.6K vs 219) and chart position (#29 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Hero Realms is free to download; Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Hero Realms sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Terraforming Mars holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Terraforming Mars has 7.6K ratings behind it against 219, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Terraforming Mars's written reviews are positive against 60% of Hero Realms's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, Hero Realms every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Terraforming Mars | Hero Realms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030/reviews)** | [4.3 (219 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-realms/id1396367189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | 219 |
| Positive reviews | 45.1% of reviews | **60.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#29** | — |
| Size | 353 MB | 435 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Twin Sails Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135862620) | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) |

## What reviewers say

### Terraforming Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030)

**Currently charting:** #29 Top Paid · Board, #76 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Lead a corporation to terraform Mars by building cities, forests, and oceans. Manage resources, complete objectives, and increase your Terraform Rating to make the planet habitable. Compete against rivals and lead humanity into a new era.

**Highlights:** Official board game adaptation, Play against AI or up to 5 players, Online and offline multiplayer, Corporate Era variant, Solo challenge mode, Expansions available for new content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Original Promo Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Terraforming Mars - Prelude | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hellas & Elysium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Venus Next | $3.99 | one-time |
| Colonies | $3.99 | one-time |
| Big Box Promo Pack | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Faithful adaptation of board game
- 👍 Great UI and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth solo gameplay
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Unreliable multiplayer experience
- 🕰️ Long load times to resume games
- 🤯 Confusing multiplayer features
- 🤖 Weak AI opponents

**Reported bugs**

- Science tags not counted properly
- Power infrastructure card not functioning
- Inability to place tiles in some cases
- Saved games not loading properly

**Requested features**

- Undo button for actions
- Ability to see final game metrics
- Notifications for turn updates
- Ability to track win/loss records
- More expansion content


### Hero Realms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-realms/id1396367189)

Engage in strategic deckbuilding combat, recruit powerful champions, and level up your heroes. Enjoy PvP, co-op against AI bosses, or a single-player campaign. The free version offers core gameplay with optional expansions.

**Highlights:** Deckbuilding combat, Recruit champions, Hero leveling system, Online PvP, Cooperative play vs AI, Single-player campaign, Multiple character classes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 80 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| 200 gems | $2.29 | one-time |
| Four Journeys Campaign | $3.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hero Realms: Call to Arms | $4.99 | one-time |
| Journeys Expansions | $4.99 | one-time |
| Journeys Promo Expansion | $4.99 | one-time |
| Dungeons Expansion | $7.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hero Realms Base Set | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game mechanics
- 🚀 Smooth and polished app
- 💡 Diverse game modes (PvP, co-op, campaign)
- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the physical card game
- 💡 Character progression and leveling system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Lack of local multiplayer (pass-and-play)
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for additional content
- 🌐 Lack of language support (e.g., no French, Spanish)
- 🔍 Unclear tutorial and explanations of game mechanics

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to play online
- Inability to access purchased content
- Freezing and black screen issues
- Incorrect character level progression
- Matchmaking problems and long wait times

**Requested features**

- Add more expansions and additional content
- Implement a friends list and social features
- Improve the campaign mode with more levels and challenges
- Add an option to check the contents of your deck before playing
- Implement a turn timer to prevent players from stalling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Terraforming Mars free?

Terraforming Mars costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Hero Realms free?

Hero Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Terraforming Mars or Hero Realms?

Terraforming Mars is rated higher. Terraforming Mars averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Hero Realms averages 4.3 from 219 ratings.

### Do Terraforming Mars or Hero Realms have ads?

Neither Terraforming Mars nor Hero Realms shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Terraforming Mars or Hero Realms?

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hero Realms every 2 weeks. Most recently, Terraforming Mars was updated on November 8, 2026 and Hero Realms on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*