Comparison

Terraforming Mars vs Dune

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Terraforming Mars

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
Read full description

CREATE LIFE ON MARS Lead a corporation and launch ambitious Mars terraforming projects. Direct massive construction works, manage and use your resources, create cities, forests and oceans, and set rewards and objectives to win the game! In Terraforming Mars, place your cards on the board and use them wisely: - Achieve a high Terraform Rating, by increasing the temperature and oxygen level or creating oceans... Make the planet habitable for future generations! - Get Victory Points by building cities, infrastructure and other ambitious projects. - But watch out! Rival corporations will try to slow you down... That's a nice forest you planted there... It'd be a shame if an asteroid crashed right on it. Will you be able to lead humanity into a new era? The terraforming race begins now! Features: • The official adaptation of Jacob Fryxelius' famous board game. • Mars for all: Play against the computer or challenge up to 5 players in multiplayer mode, online or offline. • Game variant: Try the rules of the Corporate Era for a more complex game. With the addition of new cards, including 2 new corporations, focused on economy and technology, you will discover one of the most strategic variants of the game! • Solo Challenge: Finish terraforming Mars before the end of generation 14. Try new rules and features in the most challenging Solo mode on the (red) planet. DLCs: • Speed up your game with the Prelude expansion, adding a new phase at the start of the game to specialize your corporation and boost your early game. It also introduces new cards, corporations and a new solo challenge. • Explore a new side of Mars with the Hellas & Elysium maps, each bringing a new set of twists, awards and milestones. From the Southern Wilds to the Other Face of Mars, the taming of the Red Planet continues. • Add the Venus board to your game, with a new Solar phase to hasten your games. Shake up Terraforming Mars with the Morning Star expansion, featuring new cards, corporations, and resources! • Spice up the game with 7 new cards from the Original Promo Pack: Includes everything from the microbe-oriented corporation Splice to the game-changing Self-Replication Robot project. * Try the Big Box Promo Pack and its 23 cards to raise the level even higher. Play as the expert-only Pharmacy Union or enjoy the more relaxed Astrodrill corporation with this DLC! * Establish outposts and trade with them in Colonies! Featuring 49 project cards, 5 corporations, and a whole new game system, Colonies is the most content-packed DLC to date! Languages available: French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish Having an issue? Looking for support? Please contact us: https://asmodee.helpshift.com/ Find all the latest news for Terraforming Mars on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwinSailsInt Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwinSailsInt YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/twinsailsinteractive © Twin Sails Interactive 2019. © FryxGames 2016. Terraforming Mars™ is a trademark of FryxGames. Developed by Artefact Studio.

About

Dune

Engage in strategic warfare and political intrigue on the desert planet Arrakis. This award-winning board game adaptation blends deck-building and worker placement mechanics. Compete against AI, other players online, or face unique challenges and rotating game modes.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Worker placement strategy
  • Online multiplayer
  • Local AI battles
  • Unique challenges
  • Rotating Skirmish Mode
  • Achievement system
Features
Read full description

Immerse yourself in the world of Dune. Experience the ultimate blend of strategy and intrigue as you navigate the treacherous landscapes of Arrakis in the award-winning board game Dune: Imperium! Battle online, locally with AI, or against the formidable House Hagal. Earn Achievements that showcase your prowess as a leader. Embark on more than a dozen Challenges that will test your wit and cunning. Compete for badges in the rotating Skirmish Mode where no two games are the same! Control the Spice. Control the Universe. Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. Raise your banner above the vast wasteland before you. As the Great Houses of the Landsraad marshal their forces and their spies, whom will you influence, and whom will you betray? A tyrannical Emperor. The secretive Bene Gesserit. The shrewd Spacing Guild. The ferocious Fremen of the Deep Desert. The power of the Imperium can be yours, but war is not the only way to claim it. Dune: Imperium blends deck-building and worker placement in a deeply thematic new strategy game where the fate of the Empire hangs on your decisions. Will you seek political allies or rely upon military might? Economic strength or subtle intrigues? A council seat… or a sharpened blade? The cards are dealt. The choice is yours. The Imperium awaits.

Screenshots

Terraforming Mars4 screens
Dune4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dune at 79% against Terraforming Mars's 45%. Dune also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Terraforming Mars's advantage is price ($8.99 vs $10.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 and Dune $10.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Dune sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dune holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Terraforming Mars's written reviews are positive against 79% of Dune's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, Dune every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Terraforming Mars versus Dune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerraforming MarsDune
Price$8.99 — better$10.99
Rating4.5 (7.6K ratings)4.9 (5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.1% of reviews78.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K — better5K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#39#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size353 MB804 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperTwin Sails InteractiveDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Terraforming Mars

All ratings7,460 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews907 reviews
Positive45.1%
Neutral15.9%
Negative39.0%

Dune

All ratings4,922 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews494 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Terraforming Mars

From 7.6K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Dune

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful implementation
  • 💪 Challenging AI
  • 🕹️ Great digital adaptation of the board game
  • 🕰️ Quick gameplay sessions

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Obtrusive DRM
  • 🕹️ No local multiplayer/pass-and-play
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔁 Slow reloading when switching between app and game
  • 🔍 Difficulty seeing card details

Bugs and requests

Terraforming Mars

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Dune

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Intrigue card issues
  • Inconsistent login credentials
  • Notification problems
  • Victory points reset bug

Requested features

4 requests
  • Controller support
  • Pass and play mode
  • Ability to choose leaders
  • Expand card detail visibility

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Terraforming Mars

One-time6
  • Original Promo Pack$2.99
  • Terraforming Mars - Prelude$3.99
  • Hellas & Elysium$3.99
Show 3 more
  • Venus Next$3.99
  • Colonies$3.99
  • Big Box Promo Pack$4.99
3 purchases

Dune

One-time3
  • Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Immortality$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Uprising$10.99

Questions

Is Terraforming Mars free?
Terraforming Mars costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dune free?
Dune costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Terraforming Mars or Dune?
Dune is rated higher. Terraforming Mars averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Dune averages 4.9 from 5K ratings.
Do Terraforming Mars or Dune have ads?
Neither Terraforming Mars nor Dune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terraforming Mars or Dune?
Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dune every 5 days. Most recently, Terraforming Mars was updated on November 6, 2026 and Dune on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Terraforming Mars or Dune?
Terraforming Mars currently peaks at #39 in the App Store charts, and Dune at #21. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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