# Terraforming Mars vs RNWDB

The clearest difference is price: RNWDB at Free against Terraforming Mars's $8.99. RNWDB also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6). Terraforming Mars's advantage is chart position (#33 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

RNWDB is free to download; Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. RNWDB asks for nothing beyond the download.

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, RNWDB fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Terraforming Mars | RNWDB |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#33** | — |
| Size | 353 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Twin Sails Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135862620) | [Charles Wu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1281325448) |

## What reviewers say

### Terraforming Mars

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

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Paid · Board, #100 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


### RNWDB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rnwdb/id1628435623)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Terraforming Mars free?

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

### Is RNWDB free?

RNWDB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Terraforming Mars or RNWDB have ads?

Neither Terraforming Mars nor RNWDB shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Terraforming Mars or RNWDB?

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, and RNWDB fortnightly. Most recently, Terraforming Mars was updated on October 25, 2026 and RNWDB on October 9, 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.*