Comparison

Terraforming Mars vs Tic

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

Tic

Features
Read full description

Tic Tac Roll turns tic-tac-toe into a fast dice strategy game where every roll can change the board. Roll two dice, add them together, and claim the matching space. Line up three marks in a row to win, but watch the board carefully: boosters, custom pieces, and clever rolls can flip the game in an instant. Play your way: Challenge CATZ in solo play Pass and play with a friend Invite friends by username Match online with another player Earn chalk as you play Unlock boosters before a game starts Customize your marker color and symbol Track stats and climb the leaderboard Boosters add a playful strategy layer. Use Eraser to clear a claimed space, FieldTrip to choose a space after rolling a 2, or HallPass to roll again after a 12. Simple to learn, quick to play, and just unpredictable enough to make every match feel different.

Screenshots

Terraforming Mars4 screens
Tic3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tic at Free against Terraforming Mars's $8.99. Tic also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Terraforming Mars's advantage is chart position (#32 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Tic is free to download; Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Tic sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, Tic every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Terraforming Mars versus Tic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerraforming MarsTic
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (7.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#32 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size353 MB17 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTwin Sails InteractiveDigital Solutions MB Inc

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

Tic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
4 purchases

Tic

One-time4
  • tic_tac_roll_chalk_20c$0.99
  • tic_tac_roll_pencils_20c$0.99
  • tic_tac_roll_remove_ads_90_days$1.99
Show 1 more
  • tic_tac_roll_supply_bundle_25c$1.99

Questions

Is Terraforming Mars free?
Terraforming Mars costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Tic free?
Tic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Terraforming Mars or Tic have ads?
Neither Terraforming Mars nor Tic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Terraforming Mars or Tic?
Terraforming Mars ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tic every 2 days. Most recently, Terraforming Mars was updated on November 11, 2026 and Tic on November 5, 2026.

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