# Terraforming Mars: Colonies

Terraforming Mars: Colonies is a board game for 1–5 players. It plays in 120 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 3. It is rated 8 out of 10 by 35 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $22.93 (United States).

- **Players:** 1–5 (best with 3)
- **Playing time:** 120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 3 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2018
- **Categories:** Territory Building, Science Fiction, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Expansion for Base-game, Environmental
- **Mechanics:** Worker Placement, Variable Player Powers, Tile Placement, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Set Collection, Increase Value of Unchosen Resources
- **Ludoya rating:** 8 out of 10, from 35 reviews
- **Owned by:** 182 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 86
- **Unique players:** 94

**Designers:** Jonathan Fryxelius, Jacob Fryxelius

**Artists:** William Bricker, Isaac Fryxelius

**Publishers:** Stronghold Games, FryxGames

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mathom | 20 € | https://mathom.es/es/terraforming-mars/40237-terraforming-mars-colonias-8436578810123.html |
| Get Your Fun | 16.24 € | https://www.getyourfun.it/0725-terraforming-mars-colonies-danneggiato-giochi-gestionali.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 495 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/6635/mars-teraformace-kolonie-4 |
| Good Games | 37.56 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/terraforming-mars-colonies |
| Alphaspel | 269 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/188057-terraforming-mars-colonies-se |
| Jugar x Jugar | 25 € | https://www.jugarxjugar.com/shop/estrategia/4072-terraforming-mars-colonias-8436578810123.html |
| Fantasiapelit | 25.9 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_209105 |
| Ludifolie | 27.9 € | https://www.ludifolie.com/6521-terraforming-mars-colonies.html |
| Game Ninja | 349 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/terraforming-mars-colonies/ |

## Expansions

- [Terraforming Mars: Prelude 2](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-prelude-2)
- [Terraforming Mars: Turmoil Promos](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-turmoil-promos)
- [Terraforming Mars: Terra Cimmeria – Big Board Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-terra-cimmeria)

## Rules questions

### Can I build more than one colony on the same Colony Tile?

No. Each Colony Tile allows only 3 colonies total, and each player may have only 1 colony on a given tile unless a card says otherwise. (Rulebook, p. 2)

### How much does it cost to build a colony?

Building a colony is an action and a standard project costing 17 M€. Place your marker on the lowest available space and take the placement bonus shown inside the track. (Rulebook, p. 2)

### What does it cost to trade, and can I use any of the listed resources?

Trading is an action costing 9 M€, 3 energy, or 3 titanium—you choose one payment method. Move your Trade Fleet to an available Colony Tile, then take that tile’s trade income and give its colony owners their colony bonus. (Rulebook, p. 2)

### Can more than one Trade Fleet trade at the same Colony Tile in the same generation?

No. A Colony Tile can hold only 1 Trade Fleet at a time, and a fleet cannot be moved to the colony track. After the generation ends, all Trade Fleets return to the Trade Fleets Tile. (Rulebook, p. 2–3)

### When do the Colony Tiles’ white markers and Trade Fleets reset?

At the end of each generation, during Solar Phase Step 3, return all Trade Fleets to the Trade Fleets Tile and move the white marker 1 step up the Colony track on every Colony Tile. Immediately after a trade, however, move that tile’s white marker as far left as possible, stopping next to player colonies or at the bottom of the track. (Rulebook, p. 3)

### When exactly does the Solar Phase happen, and can it be skipped if the game has ended?

The Solar Phase occurs after the production phase. First check whether temperature, oxygen, and oceans are all maxed; if so, the game ends and no further Solar Phase steps are performed. (Rulebook, p. 3)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/terraforming-mars-colonies)
- [Terraforming Mars: Colonies in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/terraforming-mars-colonies)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/255681)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._