Space exploration and survival are common tropes in video games. However, there are not many games that address the problem of actually surviving on a planet other than Earth (in any way other than constructing a safe habitat such as a base). The more complex solution is to terraform an entire planet so that it can sustain life.

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Terraforming a planet would be a huge, complex project. So, it is no surprise that game developers have not often taken on the challenge of creating a game based on changing an entire planet. However, there are a handful of terraforming games available, some of which are really very good and fun to play.

6 Terraforming Earth

An Interesting Take On Roguelike Gameplay

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac
• Released: January 30, 2020
• Developers: Lost Robots
• Genres: Roguelike

Most games that focus on terraforming of some sort sit well within the strategy genre, but Terraforming Earth is different. This is a 2D, side-scrolling roguelike game. Each playthrough is completely different, as almost everything is procedurally generated in this game.

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The Earth has suffered a catastrophe, and the player must take control of three funny little robots, guiding them through multiple platform levels and solving puzzles as they go. As the player progresses, the terraforming project moves forward. Be warned, though; this is a very hard game. Just because it has cute, almost quirky graphics, doesn’t mean it plays like a simple mobile game. Terraforming Earth offers a significant challenge.

5 Terraforming Mars

Turn The Red Planet Green

• Platforms: Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS
• Released: October 17, 2018
• Developers: Twin Sails Interactive, Artefacts Studio, Divertissements Luckyhammers Inc.
• Genres: Strategy

In Terraforming Mars, the player takes control of a corporation that is competing — economically and technically — to turn Mars into a viable, livable planet with a fully sustainable ecosystem. Basic goals include establishing a breathable atmosphere and creating oceans. As Mars becomes safer to live on, and terraforming moves forward, settlers will emigrate from Earth to the planet.

The terraforming project is complex, and the player will need to acquire resources and set up integrated production chains to make the required materials. Cities need to be built and agricultural areas designated. Overall, Terraforming Mars is a fantastic strategy game that is great fun to play.

4 Farlanders

Terraform Mars And Establish A Colony

• Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
• Released: January 17, 2023
• Developer: Andriy Bychkovskyi
• Genre: Strategy

Farlanders is, at heart, an isometric colony-building game, but with a twist. In order for the player to build and expand a colony on Mars, it first needs to be terraformed. A range of tools are provided to help accomplish this task. As terraforming progresses, additional colony options open up.

The terraforming project requires power, and the player needs to establish a reliable source of energy for this. Additionally, specific resources need to be mined and harvested. And of course, workers are needed. If the player runs out of space on the surface of Mars, Farlanders allows them to start digging below the surface and establishing underground bases. 2D isometric strategy fans might like to give this cool little game a try.

3 Terraformers

Explore And Exploit Mars

Terraformers is a slick, good-looking strategy game that exploits procedural generation to ensure that no two playthroughs are the same. Once again, the player is tasked with terraforming the Red Planet, Mars. Exploration plays a significant role in this game. The player has access to certain hero units — leaders who can be sent to scout the map and uncover natural wonders.

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This is a turn-based strategy game, and at the beginning of each turn, the player chooses from a number of randomly selected cards to decide what actions will take place during that turn. This can include constructing colony buildings, assigning orders to leaders, and deciding what resources to harvest. Terraformers is easy to play but has some real hidden depth.

2 Per Aspera

Complex Terraforming Strategy Games

In Per Aspera, Mars is, yet again, the target of a terraforming project. However, this is a game that really gets the complexity and enormity of such a project across. The goal is for the player to make Mars a viable environment to support life — and also to create a massive, interconnected infrastructure that covers the entire planet.

Technologies need to be researched, and materials must be located and acquired to progress with terraforming. The player is free to play either the fully scripted and voice-acted campaign, or simply enjoy a relaxed sandbox experience. A nice addition to this terraforming game is the cooperative mode for up to four players. There are several expansions available for Per Aspera, which can help to keep gameplay fresh for quite a while.

1 The Planet Crafter

Part Crafting, Part Survival

Planet Crafter deserves its place at the top of this list. It plays very much like a space survival game in first-person mode but with the goal of terraforming a whole planet. Toward this goal, the player will need to track down certain resources and find areas of the map where they can be harvested. This is easier said than done, as the rarer resources are only available in very specific, hard-to-access places.

As the game progresses, the player will begin constructing machinery to terraform the planet. This includes special drills that relieve tectonic pressure to prevent earthquakes and huge heaters that will raise the temperature of the whole planet.

Of course, a viable atmosphere must be created, and the player will need to construct seed nurseries and biodomes to begin spreading genetically engineered seeds across the planet. The terraforming project is further complicated by parts of the planet flooding as water content rises. If the player’s base happens to be in an area that floods, well, it is time to start again somewhere else. ThePlanet Crafter is a great hybrid survival game that offers hundreds of hours of replayability.

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