Terraforming Mars Expansions Guide: Prelude, Colonies, Turmoil & More

Terraforming Mars has a modular expansion system: Prelude changes the opening, Venus Next adds another global track, Colonies adds off-world trade, Turmoil adds politics and global events, and map packs change geography, milestones and awards. Most modules can be mixed and matched.

Expansion comparison

Prelude

Prelude gives corporations powerful opening development cards that shape starting production and strategic direction. It primarily changes setup and the first few generations rather than adding a separate board that must be managed throughout the game.

Best for: players who enjoy the full game but feel the earliest generations are slow or overly similar.

Prelude 2

Prelude 2 expands the Prelude system with additional cards and content designed to interact with other Terraforming Mars expansion systems. It is an expansion to an expansion rather than a replacement for Prelude.

Best for: groups already committed to Prelude and looking for more opening combinations.

Venus Next

Venus Next adds the Venus scale, a fourth global parameter that can generate Terraform Rating but is not required for the normal end-game trigger. It also introduces Venus-tagged cards and floater resources.

To keep Mars terraforming from slowing too much, the expansion introduces World Government Terraforming during the Solar Phase.

Best for: players who mainly want more cards, more engine paths and another parameter to develop.

Colonies

Colonies adds Colony Tiles representing locations across the solar system. Players can build colonies there and send trade fleets to receive benefits. Colony tracks improve over time and react to player colonies.

This creates a new shared economic layer because a colony that is attractive to one player may become even more valuable after other players invest in it.

Best for: groups that want more competition over shared opportunities without the full political complexity of Turmoil.

Turmoil

Turmoil adds a Terraforming Committee, political parties, delegates and Global Events that are visible in advance. Each generation, political control changes and global events alter the economy or board state.

The expansion also introduces a recurring TR revision, making political influence and future-event planning part of normal engine management.

Best for: experienced groups who want Terraforming Mars to become longer, more interactive and more strategically demanding.

Alternate maps

Hellas & Elysium and later map products change terrain bonuses, milestones and awards while keeping the core game structure largely intact. They are excellent for variety when your group does not want another ongoing subsystem.

Can Terraforming Mars expansions be combined?

Yes. FryxGames’ expansion rules explicitly support mixing modules and provide setup changes for combinations. Each expansion has its own setup instructions, and the Solar Phase is designed to host effects from multiple modules such as Venus Next, Colonies and Turmoil.

Which expansion should you add first?

Prelude is the broadest first recommendation because it improves opening differentiation while adding very little rules overhead. After that, choose by preference: Colonies for economy, Venus Next for card/engine breadth, Turmoil for complexity and politics.

Detailed Terraforming Mars expansion guides

• Terraforming Mars Prelude expansion guide
• Terraforming Mars Prelude 2 expansion guide
• Terraforming Mars Colonies expansion guide
• Terraforming Mars Turmoil expansion guide
• Terraforming Mars Venus Next expansion guide

Related Terraforming Mars guides

• Terraforming Mars game guide
• How to Play Terraforming Mars
• Terraforming Mars Strategy

Publisher rules and sources

• FryxGames: Venus Next rules
• FryxGames: Colonies rules
• FryxGames: Turmoil rules
• FryxGames: Adding Expansions reference

Expansion compatibility checked September 2026.