Terraforming Mars scoring: TR, milestones, awards and tiles explained
July 21, 2026 · 4 min read
Quick answer
Terraforming Mars is scored at the end of the game by adding five things: your Terraform Rating, the victory points printed on your cards, claimed milestones (5 each), funded awards (5 for first place, 2 for second) and your board tiles — 1 point per greenery, plus 1 point per greenery next to each of your cities.
What counts for points in Terraforming Mars?
Nothing is scored until the game ends. Then every player totals the same five categories:
- Terraform Rating (TR) — your position on the rating track; it starts at 20 and rises every time you raise a global parameter
- Card victory points — the number in the bottom corner of blue and green cards, sometimes tied to the resources or tags on them
- Milestones — 5 points each, for milestones you claimed during the game (only three can be claimed in total)
- Awards — 5 points for first place and 2 for second in each funded award (up to three)
- Board tiles — 1 point per greenery tile you own, plus 1 point for every greenery adjacent to each of your city tiles
A city scores only through the greeneries around it — and those greeneries count no matter who owns them, so a city wedged next to an opponent’s forest still pays you.
When does the game end and how do you total it?
The game ends at the close of the generation in which the last global parameter — temperature, oxygen or the oceans — is maxed out. Everyone finishes that generation’s production, then adds the five categories.
Because Terraform Rating is usually the single largest chunk of a score, a player who looks behind on the board can still win on rating alone. Count every category before conceding the game.
Common scoring mistakes in Terraforming Mars
- Reading Terraform Rating as fixed at 20 — it climbs all game and is normally the biggest score category.
- Counting your city tiles themselves as points — a city scores only the greeneries next to it, so an isolated city is worth zero.
- Missing card VP that depend on resources — animals, microbes, floaters and science resources on cards convert to points at the end.
- Overlooking second place on awards — 2 points per funded award still swings tight games, and awards pay out even to players who didn’t fund them.
- Forgetting that a greenery beside your city scores for you regardless of who placed the greenery.
What's the easiest way to track Terraforming Mars scores?
Terraforming Mars ends in a five-part count across TR, cards, milestones, awards and tiles, and the totals run high. It is exactly the kind of long end-game math worth recording once, so the group’s season standings are never in dispute.
RivalBoard is a free score tracker for exactly this: log each Terraforming Mars match in seconds and your group gets a shared leaderboard with win percentages, streaks and head-to-head records. Still weighing your options? See our comparison of paper, spreadsheets and apps for tracking board game scores.
Frequently asked questions
How do you score cities in Terraforming Mars?
Each city tile scores 1 victory point for every greenery tile adjacent to it, no matter who owns the greenery. A city with no greeneries beside it scores nothing.
How much are milestones and awards worth in Terraforming Mars?
Each milestone you claim is worth 5 points. For each funded award, first place scores 5 points and second place 2 — and awards are scored even for players who did not pay to fund them.
Does Terraform Rating count as victory points?
Yes. Terraform Rating starts at 20 and rises each time you raise a global parameter, and at the end of the game every point of TR counts as a victory point. It is usually the largest single category.
Related scoring guides
Wingspan scoring: how end-of-game points add up
7 Wonders scoring: the seven-step end-game count explained
Splendor scoring: prestige points, nobles and how the game ends
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