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 in the order the rulebook uses: your Terraform Rating, then funded awards (5 for first place, 2 for second), claimed milestones (5 each), your board tiles (1 point per greenery, plus 1 per greenery next to each of your cities) and finally the victory points printed on your cards.
What counts for points in Terraforming Mars?
Nothing is scored until the game ends. Then every player totals the same five categories, in the order the rulebook counts them:
- Terraform Rating (TR): your position on the rating track; it starts at 20 and rises every time you raise a global parameter
- Awards: 5 points for first place and 2 for second in each funded award (up to three)
- Milestones: 5 points each, for milestones you claimed during the game (only three can be claimed in total)
- Board tiles: 1 point per greenery tile you own, plus 1 point for every greenery adjacent to each of your city tiles
- Card victory points: the number in the bottom corner of blue and green cards, sometimes tied to the resources or tags on them
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.
Free Terraforming Mars score sheet (no signup)
Add your players, fill in the boxes as you go and the totals add themselves up. Leave a box empty if it scored nothing: then tap See who won when the game is over. Nothing is sent anywhere: the sheet stays in this browser, so you can close the tab mid-game and pick it up later, or print it blank and use a pen.
| Category | ||
|---|---|---|
Terraform Rating | ||
Awards | ||
Milestones | ||
Greenery tiles | ||
Cities | ||
Card victory points | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 |
Solo play (1 player) is scored against the game itself, so this sheet starts at two.
2–5 players
An empty pad for the table: no scores, nothing on screen is cleared.
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: in RivalBoard, a free shared leaderboard app for friend groups, so the group’s season standings are never in dispute.
RivalBoard is a free shared leaderboard app for friend groups, made for exactly this: log each Terraforming Mars match in seconds and everyone in the group sees the same standings, 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.
Is there a free Terraforming Mars score sheet online?
Yes, the interactive score sheet on this page is free and needs no signup: enter the five categories for each player and it totals them and shows the winner. It is made by RivalBoard, a free app that keeps a shared leaderboard for your group across game nights.
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
Start your group's leaderboard
Free on the web, on Android and on iPhone. Create a group, invite your friends and find out who really rules game night.