Surviving Mars

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 9,312 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Surviving Mars Game Cover
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Surviving Mars is a sci-fi city builder that challenges you to establish a thriving colony on the Red Planet. Choose a space agency, select a colony site, and manage resources, infrastructure, and colonist needs to ensure their survival. Embrace the challenges of Mars' hostile environment, conduct research, and utilize drones to expand your settlement. Ultimately, your goal is to discover the purpose of mysterious black cubes and make Mars habitable for future generations.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Linux
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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 9,312 reviews
gameplay311 positive mentions
grinding206 negative mentions
  • Engaging and addictive gameplay that allows for deep resource management and strategic planning.
  • Beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in the Martian environment.
  • High replayability with various sponsors, mysteries, and customizable difficulty settings.
  • Frequent bugs and crashes, especially after the latest DLC, making the game frustrating to play.
  • Colonist AI is poorly designed, leading to issues with job assignments and resource management.
  • Many essential features and content are locked behind expensive DLCs, which can feel like a cash grab.
  • gameplay1,061 mentions

    The gameplay of "Surviving Mars" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating elements, with players appreciating its strategic depth and resource management challenges. While the game offers a highly customizable experience with various modes and mysteries, many users find the late-game pacing slow and repetitive, leading to a sense of stagnation. Additionally, the interface and some mechanics are criticized for being clunky or poorly explained, which can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially for new players.

    • “The gameplay experience is highly customizable with various gameplay modes, mission sponsors, commander profiles, mysteries, optional game rules, and different coordinate locations on the surface of Mars with varying densities of resources and propensities of disasters.”
    • “Its immersive Martian setting, coupled with challenging resource management, creates an addictive gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth, easy to learn, and offers long-term replayability.”
    • “The gameplay can be boring over time.”
    • “The tutorial does a poor job of explaining the various mechanics and systems, and the interface is difficult to use.”
    • “The gameplay is often divorced from the fluff -- i.e., I can send ships from Earth with food faster than I can grow it in the hydroponic gardens, totally negating the feeling that the colonists are on their own.”
  • graphics581 mentions

    The graphics of "Surviving Mars" receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning and detailed visuals that effectively capture the Martian landscape and atmosphere. However, some users criticize the clash between photorealistic environments and cartoonish aesthetics, leading to a lack of cohesion in the overall design. While the game generally runs well and is visually appealing, there are reports of graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly on certain systems.

    • “Beautiful and atmospheric visuals: the Martian landscape is rendered in stunning detail, from towering volcanoes to rust-colored canyons.”
    • “The game's stunning visuals bring the Martian landscapes to life, with attention to detail in the rocky terrain, dust storms, and futuristic structures.”
    • “The graphics are outstanding and it is quite amazing how far you can zoom in to examine the units in the game and see the details that they have put into it.”
    • “The photorealistic landscape imagery clashes with cartoonish aesthetics (and game design mechanics) throughout the game.”
    • “Very poor graphics, invisible colonists!”
    • “The game's visuals are pretty unremarkable as a whole and even when filled with colonists your colonies will feel a bit lifeless.”
  • story560 mentions

    The story aspect of "Surviving Mars" is characterized by a mix of engaging mysteries and a lack of cohesive narrative structure. While players appreciate the random "mysteries" that add flavor and unique challenges to each playthrough, many feel that the overall storyline is underdeveloped and lacks depth, often leaving them to create their own narratives. The game offers various mission sponsors and scenarios, but the absence of a clear, overarching plot or meaningful progression can lead to a sense of aimlessness, particularly in the late game.

    • “The story missions and challenges are very enjoyable.”
    • “The premise is cool and the story bits that you get throughout your gameplay work well at keeping you engaged.”
    • “With its deep gameplay, compelling story, and endless possibilities, Surviving Mars is a journey you won't soon forget.”
    • “Nope, not recommended at all. This game has too much content but does not tell a cohesive story. It seems Paradox just chucked in content to make money out of a weak storyline with no indicators as to what the player is working towards.”
    • “The game lacks story really and the mysteries do little to add it, much less than I hoped.”
    • “There's no story to speak of, at all, which is fine, but you'd think starting a new colony on Mars would lend itself to some sort of narrative.”
  • music452 mentions

    The music in "Surviving Mars" has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, with many players praising the variety offered by multiple in-game radio stations. While the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, some users noted that it can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the game's music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its relaxing and engaging gameplay.

    • “The combination of the hauntingly beautiful Martian vistas and the immersive soundtrack creates an otherworldly atmosphere that truly transports players to the red planet.”
    • “The soundtrack alone makes this game worth trying, and I highly recommend the radio DLCs.”
    • “The music is perfect for the game and there are tons of mods.”
    • “Negative: the soundtrack has to be improved; even with the soundtrack DLC, the music is still the same.”
    • “Put me to sleep, very boring, bad graphics, repetitive music that plays on a short replaying loop.”
    • “The music is utterly forgettable and even annoying at times.”
  • replayability379 mentions

    Overall, "Surviving Mars" is praised for its high replayability, attributed to various starting conditions, mysteries, and a randomized tech tree that encourage different strategies in each playthrough. Many players appreciate the game's depth and customization options, which allow for unique experiences, although some express concerns about potential repetitiveness in late-game scenarios. The active modding community and DLCs further enhance the game's replay value, making it a solid choice for fans of colony simulation games.

    • “High replayability: with multiple scenarios, mysteries to unravel, and endless customization options, Surviving Mars keeps you coming back for more.”
    • “The replay value of 'Surviving Mars' is considerable, especially for those who enjoy perfecting their strategies and exploring different approaches to Martian survival.”
    • “The varying maps, starting options, and mysteries provide a lot of replayability.”
    • “The replayability is not great as the scenarios are quite similar, but it was still very enjoyable while it lasted.”
    • “Overall, replayability is very bad, as the game becomes very boring mid-game, as each new dome is very repetitive.”
    • “After that, you've seen most of the game, so replayability is rather limited.”
  • grinding213 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where micromanagement of colonists and resources becomes overwhelming. Players often find themselves bogged down by the need to manually assign tasks and manage logistics, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the challenge and complexity, many agree that the game could benefit from quality-of-life improvements and automation to alleviate the grind.

    • “Challenging but not tedious.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's a little unusual and maybe tedious at first, but starts to make sense after a while.”
    • “The game starts strong and the first couple of hours while you learn its various systems are engaging, but ultimately the game forces you to micromanage the least interesting details (tedious drone work), while giving you very limited control over potentially more interesting aspects (the lives of your actual colonists).”
    • “The micromanagement is tedious, but I at least feel like my actions directly impact the colony.”
  • stability140 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. While some users have noted improvements and a generally smooth experience, particularly on certain platforms, the overall consensus highlights ongoing issues, especially with recent DLCs that have introduced additional instability. Players are advised to save often due to the unpredictability of crashes and the potential loss of progress.

    • “Seems to be pretty bug free too for this type of game.”
    • “This game plays super smooth with little to no glitches or issues.”
    • “It's gorgeous in basically every way, almost entirely bug free, and a blast to play.”
    • “I really hate that this has to be a negative review, but the unpredictability of the freezes means that I can play for seconds or days between freezes, and the number of times I have lost significant progress to these freezes means that I am angry much of the time with this game, and that's no way to live life.”
    • “This game is incredibly buggy and unplayable.”
    • “New DLC has made the game very buggy; a lot of the bugs introduced were already known to be a problem before they released. I'm worried this game is going to revert to an early access state very soon.”
  • atmosphere106 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Surviving Mars" is widely praised for its stunning visuals and immersive sound design, effectively capturing the essence of life on the red planet. Players appreciate the detailed rendering of the Martian landscape, the atmospheric music from various in-game radio stations, and the overall sense of wonder and exploration that the game evokes. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics, the combination of beautiful graphics, engaging soundtracks, and the unique challenges of colonizing Mars contribute to a captivating and atmospheric experience.

    • “Beautiful and atmospheric visuals: the Martian landscape is rendered in stunning detail, from towering volcanoes to rust-colored canyons.”
    • “The combination of the hauntingly beautiful Martian vistas and the immersive soundtrack creates an otherworldly atmosphere that truly transports players to the red planet.”
    • “The atmosphere is delightful, a good sense of awe, wonder, and expectation as you explore new ground and develop your colony.”
    • “I realize they are in there to make it a survival game, but why would you colonize a planet with almost no atmosphere with no orbital platform to blow up meteors.”
    • “Also, the retro futuristic look does not create a direful atmosphere, which kind of kills all of the survival feeling.”
    • “There is no atmosphere of colonization.”
  • optimization91 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players reporting smooth performance even on lower-end systems and during extensive gameplay. However, some users have noted that performance can degrade significantly in late-game scenarios with large colonies, leading to occasional stuttering and crashes. Recent updates have improved stability and performance, but there are still areas for optimization, particularly regarding AI behavior and resource management.

    • “You can tell it's optimized compared to similar simulators.”
    • “The game is very well optimized and everything feels natural, you will indeed start slow and things will be shutting off every now and then, which can draw people away unfortunately, but if you stick around, you can make a massive settlement on Mars.”
    • “The game has top-notch quality visuals and no performance issues at all.”
    • “Technical issues and bugs: the game can be plagued by occasional crashes, bugs, and performance issues.”
    • “The game developers clearly did not plan for over 1000 sols or 10k colonists, as the game becomes unstable (not fun to play) at such lengths, even on powerful computers. It starts to stutter, which is very sad, since one can get to a 5k colony without using 50% of the map; such a wasted potential.”
    • “Cool game, crap performance late game.”
  • humor51 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players appreciating its quirky references, clever pop culture nods, and amusing scenarios that arise during gameplay. Many find the balance of humor and challenge engaging, with moments that elicit genuine laughter, such as the absurdity of certain game mechanics and events. While some players feel the humor could be more pronounced compared to other titles like Tropico, the overall consensus is that the game successfully incorporates a lighthearted tone that enhances the experience.

    • “It's an incredibly well-crafted, beautifully designed game with enough of a sense of humor that it makes you grin.”
    • “Filled with humor that still makes me laugh on the twentieth playthrough.”
    • “The sense of humor the game has about certain subjects (soylent green, anyone?) is full of pop-culture nods and references; Surviving Mars is a great game to lose a bit of time to.”
    • “My drones started to steal resources, and it's not funny.”
    • “The jokes fell flat and didn't land as intended.”
    • “I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
  • monetization18 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many users labeling it as a blatant cash grab due to the excessive amount of DLC and microtransactions. Players feel that essential gameplay features are locked behind paywalls, leading to frustration and a sense of betrayal towards the developers. Overall, the monetization approach has negatively impacted the game's reputation, causing many fans to lose trust in the brand.

    • “Paradox are absolute scum when it comes to the amount of DLC and microtransactions that they stuff into their games.”
    • “Would not have even bothered if I had noticed it was just another one of those unapologetic cash grabs.”
    • “The fact that this game came out with a deluxe version on day one just gave a cash grab feel to the entire experience; it's almost as if they stripped out all the good parts of the game and put them in a DLC.”
  • emotional11 mentions

    Players report a deep emotional investment in their colonies and colonists, with the struggle for survival and the eventual success of terraforming Mars creating a poignant experience. The journey from hardship to stability is both challenging and rewarding, evoking feelings of attachment and heartbreak as players witness their colonies thrive or collapse. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, which can detract from the overall emotional engagement.

    • “You become emotionally invested in your colonies and the people that live in them over time, and you want to see them thrive.”
    • “The difficulty with which it takes to terraform makes the emotional payoff that much greater once you start seeing even meager progress.”
    • “The strong points of the game are that the first playthroughs really make you feel lost on a hostile planet, and seeing Mars having vegetation and your colonists breathing without domes can be quite an emotional experience after so much time watching them struggle to survive.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Many players feel that the character development lacks depth and complexity, with some expressing a desire for richer social dynamics and a more intricate storyline. Overall, the consensus suggests that the characters could benefit from more thorough exploration and growth.

    • “Some players might miss deeper character development and social dynamics.”
    • “The story and character development could have been more in-depth.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Play time

30hMedian play time
125hAverage play time
11-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 135 analyzed playthroughs

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