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Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars is a challenging yet engaging city builder that makes me want to colonize Mars again and again.
Surviving Mars Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, stability
79% User Score Based on 15,549 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 22 reviews

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Surviving Mars Game Cover

About

Surviving Mars is a single player survival strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Abstraction and was released on March 14, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

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.

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Surviving Mars screenshot
Surviving Mars screenshot
Surviving Mars screenshot
Surviving Mars screenshot
Surviving Mars screenshot
Surviving Mars screenshot
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79%
Audience ScoreBased on 15,549 reviews
gameplay465 positive mentions
grinding325 negative mentions
  • The emotional aspect of the game elicits deep investment in the survival and growth of colonies, enhanced by beautiful music and visuals.
  • The gameplay mechanics of city-building and resource management are engaging and addictive, providing a rewarding experience as players see their colonies thrive.
  • The game offers high replayability with diverse starting conditions, various mission sponsors, and random events that keep gameplay fresh.
  • The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, with many players frustrated by the abundance of overpriced DLCs and microtransactions.
  • The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and bugs that detract from the overall experience.
  • Many players find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, particularly in the mid to late game, leading to a grind that can diminish enjoyment.
  • gameplay
    1,698 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Surviving Mars" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its city-building and resource management mechanics, which can be engaging and addictive. However, criticisms often focus on the lack of depth and variety, repetitive gameplay loops, and frustrating mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a solid foundation and potential for enjoyment, many feel it requires significant improvements in balance, user interface, and overall gameplay complexity to fully realize its potential.

    • “The city building and resource management mechanics all come together to make for a fun experience.”
    • “The reason I've poured nearly 200 hours into this game is not for the colony sim mechanics, but because I found it enjoyable and relaxing seeing a struggling colony slowly bloom into a Mars metropolis.”
    • “The gameplay, focused on building and managing a colony on Mars, is both challenging and rewarding, making every small success feel meaningful.”
    • “There is no real gameplay, it's just a plopper with timed gates.”
    • “The gameplay loop is tedious as heck, whoever decided it would be a good idea to make the research tree completely and utterly random every time you play needs to never do it again because it's the worst idea ever.”
    • “The gameplay suffers from a lack of depth and variety in its mechanics, leading to a repetitive gameplay loop.”
  • graphics
    973 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Surviving Mars" receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the game's stunning visuals and attention to detail, particularly in the depiction of Martian landscapes and futuristic structures. However, some users express frustration over graphical glitches, particularly on Mac systems, and criticize the lack of significant updates or improvements in the remastered version. Overall, while the aesthetic is appreciated, technical issues and a perceived lack of depth in gameplay detract from the overall experience for some players.

    • “The visuals are stunning, capturing the desolate beauty of Mars while hinting at the potential for something spectacular—if you don’t blow it up first.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, and the soundtrack will get stuck in your head (looking at you, free earth radio)!”
    • “The graphics are excellent, the soundtracks are awesome, the variety and challenge is enough to keep anyone going for hundreds of hours.”
    • “But nope, there is no change, I fail to see graphic changes still getting the same bugs as before, not sure if they actually fixed it.”
    • “Charging full price for badly needed bug fixes and poor graphics updates.”
    • “The graphics are terrible.”
  • story
    892 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of "Surviving Mars" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of a cohesive narrative. While the game features randomized "mysteries" that introduce unique challenges and minor story elements, these often feel disconnected from the overall gameplay and do not provide a strong driving force for players. Critics have expressed a desire for a more structured campaign or deeper storylines, as the current setup can lead to repetitive gameplay without a clear sense of progression or purpose. Overall, while the game offers interesting mechanics and replayability, its storytelling elements are seen as underdeveloped and lacking depth.

    • “The game also stands out with its visuals and various storylines and mysteries, such as discovering hidden artifacts, unearthing ancient secrets, and encountering strange events that keep players hooked and eager for more.”
    • “The writing for the game is especially thoughtful and in an age where I have mostly fallen out of story-based games, it still manages to captivate me.”
    • “The unique storylines add a nice twist to each playthrough, and I was engaged enough to have multiple games through to the end or at least close to it.”
    • “The game suffers from having extremely flat progression (the gameplay stays constant throughout and the only change is whether imported building parts are needed), badly balanced rewards (a reward for building a story meteor defense system is another meteor defense system), and whole mechanics can be made irrelevant by certain techs (shuttles make thinking about logistics pointless).”
    • “No story, no real end or even mid game (feels like first steps till the end [more like a landing simulator :d]).”
    • “The game lacks story really and the mysteries do little to add it, much less than I hoped.”
  • music
    736 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Surviving Mars" is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, featuring a diverse range of tracks across multiple in-game radio stations that enhance the overall gameplay experience. Many players find the soundtrack soothing and fitting for the game's themes, often listening to it outside of gameplay. However, some critiques mention that the music can become repetitive over extended play sessions, suggesting a desire for more variety in the soundtrack. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.

    • “The soundtrack is another highlight, offering a mix of ambient Martian tones and thematic radio stations.”
    • “The music is incredibly beautiful, sad, happy, and inspiring.”
    • “The combination of the hauntingly beautiful Martian vistas and the immersive soundtrack creates an otherworldly atmosphere that truly transports players to the red planet.”
    • “Bad, annoying songs which repeat very often.”
    • “The music is utterly forgettable and even annoying at times.”
    • “Some of the music becomes really repetitive and annoying after playing for a while.”
  • replayability
    545 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    "Surviving Mars" is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to its diverse starting conditions, various mission sponsors, and the inclusion of random events and mysteries that keep gameplay fresh. The active modding community and downloadable content (DLC) further enhance the game's longevity, allowing players to explore different strategies and experiences in each playthrough. While some players note that the game can become repetitive over time, the overall consensus is that it offers substantial replay value, making it a compelling choice for fans of city-building and survival simulations.

    • “This game is beautiful, has lots of unexpected stories, seems realistic, has seemingly endless replayability, and generally fills me with a sense of wonder.”
    • “With about a dozen different mission sponsors, scenarios, hundreds of potential landing sites, and many more parameters that you as the player can control going into a playthrough, this game is especially well-balanced towards any playstyle and I feel has a great deal of replayability.”
    • “The tech tree and mystery events add depth and replayability, making each playthrough feel fresh and unique.”
    • “It lacks various quality of life features, has no real replay value, and on top has barely any content without DLCs.”
    • “The game's relaxing nature is a strong point, but adding more dynamic elements like random events could significantly enhance the replayability and maintain excitement throughout the endgame.”
    • “The replayability drops in the simulation mode, but that's not saying you won't want to play every map to completion... it's just that you may find yourself making new games quicker after a while.”
  • grinding
    342 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of "Surviving Mars" is frequently criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late game. Players report that micromanagement of colonists and resources becomes a chore, with many tasks requiring constant manual input that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some find the game engaging initially, the lack of automation and the overwhelming need for detailed management lead to a consensus that it can quickly become a grind, often requiring significant time investment for minimal reward.

    • “Challenging but not tedious.”
    • “This one isn't too tedious and yet has enough complexity and variety to keep me interested.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's tedious, limited, repetitive, and quickly boring due to this.”
    • “Most progress is made by patiently watching your colony expand over the span of dozens of hours, which makes gameplay feel boring, repetitive, and tedious.”
    • “The game is designed to be long and tedious, which makes it even more agonizing when you watch your colony fall apart in seconds.”
  • stability
    270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting it as "buggy" and "unplayable" due to frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches. Many players express frustration over being required to purchase a "remastered" version to access a supposedly bug-free experience, while others note that the game remains unstable even after updates. Despite some positive remarks about gameplay, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game suffers from significant stability issues that detract from the overall experience.

    • “The game shows no glitches or crashes when playing.”
    • “This game plays super smooth with little to no glitches or issues.”
    • “But I have not had any game-breaking bugs, or really bugs in general (just 1 bug over 40+ hours) - it's super stable, looks good, runs great.”
    • “Relaunched is a buggy mess that really was not ready for release.”
    • “Disgusting to unlist this version and replace it with an ugly buggy mess, do better.”
    • “The game is currently in a buggy state to the point I could not even load my save after buying one of the DLCs.”
  • atmosphere
    176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in *Surviving Mars* is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack that effectively convey the isolation and beauty of the Martian landscape. Players appreciate the game's clean futuristic aesthetic and the sense of progression as they terraform the planet, although some have noted issues with lighting and saturation changes that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game successfully combines strategic gameplay with a rich atmospheric experience, making it a compelling choice for fans of city-building simulations.

    • “Surviving Mars, developed by Haemimont Games and published by Paradox Interactive, is a rich, challenging, and deeply atmospheric city-building simulation that takes humanity’s classic dream of Martian colonization and turns it into a complex test of planning, resource management, and long-term survival.”
    • “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 game’s crisp visuals and atmospheric soundtrack perfectly capture the beauty and isolation of the red planet.”
    • “Update: cannot recommend as of right now - hitting 50% or above on atmosphere terraforming changes the lighting model into an oversaturated overly bright mess that looks horrible even after turning the brightness down to the lowest setting.”
    • “There is no atmosphere here at all.”
    • “Wow this game is just like Mars' atmosphere....void of anything.”
  • optimization
    148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its stable performance and smooth graphics even on lower-end hardware, while others report significant bugs and performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios with large colonies. Many users noted that while the game can run well under certain conditions, it struggles with stability when pushed to its limits, leading to stuttering and crashes. Overall, recent updates have improved performance for some, but optimization remains a contentious topic among players.

    • “Surviving Mars is one of those rare strategy games that combines the joy of meticulous optimization with the thrill of unpredictable survival.”
    • “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.”
    • “Rather than fixing the game to make it playable, they left it full of bugs and performance problems.”
    • “Technical issues and bugs: the game can be plagued by occasional crashes, bugs, and performance issues.”
    • “However, the optimization of this game is horrible, just horrible.”
  • humor
    102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its quirky and often dark comedic elements, such as the portrayal of colonists and absurd random events. While some find the humor to be clever and entertaining, reminiscent of titles like Tropico, others feel it lacks the same depth and consistency, leading to a more subdued comedic experience. Overall, the game is noted for its amusing references and situations, though opinions vary on how effectively it integrates humor into gameplay.

    • “This is a wonderful mix of survival meets city builder with plenty of humor on top!”
    • “The storyline and missions are well written, and I liked the random events which are both realistic, humorous, and at times morally challenging.”
    • “Surviving Mars has deep gameplay mechanics and a great sense of humor.”
    • “You're not funny!”
    • “My drones started to steal resources, and it's not funny.”
    • “Update: my drones started to steal resources, and it's not funny.”
  • monetization
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy for "Surviving Mars: Relaunched" has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users expressing frustration over the game's re-release being treated as a separate purchase rather than a free update for existing players. Reviewers have condemned the abundance of overpriced DLCs and microtransactions, labeling them as low-quality additions that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the sentiment reflects a strong discontent with the developers' approach to monetization, leading to a loss of trust among the game's community.

    • “A decent city builder, but avoid the DLC as it follows the common monetization practices of Paradox.”
    • “The game has potential, but currently it is a complete bug fest, mainly because the current focus is on monetization and spitting out DLCs rather than making quality content.”
    • “I have no idea how this company is still present in the gaming industry with this kind of monetization.”
    • “An otherwise great game ruined by a blatant cash grab and terrible anti-consumer business practices on the part of Paradox Interactive and Haemimont Games.”
    • “It feels less like an upgrade and more like a blatant cash grab.”
    • “This move feels like a cash grab... not a celebration of the game’s legacy... not a thank-you to the community... just a way to re-monetize old content while locking out loyal players from what should have been free updates.”
  • emotional
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits a range of responses, from deep investment in the survival and growth of colonies to feelings of heartbreak when they fail. Players appreciate the emotional weight of watching their colonists thrive or struggle, with the game's music and visuals enhancing the overall experience. However, some users express frustration with the game's mechanics and emotional detachment from individual colonists, leading to mixed feelings about their overall engagement with the franchise.

    • “Soundtrack and trailer make me want to cry; the music is so good.”
    • “You become emotionally invested in your colonies and the people that live in them over time, and you want to see them thrive.”
    • “The strong points of the game are that the first playthroughs really make you feel lost on a hostile planet. The gameplay is quite unique, 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 development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a desire for more profound character development and richer social dynamics, indicating that the current portrayal may feel lacking or superficial.

    • “Some players might miss deeper character development and social dynamics.”
    • “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack meaningful growth throughout the game.”
    • “There is a noticeable absence of impactful choices that affect character arcs.”
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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 22 critic reviews
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29h Median play time
106h Average play time
21h Main story
130h Completionist
10-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 186 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Surviving Mars is a survival strategy game with science fiction theme.

Surviving Mars is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox Series X|S and others.

The main story can be completed in around 21 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 130 hours to finish. On average players spend around 106 hours playing Surviving Mars.

Surviving Mars was released on March 14, 2018.

Surviving Mars was developed by Abstraction.

Surviving Mars has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Surviving Mars is a single player game.

Similar games include Aven Colony, Per Aspera, Endzone: A World Apart, Planetbase, Surviving the Aftermath and others.