Mars-based city builder Terraformers adds moon cities as 1.0 arrives

The Terraformers release date is almost here, and it’s adding some extremely cool new features as it steps out of early access on Steam and GOG for the full version 1.0 launch. The Mars-based space city-building game is adding the ability to found cities on the two Martian moons of Phobos and Deimos, along with several other additional tweaks, as it moves into full release.

Terraformers sees you building out a colony on the Red Planet, exploring and founding cities across its vast surface as you uncover resource deposits, giant crystal caves, and other natural wonders. As the name suggests, you’ll have the option to actively terraform the planet to change its very being and climate – whether that’s kick-starting a dormant volcano, building huge space mirrors to direct the Sun’s power, or strategically crashing nearby ice asteroids.

As part of the 1.0 update, the team at Asteroid Lab has introduced the ability to found cities on the two moons of Mars. Both Phobos and Deimos are up for grabs, and you’ll need to complete a specific project to initially settle a city on each one. They’re tiny by comparison to the surface of Mars (and even compared to our own Moon), but each of them has unique bonuses.

Settling on Phobos gives you access to the most interconnected city layout in the game, allowing you to more intricately link up your structures and upgrades. It also has access to an aquifer and will increase your tourism and trade potential. Deimos, meanwhile, has titanium deposits and anomalies, meaning you’ll get extra science from buildings there and will also see a reduction in the cost of future space projects, making it a great launch hub for other missions into space.

The Terraformers 1.0 update also includes eight levels of content unlock, 17 new buildings, an additional space project, three further technologies, and three new leaders, There are two new events that you can run into – minable asteroids in space, and a potentially planet-destroying meteor that you’ll have to contend with. It also allows players to forecast rises in population expectation, and has further polished up the visuals, tutorials, and tooltips.

Terraformers release date

The Terraformers release date is March 9, when the game will leave early access with the arrival of version 1.0 on both Steam and GOG.

If you’re a big fan of strategy games, then you’re in the right place. We’ve also got more of the best 4X games on PC if you love to settle cities, along with plenty of great management games if you just can’t get enough of the challenges of organisation.