Terraforming Mars vs Codenames
Side by side comparison of two top board games
Terraforming Mars
In Terraforming Mars, players take on the role of corporations working together to terraform the planet Mars. Players compete for victory points while raising temperature, creating oxygen, and covering the planet with water. Each player manages their own corporation, playing project cards that represent technologies, infrastructure, or events.
Codenames
Codenames is a word-based party game where two teams compete to contact their agents first. Each round, a spymaster gives a one-word clue that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates must guess the correct words while avoiding the opposing team's agents and the assassin. Simple to learn but endlessly replayable.
Specification Comparison
| Spec | Terraforming Mars | Codenames |
|---|---|---|
| BGG Rank | 4 ✓ | 145 |
| Rating | 8.4 ✓ | 7.6 |
| Year Published | 2016 | 2015 ✓ |
| Price | 50 | 20 ✓ |
| Min Players | 1 ✓ | 2 |
| Max Players | 5 | 8 ✓ |
| Play Time (min) | 120 | 15 ✓ |
| Min Age | 12 | 10 ✓ |
| Complexity (1-5) | 3.24 ✓ | 1.29 |
Terraforming Mars wins in 4 categories, Codenames wins in 5 categories.