RPGIs Tharsis worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Strategy players who want turn-based decisions governed by dice
- Science-fiction fans interested in a troubled first mission to Mars
- Players who enjoy survival scenarios involving shortages and crew crises
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking real-time action rather than turn-based decision-making
- Players who prefer predictable outcomes instead of dice-driven setbacks and changing circumstances
- Players looking for a relaxed space journey without disasters, food shortages, or crew deaths
Our take on Tharsis
The dice-centered structure gives the mission uncertainty, but it also limits direct control over outcomes. Survival depends on adapting to unfavorable rolls and crises, so planning cannot fully replace chance during the journey.
What is Tharsis?
Guide humanity’s first mission to Mars after a micrometeoroid storm damages the ship and kills two crew members.
Tharsis is a turn-based space strategy game built around dice, resource shortages, disasters, and difficult decisions. The remaining crew must respond to shipboard crises while managing food and maintaining their sanity. A mysterious signal from the Tharsis region raises questions about who sent it and why, linking the mission’s survival to an unresolved mystery. Events may include cannibalism, and some circumstances remain outside the crew’s control. Progress depends on adapting to unfavorable dice results and changing the odds during the journey.
How Tharsis plays
- 01Turn-Based Strategy
- Each mission decision unfolds in turns as the crew responds to hazards and limited supplies.
- 02Dice-Driven Decisions
- Dice results shape available options, including situations where the outcome is especially unfavorable.
- 03Crew Survival
- The mission requires managing food, disasters, crew deaths, and the characters’ sanity.
- 04Mars Mystery
- A signal from the Tharsis region connects the survival mission to questions about its sender and purpose.
Games like Tharsis
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Victorian ClambakeFor:Players who enjoy unpredictable maritime survival journeys with changing outcomesSkip if:Players seeking a tightly scripted story rather than voyages shaped by random events and crew crises
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HandMade GamesFor:Adventure players who want exploration across countries and off-world locationsSkip if:Players seeking a focused, single-location survival experience may find the many destinations and eras too broad.
RPGEvertown
cg-imagineFor:Real-time strategy players who want town building combined with survival pressureSkip if:Players seeking a finished game, since development is ongoing and features may changePicked by overlapping fit notes and genres, not an editorial comparison.
Tharsis: platforms & release
Is Tharsis worth it?
It is worth it if: strategy players who want turn-based decisions governed by dice. Skip it if: players seeking real-time action rather than turn-based decision-making.
Where can I download Tharsis?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Tharsis's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Tharsis on?
Windows and macOS.












