Who goes first?
From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Terraforming Mars?

FryxGames English rulebook, 2016

The player who most recently won a game of Terraforming Mars takes the first player marker and starts.

Read the publisher’s rulebook

Rule details

The first generation skips the player order and research phases, so the first player simply begins the action phase.

In the action phase, play proceeds clockwise until everyone has passed.

From the second generation on, the first player marker shifts one step clockwise at the start of each generation.

If there’s a tie

The rulebook doesn’t say.

Source & edition

  • Terraforming Mars — English rulesFryxGames · Page 7, Setup step 4 (Players) and step 8 (Start the game); page 8, Generations — Player Order phase and Action phase; credits on page 16 · Checked 2026-09-25

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