The present invention provides a rubber composition for tires which can improve crack resistance, ozone resistance, discoloration resistance, and tire appearance while maintaining a good balance between them, and also provides a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for tires, containing a rubber component having a combined content of polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, and polyisoprene rubber of 80% by mass or more per 100% by mass of the rubber component, the rubber composition containing, per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component: 0.1 to 8.0 parts by mass of polyether (A) having a glycol ether content of 80% by mass or more and a HLB of 3.5 to 19.0, the polyether (A) excluding Pluronic nonionic surfactants; 2 to 70 parts by mass of carbon black; and 0.3 to 7.0 parts by mass of an antioxidant.