The geographic range of T. scincus includes the Middle East, Central Asia, and westernmost East Asia. It extends over central and western Iran, western Afghanistan, northern Baluchistan and Pakistan, through the area to the east of the Caspian Sea, western China, and the Arabian Peninsula, where there are populations in Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The type locality is the Ili River Valley in China and Kazakhstan. Two subspecies were recognised; T. s. rustamowi, from the Ferganskaya Valley in Uzbekistan, and the nominotypical subspecies T. s. scincus from the rest of the range. The former T. s. rustamowi has been elevated to full species status as Teratoscincus rustamowi.