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Anno 2205

If you are at all on the fence on finding a game which can deliver a rich experience and dozens of hours of gameplay with a great mix of resource management, city building, and RTS combat: this just might fit the bill.
Anno 2205 Game Cover
70%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
replayability, grinding
69% User Score Based on 3,049 reviews
Critic Score 72%Based on 12 reviews

Platforms

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Anno 2205 Game Cover

About

Anno 2205 is a single player open world city builder game with a economy theme. It was developed by Blue Byte and was released on November 2, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

# Tundra DLC: - Discover new gameplay tactics as you will need to dry the marshes before settling. - Manage all-new production chains and unlock a space-wide module type to improve farms and factories in all regions. # Orbit DLC: - Conquer space by building, expanding and managing your own modular space station. - Go even further in expanding your conquest and manage Nexus, a powerful AI co…

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69%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,049 reviews
story102 positive mentions
replayability40 negative mentions

  • Visually stunning with beautiful and detailed graphics across multiple unique biomes including Earth, Arctic, Tundra, Moon and space station.
  • Engaging city-building and resource management gameplay with a focus on multi-region logistics and interdependent production chains.
  • Addictive and relaxing experience offering hundreds of hours of gameplay that balances complexity and approachability, especially good for newcomers to the Anno series.
  • Mandatory Ubisoft Connect launcher and account creation, which often causes technical issues, frustrating login problems, and occasional inability to launch or save progress.
  • Simplified gameplay compared to previous Anno titles; missing features such as AI competitors, multiplayer, sandbox mode and detailed trade route management, leading to a lack of depth and replayability.
  • Naval combat missions are repetitive, poorly integrated, and often viewed as tedious minigames mandatory for progression; story and quests are considered weak and sometimes annoying (e.g., constant voting reminders for defunct features).
  • story
    721 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Anno 2205 features a linear, story-driven campaign that serves primarily as a progression guide, blending city building with optional combat and side missions. While the futuristic setting and visuals are praised, the narrative is generally considered weak, repetitive, and lacking depth or immersion, with many players finding the combat missions tedious and disconnected from the core gameplay. Overall, the story adds some structure but is not a major draw, and the game lacks sandbox or multiplayer modes, limiting replayability.

    • “What truly sets Anno 2205 apart is its compelling futuristic storyline, immersing players in a captivating narrative.”
    • “The campaign flows much better, in previous Annos you would have mission that you would load in and out of to complete objectives, this Anno feels much more seamless, a persistent long term goal that lasts throughout the game.”
    • “This is the first game where I felt like missions were woven into the fabric of the game well. In previous iterations, I often just ignored the missions that were given, and even if I tried to do them I often found them to be obtuse. Now I feel the missions are both important and engaging and I do them all the time.”
    • “The combat has been entirely separated from the main part of the game and sequestered into side missions.”
    • “The combat missions become dreadfully dull after doing them all on each difficulty, especially while not being able to customise your fleet.”
    • “The story is boring and outright unnecessary - the story provided a very basic idea of what the goal was to "completing" the game, but dragged it along with a few forgettable characters and annoying supporting characters.”
  • gameplay
    552 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Anno 2205's gameplay streamlines and simplifies many classic mechanics, focusing on large-scale city building and resource management across multiple distinct biomes, which introduces fresh strategic elements. While the core logistics and production loops remain engaging and visually impressive, many longtime fans find the gameplay less deep and more repetitive compared to predecessors, with combat mechanics often regarded as shallow and disconnected. Overall, it offers an accessible, polished experience suitable for casual players, though it may lack the complexity and challenge expected by series veterans.

    • “The gameplay mechanics are both accessible and complex, catering to both newcomers and seasoned fans.”
    • “+ great variety with DLC (super cheap and included in ultimate edition) with each land type (Mediterranean, Arctic, swamps, moon surface, space station) each having different buildings and mechanics for city building, such as space station builds like a ribs on a spine, Arctic living buildings need to be close to heat generating industrial buildings otherwise homes are cold, moon settlements require shielding from small meteorite fragments which need a lot energy, swamplands need to be made habitable little by little, and all of these lands run their cities and economies on different maps at the same time, each having a dozen unique resources that people and industries on other land types need, and you'll need to create a complex logistics and production network so that each land supports the others but also has enough for its own, and every building is unique, it's not like "ok this is a mine, + a stone icon on top", it's unreasonably stunningly detailed and creative, feeling real.”
    • “The gameplay feels engaging and rewarding, and I often find myself losing track of time while building up my cities and managing resources; it’s one of those games you can play for hours on end without realizing.”
    • “It's not that the game is bad, the gameplay is typical for an Anno, but man... it is so easy, the campaign is a joke, each game is easy to a point where it becomes boring.”
    • “It is 4 hours of gameplay stretched across 20 hours of samey time-wasting crap (and its "replay-ability" is another 50 hours stretched across the corpse of the first 24).”
    • “Many of the old mechanics have been removed or changed and admittedly I was mad at first.”
  • graphics
    434 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Anno 2205 are widely praised for their stunning, detailed, and futuristic visuals that bring vibrant, diverse environments—from temperate zones to the moon—to life with impressive fidelity and polish. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful city and building designs, smooth animations, and atmospheric effects, although some note performance issues on lower-end hardware due to the game's graphical demands. Overall, the graphics significantly enhance the immersion and appeal of the game, often regarded as one of its strongest aspects.

    • “The game’s visuals are stunning, with detailed environments and beautifully designed buildings that make your cities come to life.”
    • “Anno 2205 shines with its excellent city-building mechanics exactly like Anno 1800, and the visuals are fantastic, no complaints whatsoever.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and futuristic, giving each city and environment a unique look that makes you want to keep expanding and improving.”
    • “As hyped for space Anno I was, I couldn't bear how simplistic it was; it turned into one of those mobile games just with fancy graphics.”
    • “At this point I tried to give the game a second chance since I gave so much money to this damn game and forced myself into its system. Turns out they actually put some sort of resource management scheme; in the old games you'd manage the resources between the islands of a single map, but in this game you have to do it between maps which means you have to wait for loading and transition effects each time you visit a map location. The moon/space bit is nice but not detailed, the other corporations don't even challenge you. The graphics engine is not optimized either; you get damn frame rate falls, what else is out there?”
    • “The only plus to this game is the creativity of the buildings themselves and the graphics and effects; other than that it is a complete and utter failure.”
  • replayability
    136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability for this game is widely seen as limited due to fixed maps, lack of random map generation, and absence of multiplayer or skirmish modes. While some appreciate the different environments and enjoy replaying it occasionally, most find the game becomes dull after the initial campaign with little incentive to restart since gameplay and progression remain largely the same. Compared to previous entries in the series, replay value is notably lower, often described as shallow or repetitive, though its visual appeal and pacing receive some praise.

    • “The different environments definitely make the game much more interesting and replayable.”
    • “The game is €12.50 on sale right now and seeing how replayable it is I can definitely recommend it for that price (all DLC are included).”
    • “Still a great strategy game with lots of replayability.”
    • “The game doesn't offer much replay value; once you're into the end game, it becomes very dull very quickly.”
    • “It's good to mention that there is no replayability, and you'll mostly sigh in relief when the campaign is over for good.”
    • “It was rather enjoyable in the first couple of hours but quickly descended into a tedious and boring drag with no replay value.”
  • grinding
    91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is widely criticized as tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming, with combat and resource management often described as monotonous chores rather than engaging challenges. While some improvements have removed certain micro-management frustrations from previous entries, many players find themselves stuck in long, unfun grinding loops to progress, especially in missions and resource farming. Overall, grinding detracts from the experience by turning gameplay into a dull and laborious task rather than an enjoyable endeavor.

    • “First of all, you cannot trade with the global market which is a huge pain as that means you are left to produce every single item yourself as there is no way of automatically buying them; this makes the game even more shallow but at the same time more tedious and slow.”
    • “The experience ends up being very grindy and repetitive and is, frankly, more of a box to tick off on a to-do list so you can get back to the part of the game that's actually good.”
    • “By the 40th hour mark, I was spending 60% of my time grinding through the same 6 combat missions to get rare resources to power my vast and quickly expanding city-states.”
  • optimization
    69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Optimization in the game receives mixed feedback, with praise for smooth performance on many systems and elegant transitions, but frequent criticism for subpar hardware optimization leading to frame rate drops and choppiness, especially on mid-range or older setups. While resource management and production optimization are core strengths, the game's simplification and occasional performance issues reduce the depth and satisfaction for some players. Overall, it runs well on high-end PCs but may require graphical compromises or tweaks for stable performance on less powerful hardware.

    • “The transition from earth’s blue oceans and green hills to the moon’s stark craters is handled with elegance, and the game’s performance is generally smooth even with sprawling cities and complex logistics at play.”
    • “Sure, you won’t be sculpting beautiful curved cities, but the strategy, earth-to-moon setting, and smooth performance make it worth the trip.”
    • “The main draw of this game - and the best-developed mechanic - is cost optimization.”
    • “♥♥♥♥♥ the performance of the game, it doesn't matter how low your graphics settings are or how good your PC build is, it will be noticeable.”
    • “- pathetic optimization for recent hardware (1070, 7600k).”
    • “- the game is not optimized well, I have a 4790k processor, MSI gaming GTX 970 4g GPU and 16GB of RAM and running at ultra settings I was getting crappy fps.”
  • music
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game is widely praised for its calming, immersive, and high-quality soundtrack that complements the futuristic setting and atmosphere. While some note it is not as memorable as previous entries like Anno 2070, overall the music is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, consistently enhancing the visual and gameplay experience.

    • “Moreover, the game’s soundtrack and sound design perfectly complement the futuristic setting, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “The best thing Anno 2205 does is it has great camera controls with a huge zoom range, great graphics and animations, fantastic music, and nostalgia value calling back to Anno 2070 - which just makes me wish I was playing 2070.”
    • “It’s so calming playing this game and the music is so relaxing. I hope you guys keep up the great work with these games; I'll be getting the next one whenever it comes out.”
    • “The soundtrack is poor and could have been a lot better, gameplay is great at first but then slowly goes downhill.”
    • “But with Anno 2205 all of that is gone, and I'm not saying that lightly, there is no story, it looks like Anno 2070, its soundtrack is a failed attempt.”
    • “- The soundtrack is weaker than in previous Anno games.”
  • stability
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    User feedback on stability is mixed, with many reports of frequent bugs, freezes, crashes, and performance issues causing frustration, while others highlight a polished, largely bug-free experience with smooth gameplay. Although some find technical glitches and lag disruptive, several users commend the game for running well and being stable compared to previous titles. Overall, stability varies by user but improvements over past releases are noted.

    • “Better than 1800 as it's well designed and bug free.”
    • “Worth noting (even though it should be pretty normal): first game published by Ubisoft I've seen in a while that is bug free from launch!”
    • “The game runs bug free so far for me, it looks gorgeous and is easy to pick up and play even if you are not a vet without dumbing it down.”
    • “Frequent freezes and crashes to desktop result in a highly frustrating gaming experience.”
    • “The game freezes up every time within minutes of coming on.”
    • “This is my first Anno game, and there are many glitches/problems with the game that Ubisoft should put some effort into fixing (these should have been fixed years ago).”
  • atmosphere
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Anno 2205 offers a richly varied and visually impressive atmosphere across its diverse biomes, complemented by a fitting soundtrack that enhances immersion. The game delivers a relaxing, calm, and futuristic ambiance ideal for players seeking a casual city-building experience, though some may find the pacing and lack of combat less engaging. Overall, its unique setting and soothing presentation make it stand out as the most atmospheric entry in the series.

    • “There's a wide variety of different biomes: temperate, arctic, and moon (even tundra, if you have the expansion) with great atmosphere in each of them and unique buildings and production chains.”
    • “Moreover, the game’s soundtrack and sound design perfectly complement the futuristic setting, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “Last but not least, I must mention the atmosphere this game has to offer; the interactions (or better the monologues) of the NPCs are very entertaining.”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game receives mixed feedback, with some finding it genuinely funny and creative, while others feel it is overly simplified or repetitive. Certain users appreciate its lightheartedness and comedic moments, but others criticize elements like gameplay frustration overshadowing the humor. Overall, humor is present but divisive among players.

    • “It's where fun and interesting come together, and it's pretty funny, so I recommend it.”
    • “I don't have to say much, but it's so funny!”
    • “Some of the ideas for future products are creative and humorous.”
  • monetization
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Monetization in this game is divisive, with many users frustrated by aggressive ads, additional paid features, and DLC shortly after release, viewing it as greedy and reminiscent of mobile free-to-play tactics. However, some appreciate the lack of microtransactions and absence of building wait times, contrasting it favorably against typical freemium models. Overall, the monetization approach feels intrusive and disappointing to many, especially given the game's price and prior promises.

    • “This game feels astonishingly like a mobile base building game; yet without microtransactions.”
    • “Compared to the freemium game, the game has no microtransactions and you do not have to wait for buildings to be built.”
    • “Now we have to build our own open source Anno for the future before the new Anno xxxx gets released on mobile/tablet only and full of microtransactions.”
    • “Now after taking my money, instead of advertising I'd get proper content for it later on, Ubisoft gets greedy and wants me to pay even more for features that should have been in the game from day one.”
    • “Dumbed down gameplay, microtransactions for resources, a Bejeweled-esque partner app, and a season pass advertising specific DLC only weeks after release makes this latest Anno game a complete letdown.”
    • “Every start throws a million ads into my face.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users generally felt a lack of emotional investment in the game, describing it as isolating and solo-focused despite the presence of other companies, which diminished their overall engagement.

    • “I mainly play with myself and the AI, but this game made me feel like it was just me solo in the game. Even though there are other companies, they aren't in the systems.”
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16h Median play time
49h Average play time
9-60h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 58 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Anno 2205 is a open world city builder game with economy theme.

Anno 2205 is available on PC, Windows and Uplay.

On average players spend around 49 hours playing Anno 2205.

Anno 2205 was released on November 2, 2015.

Anno 2205 was developed by Blue Byte.

Anno 2205 has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Anno 2205 is a single player game.

Similar games include Anno 1800, Anno 2070, Tropico 5, Surviving Mars, Anno 117: Pax Romana and others.