Tropico 5

Tropico 5 does a fine job of walking you through things, with the game happily offering suggestions of what to build next or a set of missions to ease you into the various methods of success.

77%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, grinding

77% User Score Based on 6,432 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Tropico 5" is a simulation game where players step into the role of El Presidente, ruling over the island nation of Tropico from the colonial era to the 21st century. Expand your dynasty, face new challenges such as advanced trading and scientific research, and for the first time in the series, engage in cooperative and competitive multiplayer for up to 4 players. The game also features extended family members who can be appointed to various leadership roles.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,432 reviews

story132 positive mentions

stability85 negative mentions

The game features a humorous and satirical take on dictatorship, making it entertaining to play.
The introduction of the dynasty system and era progression adds depth and variety to the gameplay.
The graphics and music are enjoyable, contributing to a vibrant and engaging atmosphere.

The game suffers from frequent and unpredictable rebel uprisings, making it frustrating to maintain stability.
Many mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion about how to effectively manage the island.
The campaign's reliance on two islands can feel repetitive and may hinder progress if mistakes are made in earlier missions.

story
808 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
78%
6%
The story in Tropico 5 is characterized by a humorous and engaging narrative that spans multiple eras, allowing players to experience the evolution of their island through various missions. However, the campaign's structure, which requires players to alternate between two islands while carrying over progress, can lead to challenges if earlier decisions negatively impact later missions. While the storyline is entertaining, some players feel it lacks depth compared to previous installments, and the repetitive nature of certain missions can detract from the overall experience.
- “The storyline weaves through different eras, from colonial times to the modern age, and each period brings unique challenges and opportunities.”
- “The campaign has an actual story where you collude with 'not the illuminati' and undertake a series of challenges, some more interesting than others.”
- “The campaign is more engaging than it ever has been, I felt motivated to complete the story and was not disappointed by how it plays out.”
- “The campaign is hugely repetitive and there is no reason for starting from zero for almost all its missions.”
- “The campaign missions are for the most part all very much the same set of scripted events on rotation and the story doesn't really go anywhere; it just peters out.”
- “The story, while not that important for the game of this genre, is still nice.”
gameplay
785 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
65%
7%
The gameplay of Tropico 5 has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the introduction of new mechanics such as the era system and dynasties, which add depth and variety to the city-building experience. However, some critics argue that the game has simplified or removed key features from previous installments, leading to a less engaging and more linear gameplay experience. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable graphics and humor, it struggles with poorly documented mechanics and a lack of complexity compared to its predecessors.
- “As a devoted gamer, I found myself completely enthralled by the rich tapestry of gameplay mechanics, immersive graphics, and an intriguing storyline that only Tropico could deliver.”
- “This progression keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, as players must adapt their strategies to the evolving political and economic landscapes.”
- “The campaign introduces you to the game and walks you through the eras, introducing new mechanics along the way.”
- “A bit too short for my liking, lacks complexity, changing difficulty is not really changing gameplay, just prolongs everything, boring.”
- “Unfortunately, Tropico 5 introduces a bunch of new mechanics that are very half-baked and don't really improve on old ones, in some areas even making them worse.”
- “The gameplay is streamlined and simplistic, even more so than its predecessors, and this somewhat detracts from its depth of gameplay.”
graphics
598 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
6%
The graphics in Tropico 5 have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant and immersive visuals that enhance the tropical atmosphere, making it visually appealing even years after its release. However, some users noted that the graphics can feel dated compared to modern standards, with occasional glitches and a lack of significant improvement over its predecessor, Tropico 4. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered a step up, they are not without their flaws and may not satisfy all players, especially those with lower-end hardware.
- “Graphically, Tropico 5 is a feast for the eyes with its beautifully rendered environments that encapsulate the tropical paradise vibe.”
- “The graphics make you feel like you really are running a small tropical island.”
- “The graphics are much better - however the intricate detail of Tropico 4 and before is neglected (which isn't negative).”
- “It's starting to show its age with sub-par graphics and bad support for ultrawide screens.”
- “The graphics are something out of a high-end 2006 game.”
- “Good game with fun features, however the graphics are quite outdated, even for a 2014 game.”
humor
505 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in Tropico 5 is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its quirky, satirical take on dictatorship and city management, often finding the dialogue and character interactions amusing. However, some fans of earlier installments feel that the humor has been toned down or become repetitive, lacking the charm and wit of Tropico 4. Overall, while the game retains a light-hearted tone and offers funny moments, it may not fully satisfy those seeking the same level of humor as its predecessors.
- “Its combination of strategic depth, humorous storytelling, and stunning visuals provides an experience that's not only rewarding but also immensely fun.”
- “Tropico 5 strikes the perfect balance between serious city management and hilarious political shenanigans.”
- “The voice acting and humor are both spot-on, and the mechanics are pretty solid.”
- “The fifth installment of Kalypso's banana republic simulator has little to offer in strategic depth and an occasional amusing but generally unfunny, hyperbolic sense of humor.”
- “The radio announcer is not funny in the least nor clever.”
- “Tropico 5, however, is dull (dare I say embarrassingly unfunny), lacks all the charm infused into its predecessors, and all the clever political satire that kicked in every which direction has been stripped away.”
music
415 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
44%
8%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its vibrant and catchy Latin-inspired tracks that enhance the overall atmosphere and humor of the gameplay. However, some players feel that the soundtrack lacks the variety and quality of previous installments, often becoming repetitive and less engaging over time. Overall, while the music is generally considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's theme, it may not meet the high expectations set by earlier titles in the series.
- “The music is absolutely brilliant, and I love the gameplay and hilarious writing.”
- “The music is fire.”
- “Great game, funky music, fun campaign, and lots of great workshop content.”
- “Easily the worst music in the whole series.”
- “The music felt boring and repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack is smaller than prior games, and the music isn't quite as good.”
stability
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
1%
93%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes affecting gameplay across both single-player and multiplayer modes. Many players have experienced issues such as freezing, graphical glitches, and unresponsive mechanics, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence in the game's overall reliability. While some users noted improvements after updates, the consensus remains that the game is still plagued by significant stability problems that detract from the overall experience.
- “No glitches, no frustrating game mechanics, no annoying publishing decisions or microtransactions, just a good old-fashioned solid game.”
- “The power you wield is satisfying, and the game looks gorgeous and runs great.”
- “Great game and runs great on Xubuntu Linux.”
- “The game is ridiculously buggy for me though (crashes every hour), but I still played 50 hours of it so I'm either insane, patient, or the game is good.”
- “The game is broken with some pretty serious glitches such as trade, vehicles getting stuck, shacks everywhere even dirtying up the beautification, the battles are seriously stupid with issues added to it.”
- “It's a buggy mess, even after all this time.”
replayability
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
Overall, the reviews indicate a mixed perception of replayability across the Tropico series. While many players appreciate the humor, depth, and engaging gameplay that contribute to high replay value, others criticize certain titles for being formulaic or repetitive, leading to limited replayability after initial playthroughs. The addition of new features and eras in some games enhances replayability, but issues with balance and customization can detract from the experience.
- “Adding eras gives the game a lot more depth and replay value; some quirks and balance issues of previous games have been fixed, while everything that has always been great about the series - the humor, the relaxing-but-engaging pace, and surprisingly realistic depiction of politics and management - doesn't disappoint at all.”
- “It provides many hours of fun gameplay and has tons of replay value.”
- “Humorous, deep, and replayable!”
- “Ultimately, the lack of numerically viable strategic options for achieving tropical dominance limits replayability somewhat: hundreds of hours, but not the thousands of hours you might rack up playing an FPS, RTS, or even a TBS like Civilization that was better balanced.”
- “Got it cheap when it was on sale, but after only about 10 hours I've done just about everything and don't have much in the way of replay value.”
- “Shallow to the point where the replay value is non-existent and unfulfilling.”
grinding
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for its tedious and repetitive nature, with players expressing frustration over micromanagement tasks such as assigning managers, upgrading buildings, and managing resources. Many reviews highlight that the gameplay feels unnecessarily drawn out, often requiring excessive clicking and attention to detail that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the depth of farming and economic management, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game suffers from a lack of engaging content, making the grinding experience feel burdensome rather than rewarding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's incredibly tedious and has as much depth as a baby pool.”
- “Having to click on every building and set managers and do upgrades is so tedious.”
- “This is unforgivably tedious and by itself makes the micromanagement of Tropico 5 unbearable beyond words, especially considering that buildings freshly built or destroyed in disasters revert to the default settings, necessitating constant micromanagement of every single building on the island.”
optimization
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
34%
16%
Overall, "Tropico 5" demonstrates a mixed bag in terms of optimization. While many players report smooth performance and stability, particularly on higher-end systems, others experience issues such as sluggish graphics, poor optimization for lower-end hardware, and multiplayer challenges. The game has made strides in performance compared to its predecessor, but it still faces criticism for not fully addressing optimization across all platforms and configurations.
- “It works flawlessly on my Debian 9 and it feels pretty well optimized even for an aged video card.”
- “They've improved performance, the hard 2000 pop limit is now adjustable (up to 10k pop) and with all the DLC it finally feels like a complete game.”
- “Tropico 5 plays nice and runs smoothly, now even under Linux!”
- “You are perpetually stuck in this vicious cycle of poor performance and computer bugs.”
- “They optimized the game for console play - not PC - thus turning their backs on what made this game great.”
- “Overall, the game's performance issues despite having way more than the recommended settings, removal of key character voice acting, terrible pathing of the military (they seemingly walk past rebels in the way to get to their destination), the money solves everything mentality, and much more ruined the game for me.”
atmosphere
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is a blend of humor, vibrant graphics, and engaging music that captures the essence of the Tropico series, though opinions vary on its execution in the latest installment. While some players appreciate the lighthearted and colorful environment, others feel that recent changes have detracted from the series' signature charm and immersive qualities. Overall, the game maintains a unique atmosphere that appeals to fans of city-building games, despite some criticisms regarding depth and consistency.
- “The music and atmosphere of this game is great.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack are amazing.”
- “Love the atmosphere this game brings.”
- “Tries to lure you with its special atmosphere and jokes but it all gets old fast.”
- “The 'NPCs' like Penultimo and the radio lady do not add atmosphere to the game...”
- “Because it seems they all slack off in development then once 6 months until release they haphazardly rush to get the game out there, leaving bugs, incomplete features, broken promises, cheap cost and work cutting shortcuts that ruin the atmosphere/immersion into the game... and genuinely disappointed fans that once admired your work.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
7%
79%
The monetization model of the game has been widely criticized as a shameless cash grab, with many players feeling that essential content has been locked behind expensive DLCs and microtransactions. Users express frustration over the game's shift away from enjoyable features to prioritize profit, leading to a perception that the franchise is increasingly focused on extracting money rather than providing value. Overall, players recommend avoiding the game unless it is heavily discounted, as they believe the monetization strategy detracts significantly from the experience.
- “No glitches, no frustrating game mechanics, no annoying publishing decisions or microtransactions, just a good old-fashioned solid game.”
- “The horrid monetization model just makes it worse.”
- “This game seems like a cash grab from the company.”
- “Sadly it appears to have been carved up and rushed out for a rather shameless DLC cash grab.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional responses to the game are mixed, with some players expressing frustration and disappointment over its difficulty and lack of impactful storytelling, leading to moments of anger and sadness. Others found moments of achievement and humor, particularly in the game's mechanics and patriotic themes, which elicited a more positive emotional connection. Overall, while some players felt deeply affected by the game's narrative, many criticized its execution and emotional depth, resulting in a polarized reception.
- “It's really hard for a game to get me that emotionally affected by the story, 10/10.”
- “10/10 game with patriotic elements and occasionally a touching one.”
- “For the most part this game made me feel like I could actually achieve something by building a settlement and attempting to set it up right and in the most efficient way possible, something that SimCity 5 couldn't really achieve, or at least not very well.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that character development and voice acting have significantly declined compared to previous installments, suggesting a less engaging experience for players.
- “The character development and voice acting have definitely taken a big step down.”