5. Tropico 5

Tropico 5 trailer

You’re back again as El Presidente, the (possible) dictator of the beautiful island of Tropico. Haemimont Games stick to their guns in Tropico 5 by providing the imaginative and hilariously satirical take on city-building that they’ve become known for throughout the series. The game simply doesn’t take itself (or anything else) seriously, and that’s undeniably one of its many charms.

Tropico 5 has you playing through several eras of world history. You start off in the Colonial Era where you must please “the Crown”. Then you progress into more modern times, declaring independence and facing the World Wars, the Cold Wars and all their accompanying problems and challenges. You’re a tiny island nation having to tread lightly around the shifting World Powers of history, but you have problems at home too. The island of Tropico is home to many factions, all of whom have their own ideas of how the country should be run. Your job is to remain in power amidst all that turmoil both domestically and abroad—often by any means necessary.

As you can imagine, it’s a delicate balancing act. Every decision you make will have consequences on the story, and pleasing one faction will inevitably mean displeasing another. And, of course, you must keep the citizenry fed, safe and happy if you wish to keep being “El Presidente”. Tropico 5 manages to handle all this with more than a pinch of humor. The antics of your advisors, the powers around you and even your radio announcer range from anywhere between ridiculous to downright hilarious. The game also does a great job of maintaining a high level of challenge—for better or worse, you’re kept constantly on your toes by the random nature of events.

To rig or not to rig… That is the question.

The world of Tropico 5 is beautiful and full of vivid color.