Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Subscribe
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View
  • News
  • Guides
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • Deals
  • Magazines
    • About Us
    • Retro Gamer
    • Play
    • Total Film
    • Edge
    • SFX
Newsarama
Total Film
Edge
Trending
  • E3 2023 schedule
  • Summer Game Fest
  • Xbox Games Showcase
  • Starfield Direct
  • Future Games Show

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. Xbox 360

Tropico 5 lets you rule as a tyrant, a saint, and everything in between

By Lorenzo Veloria
published 17 February 2014

  • Comments

In Tropico 5, the management sim from Haemimont Games, you don't just build and manage a city--you establish your own tropical island country. In the next entry in the Tropico series, you'll not only build out your city structure, establish trade, and manage your finances, you'll have to govern all of your city's troubles over multiple eras. Really, they should call this game a country builder.

You can start building your town as the early as the Colonial period (1700s) in history. In every era, you'll have different concerns to manage. For instance, in the Colonial period, you'll need to establish your country as an independent nation. This requires you to create a constitution that establishes laws such as voting rights, and start building your dynasty (a system that allows you to create and customize your successors)--because El Presidente can't live forever. Once you complete a specified era's goal and establish yourself as an independent country, you move on to the next era, which happens to be set during both world wars.

Tropico 5 also adds another new feature to the series: the ability to perform research. This mechanic allows your tiny island country to create new technology, educate skilled workers, and even train El Presidente in table etiquette so he can act more civilized during political dinner conversations. Everything in Tropico 5 is painstakingly detailed, from lawmaking and city construction to the day-to-day lives and concerns of your population. If you ever wanted to play out a fantasy of being a benevolent ruler or psychotic dictator, you can do all that--and everything in between--in Tropico 5.

Check out the following slides for more information and images.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Your town will start off small in the early years.

Your town will start off small in the early years.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Advancing to the modern era lets you build skyscrapers and power plants.

Advancing to the modern era lets you build skyscrapers and power plants.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
You can customize the appearance of every El Presidente in your Dynasty.

You can customize the appearance of every El Presidente in your Dynasty.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Clicking on any person on the street brings up detailed stats on political affiliation, career, and other factors you can use for extreme micro-management.

Clicking on any person on the street brings up detailed stats on political affiliation, career, and other factors you can use for extreme micro-management.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Trade plays a large role in making financial gains.

Trade plays a large role in making financial gains.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
  • Comments
Lorenzo Veloria
Lorenzo Veloria
Social Links Navigation

Many years ago, Lorenzo Veloria was a Senior Editor here at GamesRadar+ helping to shape content strategy. Since then, Lorenzo has shifted his attention to Future Plc's broader video game portfolio, working as a Senior Brand Marketing Manager to oversee the development of advertising pitches and marketing strategies for the department. He might not have all that much time to write about games anymore, but he's still focused on making sure the latest and greatest end up in front of your eyes one way or another.

More about xbox 360
Armored Core 6

Armored Core 6 hype has driven up prices for the old games by 300% and retro sellers are making a mint

Alice: Madness Returns Cheshire cat

12 years on, the bleakly beautiful world of the Alice games is enchanting as ever

Latest
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Zelda with dog

A single Tears of the Kingdom side quest features the only mention of an absent Breath of the Wild fan favourite

See more latest ►
See comments
Most Popular
6 board games and tabletop RPGs like Diablo 4 to play if you love slaying monsters

By Benjamin AbbottJune 06, 2023

Starfield is promising huge scale, but I just want memorable stories and adventures

By Heather WaldJune 06, 2023

5 of the biggest announcements from previous Summer Game Fest shows

By Joe DonnellyJune 06, 2023

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - The comic book history of the Prowler

By George MarstonJune 05, 2023

Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions: all of the games we could see during the event

By Heather WaldJune 05, 2023

The heist at the end of the world... Ed Brisson details his apocalyptic crime comic, Sins of the Salton Sea

By Will SalmonJune 05, 2023

Viewfinder is a stunning, intelligent mix of Portal and What Remains of Edith Finch

By Joe DonnellyJune 05, 2023

Shameik Moore on the next Spider-Verse chapter and the evolution of Miles Morales

By Emily MurrayJune 03, 2023

Daniel Kaluuya talks putting himself into Spider-Punk for Across The Spider-Verse

By Emily MurrayJune 03, 2023

Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim on why The Covenant isn't your typical Guy Ritchie film

By Emily MurrayJune 02, 2023

The Xbox Games Showcase needs to be clear, transparent, and show a hell of a lot of gameplay

By Heather WaldJune 02, 2023

Load Comments
Recommended
E3 2023 schedule: Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft, Starfield, and more announcements for Summer Game Fest
  1. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop on wooden table
    1
    Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2023) review: "rules the roost in portability and power"
  2. 2
    Amnesia: The Bunker review: "A bold new direction for the series"
  3. 3
    Asus ROG Ally review: 'the best is yet to come'
  4. 4
    Diablo 4 review: "A magnificent and absurd loot theme park"
  5. 5
    Street Fighter 6 review: "Arguably the best overall fighting game package ever made"
  1. Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle in The Flash
    1
    The Flash review: "Ambitious, fun, messy"
  2. 2
    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts review: "Leans into an orgy of bombastic Bayhem"
  3. 3
    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review: "Has enough wit, imagination and thrills to fill several worlds"
  4. 4
    Elemental review: "Pixar's latest is sweet-natured but lacks depth"
  5. 5
    The Boogeyman review: "Solid scares, thin plotting"
  1. Sophie Thatcher in Yellowjackets season 2 finale
    1
    Yellowjackets season 2 finale review and recap: "Deliciously nauseating and suspenseful"
  2. 2
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 8 review and recap: "On its way to a chilling conclusion"
  3. 3
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 7 review and recap: "We're itching to get to the point"
  4. 4
    Yellowjackets season 2 episode 6 review and recap: "A shift is coming"
  5. 5
    LG OLED G3 review: "King of the OLED jungle"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.