This is certainly a great technical feat, especially considering how many citizens can inhabit a city in Tropico if you’re playing at max settings. They live out their days in real time, and you can follow anyone along if you so choose. Tropico 6 renders out each and every one of your citizens. The other big change is only visible when you zoom in.

However, linking together desperate settlements for one cohesive whole is just as gratifying, if not more. Sure, building up one huge plot of land is satisfying, especially in sandbox mode. These are great changes that make each map a bit more natural. You also may need to add tunnels to link roadways blocked by steep terrain. Maps often have split landmasses, requiring bridges and water transport between your main hub and the outlying resource farms. As you might expect from a tropical paradise, you’ll need to contend with waterways. The biggest addition in Tropico 6 is the new style of island you’ll be playing on. If you think about it, the Tropico games seem to be pulling a similar trick as the years go on. While there are plenty of tweaks here and there, you pretty much know what you’re getting when you shack up with El Presidente in TROPICO 6.

It’s all in service of keeping your population happy and passive as you reap the benefits. You can grow crops, export weapons, and court whatever world powers that happen to be warring this month. We’ve seen four main entries in the series, each focusing on building up a tropical dictator’s paradise. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Tropico‘s revival under Kalypso Media.

Tropico 6 guide