15 Games Like Tropico
Our collection of alternative games like Tropico let you manage your own nation with titles that blend simulation and management together in various settings.
Launched in 2001 the Tropico series is well known for its unique and humorous approach to the management genre. This tongue and cheek gameplay puts players at the head of their own island (a banana republic or pirate settlement depending on the game) as they attempt to manage all aspects of their settlement to ultimately ensure that they stay in power by keeping the populace and various third parties happy.
This humour makes an appearance not only in the themes of the game but also in the mechanics with corrupt politics, fraud and plenty of interference from foreign interests all viable game mechanics. By managing all these elements the player hopes to achieve their single objective of staying in power for as long as possible. It’s a real juggling act that has become the most defining feature of the franchise and combined with the unique setting has allowed it to stand out against similar management titles with each new release in the franchise.
The games like Tropico on this page have a similar focus on managing your own nation, base or settlement on a grand scale which gives you control over many elements. Many of these selected games also feature a similar humorous style to Tropico for those wanting light-hearted simulation, management and strategy games.
Evil Genius
Evil Genius mixes simulation, management and real time strategy putting players in charge of their own evil villain lair as they attempt to complete their plans for world domination one country at a time. Originally launched in 2004 Evil Genius still has a strong cult like following of fans with comparison to the popular Dungeon Keeper series of games which launched several years earlier. With age does come some limitations however with graphics and general polish quickly falling behind other mo...[Read Review]
Dungeon Keeper
Challenging players to manage their own dungeon while defeating various heroes is Dungeon Keeper a game that incorporates dark humour as you take control of evil and help it spread across the land. Released in 1997 the success of this strategy management title resulted in an equally satisfying and evil sequel (Dungeon Keeper 2) two years later. This first addition to the Dungeon Keeper franchise sends players on a journey to claim every single land in the game world that is currently in the hand...[Read Review]
Dungeon Keeper 2
Dungeon Keeper 2 might have only been released two years after the original hit game but makes significant leaps in graphics and mechanics to expand on the Dungeon Keeper franchise. Once again you’ll be thrown into the underground to build your dungeon, attract creatures, craft traps and ultimately fight on the side of evil, it’s good to be bad. Despite the vast evolution in mechanics and graphic style this has not come at the cost of the familiar dark style of the Bullfrog franchise...[Read Review]
SimCity 4
SimCity 4 is the 2003 release in the SimCity franchise and gives players free control over their city and the landscape as they create their dream city design. Fans of the series will appreciate the new features in the game while newcomers will enjoy the streamlined approach to some mechanics that make it more accessible. As with past SimCity games you step into the role of mayor in a city that needs development. Depending on the game mode and the settings that you choose you’ll either have to s...[Read Review]
Dawn of Discovery (Anno 1404)
Dawn of Discovery (Anno 1404 outside of North America) offers city building with an economic focus that is similar to the other titles in the vast Anno franchise. For this addition to the series players will explore an age of medieval and renaissance as you build up a thriving civilisation. Originally launched in 2009 a 2010 Anno 1404: Venice expansion pack expanded content, buildings, quests and introduced multiplayer functionality. The Dawn of Discovery campaign centres around both the west an...[Read Review]
The Settlers Online
The Settlers Online (The Settlers Online: Castle Empire) is a free to play browser based strategy game that utilises familiar mechanics from the core Settlers franchise. The result is a mixture of popular modern strategy games and the MMO strategy genre. The Settlers Online offers an accessible challenge which features a familiar gameplay loop of building a sprawling city, raiding bandits, achieving objectives and in time gaining levels that unlock additional content to expand your strategy opti...[Read Review]
Populous: The Beginning
Populous: The Beginning blends strategy and god games together to create an interesting and fun hybrid of the genres where players lead their tribe through an array of missions with their powers. The game serves as the third in the series and was developed by Bullfrog Productions who also developed the highly popular Dungeon Keeper series with features some similar themes and game mechanics. In Populous: The Beginning players will join their own tribe as a powerful shaman who wishes to achieve v...[Read Review]
Banished
Banished joins the ranks of the city build genre with a 2014 release that takes it into a unique medieval setting where you’ll build from humble beginnings into a thriving economic powerhouse. Banished opts not to throw abundance of resources at players either and instead looks to force players into resource scarcity so that every decision is one of balance as you try to survive and with some luck, thrive. Banished starts you off with your own community of outcasts who have come together a...[Read Review]
Anno 2070
Anno 2070 released in 2011 and is the fifth game in this growing franchise of economic management titles that tests your strategic decision making in a futuristic game setting. Like the other Anno games you’ll find a blended mixture of gameplay that borderlines the popular real time strategy genre and the planning of city building titles. Taking place in the near future of 2070 global warming has taken hold and as a result melted ice caps that have unleashed a torrent of floods on coastal ...[Read Review]
Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile
Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile is one of the older city building games in the strategy management genre and was released in 2004. Serving as part of the city building series of games that includes Caesar, Pharaoh, Zeus and and Emperor the game has a similar focus on a historical location with ancient Egypt at your fingertips. Children of the Nile was developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment with an expansion pack (Children of the Nile: Alexandria) and online free to play spin-off (Nile Onli...[Read Review]
Caesar IV
Caesar IV is a pure city building experience that takes place in an ancient Roman setting. The game was developed by Titled Mill Entertainment and released in 2006. As the name suggests it is actually fourth addition to the Caesar series and is very similar to other releases by Tilted Mill in the city building genre including Children of the Nile and SimCity Societies. In Caesar IV players are in charge of administration matters and building the historical city of Rome. The game uses a realistic...[Read Review]
Cities XL 2012
Cities XL 2012 is definitely one of the best games like SimCity available and offers plenty of features that SimCity fans will recognise and love. Cities XL 2012 (and the previous games in the series) are published by Focus Home Interactive. The game has an expansion pack available (Cities XL Platinum) which adds additional content and tweaks. Cities XL 2012 focuses on a single player experience and is very similar to the SimCity games. Players take on the role of mayor and build the ultimate ci...[Read Review]
Anno 1701 (1701 A.D.)
Anno 1701 (1701 A.D.) mixes strategy and city building together to create an economical focused experience like the Anno titles before it. Part of the popular Anno franchise Anno 1701 offers a blend of familiar and new challenges for players to overcome on PC with a related spin-off title for the Nintendo DS known as Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery. Focused on the real world timeframe of the 18th century players are challenged to explore the recently discovered new world and colonise it by using al...[Read Review]
Theme Hospital
Theme Hospital is another gaming classic developed by Bullfrog Productions and puts you at the head of controlling your own hospital with a twist of humour. The game originally launched in 1997 for Windows and Mac eventually making its way to the PlayStation, it is still available through the PlayStation Store for PS3, PSP and PS Vita. Theme Hospital takes place within a hospital that players build themselves using a variety of room types and objects. Once you’ve setup your hospital you will att...[Read Review]
Cities In Motion 2
Cities in Motion 2 offers similar gameplay to the original but with plenty of improvements that enhance gameplay. The game released in early 2013 for both Windows and Mac. New features in the sequel include new multiplayer game modes, a larger variety of transport options, day and night cycles, timetabling and cities that dynamically react to the transport you put in place (businesses and residential areas will build up around transport routes) which gives you some control over how the city deve...[Read Review]