Ah, Tropico—the only game where you can go from a humble island governor to a full-blown dictator with a Swiss bank account so fat it could buy a small country.

Tropico 5 is a city-builder, economy simulator, and a political strategy game all rolled into one, wrapped in a thick layer of satire. You’re El Presidente, the ruler of a beautiful Caribbean island, and your job is simple: stay in power by any means necessary. Whether that means building a thriving democracy, running a totalitarian regime, or just embezzling all the funds while sipping rum on the beach—that’s entirely up to you.

The game spans several eras, from the colonial period to modern times, meaning you’ll go from pleasing a distant king to dealing with superpowers like the USA and the USSR, all while making sure your people don’t revolt and drag you out of the palace. Elections? Sure, you can hold them… or you can “adjust” the results. Rebels? Let’s just say there are solutions for that. The economy? Well, if things go south, there’s always the Swiss bank account.

The humor in Tropico 5 is top-tier. Your advisors constantly make absurd suggestions, your people complain about things like "too many secret police," and foreign leaders will bribe, threaten, or flatter you depending on how much of a problem you are to them. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it even better when you're making morally questionable decisions while your citizens cheer in the streets.

At its core, Tropico 5 is a fantastic mix of city-building, political chaos, and strategic decision-making. One moment you're planning an economic boom, and the next you're rigging elections and sending protesters on "vacation." It's fun, it's ridiculous, and it lets you live out your dream of being an over-the-top dictator without the actual consequences.

9 out of 10 Swiss bank accounts. Viva El Presidente!

gets boring fast unlike v1 or 2

Tropico 5 feels like it makes a lot of change just for the sake of change, and loses a bit of the original charm for it.
Even just the UI changes and graphics feel like a step backwards.

DLC are mostly crap. Even on sale the only ones worth it are really Waterborne, Espionage and Generalissimo.
I also got Big Cheese for the creamery, but you have to be pretty cheesy for it to be worth it.

Overall not terrible, but Tropico 4 + Modern Times (and a couple other DLC), is the superior Tropico experience that maintains the core gameplay I always loved from the series.