Tropico 5

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 163 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 163
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 163
  3. Negative: 18 out of 163
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  1. gamingnewsdaily
    May 13, 2015
    7
    Tropico 5, like its predecessors, (Tropico 3 & 4,) casts you as El Presidente, the Communist leader of a fictional republic. You control everything from housing to infrastructure, healthcare, international trade, voting rights, hiring managers for individual businesses (given that they’re government-owned), budgets, military/police, etc. Where most cities in city building simsTropico 5, like its predecessors, (Tropico 3 & 4,) casts you as El Presidente, the Communist leader of a fictional republic. You control everything from housing to infrastructure, healthcare, international trade, voting rights, hiring managers for individual businesses (given that they’re government-owned), budgets, military/police, etc. Where most cities in city building sims traditionally exist in continual stasis, your island in Tropico 5 is subject to the passing of time. Your dynasty presides over Tropico across the Colonial Era, World War II, the Cold War, & Modern Times. The changes that occur between eras, though simple, are more than just aesthetic swaps. The citizens of your country could witness an era of prosperity as they loosen the King’s grip in the Colonial Era; you could make a killing exporting livestock and iron to other countries. But next thing you know, Germany invades Poland, and the whole world changes. Gone is the demand for foreign meat, because in the post-colonial world, every variety of livestock has been spread far and wide. Gone is the demand for iron, because industrialized warfare demands steel. Gone is your golden age; your lifelong citizens, along with the hundreds of people who immigrated into your country seeking opportunity, are poor, hungry, restless, and pissed off… Good job El Presidente. The graphics of Tropico 5 have not made all that much improvements from Tropico 4, it doesn’t seem to have too much have an upgrade which is quite disappointing, but they shall suffice, after all gameplay is the most important part! The sound quality is okay but they could be much better, sound effects, voice acting could use work which we hope to see improvements in the next Tropico with graphics & sound. In the next Tropico we also hope to see a greater improvement in gameplay too, their needs to be more variety in what you can build & customize, although there is quite a bit of stuff to build & customize in Tropic 5 it feels very similar to Tropico 4, it almost feel like one maybe two large expansion packs if you will.… Expand
  2. jackhunter
    Apr 12, 2016
    6
    Tourism is now very profitable(all buildings can give money, while some of them never did in tropico 4) and it seems traffic issues have been fixed; the era system makes you feel limited sometimes as you cannot build specific buildings in early eras. You can also loose easily in campaign becauese you continue each mission with islands you developped in previous missions, so if you managedTourism is now very profitable(all buildings can give money, while some of them never did in tropico 4) and it seems traffic issues have been fixed; the era system makes you feel limited sometimes as you cannot build specific buildings in early eras. You can also loose easily in campaign becauese you continue each mission with islands you developped in previous missions, so if you managed something poorly, you may be trapped. The story is in my opinion more repetitive and less fun than in tropico 4. Tropico 6 should definitely mix features from Tropico 4 and 5. Also, note that speeches during elections have been removed and some buildings like the golden statue have disappeared. Its a mixed bag, to sum up.… Expand
  3. summerblend
    Dec 4, 2015
    5
    This is my first ever Tropico game. I enjoy it but it has serious flaw. Rebels and Unrest seem to be predetermined. Trying to find information on how to manage your settlement better is difficult to locate at best. I was trying to found out how many deaths I had per month, or how much revenue each resource made a year and you cant find that. Also seems like there were other variable inThis is my first ever Tropico game. I enjoy it but it has serious flaw. Rebels and Unrest seem to be predetermined. Trying to find information on how to manage your settlement better is difficult to locate at best. I was trying to found out how many deaths I had per month, or how much revenue each resource made a year and you cant find that. Also seems like there were other variable in deciding degradation of ranches that are not explained. Which is another thing, there is no detailed explanation of how things work. You get a quirky paragraph or two that has nothing to do with what you need to know and then a very vague sentence of what that building is supposed to do. After reading other reviews it seems I wasn't the only person to encounter these issues. On top of all that the campaign was too short, there is literally only one side mission and sandbox is pretty bland. After completing the campaign I found myself out of challenges. There are several bugs to this game as well. If Kalypso was looking to gain new people to their products; this is not how you do it. I'll probably go play T4 from what everyone has said but I more than likely wont buy the next Tropico.… Expand
  4. Enforcer122
    May 5, 2015
    7
    Just more of the same, which isn't always a bad thing, but there's absolutely nothing fundamentally different from Tropico 4 to Tropico 5. It's still a great pick up and play game, where you can relax and have fun with it, but I expected more changes then what it offered.
  5. BatmanBuster
    Jun 25, 2015
    6
    The game comes with no innovations, it simply remains the same Tropico 3 but in a shinier form. ( personally i hate the campaign , it could be more interesting)
  6. Nel
    Apr 2, 2017
    7
    Fun, interesting game kinda extreme version of sim city. The game is based more on you being a president and which you then can pick whichever way you want to lead your island.
  7. stamito
    Aug 1, 2016
    7
    Maybe ps4 is not the best platform to play strategy games, I think we could all agree on that and there isn’t a lot of strategy games either anyway, but this tropic 5 works well and it is fun to play. I wasn’t really going to give this game a chance, although I have always felt kind of attracted to it, but since I got it for “free” on psplus I gave it a try and I’m happy I did.Maybe ps4 is not the best platform to play strategy games, I think we could all agree on that and there isn’t a lot of strategy games either anyway, but this tropic 5 works well and it is fun to play. I wasn’t really going to give this game a chance, although I have always felt kind of attracted to it, but since I got it for “free” on psplus I gave it a try and I’m happy I did.

    Graphics, music and that kind of stuff is nice, I wouldn’t say it surprises the player in any way but it works well and it is nicely done. I think the main thing about this game is the fact that it is not too complicated but not too simple either, in terms of the gameplay (i.e. how many things you have to manage). That, IMO, is at the same time both its best and worse feature. Basically, depending on the kind of gamer you are, you might feel disappointed about the game not being deep enough in the city management stuff. However, if you’re not too bothered about that and you just want something a bit simpler and have a fun time, then it’s good and, I’ll say tropico does a good job with that. I think it is worth commenting that you have the choice to be a good ruler or a really bad/corrupt one, that can be hilarious at points and it’s really good that you can basically make that choice as it gives the game a bit of variety. Also, it is important to say that the controls feel good and I never missed the keyboard and mouse once I got the hang of it, really good work there.
    The campaign is decent, although I was kind of getting a bit tired by the end, and the game itself is quite good. The thing about it being kind of simple is that I feel it might be the kind of game you get tired of relatively quickly. That’s basically what happened to me, I only played the campaign an after it I kind of felt I had enough tropico, it was very nice but enough.

    Summarising, it is quite an interesting and good game, but on the long term I think it can feel repetitive and you might get bored. For people, looking for complex strategy management games I wouldn’t recommend this; similarly, if you’re looking for combat strategy don’t play it, combat here is almost none existent and not particularly funny. It is all right tough as it is not trying to be a combat/military strategy game. Finally, if you’re kind of new in the world of city management strategy games, this is a really good game to start your way in this genre, go get it!.    … Expand
  8. Ruzaky
    Sep 4, 2020
    6
    Previous game was more interesting for some reason. But if you enjoy tropico you will have fun with this one also i guess.
  9. JJsusinho
    Aug 21, 2023
    5
    It's fun at first but it's a totally forgettable video game, there are much better ones.

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best PS4 Game of 2015
94
#94 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
44
#44 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 30, 2015
    80
    Tropico 5 is like taking a holiday from standard strategy games: warm, amusing and, just like packing a mankini instead of your board shorts, revealing and stressful. [July 2015, p.96]
  2. Level7.nu
    Jun 10, 2015
    70
    Tropico 5 is a well-made strategy game filled with humor. The gameplay works ok with a controller instead of keyboard and mouse, although some menus are unnecessarily cumbersome. The genre's true peaks are still found on the PC, but Tropico is a good choice if you want to play a more laid back yet challenging strategy game on your TV.
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  3. The Digital Fix
    May 26, 2015
    80
    With great gameplay and a funky aesthetic, Tropico 5 manages to turn its dubious subject matter into something enjoyable. It's a pity that it doesn't quite sit comfortably on the PlayStation 4, but it's an engrossing experience nonetheless.
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