ANNO 1800 Console Edition (PS5)

From the moment I saw those gorgeous, detailed landscapes and bustling cityscapes, I knew Anno 1800 on the PS5 was something special. As a big fan of top-down RTS games, the console port had me intrigued: could this complex strategy experience translate smoothly to a controller? Well, let me tell you, it does more than just translate, it thrives.First off, the visuals are stunning. Zooming in to watch your bustling metropolis come to life, with citizens tending farms, ships crisscrossing the sea, and factories spewing smoke (in a good way!), is a true joy. The PS5's power really shines here, making you feel immersed in your industrial revolution masterpiece.Gameplay-wise, it's surprisingly intuitive. While there's definitely a learning curve, the controls feel well-adapted to the DualSense, and helpful tutorials guide you through the basics. Resource management, production chains, and diplomacy all feel satisfyingly strategic, even on a gamepad. Plus, the campaign mode throws exciting challenges and a captivating story your way, while the sandbox mode lets you unleash your inner tycoon with endless possibilities.Speaking of replayability, I'm definitely not done with Anno 1800. There are different factions to master, victory conditions to pursue, and countless city layouts to create. Each playthrough feels fresh, thanks to the depth of the systems and the sheer amount of content.It's not all sunshine and steam engines, though. The menus can feel a bit cramped on the smaller screen, and some complex actions require more button presses than ideal. But honestly, these are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things.Overall, Anno 1800 Console Edition is a triumph. It's a visually stunning, deeply strategic, and surprisingly controller-friendly experience that brings the joys of city-building to a new audience. If you're looking for a captivating and engrossing strategy game on the PS5, look no further. Just be prepared to lose yourself in hours of industrial revolution goodness!

I picked this up for £19.99 in the Black Friday Sale so for that price I can't complain. It arrived this morning and have only played a bit of it so far but it's pretty good once you get past the controls. The beginning part where you're tasked with fishing with dynamite is a bit last gen before last gen looking but after that you get into the city building which is pretty fun. Once you've fiddled around in all the menus it's pretty easy to get used to.At the beginning you will see your available money going down slowly but get production going, first in wood then fishery then move on to potato farms and clothing and the money starts to tick up.It's not a AAA game by any means, in fact the graphics don't seem any better than the pc version which was released 4 years ago and looks older. But, from my limited experience so far, it is fun and graphics aren't everything anyway. My advice is if you're into city building games then you might like this and before giving up in frustration give it 15 minutes or so to explore how all the menu options work because that is the frustrating thing at the start but when you work all those out it's pretty smooth.Notes to other players who may be having problems:1: Somebody in the comments was complaining he didn't have enough wood to build the required houses at the start. That also stumped me for a couple of minutes then on looking around the island I realised there are old abandoned buildings which you demolish for more wood which gets you going with all that you need to build then produce your own.2: Another thing which stumped me for a while. You're given instructions to build a sawmill but that building isn't in your building list. Select the timber building as if you're going to place that then use the down arrow on your ps5 controller and that changes to a sawmill.

Brought this after finishing with aftermath and frost punk, love it, it’s a challenge as the help option is not much help, had to search a few things on the net to find answers. There is a lot of organising to do to succeed with your own islands let alone the npc’s. Looking forward to trying the multiplayer.

I used to love civilisation games on the PC when I was younger, but have not played a game of that type for a long time. So I decided to try Anno 1800 on the PS5, and despite slightly clunky controls, it does provide an amazingly complex experience where you need to manage multiple production chains while the story of the game unfolds. I am bout halfway through I believe and it has been great so far.

Good game

Ubisoft Launcher requires me to have a constant internet connection and mandatory account to be able to play the game. Which is an unreasonable and in my case impossible requirement for a single-player game! Avoid.

As an avid Civ and Might and magic fan I naturally compare all Strategy games to it without thinking, then remember it’s me that’s the problem not the game. This has led to live with Dungeons and the surviving games and others I can’t get in with like the age of wonders. I have to say I absolutely love Anon, I love the management style, the ship control and the setting up of automated routes is one of the best in game I have found. The story is nice and fun and the progression with new buildings and class of society feels you can go and quick or as slow as your play style likes and most importantly doesn’t go from 0 - 60 like the two point games. Great game for big fans of this genre and brillant for lengthy strategy game sessions.

very good