TheAnnofranchise has had its ups and downs over the years. However, it’s long beena unique member of the city-builder pantheon. The series has taken fans from the Age of Exploration to the far future over its 24-year history. 2019’sAnno 1800returned to its historical simulation roots after a two-game experiment with science fiction.
Players can now try out the popular RTS city-builder at no cost for a short time. PublisherUbisoftis letting players experienceAnno 1800for free between Tuesday, April 12th and Tuesday, April 19th.
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Anno 1800is one of severalnew city-builders releasedover the last few years. Launching less than four years ago, it will soon have more expansion packs than the entire rest of the series combined. Ubisoft is offering a free week to celebrate the launch of Season 4, which was announced back in March. Note, however, that the free week only applies to the base game, not any of its DLC. It’s also worth clarifying that this is a free trial, not a giveaway, and players will have to purchase the game if they want to keep playing after April 19th. However, Ubisoft states that newAnno 1800players can continue their campaigns after upgrading to the paid version.
The beginning of the free week coincides with the release ofAnno 1800’s“Seeds of Change” DLC, which introduces new buildings and mechanics that let players overhaul their colony’s agricultural industries. Additional Season 4 expansions, “Empire of the Skies” and “New World Rising,” will allow the player to take to the skies in airships and turn their New World Colonies into centers of culture and industry. Each DLC also adds new Scenarios toAnno 1800.
As the name implies,Anno 1800takes place in the 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution in Europe and America. As with most of the previousAnnogames, the city-builder and economic management game focuses on trade and colonization in the Americas. However, the introduction of steam power puts a new twist on the old formula. Players need to build up their main City in the Old World while also building and managing New World Colonies to supply it with raw resources.Anno 1800players also need to keep their eyes out for rival companies and can do so in single-player, co-op, or PVP modes.
Anno 1800enjoys overall positive reviews, with a review score of 81 on Metacritic. OnlyAnno 2070andAnno 1404just barely squeeze by with higher ratings on the aggregation site. Some fans and reviewers see it as a return to formafter the mediocreAnno 2205. This is evident in the game’s sales, withAnno 1800reportedly quadrupling its predecessors’ sales in one week.Anno 1800thus doesn’t need much extra promotion to be considered a success, though the free weekend certainly helps.
Anno 1800is available now on PC from Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store.
