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The Top 10 Best Anno Games: The Community Has Decided!
The PC Games community has voted on which Anno game is the best of all time. From Anno 1602 to Anno 117, the top 10 most popular Anno parts are presented, with Anno 1800 taking first place.
Despite the Free2Play mechanics, Anno Online enjoyed some popularity because it resembled Anno 1404.
Despite the Free2Play mechanics, Anno Online enjoyed some popularity because it resembled Anno 1404.
Overall, it was a good spin-off for Nintendo consoles that represented the building series well.
1. Anno Online: Rank 10 – The Free2Play Browser Game
- ✅ Anno Online translated the Anno formula into a browser game with a focus on island settlement and supply chains.
- ✅ Graphically and gameplay-wise, it was based on the classic Anno 1404.
- ⚠️ As a Free2Play game, many actions were associated with waiting times that could be shortened by using real money.
Despite the Free2Play mechanics, Anno Online enjoyed some popularity because it resembled Anno 1404.
01:11 - 02:22
1. Anno Online: Rank 10 – The Free2Play Browser Game
- ✅ Anno Online translated the Anno formula into a browser game with a focus on island settlement and supply chains.
- ✅ Graphically and gameplay-wise, it was based on the classic Anno 1404.
- ⚠️ As a Free2Play game, many actions were associated with waiting times that could be shortened by using real money.
Despite the Free2Play mechanics, Anno Online enjoyed some popularity because it resembled Anno 1404.
02:29 - 03:41
2. Anno: Create a New World (Nintendo DS/Wii): Rank 9 – A Simplified Console Version
- ✅ Create a New World was released for Nintendo DS and Wii and offered a simplified Anno variant.
- ✅ The controls were well adapted to the consoles, and the Wii version had a charming 3D look.
- ✅ There were gameplay innovations such as specialists who granted bonuses on islands.
- ✅ The campaign was stylishly staged for Anno standards.
Overall, it was a good spin-off for Nintendo consoles that represented the building series well.
03:50 - 05:24
3. Anno 2205: Rank 8 – The Unloved Child of the Future
- ⚠️ Anno 2205 broke with many traditions of the series: no endless game, no campaign with missions, no manual savegames, no goods transport by ships.
- ✅ The setting in the distant future with moon colonization and space stations was well implemented and graphically convincing.
- ✅ Anno 2205 introduced separate island maps, a feature of modern Annos.
- ❌ Many players felt it was not classic enough.
05:40 - 07:02
4. Anno 1701: Rank 7 – Return to Old Virtues in 3D
- ✅ Anno 1701 was the first Anno from Ubisoft Mainz (then Related Designs) and returned to the strengths of the first part.
- ✅ It offered 3D graphics for the first time and introduced new elements such as deeper player characters and a right-click menu.
- ✅ The "Curse of the Dragon" campaign is considered one of the best in the building genre.
07:13 - 08:41
5. Anno 1503: Rank 6 – More of the Same with Gameplay Experiments
- ✅ Anno 1503, the second part by Max Design, focused on more details and larger islands in 2D optics.
- ⚠️ The new economy with fixed prices at market stalls complicated the logistics.
- ❌ The promised multiplayer mode was never delivered.
08:56 - 10:24
6. Anno 1602: Rank 5 – The Origin of the Anno Formula
- ✅ Anno 1602 laid the foundation for the Anno series with island exploration, goods supply and population growth.
- ✅ It was a mega-hit and the best-selling German-language game up to that point.
- ✅ The ingenious game core still works wonderfully today.
10:35 - 12:09
7. Anno 117: Pax Romana: Rank 4 – Antiquity in a Modern Guise
- ✅ Anno 117: Pax Romana takes the series into antiquity with Roman governors, olive groves and aqueducts.
- ✅ It offers a lot of flexibility with customizable AI players and game settings.
- ✅ The emperor intervenes in wars and levies taxes.
- ✅ It is more oriented towards older parts, but does not reach the complexity of Anno 1800.
12:23 - 14:16
8. Anno 2070: Rank 3 – Vision of the Future with Faction Conflicts
- ✅ Anno 2070 moved the setting into the future with organic food factories and food corporations.
- ✅ It offers two factions: Ecos (ecological balance) and Tycoons (production efficiency).
- ✅ A third group, the Techs, is added later.
- ✅ It enables settlement below sea level.
- ✅ Land battles were removed, instead there are airplanes.
14:28 - 16:30
9. Anno 1404: Rank 2 – The Perfect Essence of an Anno
- ✅ Anno 1404 offers a great campaign, charming graphics and a pleasant game depth.
- ✅ It introduced two population groups: Occident and Orient with separate needs.
- ✅ The interlinking of the two regions is unparalleled.
- ✅ It introduced items such as ship captains and warehouse managers.
16:48 - 19:28
10. Anno 1800: Rank 1 – The Game of Superlatives
- ✅ Anno 1800 is the best-selling, largest and most complex Anno.
- ✅ It is set in the industrial revolution and offers many DLC expansions.
- ✅ It refined separate maps and enabled switching between regions without loading times.
- ✅ It introduced workforces that originate from specific population groups.
- ✅ It offered ease of use with the blueprint mode and the ability to copy districts.