At Gamescom 2025, the long-running Tropico series took center stage with the official reveal of Tropico 7. The satirical city builder and political simulator returns with more depth, more chaos, and a sharper focus on the politics of power. We had the chance to chat with Daniel, the game’s creative director about the team’s vision for the next installment of El Presidente’s Caribbean escapades.
“Tropico has always been a mix of city builder, economy simulator, and dictator simulator,” Daniel explained. “For Tropico 7, we really leaned into the political simulation side. That’s where most of the new systems are.”
In previous Tropico titles, elections were a colorful but sometimes secondary element. That changes here. “Sometimes there are elections and it’s important that you have a nice approval by the people so that they vote for you,” Daniel said. To help manage this, the game introduces a new political map, which visually represents your position and that of various factions and citizens.
He went on to explain that: “You can try to manipulate the people so that they concentrate on a certain political position. Then you can follow their demands and fulfill their tasks to increase approval.” A system promises to make the approval rating more dynamic—and more precarious—for anyone who wants to stay in power.
Another major feature is the depth of simulation for Tropico’s citizens. “All the people are simulated from the beginning,” Daniel said. “When they are born, they go to school, they can go to university, they have to find a job, find a partner, have children, and develop their own political position.” Players can inspect each citizen individually, seeing their needs, beliefs, and satisfaction levels. “Is he satisfied, does he have enough to eat, does he have a doctor nearby, or what about his faith satisfaction?” Daniel listed. “We have to take care about their satisfaction and their political opinion as well.”
Tropico’s trademark humor shines through in its laws and edicts. “You have to decide which constitution you want to have, and by selecting the constitution, you change your position on the political map,” Daniel explained. This determines what kinds of edicts you can activate. Examples range from practical—like subsidizing free cars for the poor—to the absurd. “We have an edict like the tropical hat, which enforces every citizen to wear a certain hat,” Daniel laughed. “The communists like this, but the capitalists don’t.” According to him, many of these laws are inspired by real-world politics, keeping Tropico’s satirical bite intact.
Tropico has always mixed internal politics with external pressures, and Tropico 7 doubles down on diplomacy. Players can progress through eras—from colonial times to the modern day—each bringing new global powers to appease or antagonize. “In the colonial era you deal with England, in the world wars it’s the Axis and Allies, in the Cold War it’s East versus West, and in modern times you deal with the U.S., China, India, and more,” Daniel explained. “If your reputation drops too low, they can blockade your harbor, send an invasion, or even start a big war—which means game over.”
For players who prefer guided experiences, Tropico 7 will include around 15 missions, five of which form a connected campaign spanning all time periods. “The other ten missions are completely independent,” Daniel added, “with crazy and funny situations and storylines.” Of course, the beloved sandbox mode also returns, allowing players to endlessly shape their tropical paradise—or dystopia.
Tropico 7 is slated for release at the end of next year on PC, Xbox, and Playstation.