Anno 2070

About Anno 2070

Anno 2070 arrived on PC back in November 2011 as the fifth entry in Ubisoft's long-running city-building franchise. Developed by Related Designs and Ubisoft Blue Byte, this title shifts the setting to a future where rising sea levels have drowned the old world. You take command of mobile ocean bases called Arks to settle new island chains. The game blends real-time strategy with deep economic simulation mechanics. Players choose between three distinct factions, each with unique strengths and weaknesses regarding expansion speed, pollution, and resource efficiency. It demands a solid internet connection for Uplay activation but offers a single-player campaign alongside multiplayer and co-op modes.

Gameplay

You start by managing a small fleet of ships and a mobile base while gathering resources from the ocean. The core loop involves constructing efficient production chains to feed your growing population. A typical session sees you balancing supply lines, tweaking building layouts for maximum output, and defending against pirates or rival factions. You can focus on the environmental Eden Initiative to build slow but clean cities, or rush with the industrial Global Trust to expand fast despite pollution risks. Unlocking the high-tech Tech faction requires a significant credit donation to access advanced research trees. The game scales from early survival to late-game mega-cities where you manage complex trade routes and automated logistics across vast sea maps.

What Players Think

The PlayPile data shows Anno 2070 holds a solid 75.2 out of 100 score on IGDB based on 94 ratings. Our community members average about 35 hours in the single-player campaign, though completion rates dip slightly after the initial tutorial phase due to steep learning curves. Review snippets from our database highlight frustration with the AI pathfinding but praise the late-game economic depth. The overall mood skews toward "satisfied" once players master the production chains. Many users note that multiplayer matches last significantly longer than campaign missions, often exceeding 60 hours for competitive groups. Achievement data indicates that completing all faction-specific challenges remains a rare feat for casual players.

PlayPile's Take

This simulation is worth your time if you enjoy complex economic puzzles and can handle slow-paced management sessions. The price point on the secondary market reflects its age, making it a bargain for strategy fans who already own the series. You will spend considerable hours chasing specific achievements related to faction unlocks and resource optimization. Avoid this title if you need immediate action or want a streamlined city builder without deep supply chain mechanics. The game delivers a robust experience for those willing to learn its systems, but it demands patience rather than reflexes.

Storyline

The scenario is set in the year 2070. Global warming has melted the Arctic ice cap, which has raised the global sea level so that the coasts were inundated.[4] As a result, many old cities have vanished under the ocean, and much of what was once highland has been turned into chains of new islands. Responsibility for settling and exploiting these new frontiers is given to a select group of people, who captain mobile ocean-going bases known as Arks. The game has three factions: The Eden Initiative (referred to as the "Ecos"), Global Trust (referred to as the "Tycoons"), and the S.A.A.T. (referred to as the "Techs"). Ecos are environmental and build sustainable cities, but are inefficient and slow to expand. Tycoons are industrious and expand quickly, but have problems with pollution and dwindling resources. The Tech is a support faction available to the other two, and they are useful in researching the latest and most powerful technologies. The Techs are only available later in the game when you donate 10,000 credits to their cause.