When real-time strategy (RTS) games dip into other genres, they're taking a huge gamble. They can often alienate fans of each genre they're incorporating, resulting in a product that pleases no one. Those that succeed, however, become a genre of their own, like the Anno franchise.
Thanks to its innovation in the RTS genre, Anno has enjoyed a unique status in the gaming industry. Not many other games can copy their own brand of innovation successfully, at least to the extent that they're popular enough to release Anno 1800 Console Edition. So when it comes to the Anno hierarchy, here's how each game contributes to the series' relevance.
8 Anno: Create a New World
- Release Year: 2009
- Platforms: Nintendo DS, Wii
Anno has often tried to break through the console or even handheld market, but mostly to no avail. It's too complex a game, so in order to find success in a more casual environment, it had to shed some of its mechanics and downsize. This is what it did with Anno: Create A New World.
It was a Nintendo-exclusive title back in 2009, though it was made for older Nintendo consoles. The graphics are cartoonish, and the gameplay is a lot simpler compared to the usual Anno title. Due to its age, it's hard to get a copy of this one unless it's through an emulator.
7 Anno 1602: Creation of a New World
- Release Year: 1998
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
The very first game in the series was Anno 1602: Creation of a New World. It practically looks like a more outdated and pixelized version of Anno's usual favored setting, which is during the Age of Sail. It's a charming relic whose mechanics and graphics are still decent by today's standards.
In terms of gameplay, Anno 1602 plays out similarly to more recent games in the franchise. Players need to find islands and settle them, gradually improving their populace's living standards while engaging in trade and commerce as well as production, in order to make their archipelagic civilization thrive.
6 Anno 2205
- Release Year: 2015
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Anno 2205 was the series' most ambitious title. Perhaps it was even too ambitious for its own good, because it shot for the moon both literally and figuratively. It's a futuristic space title whose main shtick is allowing players to extend their colonies to the moon after mankind discovers the next game-changing resource in the space rock in question.
However, the game had a myriad of performance issues, combined with bland structure variety and exhausting mechanics. Together, these all make it harder to swallow compared to the more basic, tried-and-tested timelines of the previous Anno games. Despite the issues though, it's still a decent game, especially for newcomers to the series.
5 Anno 1503: The New World
- Release Year: 2002
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Anno 1503 is the second game in the series, released four years after the first game. Gameplay-wise, it's more of the same, and some players might even be put off by the lack of dramatic innovations or shiny new mechanics brought to the table. However, it's still an improved version of the original.
The graphics and visuals are more serviceable here and the combat was made more complex, looking closely at how the game currently handles its naval warfare theater. Fans of the franchise can even consider this one a shinier version of 1602, considering how the first game failed to secure the international recognition its creators wanted.
4 Anno 1701
- Release Year: 2006
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Anno 1701 was a significant milestone in the series' lifespan, since it was the first Anno game to feature fully-3D graphics. This allowed the developers a lot more creative freedom for the game. They certainly added more mechanics, marking the start of turning Anno into the complex challenge it is today.
There are even natural disasters such as tornadoes and storms present in the game, along with man-made maladies like plagues. Moreover, it was the first entry in the franchise that finally showed players how beautiful their cities could become, complete with vast palaces and vibrant colonial housing.
3 Anno 2070
- Release Year: 2011
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Anno 2070 is yet another huge milestone for Anno. This marked the entry in the series where the developers became comfortable enough to leave the Age of Sail template. 2070 ist set during the near future of mankind, when global warming and its causes are just a hair away from blowing into an apocalypse.
In addition to the shiny new visual style and sci-fi transition, it introduced some interesting and fresh mechanics, such as distinct factions and underwater colony extensions. Next to 2205, it was one of the most ambitious Anno titles in the franchise. Some even prefer the new sci-fi setting compared to the Age of Sail.
2 Anno 1404
- Release Year: 2009
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Wii
Also known as Dawn of Discover in certain countries, Anno 1404 is still hard to beat to this day. Some even consider it the quintessential Anno game and the best representative of the franchise, which is why it's also the perfect entry point for a lot of newcomers to Anno.
Everything in 1404 seamlessly works well together, from the elegant user interface to the gorgeous graphics which still hold up to this day. The mechanics are also challenging enough without causing too much stress, while also providing thousands of hours of fun management.
1 Anno 1800
- Release Year: 2019
- ​​​​​​​Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
After the lukewarm reception to Anno 2205 and the less-than-stellar release of Anno 2070, the developers went back to form with Anno 1800. A lot of series veterans regard it as a more refined, more challenging successor to 1404. While also introducing new mechanics to the aging Age of Sail formula, Anno 1800 also added some quality-of-life improvements.
Truth be told, it's even hard to go back to the older Anno games after getting spoiled by 1800's upgrades. This time around, players lead their Victorian settlements into an Industrial Age powerhouse. The citizens are still needy and demanding as ever, and the game's challenge has become more pronounced with the advent of quality-of-life changes. Now, console players can also experience that nerve-wracking (but satisfying) city-building depth with the Anno 1800 Console Edition.