Anno 1800 Console Edition – 4 Tips for Getting Started

Anno 1800 Console Edition is out today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it’s all about setting new precedents. First, it’s the first mainline game in the city-building series’ 25-year history to be released for consoles. Second, players can jump into Anno 1800 for free for a whole week on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store) from today until March 23.

Featuring a completely redesigned interface optimized for controllers, Anno 1800 Console Edition capitalizes on new-gen hardware to deliver an uncompromising port of the real-time strategy game. During the free week, you’ll have access to all of the Standard Edition’s content, and can undertake the story-driven campaign or forge your own path in a customizable sandbox. In Anno 1800, players make their way by ship through a world of resource-rich islands, where they can build settlements and potentially turn little villages into bustling, Industrial Revolution-era metropolises. Establishing trade routes, forging diplomatic ties, and building defenses are all important steps toward thriving settlements – as well as toward victory, whether you choose to dominate your opponents commercially, diplomatically, or militarily.

If you decide to keep playing after the free week is over, Anno 1800 Console Edition is available as a Standard Edition for $40 USD, or as a Deluxe Edition for $50 USD, which also includes three cosmetic packs: the Pedestrian Zone Pack, Vibrant Cities Pack, and Amusements Pack. Additionally, players who play during the free week or purchase either edition before April 16 get access to the Imperial and Console Founder packs, which include cosmetic bonuses, as well as a digital artbook and the game’s soundtrack.

STARTER TIPS

Ready to play? Before you go, here are a few starter tips to help you get off to a running start and make the most of your free week:

Upload It to the Warehouse: If you want to harvest any type of goods in Anno 1800, your production buildings need to be near a warehouse to store them in. Any resource added to a warehouse is available at any of the warehouses on your island; much like uploading data to the cloud, you can pull any stored goods out of whichever warehouse is closest to where they’re needed. This doesn’t apply to warehouses on other islands, though; you’ll need to set up trade routes to keep those supplied.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: If unnecessary building is getting you into trouble, or you’re struggling to plan out your city, try using blueprint mode. In blueprint mode, you can place buildings down to plan ahead and manage your city’s grid without actually building them. The translucent “building” won’t produce anything, but it also won’t cost you resources or workforce. Once you’re confident you can support it, you can construct it and add it to your supply chain.

Moving On Up: Your citizens are the lifeblood of your city in Anno 1800. They all start off as Farmers, but to advance your production capabilities, you’ll need to satisfy their needs and upgrade them to Workers. Those Workers will eventually need to be upgraded to Artisans as well. However, it’s important to remember different population tiers have different jobs, and that while upgrading a Farmer to a Worker allows for new means of production, you still need Farmers to harvest specific resources like timber, fish, wool, etc. that your city will always need. The more citizens you upgrade, the more you need to backfill.

Don’t Understaff: A settlement’s population is much more than just a measure of success; every denizen is a resource. If a factory you’re building needs a specific number of workers to run it, make sure you have at least that many citizens looking for work before you build it – and make sure they’re the right kind of worker for whatever you’re building. If your facilities are understaffed, production will slow, costs will mount, and you’ll be bleeding money before you know it.

Anno 1800 Console Edition is available now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; Anno 1800 is available on PC via Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, and is included with a Ubisoft+ subscription. For more on Anno 1800, check out the Console Edition Accessibility Spotlight, and keep an eye on our dedicated news hub.