Classic Anno Strategy Games Are Getting Future-Proofed With 64-Bit Updates
by Ethan Gach
The Anno city-building strategy series began over two decades ago with Anno 1602: Creation of a New World. That and other games from the series’ early history are getting touched up as part of the new Anno History Collection, coming to PC on June 25.
The collection will be about $60 and include the first four games in the series—Anno 1602, 1503, 1701, and 1404—along with all of their respective expansions. In a post announcing the revival, Ubisoft said the games would also come with a number of improvements, including:
- All games running at 64-bit with improved performance and stability
- Support for resolutions up to 4k
- Full multiplayer through Uplay that now features quick matches and desync recovery
- Compatibility with old saves
The Anno games involve as much puzzle solving as strategy, with a lot of the city-building and exploration consisting of trying to balance the economy and micro-manage trade and supply chains. With the exception of Anno 2205, which we would all do best to forget about, the recent Anno games have all been pretty decent, but there’s no substitute for the isometric beauty of the early ones.
You can buy the re-released classics in the collection separately, but they won’t all be sold in the same place. Anno 1602 and 1503 will be exclusive to Uplay, while Anno 1701 will be on Uplay and the Epic Games Store. Anno 1404 will be on Uplay, the Epic Games Store, and Steam. Sorry, GOG.