1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
City BuilderEconomyResource Management
$59.99 ~58.5 hr median co-op complexity: heavy 81.3% of 32k
The Squirrel's verdictAnno 1800 runs the same city-building and trade-route economy loop as 1404, scaled up with a full campaign and modern production chains. At $59.99 with median playtime of 58.5 hours, it's built for players who want more systems depth. Same publisher, same Ubisoft Connect requirement — that friction did not go away between editions.
Not for you if you were hoping a newer Anno release finally dropped the Ubisoft Connect login requirement that bothered you before.
2
Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
The Settlers® : Heritage of Kings - History Edition
PC
Colony SimCity BuilderRTS
$5.99 ~38.5 hr median no co-op 83.7% of 838
The Squirrel's verdictHeritage of Kings layers military conquest onto a medieval supply-chain village builder: settlements grow through resource production, then armies push across a map. That conquest layer is what separates it structurally from Anno 1404's purely economic focus. At $5.99 it has the lowest price on this page. Median playtime is 38.5 hours. Expansion content requires selecting a separate launch option rather than accessing it through a unified menu.
Not for you if you want purely economic city-building without a military conquest layer, or need expansion content accessible from a single launch menu.
3
City BuilderFuturistic4X
$39.99 ~35.8 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 70.1% of 6k
The Squirrel's verdictAnno 2205 moves the production-chain city-building loop into a sci-fi setting, splitting your economy across Earth, Arctic, and space sectors rather than medieval trade routes. That multi-sector structure is the defining mechanical difference from 1404. Reviews rate it Mostly Positive at 70.1%. Playtime averages 35.8 hours. No co-op. The Ubisoft Connect failures reviewers describe are identical in frequency and type to those on the anchor.
Not for you if you want a traditional historical setting or a city-builder with more economic complexity than reviewers describe here.
4
Anno 1602 History Edition
PC
City BuilderColony SimGrand Strategy
$9.99 ~11.3 hr median co-op complexity: moderate 78.4% of 273
The Squirrel's verdictAnno 1602 is the earliest entry on this page: fewer building tiers, a tighter and more contained economy than 1404, and co-op included — which no other Settlers or older Anno title here offers. Average playtime is 11.3 hours. Released on Steam in 2024, it carries the same Ubisoft Connect requirement as the rest of the lineup.
Not for you if you want 1404's scale and production depth, or the shorter scope and older design of a 1990s city-builder doesn't appeal to you.
5
The Settlers® : Rise of an Empire - History Edition
PC
City BuilderMedievalRTS
$11.99 ~21.3 hr median no co-op 76.6% of 748
The Squirrel's verdictRise of an Empire is a 2007-era city-builder: simpler production chains, fewer tiers, and a more relaxed pacing than either Anno 1404 or the later Settlers entries. Reviewers familiar with the series place it closer to a classic economic builder than a modern city-sim. No co-op. Average playtime runs around 21 hours, shorter than most titles on this page.
Not for you if you want modern production depth, co-op, or a longer campaign than roughly 20 hours.
How the Squirrel matches games
Not tag overlap. We compare what players actually say across hundreds of
thousands of reviews about how each game feels to play, then break
the comparison into the mechanics you can see in each card. The mark on
every bar is Anno 1404 - History Edition's own score, so you can read where a match runs
hotter or cooler than the anchor.
Verdicts are written against a fixed editorial standard, machine-audited,
and human spot-checked. Which games make the cut is a human call. Prices
and review data refresh automatically. Full method & AI disclosure →