Tropico 4

The game has ten preconfigured maps, but the player can make their own island by choosing "Random Island". Upon choosing a random island, a player may customize the size of the island, vegetation, mineral deposits, and elevation, as well as other game parameters. There are various expansion packs which give access to more islands.

After choosing the island, the player may choose a premade avatar, some based on various Latin American and Caribbean leaders (such as Fidel Castro, Augusto Pinochet, "Papa Doc" Duvalier), or they can create their own avatar. For custom avatars, players may choose: gender, costumes, skin tone, hat, hairstyle, accessories, mustache, beard, earrings, traits, quality, and rise to power. After completing one mission, the character's current traits will level up.

The game follows the protagonist, El Presidente, as he works towards restoring the power that he lost in the Caribbean after averting a nuclear war that the US vice president perpetrated in order to facilitate his own rise to power. It is divided into three acts:

El Presidente arrives at his new island where he begins to work toward his goal of building an ideal nation for his people. To do so, he focuses his administration on several islands, developing the economic potential of each one, until he is ousted from power after being framed for the murder of the current US president. El Presidente is then forced to flee his country and travels to other parts of Tropico.

The game was announced in the middle of August 2010 in a press release by publisher Kalypso Media. Tropico 4 was released on both Xbox 360 and PC, as was its predecessor Tropico 3. Unlike its predecessors, Tropico 4 was available through the Onlive platform.

An expansion, titled Modern Times, was released on March 27, 2012. It features a new single-player 12-mission campaign which takes place one year after the events of Tropico 4. After El Presidente's success in rebuilding Tropico, he leaves on a well-deserved vacation, only to find when he returns that his lackey Penultimo has predictably run the entire nation into the ground during the 2008 financial crisis. While working to put the country back on track, El Presidente crosses paths with the elusive shadow organization "The Conclave", and it's up to him to help save the world again while lining his pockets.

The game has received generally positive reviews and holds a 78/100 score on Metacritic based on 46 reviews for the PC version and 77/100 based on 18 reviews for the Xbox 360 version. Certain reviewers praised the game's visuals and attention to detail, while describing it as not particularly challenging. GameSpot commented that "Tropico 4 is a likable and engaging sequel that expands on its predecessor but doesn't offer much new depth." IGN stated that "if you're the type that's spent hours with the likes of Civilization or SimCity, or has an unhealthy need to be in control, then it's time to become El Presidente."

Destructoid and Game Informer noted that the game didn't do enough to iterate upon its predecessor, but praised it for being better, with both outlets ultimately recommending the game. Its tragedy is that it hasn't bothered to build anything worthwhile on top of that foundation..." GamesRadar+ praised the game for its accessibility and the vast breadth of freedom present, while lamenting its lack of depth.