Anno 117: Pax Romana Gold Edition is a city-building strategy game set in the Roman Empire around 117 AD. Players take on the role of a governor tasked with developing provinces, managing resources, and expanding influence across islands and regions. The Gold Edition bundles the base game with the Year 1 Pass, which adds new provinces and features through multiple expansions.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on constructing and optimizing settlements while balancing population needs, production chains, and trade routes. Players begin with limited resources on an island and expand by building roads, housing, production facilities, and infrastructure to support growing tiers of residents. Each tier requires specific goods, services, and amenities to advance, generating income that funds further development.
Two starting provinces shape the experience. Latium offers fertile Roman heartlands suited to traditional expansion, while Albion presents marshy Celtic terrain that encourages cultural blending or full adoption of local traditions at higher resident levels. Deity selection for each island provides bonuses tied to worship and belief systems. Logistics involve harbor trading for goods across maps, with naval and land combat options available against rivals.
Recent updates introduced Stamp Mode for saving and reusing building layouts, along with expanded statistics tools. These additions streamline repetitive tasks during long sessions focused on economy management and city planning.
Game Modes
Two primary modes define play sessions. The Campaign follows the stories of characters Marcia Tertia or Marcus Naukratius as they rebuild the settlement of Juliana. This mode supports cooperative play with up to three additional players sharing control of the same governor.
Endless mode provides an open-ended sandbox without fixed objectives. Players select provinces, difficulty levels, and rival governors with distinct personalities. Sessions can run solo against AI, in co-op with friends sharing resources and territories, or competitively against other players. Hybrid setups allow teams of up to four players per governor, scaling to matches involving as many as 16 participants across multiple factions.
Every session supports seamless addition of multiplayer elements without separate menu options. Cross-play enables participation across platforms when enabled, and online features require a PlayStation Plus subscription on PS5 for full access.
Expansions and Current State
The Year 1 Pass included in the Gold Edition delivers three major additions. Prophecies of Ash introduces a volcanic island province with new deity mechanics. The Hippodrome focuses on constructing a grand monument and hosting chariot races. Dawn of the Delta, released in November 2026, brings an Egyptian-inspired province featuring desert landscapes, river deltas, unique populations, military units, and additional gods.
Patch 3.0 accompanied the latest expansion, incorporating layout-saving tools and interface refinements. The game maintains active support with ongoing improvements to performance and features on console platforms including PS5.
Is It Worth Playing?
Anno 117: Pax Romana suits players who enjoy detailed city-building combined with strategic resource management and light competitive elements. The campaign serves as a structured introduction, while Endless mode offers extensive replayability through varied provinces, rival behaviors, and multiplayer configurations.
Critics have praised the polished systems, visual presentation, and depth of trade and expansion mechanics. The title achieved the strongest launch performance in the series and maintains positive reception for its flexibility in single-player and group play. Those seeking a focused strategy experience with Roman historical themes will find substantial content in the base game and included expansions.
Availability on PS5 includes options for offline single-player sessions alongside online multiplayer. The combination of verified mechanics and current updates positions it as a strong choice for fans of the genre who value methodical planning over fast-paced action.
