In the political simulation gameTropico 6, players are in charge of the government of a Caribbean island. They can rule however they see fit, ranging from a benevolent leader to one with an iron fist.Tropico 6movesfrom the Colonial Era all the way to Modern Times, and as time progresses new factions will emerge.
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Each faction encourages a different ruling style, and they often will oppose one another. They each come with their own set of benefits and drawbacks. Players can either rule how they want to see the world, or experiment and try on a new set of Presidente clothes. Ultimately, it’s all up to them.
Updated June 12, 2025 by Jason Van Duine:With the release of Tropico 6 on next-gen consoles, there will now be a whole new batch of players beginning their rule over the fictional Caribbean island. In Tropico 6, the factions are the key to success; progression is impossible without appealing to one side or another. Each with itsadvantages and disadvantages, policies and ideologies, knowing the ins and outs of each faction can help players progress from the Colonial Age to the Modern Times of Tropico 6 knowing which factions will best appeal to the desired Tropico state for each player.
Revolutionaries
Essentially the tutorial faction, the Revolutionaries is the first faction to emerge in the game. Since they’re used as an introduction for the player, they’re also among the simplest to understand. Coming out of the Colonial Era, the Revolutionarieshate anything to do with colonial tyranny. Instead, they fight for Tropico to be a free and independent nation. Throughout the Colonial Era, the Revolutionaries will provide a series of missions for the player to complete. Apart from increased support, each mission will reward the player with 10 revolutionary immigrants, $2,000, and a random blueprint.
It’s necessary for the player to cooperate with the Revolutionaries in order to progress throughTropico 6. They’ll have a mandate from The Crown, the foreign power ruling Tropico, which eventually runs out and results in a game over. Technically, The Crown is its own faction, though it is impossible to progress through the game by siding with them. Players can complete demands from The Crown in order to extend the mandate, but they’ll soon beforced to work with the Revolutionariesto declare Tropico an independent nation.
Capitalists
Like other games in theTropicoseries, other factions will start to come into play. After the Colonial Era, four new factions will emerge in the game. The first of these is the Capitalists. As a moral opponent of Communism, Capitalists inTropico 6care aboutone thing and one thing only: money. Generating income is the primary driving force for Capitalists, and they’ll reject anything if cash isn’t the motivation.
For this reason, they enjoy buildings withhigh-profit marginsand tools that will increase the government income while also decreasing labor costs. Buildings includebanks, mansions, fast food joints, shopping malls, yacht clubs, offices, golf courses, and tourism buildings.Capitalists will also likepolice stations while in Live and Let Live work mode, andfire stations while in Building Inspection work mode. Theydislike welfare and investment, especially if there isn’ta monetary benefit. The effect of their Ultimatum is theFinancial Crisis. This cuts export prices by half, doubles the cost of everything, and cuts the Broker’s conversion rates in half.
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Communists
From the World Wars era and onward, the Communists emerge as a response to Capitalists. Inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx, Communists prefer thatall government institutions be made available to the public. They don’t like it, however, when the government creates tools that clearly benefit the rich and oppress the poor.
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Communists don’t like buildings designed solely for the rich. Instead, players should invest in building basic necessities such asschools, hospitals, and bunkhouses. Communistsgo on strikefor their Ultimatum. Only people working at fire stations and the military are unaffected by the strike.
Militarists
Players who want to build up a strong military presence on Tropico should look towards the Militarists. The Militarists only care aboutbuilding a strong militaryand have a strong focus on discipline, uniformity, and strength.
Anything that strengthens the government and security is fantastic for Militarists, even if it comes at the cost of personal liberties. Anything with a focus on welfare, education, or the environment is looked down upon. Obviously, any building relating to the militarywill help with this faction. These buildings can includeweapons factories, military buildings, raid buildings, apartments, and hospitals.Recreational buildings such asmovie theaters, nightclubs, and roller coasterswill help too, as odd as it may seem. Uponfailing their Ultimatum, a coup will occur.
Religious
The primary enemy of the Militarists is the Religious faction. Instead of war, they intend to promotepeace and welfare, as well as a sense of tradition. So long as the government continues on the path of peace, the Religious will have good relations with Tropico.
Players should focus onhelping the poor and honoring religious valueswhile avoiding anything that supports an extravagant lifestyle and progressive thinking. The Religious faction will help with this by providing a Religious minister for the departments ofEducation and the Interior. Education will cause students toshift their political views in favor of the Religious factionandreduce their effectiveness by 10%. Interior will cause criminals and rebels to have a 10% chance of losing their role after visiting religious buildings.
Media can help as well. Players can give citizens a25% to convertwith movie theaters on “In Nomini Angeli” work mode, newspapers on “The Word” mode, TV stations on “Pray TV” mode, and radio stations on “The Voice” mode. High school citizens will have a50% chanceif high school buildings are in “Parochial Education” mode. Obviously, religious buildings are preferred. Other buildings includeresidential buildings, circuses, groceries, clinics, customs offices, asylums, airports, childhood museums, and mausoleums.With theirUltimatum, citizens will lose experience when visiting religious buildings. Religious citizens will also set buildings on fire after visiting them.
Industrialists
There are two new factions that emerge in the Cold War era of the game. The first is the Industrialists, who want nothing more than toturn Tropico into the best economy in the world. It doesn’t matter what Industrialists have to do to achieve this goal. Aslong as the decision boosts the economy, Industrialists will be behind it.
Industrial-themed buildings work great here. These buildings includefactories, industrial buildings, military buildings, media buildings, education buildings, tenements, garbage dumps, fire stations, power plants, automated mines, and factory ranches.Their Ultimatum isMaximum Exploitation. Industrial-themed buildings such as the power plant and nuclear power plant will double in pollution. Job quality for citizens is capped at 10, and those citizens will lose health and happiness every time they work.
Environmentalists
If the faction above doesn’t sound eco-friendly, then players should turn to the Environmentalists. Also emerging from the Cold War, the Environmentalists focus on creating agreen, energy-efficient Tropico.They hate the lack of ethics and resource exploitation imposed by the Industrialists.
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Parks and energy-conserving buildingsare preferred. Other buildings includegarbage dumps, waste treatment facilities, botanical gardens, country houses, hydroponic plantations, bus garages, and metro stations. Snorkel Bay is also a helpful investment here.Failing their Ultimatum results in an Eco-Protest.Environmentalists will protest at any building too industrial for them.
Conservatives
After colonies, world wars, and cold wars, players finally make it to the Modern Times era. Here we find the modern fight between Conservatives and Intellectuals. Conservatives hate anything new and different. They want to hold on to thefounding principles of Tropico and its tradition and culture. They will sacrifice personal liberties for security and defense, and to keep foreigners from entering Tropico.
Classic and nostalgic buildings are encouraged, while new and modern buildings should be avoided. These includecountry houses, guard towers, forts, fire stations, dungeons, prisons, taverns, theaters, cabarets, shopping malls, childhood museums, mausoleums, TV stations, nuclear programs, police buildings, stadiums, and security checkpoints. They will also appreciateimmigration offices, but only if they are set to “Tropico First” mode. Conservativesforce a Recalled Election for their Ultimatum,during which they will decrease the experience of non-conservative citizens when they meet inside buildings.
Intellectuals
Out with the old, in with the new. Players waiting to ditch tradition and make way for the future will want to side with the Intellectuals. Theyfocus on educationin hopes of pushing Tropico towards a new future. They primarily oppose Conservatives, but they also take a disliking towards Militarists and the Religious faction.
Any buildings thatpromote technology and peacewill improve relations with Intellectuals. These includemodern mansions and apartments, fish farms, hydroponic plantations, factory ranches, automated mines, education buildings, wind turbines, solar power plants, arcades, gourmet restaurants, museums of modern art, space programs, cyber operations centers, and waste treatment facilities.For theirUltimatum, Intellectuals will unleash a Hacking Attack. Players will lose all knowledge points and Swiss Bank Money. The tourist rating will drop to zero, buildings won’t generate knowledge points, and the player will be unable to interact with the broker.
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Tropico 6is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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