Everything in Tropico 6 costs money. Buildings, trade, and even edicts require at least some cash from El Presidente. Players must balance creating their desired government with improving their political relations with other factions. With all this on their plate, it can be understandable if new players accidentally end up a few dollars short when purchasing the latest Plantation on their island.
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Making money in Tropico 6 requires a bit of strategy, perhaps even more so than most other parts of the game or previous games. Knowing what policies to enact, structures to build, and industries to invest in can mean the difference between a broke nation and a thriving one.
5 Carefully Select Edicts & Policies
Choosing the moral and political standings of Tropico isn’t just the first step towards an independent nation; it can also be the first step towards a rich one. Players will first need to build libraries and colleges on Tropico in order to research edicts and constitutional amendments. Unfortunately, this means spending $3,600 per library and $12,000 per college. Sometimes one has to spend money to make money.
Players can also govern in a way that helps Tropica get rich.
Profitable Edicts
As far as edicts go, Church Fee, Penal Colony, and No Free Lunch are among the most profitable. Combined, players can make up to $306 every month on these edicts alone.
- Church Fee: citizens must pay to go to church.
- Penal Colony: Increases immigration, with a 300% increase in the chance of each immigrant being a criminal.
- No Free Lunch: Requires all citizens to pay the state for their meals.
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Economy-Boosting Edicts
Other edicts may not result in an immediate monetary reward, but instead boost Tropico’s economy, which may help in the long run.
- Employee of the Month costs up to $350 per month, but increases the work time for employees working at mines and industrial buildings.
- Advanced Boat Services increases the speed of boats, which can help with trade among other things. Once players get to the Modern era, Speedway works as the vehicle equivalent to Advanced Boat Services.
- Tax Haven increases the efficiencies of offices, both in Tropico and offshore.
- Caribbean Trade Pact creates more trade routes with minor countries.
- Players can cut down the costs of industrial buildings with the Industrialization edict, though it only lasts for 2 years and has a cooldown of 4.
Policies
Players looking to profit the most from Tropico should also focus on their constitution, especially in regard to the policies below.
- A Life’s Work is the best labor policy, as it forces citizens to start work as early as possible with no retirement.
- Economy First is an obvious pick for ecology; it increases the productivity of industrial buildings.
- For media independence, Sponsored Content works best at boosting the economy.
- International Trade Partners is the best pick for global market economy since it increases the profit gained from trade.
4 Choose The Right Buildings
As with all Tropico games, players will be filling their island with a ton of buildings, so it’s best to know which ones will provide the most profit. Avoid building Shacks, since citizens who live in Shacks don’t have to pay rent. Bunkhouses are a better idea; it’s the cheapest building that can fit the most people who pay rent. Don’t get too carried away, however. If Bunkhouses are set to overcrowd, then the rent becomes 0. Players should also set the efficiency as low as possible so they don’t drain the economy. Finally, build Bunkhouses as close to work facilities as possible. That way, workers will spend little time traveling to and from work.
Newspaper, Radio, and TV buildings are also a great way to help bring in profit. Radio can reach nearly every home, but TV can only reach homes powered by electricity. Banks and Offices help bring in profit as well. Since each citizens’ happiness is inevitably going to decline, it can also be helpful to build entertainment, preferably taverns. Just be sure to build them as close to the Bunkhouses as possible, to save time.
3 Utilize The Pirate Cove
Speaking of buildings, one of the most important in Tropico 6 is the Pirate Cove. The Pirate Cove allows pirates to go on raids for Tropico, which can bring in a ton of cash for the island. Therefore, it’s recommended that players build a Pirate Cove as soon as possible.
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Heists allow pirates to steal specific landmarks. The first landmark players should steal is the Registan of Samarkand, which will give all the current citizens, regardless of age, a high school education. This way, more citizens can immediately enter the workforce. (Of course, players should still build a high school for future citizens.)
Later on, look out for is the Ahu Akivi Moai Heads. These will increase the speed of boats, which makes trade and raids go faster.
The Pirate Cove can also rescue people, which will increase the population and by extent boost the economy. Players can go on treasure hunts, while raids will bring in gold and other valuable and profitable goods.
2 Know The Ins & Outs Of Trade
Trading goods for money is a great way to increase the income in Tropico 6. Where players can trade depends on their relations with political factions. Many of the previous tips may not go over well with certain factions, so players may want to pick and choose which ones to follow. It should also be noted that the stronger political relation a player has to a specific faction, the higher the profit will be from trade with that faction.
In the beginning, players should settle for short-term trade contracts. Despite the low immediate income, these will improve political relations and ultimately help in the long run. Certain buildings can also help with trade:
- The Customs Office will help augment better trade prices.
- Embassies can help speed the relations between Tropico and other factions.
- Docks can help increase the flow of goods to and from Tropico.
While many items will sell in Tropico, the most profitable are weapons, cars, boats, and gold. While building industries for these can be helpful, it may also be a good idea to buy and resell. Long-term contracts can help get these items below their base rate. Players can then resell them at a higher price through a second contract. Trading in Tropico 6 is a slow process, but one that can pay off eventually.
1 Understand Profitable Industries
If players can’t find goods to sell, they might as well make them. New industries are added through each era, so more profitable ones are added over time. Profitable goods stay equally profitable throughout all eras. For example, profitable industries in the Colonial era will be just as profitable in the Modern era.
In the Colonial era, the Boat, Rum, and Cigar industries will earn the most. Boats require quite a bit to build, however. They need multiple Logging Camps, at least one Lumber Mill, and one Shipyard. Meanwhile, Distilleries and Plantations are needed for Rum and Cigars, respectively. Creameries, used for milk and cheese, are also useful.
Textile Mills can also be built in the Colonial era, but become especially profitable in the World Wars era. In the Modern era, Car, Jewelry, Weapon, Plastic, and Electronic industries become available, which are among the most profitable in the game.
Gold is also a valuable good. Players can use Mines to find their own gold, which can then be sold at a high price. While gold can be found anywhere, there is an increased chance of finding gold on a volcanic island.