Key Takeaways
1. Anno 117: Pax Romana is currently available as a free trial on Steam, but progress cannot be saved or transferred to the paid version.
2. The game features various graphics settings, including resolution and upscaling technologies (DLSS, FSR, XeSS), but lacks frame generation.
3. Initial frame rates hover around 40 fps at maximum settings, with performance dipping as more buildings and NPCs are introduced.
4. Using Nvidia DLSS improves frame rates significantly, though quality varies by setting; Ultra Performance offers less sharp visuals compared to max quality.
5. The demo is demanding on hardware, with the RTX 5070 Ti only achieving around 40 fps at high resolution, highlighting the benefits of modern AI upscaling methods.
Our colleague Silvio Werner had the chance to test Anno 117 for just 30 minutes at CES 2025, and his preview article (in German) points out the key changes. Meanwhile, we tried the trial version of the new construction game Anno 117: Pax Romana, which is free on Steam until Tuesday. We were able to engage with the game for a longer time. Sadly, you can’t save your progress, so you have to restart every time you play. This also means that you can’t transfer your progress to the paid version.
Testing Setup
The testing was done on the XMG Pro 16 (E25) equipped with an RTX 5070 Ti. Instead of using the loud overboost mode of the XMG, we chose the slightly less powerful enthusiast mode for our tests, even though the GPU only runs at “130” instead of “140 W.”
Since 2009, Blue Byte in Mainz has been in charge of the Anno franchise, which is still published by Ubisoft, a company facing financial difficulties. After installing the roughly 46 GB, you’ll need to create a Ubisoft Connect account to proceed.
Gameplay Experience
Finally, we can dive into the game. On the main menu, we navigate through a variety of graphics options. Apart from resolution, we can choose the upscaling tech (DLSS, FSR, XeSS), and in the advanced settings, we can adjust texture quality, anti-aliasing, and more. Just so you know, frame generation isn’t available right now.
We played Anno at the native laptop resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels with max quality settings. The first thing we notice is that the game’s displays extend beyond the screen’s edge on our system, making it hard to see the interface. Restarting the game fixed that issue, though.
Without an AI upscaler, our frame rate hovers around 40 fps at the start. As more buildings are constructed and a lot of NPCs are moving around, the frame rate can dip a bit. This is a demanding task for a city-building strategy game. When we zoom in on the action and admire the beautiful details, the game runs smoother than when we zoom out and take in the chaos of our city.
Frame Rate and Quality
When using Nvidia DLSS, the frame rate improves based on the quality setting you pick. At maximum quality, we noticed around 47 fps, while choosing Ultra Performance boosted it to as high as 79 fps. We didn’t see any visual errors from the AI, and increased latency doesn’t seem to pose a problem in this genre.
However, there is a clear quality difference between the DLSS settings. We have two comparison images of DLSS at the highest zoom level, one at max quality and another at ultra performance. The latter is noticeably less sharp, with washed-out textures, paler rain, and fewer details.
We also have three more comparison images, in native settings but at Full HD. The DLSS Ultra Performance option is less visually appealing, especially in the water on the left of the image. Thus, switching to higher DLSS levels is advisable for better image quality if your PC can handle it.
In summary, the not-yet-optimized demo of Anno 117 appears to be quite demanding. Even our RTX 5070 Ti only reaches about 40 fps in the native 2,560 x 1,600 in the starting area. As the cities grow larger and the activity increases, this number is likely to drop even further.
Fortunately, modern AI upscaling methods can deliver significantly more frames in this type of game, where latency is less of a concern.
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