GamingPickz
Game vs game · side by side

Bloons TD 6 vs Tropico 4

Bloons TD 6 is a sandbox strategy game from Ninja Kiwi (2018) while Tropico 4 is a sandbox simulation game from Haemimont Games (2011).

Quick answer: Bloons TD 6 rates higher, 8.8 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Bloons TD 6 is the cheaper at $13.99.

Bloons TD 6

2018 · Ninja Kiwi

8.8GamingPickz Score

$13.99

Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive

Tropico 4

2011 · Haemimont Games

7.7GamingPickz Score

$14.99

Steam: Very Positive

What each one is

Bloons TD 6 is filed under Sandbox and Strategy. In contrast, Tropico 4 under Sandbox and Simulation.

Bloons TD 6

The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.

Description from its Steam store page

Tropico 4

The world is changing and Tropico is moving with the times - geographical powers rise and fall and the world market is dominated by new players with new demands and offers - and you, as El Presidente, face a whole new set of challenges.

Description from its Steam store page

Story, characters and reception

Bloons TD 6
Reception

Bloons TD 6 received mostly positive reviews from critics. New Zealand Game Developers Association secretary Stephen Knightly praised the depth of the gameplay in Bloons TD 6 , specifically the visual appeal to a general audience and the level of complexity for more experienced players: "It's fun and friendly, so it's accessible, but under the surface it's quite complicated". Although praise was given for its extended gameplay variety, it was also… (Wikipedia)

Tropico 4
Plot

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… (Wikipedia)

Reception

Reception 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. (Wikipedia)

At a glance

Bloons TD 6Tropico 4
GamingPickz Score8.8/107.7/10
Steam ratingOverwhelmingly Positive (97%, 394,354)Very Positive (92%, 12,737)
Critic aggregateNo aggregate78/100
Price$13.99$14.99
Install size2 GB
Steam Deckplayableunsupported
Released20182011
DeveloperNinja KiwiHaemimont Games

Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.

Bloons TD 6 vs Tropico 4, point by point

Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.

  1. Genre and premise

    Bloons TD 6Sandbox strategy game
    Tropico 4Sandbox simulation game

    What each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.

  2. How it plays

    Bloons TD 6Tower Defense, Strategy, Online Co-Op
    Tropico 4City Builder, Simulation, Strategy

    The tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.

  3. Reception

    Bloons TD 6Score 8.8 · 97% on Steam
    Tropico 4Score 7.7 · 92% on Steam · 78 critic

    The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.

  4. Content and scale

    Bloons TD 6394,354 reviews · 3 add-ons · 2 GB
    Tropico 412,737 reviews · 11 add-ons

    Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.

  5. Price

    Bloons TD 6$13.99
    Tropico 4$14.99

    Read live from Steam and subject to change.

  6. On a Steam Deck

    Bloons TD 6Playable
    Tropico 4Unsupported

    Valve's own Deck compatibility rating.

Bloons TD 6 takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.

The two on the grid

Compare the whole catalogue

Bloons TD 6 and Tropico 4 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.

2 games have both

01000100PlayersPopularity

Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.

Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.

  • PC

Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.

See the whole grid

How positions are decided

No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
  • Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
  • Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
  • No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
  • A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
  • Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.

Which to pick, by what you want

  • The higher-rated of the two: Bloons TD 6 (GamingPickz Score 8.8)
  • The cheaper right now: Bloons TD 6 ($13.99)
  • Better on a Steam Deck: Bloons TD 6 (playable)
  • The safer bet by weight of reviews: Bloons TD 6 (394,354 reviews)

What they have in common

Both are tagged by Steam players with:

StrategySingleplayerSandboxGreat SoundtrackFunny

Where they differ

Bloons TD 6 is also

Tower DefenseMultiplayerOnline Co-OpCo-opFamily FriendlyCasual

Tropico 4 is also

City BuilderSimulationManagementComedyEconomyReal-Time with Pause

Tags players apply to one game and not the other.

Difficulty and who each is for

By the tags players apply, Bloons TD 6 is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Tropico 4 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.

System requirements, side by side

Bloons TD 6Tropico 4
Minimum GPUOpenGL 2.0 compatible
Minimum CPU1.5Ghz
Minimum RAM4 GB
Install size2 GB

Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Bloons TD 6 · Tropico 4.

Accessibility features

Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Bloons TD 6 and 0 for Tropico 4. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

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Common questions

How different are Bloons TD 6 and Tropico 4 in scope?

Bloons TD 6 has drawn 394,354 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 2 GB. Tropico 4 has drawn 12,737 Steam reviews and ships 11 add-ons.

Is Bloons TD 6 or Tropico 4 better?

By the GamingPickz Score, Bloons TD 6 rates higher (8.8 to 7.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.

Which is cheaper, Bloons TD 6 or Tropico 4?

Bloons TD 6 is cheaper right now at $13.99, against $14.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.

Should I get Bloons TD 6 or Tropico 4?

Bloons TD 6 rates higher, 8.8 to 7.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Bloons TD 6 is the cheaper at $13.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.

Do you rank one above the other for a fee?

No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.

How we compare, and what we will not do

The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.

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