Sent email to support@kalypsomedia.com - no fix yet but it is a known issue.

"We can confirm that this rare crash is caused by the Windows update 1903.

We are looking into the issue right now and we are in the process of figuring out if the problem can be fixed by us or has to be fixed by Microsoft.
Temporarily, the only known fix is to revert back to an earlier windows version."

Let's wait and see...

Thx for sharing the info...love the term "rare chrash"...as if ! Still in waiting mode

I will translate Kalypso statmeant for gaming comunity:
Stop playing Tropico 5, we cant make more money with this. BUY TROPICO 6!!!

I have this problem for 4 months. Some people for even longer. They dont want fix their own game.
.
Even Ubisoft (yeah this Devil) patched AC: Unity after some months. Even we got big dlc as compensetion.

I will not buy anything from them ever again.

I've hit the issue as well. I'm not prepared to break my PC when everything else is running ok. Looks like I won't be bothering with Tropico 6.

UPDATE:

Still not working...

UPDATE:

I asked "Do you have an time frame to solve this problem."

Answer from Support

Unfortunately, we cannot provide a date when a fix will be released.

You can fix the issue, by reverting back to an earlier windows update.
...

This post should be pinned on first page of this topic.

I have literally (as in ten minutes ago) just bought this game following an email from GOG specifically advertising it on special offer (never played a tropico title before, bored in quarantine, price was good), only to run into this issue.

Is it genuinely just a non functioning game? Because if so I'm more than a little unhappy that GOG are not only still selling it, but actively advertising it in a promotion. It wasn't expensive but that is scam territory with a game that has had a known issue for pushing a year!

That sucks man... after previously notifying Kalypso and having their generic response and no fix for over a month now - I sent a direct Twitter message to GOG.com to notify them and ask them for assistance. This was 4 days ago and no reply... poor performance from GOG.

Ask for a refund.

I am furious, I'm in the same boat as you. It's the first and last time I spend money on this platform!

Yup - me too

Hello Game Friends,

i have study a few article in the web for the XAudio 2.7 Problem! It is full of it.... many many Gamer have the Problems with diffrent games!

And yes its understandable... it is a !!!10 years old Bug !!! in Direct X 9, you will find the DLL in den June 2010.cab of the redist install of Direct X 9 package! ->> see the picture.

A Info of the Bug you can find here:
walbourn.github.io//known-issues-xaudio-2-7/

The solution for the moment is to delete or rename the dll, you can find it in this path:
C:\Windows\System32 -> 32 bit -> rename XAudio2_7.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64 -> 64 bit -> rename XAudio2_7.dll

If this is not working for you, install the AIO All-in-One-Runtimes with all vc c++ runtimes and the Direct X Files!!!!
chip.de/downloads/All-in-One-Runtimes_37449838.html

Another solution:
steamcommunity.com/app/311560/discussions/0/528398719804196382/

Microsoft know the bug and works on it:

"There is a NuGet package for using XAudio 2.9 down-level on Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8.0, and Windows 8.1. See Microsoft Docs for details. Using this new version avoids this known issue.

An application level workaround is very easy to implement, and is already implemented in DirectX Tool Kit for Audio and in the XAudio2 DirectX SDK refreshed samples on GitHub."

I am not a programmer and i dont know how to install a "NuGet package" but this is the fix for the Problem you can find here:

nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.XAudio2.Redist/

AND FOR THE INFO IT IS NOT A GOG OR KALYPSO PROBLEM IT IS A MICROSOFT PROBLEM !

I have renamed the .dll files and Tropico 5 is running. Only I have no sound, which is a problem with Tropico without sound. No sound, no music. This is crap.

I also don't believe that Micosoft is working on the sound bug to fix the problem. :-(

Translated with Google.

lol i have try the steam Version -> it runs without problems :D

Steam must take another Audio Driver or something else.