By 2006, the game's global sales had reached 2 million units, with over 750,000 sold in German-speaking territories. Like its predecessor, the game was a commercial hit in the German market, and became its best-selling computer title of 2002.

Anno 1503 revolves around building and maintaining a 16th-century colony in the New World. It's part of the Anno series, and is the direct sequel to Anno 1602, the most commercially successful German game ever by 2002. Anno 1503: The New World (released as 1503 A.D.: The New World in North America) is a 2002 construction and management simulation developed by Max Design and published by Sunflowers Interactive.