Cities: Skylines 2 is the newest city-builder from Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order. Read on to see what the game did well, what it could improve upon, how it stacked up against its predecessor, and if it's worth your time and money.
Cities: Skylines 2 Review Overview
Cities: Skylines 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Stunning Visuals and Updated Game Assets Massive Quality of Life Improvements New Progression System and Tech Tree |
Extensive Performance Issues High System Requirements Extreme Learning Curve |
Cities: Skylines 2 Overall - 78/100
Cities: Skylines 2 is a prime example of ambition running rampant. The game has undeniably built on the strong foundations set by its predecessor, innovating in almost every aspect expected from a city-builder. That being said, such improvements came at the cost of the game’s performance, lagging on even the most powerful setups with its countless simulations. If not for its stunning visuals, amazing audio, and addicting gameplay loop, this game’s performance issues could have sent it to an early grave. This is a truly disappointing start for the sequel of a well-loved game.
Cities: Skylines 2 Story - 5/10
Cities: Skylines 2, much like its predecessor, does not have a story or plot incorporated into its gameplay. As a city-builder, the game encourages the player to create, simulate, and upkeep a thriving metropolis as its mayor and urban planner. The game displays the player’s progress through its Milestone System and tech tree, granting new buildings and technology as they develop their city. This is no replacement for a proper story, but city-builders aren’t really designed to carry a specific narrative. With this in mind, this is, at worst, a very minor critique.
Cities: Skylines 2 Gameplay - 7/10
Cities: Skylines 2’s gameplay is a mixed bag at best and an offense at worst. While it is true that the game is far superior to its previous entry through the sheer number of features alone, the game’s poor optimization and plentiful performance issues make many of these new features inaccessible. The game then comes off as having far too many bells and whistles for it to be playable, especially in the middle to endgame. It is still serviceable so far, but without future patches, the game will soon be forgotten as a buggy and unoptimized mess.
Cities: Skylines 2 Visuals - 9/10
Cities: Skylines 2 has some of the most stunning visuals I’ve ever seen from a city-builder. Everything from the building models down to the terrain simulation looks impeccable and adds an air of realism that few other city-builders can provide. The game also features a crisp and intuitive UI that makes micromanaging that much easier to deal with. If your PC can handle the strain, this is easily one of the game’s stronger aspects.
Cities: Skylines 2 Audio - 10/10
The audio for Cities: Skylines 2 is amazingly varied and expertly implemented. The game features a futuristic, eco-punk-esque soundtrack that is sure to keep you entertained through the tens of hours you’ll be spending tweaking your city.
In a unique twist, the soundtrack also features radio show segments interspersed between the tracks, providing the player with a fun little talk show as they design roadways and zone buildings. These talk shows also adjust to your city’s current state, giving you a ground-level perspective on every major decision you make. Truly a one-of-a-kind musical and broadcasting experience from the most unlikely of places.
Cities: Skylines 2 Value for Money - 8/10
Cities: Skylines 2 retails at $50 on Steam and is very much worth its price. As a city-builder, the game has no actual end and potentially has infinite replayability. With over 10 maps and an unlimited number of ways you could build your city, you’re almost guaranteed hundreds of hours of gameplay just from the base game itself.
Cities: Skylines 2 Review | Too Ambitious For Its Own Good
Cities: Skylines 2 is a city-builder simulation game where you oversee the design, creation, and upkeep of your very own metropolis. It is a game that embraces the fun and strategy of micromanagement, allowing you to plan and adjust every aspect of your city's administration no matter how small. You will have a hand in every decision made in the city, from major renovations and roadworks down to smaller things like ambulance routes.
From the initial initial planning and building stage, up to to its administration stage, your city will progress as citizens ask for newer and newer amenities. As you fulfill these requests, your population grows, granting you newer resources and facilities to work with. This level of complexity is exactly what one would expect from running an entire city.
This attention to detail is a staple of the city-builder/base-building genre, as many players enjoy the notion of having complete control. Of course, the bigger the city, the more things there are for the game to simulate City-builder games like Cities: Skylines 2 run the risk of bloating themselves with mechanics to the point of tedium and poor performance. Real cities were never meant to be overseen by just one person at all levels, after all. Unfortunate as it is, Cities: Skylines 2 took this risk and it did not pay off.
To be more specific, we turn to two new features revealed in the weeks leading up to the game's launch: Traffic AI and Citizen Lifepaths. In a nutshell, both of these features revamp their respective game elements by making them more dynamic. The problem is that Traffic AI and Citizen Lifepaths apply to all vehicles and citizens respectively. As your population grows and you get closer to the end game, the strain on the game's engine increases, leading to performance issues.
The game is trying to accomplish too much for it to run smoothly at all times. Even the developers are aware of the game's shortcomings, admitting in an interview a week before release that the game isn't performing as well as they hoped, yet it was released anyway. This game was a good idea executed poorly, but not for the lack of trying. In a sense, they actually tried too much.
Overall, Cities: Skylines 2 is a serviceable game with good visuals, great music, and an addictively fun gameplay loop. Unfortunately, all of its better qualities are tarnished by the game's poor performance and optimization.
Pros of Cities: Skylines 2
| Things Cities: Skylines 2 Got Right |
|---|
|
Stunning Visuals and Updated Game Assets Massive Quality of Life Improvements New Progression System and Tech Tree |
Stunning Visuals and Updated Game Assets
There's no other way to describe it, Cities: Skylines 2 looks amazing from any angle. Whether you're sweeping the skyline with your city's silhouette or zooming in to get a good look at a new building, the game looks stunning down to the most minute detail.
While this is already a good quality for most games, having good graphics plays a much larger role in a simulator's immersion. It's much easier to immerse yourself in a simulation if it looks very similar to the real deal, and Cities: Skylines 2 is as graphically immersive as a city-builder can get.
Massive Quality of Life Improvements
The first Cities: Skylines was a game beloved by city-builder enthusiasts everywhere, but it wasn’t without its flaws. The road system was unwieldy, utility lines were annoying to arrange, and there was a distinct lack of roundabouts. Cities: Skyline 2 fixes all that, and then some.
The new road tool system is crisp, precise, and exactly what the first game needed. It now sports new ways to set down roads, way more road variety, and a replace tool to replace the dated road upgrade tool from the first game.
Utility lines make a return in Cities: Skylines 2, but you’d be forgiven for not noticing them. The previous game had electric pylons and water towers to disperse utilities across your city, now they’re built into the roads next to each building. Gone are the days of asymmetrical planning because you forgot to make room for the pylons.
Lastly, quite possibly the most requested quality-of-life addition is the roundabout. Previously absent from the first game, these fan-favorite road fixtures are now accessible right from the start of the game, granting your roads that much-needed flexibility in congested intersections.
New Progression System and Tech Tree
Cities: Skylines 2 also introduces a new progression system for your city and a new way to unlock additional buildings and facilities in your metropolis. Population milestones now determine what facilities are available to you, while tech points allow you to decide which innovations to prioritize.
That means that apart from the complexity of each playthrough causing no two to be the same, you can now also take different studies at different times, progressing through your choice of tech tree at your own leisure. Truly a welcome addition to the classic Cities: Skylines formula.
Cons of Cities: Skylines 2
| Things That Cities: Skylines 2 Can Improve |
|---|
|
Extensive Performance Issues High System Requirements Extreme Learning Curve |
Extensive Performance Issues
This game handles poorly, likely due to its own features and simulations. I reviewed this game on a gaming PC with fairly high specs and still suffered frequent frame drops, lag spikes, and freezes through my short initial playthrough. Early Steam reviews and other reviewers echo these sentiments, stating the game becomes nearly unplayable once you have enough systems going at once.
This is a major issue for a city-builder as having multiple systems and simulations going at once is the game’s default state. A poorly optimized city-builder is a bad one because optimization is the point of the game. Thankfully, the game isn’t a true RTS and can be paused should the need arise. Still, this poor performance is unbecoming of the game’s price and pedigree.
High System Requirements
Expounding slightly on the game’s performance issues is its high technical requirement to play in the first place. According to its Steam page, the game recommends an RTX 3080 graphics card, a fairly pricey component, for the game to play smoothly. This steep requirement alienates a good amount of players, especially those on a budget.
Even while following its recommended setup, the game still drops frames and freezes, especially when you zoom in to take a closer look at the simulations. This is a glaring problem, as it doesn’t just make it harder for some players to fully enjoy the game, it outright prevents them from playing it.
Extreme Learning Curve
Part of a city-builder's allure is its tangled web of game mechanics that simulates the true difficulty of overseeing a city. Usually, the learning curve is part of the experience and is appreciated by players who are new to the genre. This is often accompanied by an intuitive tutorial or an equally intuitive system that makes it easier for players to learn without holding their hands too much.
Cities: Skylines 2 is a difficult game with a steep learning curve but it does not have the intuitive tutorial that usually accompanies such a game. It feels overly long and drawn out in some places and incomplete in others. All in all, it does little to prepare a new player for their own city.
Is Cities: Skylines 2 Worth It?
Yes, But It Still Needs Some Work
It's a game worth its $50 price tag despite its shortcomings. As stated before, as a city-builder, the game offers countless hours of fun and near-infinite replayability. Sure enough, its performance issues cannot be ignored, but still offers enough in the way of visuals, audio, and gameplay to be a serviceable game, especially once patches are rolled out.
Cities: Skylines 2 Overview & Premise
Cities: Skylines 2 is a city-builder simulator that lets you make and manage your own city across a variety of maps. You will be tasked with every aspect of city management, including construction, zoning, budgeting, research, roadwork, public administration, and tourism. While the game doesn’t have a strict story or plot to follow, you are more than welcome to stage your own scenarios and build your own narratives using your city as its setting.
A barren field lies before you. What will you erect in its stead? A city of spires that reaches to the sky or a city of commerce and industry?
Cities: Skylines 2 FAQ
Will Cities: Skylines 2 Be Released on Consoles?
Yes. Cities: Skylines 2 will be released for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X|S sometime in Spring 2024. The game’s console release was initially planned to coincide with its PC release, but the developers have since decided to move it back due to performance issues.
Where Do My Screenshots from Cities: Skyline 2’s Photo Mode Go?
Cities: Skylines 2 saves your screenshots differently from its predecessor. Instead of saving your screenshots in a readily accessible folder, it stores them within your computer’s ‘appdata’ folder instead.
You will find your photo mode screenshots in the following folder:
C:\Users[username]\AppData\LocalLow\Colossal Order\Cities Skylines II\Screenshots
By default, your AppData folder is hidden, but you can access it by typing %appdata% in your search bar in the Windows toolbar.
You can also check Show > Hidden Items
in the File Explorer View
menu, so it won't be hidden in the future.
Cities: Skylines 2 Product Information
|
|
| Title | CITIES: SKYLINES 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 24, 2023 |
| Developer | Colossal Order |
| Publisher | Paradox Interactive |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S |
| Genre | City-Building, Simulation |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone |
| Official Website | Cities: Skylines 2 Website |
