Cities: Skylines (2015, developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive) is arguably the gold standard when it comes to modern city builders. So it’s no surprise that its massive, devoted fanbase has been eagerly awaiting its sequel, Cities: Skylines 2, since it was announced in March 2023.
So exactly how do you improve upon such a highly acclaimed game? Colossal Order’s Dev Diaries, and early-access gameplay videos from popular Cities: Skylines YouTubers such as Biffa and City Planner Plays, give us some insight on how Colossal Order went about it.
Here are some of the things we can expect from Cities: Skylines 2!
The Economy is Much More Nuanced
In the first Cities: Skylines, the economic aspect of gameplay was fairly straightforward, with your city’s industry being just one monolith (unless you play with DLCs such as Industries or Financial Districts).
Cities: Skylines 2 promises a more dynamic economy, and more nuanced interactions between your city’s residential zones, the commercial and industrial companies, and the city government.
Residents have certain budgets and expenses, and companies have to purchase resources for their businesses and pay rent.
Even the pathfinding between citizens’ homes and their workplaces will now be something you have to take into account.
A New City Service Category: Communications
The familiar city service categories will still be there to improve your citizens’ quality of life: water, power, garbage management, police, fire safety, health and death care, education, parks and recreation.
But now communications has been added as a category. It’ll include the old mail service (Post Offices and Post Sorting Facility) but now you’ll be able to provide your citizens with an internet connection too!
You Can Upgrade City Services
In the first game, city service buildings were pretty much one-and-done once you’ve placed them; you’ll just have to build bigger ones for better coverage (e.g., build clinics, then a hospital later).
In Cities: Skylines 2 you’ll be able to upgrade city service buildings to improve their scope. For instance, you can add an extension wing to your elementary school, or add turbines to your power plant.
Road Tools Are Improved
An efficient road layout is key to a successful city in Cities: Skylines, and it seems Cities: Skylines 2 makes that easier to achieve.
Splitting and merging roads will be easier, and we’ll finally get a parallel road tool and a roundabout tool!
Parking Lots Are A Thing
In the first Cities: Skylines, parking lots were basically decorative. But now they’re actually integral to your traffic network, and the availability of parking will be something your citizens consider when choosing how they go from point A to B.
Cities: Skylines 2 System Requirements
Here’s what you’ll need to run Cities: Skylines 2:
| Minimum System Requirements | Recommended |
| 64-bit processor and operating system Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit Intel® Core™ i7-6700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 2600X 8 GB RAM Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 970 (4 GB) | AMD equivalent | 64-bit processor and operating system Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit | Windows® 11 Intel® Core™ i5-12600K | AMD® Ryzen™ 7 5800X 16 GB RAM Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 3080 (10 GB) | AMD equivalent |
When is Cities: Skylines 2 Coming Out?
Cities: Skylines 2 is scheduled for release on October 24th, 2023. As of writing, it’s already available for pre-purchase on Steam or directly from Paradox.
What features are you hoping to see in Cities: Skylines 2? Let us know in the comments!
And be sure to check our Game Guides section for a Cities: Skylines 2 guide when the game comes out!