Cities: Skylines II

Tried it on the free weekend and got it since it was sale for %20 off at the time.
After 15 hours I really like it. I have run into some bugs here and there but it is a much better game than CS1 ever was. The graphics are beautiful and the game feels deeper and more challenging than CS1 ever was.

It's a very good city builder and they are actively working on improving it. I recommend it, but I would say definitely get it on sale.

As a professional urban designer and planner (who loved the original Cities Skylines), I cannot recommend this game to anyone. I loved the first game, but this sequel has really left A LOT to be desired and, for the price point, I don't think it's worth buying at all.

The graphics are only marginally better than the previous game (perhaps the smallest margin I've ever seen), and the editability and variety of buildings is much less than the previous game. In fact, I find the variety of buildings in this game appalling. The service buildings are generic and, in many cases, hideous. The same goes for the houses, and many of the apartment buildings too. It's like they took context studies from the greater suburbs of Wichita-- even some of the European buildings. Just absolutely terrible.

In Urban Design, we say "design for the city you want, not the city you have"-- and I wish the game designers considered this when they were making these lackluster, "C" grade building varieties.

The developers obviously rushed it to completion and gave us a low-calorie version with the intention of upselling us on expansion packs for any good content, but I think they went too far on this one. It's unreasonable to charge this amount for a game that is lacking this much, Buyer beware, you'd be better off sticking with the first game.

So, it was buggy before. crashing after quite a while of playing. Now, with the latest update, it is not starting at all

update for the game came and game crashed! not stable, very disappointed!

Total disaster. I wish they just removed node limits in Cities Skylines I and I would have a game for the rest of my life. But no, overgrown ego of the developers pushed them to create this total failure. Broken, boring, not scaleable. This game is not repairable, there is no way it will get better in the future... Don't buy!

My first ever thumbs down on steam. A full year after release and I still can't build a large city without the game speed moving at a crawl. Very very disappointing product.

Buy the OG Cities Skylines and Mass Transit. It's still the better city builder and you get everything on the Steam Workshop.

Also, don't forget about the "Worst rated DLC on Steam" fiasco. Rolling that DLC into the main game shouldn't let them off the hook. Paradox made this bed with their terrible DLC policy.

Bought the game.

Spend 1h30 building roads. Game Crashed. No save file.
Spend another 1h redoing everything. Game Crashed. Wanted to refund.... But too late. I passed the 2h marker.No save file.

Spend 2h building the road. Game Crashed.No save file.

10/10 for Game crashing and not saving your progress.

Still clearly missing the mark - their leadership team should be embarrassed, I feel sorry for the developers. This franchises created a gold mine and allowed greed to blow it completely to hell instead. Shame, great example of how a community and game should NOT be ran.

To put it fairly, Cities: Skylines II isn't bad because it's abandoned or given any false promises. But rather, this game was built on weak foundations and has been heavily misdirected to keep stacking on them. The disaster of CS2 is a combination of over ambition, terrible risk management and project planning. The past one year of work by devs have not addressed any of its fundamental flaws and they are now already trying to resume selling cosmetics for coins, which is why I have to add another thumb down for it.


CS2's key feature and improvement over CS1 is the much more diversified economy system with individual level citizen needs and more types of supply & demand. The bad news is this system has never worked. They started with embedding fake dummy figures to make it look functional, then, after being picked out by players, reworked the math two or three times (I lost count if we are at economy 2.0 or 3.0). It still does not work. And more crucially, players have little to no way to make it work.


There are only very limited micro management tools which makes 80% of the stat charts in the game pointless - you can stare at them, but there is no way to respond to them. What's the point of having dozens of industry types when I can't even assign a district or building to a specific industry? What's the point of having a patch to "give more salary to employees" instead of making it something adjustable (e.g. minimum wage or income tax rate) in the first place?

CS2 essentially introduced an overly complex model to replace what's trivial but working in CS1, to achieve the exact same goal - to generate district demands - but failed to provide enough tools to players to integrate it as part of gameplay. There are so many gaps and vacancies between this simulation and the actual gameplay, that are either reserved for DLCs or simply overlooked. However, instead of filling the gaps by providing more policy tools, more specialized city service types etc, the devs have only been cooking and recooking the math of the simulation... which is quite pointless.


This makes CS2 not qualify for a city simulation game. It's at best a scene building game that is no way worth $40. Adding on with the performance downfalls, the modding dramas, and the unending list of small bugs - all lead to the very same question: why would you release the game in 2023, if it is still not ready after one year?

Mail is still broken in the game, its all collecting at train cargo hub. My people cant get their TV Guides, its a damn mess. Still buggy and broken, real shame. Not something mods can fix, the game is fundamentally missing basic features found in the original.

The first game was awesome, but cities skylines 2 doesn't have 20% to offer from first game. Its highly unoptimised game, lacks content, lacks assets, full of crashes, has big maps but game lags as soon as you expand a bit even if you have high end pc .. Charging 50euro for unfinished and unoptimised game is unacceptable.

City Skylines 2: A Huge Step Backward!!!

I’ve been a dedicated fan of City Skylines 1, pouring over 1,200 hours into that game and thoroughly enjoying every moment of city-building and management. Naturally, I was excited for City Skylines 2, and despite the initial mixed reviews, I decided to give it a chance. After spending 250+ hours trying to immerse myself in this sequel, I can confidently say it’s been a MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT.

Last night was the FINAL STRAW. I played for about 4 hours, carefully building my city and manually saving my progress multiple times to ensure nothing would be lost. Yet, during my final save, the game CRASHED. I didn't check the game archive at the time, because that's the kind of thing I'm USED TO. (Well done, City Skylines 2 team—you’ve successfully conditioned players to lower their expectations and tolerate glaring mistakes as if they were just part of the package.) When I reopened it today, all my save FILES were COMPLETELY GONE. Everything I worked on vanished as if I had never played at all.

For a game that demands long-term planning and hours of investment, technical issues like crashes and save file corruption are UNFORGIVABLE. This is basic functionality, and the fact that such issues persist after the game’s launch is UNACCEPTABLE. While City Skylines 1 felt polished and reliable, its sequel feels like a rushed, buggy mess that UNDERMINES the player’s TRUST and PATIENCE.

Unless the developers address these critical issues immediately, I CAN NOT RECOMMEND City Skylines 2 to anyone. It’s A HEARTBREAKING STEP BACKWARD from a franchise I ONCE LOVED.

Put the mods back on workshop. Came out with cities 2 just have less base-game content, worse mod functionality, and over-all ruined the entire game! I bought it because I thought the free version on xbox was the problem, NOPE! I'll be getting a refund. I'll play the free version instead if I'm desperate enough

almost one year after its release, this game still has lots of bugs and crash issues. The game may crash at any stage by any cause without giving you a report. The content is not enough as the asset creator function is yet to work. CO may forget how CS1 got successful. Again, I will not recommend this game until the major issues have been solved --- current situation is not acceptable.

OCT24 they released the game buggy with very bad performance. missing modding,Map editor, asset editor. console release delisted. (also removed a ingame ad for being ''Controversial'')
Q4 2023 they released Beach Properties, Deluxe Relax Station.. the game doesn't have beaches still like the first game. do to Controversy they made the beach properties free. so already killed half the value for ''ultimate edition'' if there was any.
Q1 2024 Urban Promenades,Modern Architecture,Soft Rock Radio. delayed released.
Q2 2024 Bridges And Ports,Cold Wave Channel. delayed released.
(sometime later they released map editor,modding but no asset editor. some game fixes but major bugs still happening. with some major reworks to Gameplay)
Q4 2024 first ever Malware breach for 1 mod which was contained.
Q4 2024 they finally released Urban Promenades,Modern Architecture,Soft Rock Radio BUT the first expan is delayed to 2025 and console release is probably Dead do to all the issues still happening to the game, some region packs finally released for free. i think this game should be priced at 40$ or 30$ at best not 50$ or 90$ i have heavy doubt they will change the pricing or make due on this sequel.

they said cities1 will no longer be getting dlc or updates but released more dlc 18 months after saying that. XD great job guys, there not even free! Colossal Order just update cities1 game engine. u ruined the cities1 console release and its still very bad for parody to the pc version. the community and content creators are dissatisfied for what has gone on for 1 year so far.

When looking back at the original, the added value just isn't there. It runs poorly. I didn't want 16 times the detail, I wanted a better city builder with more genuinely interesting content, with the stuff I had in the previous game.

I've waited a year after release now to see if there has been any improvement from a performance standpoint and I can disappointingly say that little to no performance improvements have been made to the game in the past year. Getting the exact same poor performance on an i9 13900k with an rtx4090 with a hardlined watercooled system. Graphics and performance remain poor with awful pop-in with LODs and heavy stuttering + frame drops when scrolling around a freshly generated map.

Yes, the launch was terrible. Yes, their custom mod platform has malware. Yes, it took them over a year to get to a point where I would consider it playable. Yes, I will never ever pre-order a Paradox Game again.

Despite this, as it stands now, the game is a significant improvement over CS1. And I can now finally recommend this game.

I had high hopes for Cities: Skylines 2, but a year after release, it's clear this sequel doesn't live up to its predecessor. Despite promises of improvements, the game still struggles with major performance issues. Even on high-end PCs, frame rates tank when your city starts to grow—a core part of the game!

The charm and efficiency of the original Cities: Skylines are completely missing here. The new mechanics feel half-baked, and there’s no real innovation to justify this game’s existence. Worse, the modding community—which kept the first game alive—is left fighting against a buggy foundation.

Game is finally somewhat playable after a whole year after launch. It still has a long way to go and modding support is terrible. But time will show of it turns out better. Recommended it you have the money for it, otherwise wait another year.

game is still broken, lags after 20,000 population. RTX3060 16GB Ram and 5500X.
Avoid buying

This game still randomly crashes. After all of this time, still not stable. Save often.

This game is the definition of "awful" I would definantly not recommend this game if you are planning on spending money on this game you should excpect
bugs
game not starting
an unfinished game

Don't waste your money. Too many bugs. Demand makes absolutely no sense. Spent 8+ hours developing a city and all my time is wasted because the only demand that I can get is commercial. I have medical facilities, police, education, post, garbage etc all in green zones, happiness is max, population is trending up, but I CANNOT get demand for residential despite having built numerous amenities and lowering taxes to the point of offering to pay people to move in.

Now, with 45k+ residents, all my work is for nothing because every business that the city has demanded without any RES demand is now "Unable to find labor" - Demand screen says having OPEN JOBS will increase Residential Demand, I have not had residential demand since 4 hours into the city. Don't waste your time building a city up because the demand does not work and you will be left with massive labor shortages and a dying city.

CS2 has been out for over a year what we learned:

It's in an incomplete state.
the switch from steam workshop to Paradox mods has caused a crypto wallet stealing virus to be widely spread.
They are sort of listening to fans but are ignoring a ton of community concerns and requests
The other reviews cover the rest of the pros and cons of this game.

It's such a shame what happened here; so much promise and many good mechanics ruined by a false simulation and just shilling money from players.

Technical issues and poor performance, but then the constant broken promises by the devs, the release of DLC when the game was crippled (beach front houses without the ability to make a beach...) which was then made a free update. Latest thing is them forcing us to mod the game from their own site which in theory is fine, however there was malware contained in a mod meaning that players had an executable run when the game was started. They are now actively pointing players to download mods from their site with all the malware drama on-going... it just makes anyone lose faith.

Overall the game could have been great, I tried many times to enjoy it having bought on day 1 but after almost 100 hours I'm simply done. Won't be buying anything from them day 1 again, will wait a long time for issues to be ironed out (I wouldn't hold your breath with this one though, i think it's beyond help at this point)

Still some performance and tool limitations that can be frustrating at times; but overall it works well enough to enjoy and get many many hours of entertainment out of.

Could've used steam workshop, instead they had to force their proprietary mod launcher with malware.

I wanted to like CS2, but I can’t recommend it. The base game is boring, and you need mods to make it interesting and to fix basic glitches. Unfortunately, that led to my first-ever malware after 28 years of PC gaming, all because CS2 lacks basic protections—like two-factor authentication for mod uploads. Thankfully, the malware seems to only target crypto, which I stay away from, but that risk is too big to ignore. I am done with this game, and don't know if I will be back.

400hrs and....Great game. EXCEPT transit...{the root of the game} buses, trains, subways and trams all get stuck at some point in EVERY attempt to play. NOT MODDED or MODDED Transit somewhere somehow locks up and doesnt move. Rebuilding entire lines works for a small while then locks up.[Waste of time} Re routing lines, same. new paths, same. {ALL a great waste of time} Whats the point of a city game if the transit {the heart of any city above 25,000 people} bugs out. The game is very pretty. but is NOWHERE near the level of a game that Cities 1 is. Never have i seen a game where the previous version is a whole lot better. I dont know where Cities Skyline dropped the ball. They left Sim City to build a better city game and did so with Cities 1, And Now this game feels like a blown up, less cartoonized version of Sim City 3000. LAME!!! I want so badly to love this game. it has so much potential. but after it being out since oct 2023, and no fix to big problems i am fast losing faith in this franchise. To bad. This is one of my most favorite game. Getting real tired of spending all this money on stuff that DOESNT WORK.

DO NOT BUY THIS PISS POOR EXCUSE OF A GAME.

not only did paradox release the game completely unfinished, but they have failed to even come close to completing the game over a year later.

their terrible excuse of beachfront properties DLC had to be made free to players because it was SO unusable and added no substance to the game.

the final straw for me, and many others, was their usage of the PDX Mods platform, claiming it was safer than Steam Workshop and that it would be usable with console edition (which, by the way, they have never released and have abandoned since launch). this previous week (10/31), paradox announced that thousands of users who used a particular mod are at risk of malware and "need to change passwords" after allowing suspicious files on the PDX Mods platform and not using any screening tool for mod content. it is absolutely unacceptable because, not only did they provide very little info about the malware except for the file it is located in, but they also allowed so many players' data and systems to be put at risk and, frankly, that is not a company i want to have anything to do with.

just buy CS1. it is way better. spend the difference in price on some CS1 DLC, particularly park life, mass transit, parks & promenades, and campus life.

idk if my computer is bad bc the game lags. im at very low graphics. i only placed a water and sewage pump and some road

The potential is here for CS2 to become phenomenal. And although I do enjoy playing it, CS1 still has the advantage given the amount of time that has passed allowing there to be a plethora of updates, DLC and mods available for it. CS2 still has some distance to gain in those respects, but definitely don't rule it out. As the devs start matching the features from CS1 as well as building new features and in-game abilities, CS2 will be quite the superior city builder. I can understand the mixed player feedback right now, but watch this space.

The refusal of the devs to use the steam workshop has potentially exposed thousands of people to security breaches and malware all in an attempt to gain emails for marketing purposes. Not only was this greed it was also negligence to include anti-malware in their first party modding platform.
For shame Paradox for shame!

Cities: Skylines II is a promising game that has made significant improvements since its launch. However, it still falls short of its predecessor and the lofty expectations set by its developers.

The recent security breach, where malicious code was uploaded through the mod system, is a major setback. This incident highlights a serious lack of oversight and raises concerns about the developers' competence.

Given these issues, I have decided to uninstall the game. It's unfortunate to see such a potentially great game tarnished by poor development choices and security lapses.

Why use Steam Workshop when you can let a popular mod spread viruses on your own mod sharing platform?

Aside from all other (completely valid) complaints that other people have about the game, I'll touch on another issue that is less talked about.

The developers provided access to mods through their own in-game platform, Paradox Mods, instead of the already well established Steam Workshop. Their excuse was that this approach allowed for mods to be available on the console version as well; a reminder: said console version has not been released and has no foreseeable release date , all we know is that there's plans for it. Why not use the Steam workshop for now, then, instead of building a completely new mod delivery system whose development effort clearly detracts from the main goal of... you know... actually fixing the game's critical gameplay problems? Who knows. Nevertheless, yesterday they published a warning; a malicious file was detected in one of the most used mods on Paradox Mods , a security breach that just never would have happened on the Steam Workshop. They said that they were sorry about it and had already removed the file, but provided instructions for people who used the mod to run malware scans on their PCs because the mod with the malicious file stayed on the platform for a while.

That's right, folks, y'all can't even trust this game to be free of malware. For your own safety, just DO NOT BUY AND/OR INSTALL THIS GAME AND ESPECIALLY ITS MODDING FEATURES. Trust me, it's not worth it, the other aspects of the game suck too and they are not dedicating enough resources to make it good. Just save your money and go play the first game.

Have a good one.

Insecure modding platform that distributes Malware. Game is bland and not very fun without mods.

The game is flawed, but it is also the best of its class. This is all we've got, at least for now. I love the ambition of the game. Hopefully the coding will soon live up to it.

I loved Cities 1 and bought all the dlc. Moving to Cities 2 i believed most of the dlc would be part of the base game which it is not. Worse than that the game is full of bugs and delays that make it impossible to enjoy at the same level as cities 1 currently. Lastly the fact that they keep delaying the already paid for content i have been missing based on the launch info irritates me but nothing makes me more mad then seeing more new dlc for cities 1 when cities 2 is dead in the water. I wish i could refund this and wait 5 years like i did with cities 1.

So sad, still not running smoothly and still randomly crashing. Would love to play the game :( my over 200 hours in the game since launch were full of fun and tears...

I would rate this a 6 (out of 10).
It is a decent game, but leaves you with some wants, some dissapointing discoveries down the line. I'll try to sum up mine, but here is a summary:
It desperately needs some improvements, although it has come a long way. Improvements mainly on performance, simulation and content, about everything.

Traffic simulation

Traffic customisation

Early economy

Difficulty

Improvement buildings

Cim simulation

Just finished playing 99 hours and I love this game. This is my FIRST computer game (I'm old) and I'm truly enjoying my time in Cities Skylines II and looking forward to what will be offered next.

Good game if it didn't CRASH CRASH AND CRASH.... My PC spec is top so totally down to the game... Always riddled with issues from the start, like most games now half finished mess priced like a finished product...

This game still lacks a lot of of basic things and feels unfinished. But I have to admit, I haven't played CS1 since I got this game. Overall, I like it.

This game is just a masterpiece of disaster, if you can even call it that. From the breathtaking glitches that transport you directly into frustration land to the awe-inspiring lack of basic features that make you wonder if the developers forgot what gamers actually need, this game truly has it all.

Picture this: you’re trying to build your dream city, meticulously placing each building and road with care. You envision bustling streets filled with happy citizens and vibrant nightlife. But then, in a split second, it happens—your progress disappears into thin air, like some cruel magic trick. One moment you’re crafting a masterpiece, and the next, you’re staring blankly at a screen that seems to mock your efforts. It’s infuriating!

The attention to detail—or rather, the lack thereof—in the broken mechanics is truly a sight to behold. It’s almost like the game developers aimed for the stars and instead landed somewhere in a black hole of disappointment. Traffic management? Good luck with that! Watching cars piled up in nonsensical grids is like observing a trainwreck in slow motion, yet you can’t look away. And don’t even get me started on the pathfinding issues! It’s as if the citizens of this virtual world suddenly forgot how to read a map or navigate their own city.

Let’s not forget about the buildings themselves. You’d think in a game focused on city-building, developers might prioritize creating functional and engaging structures. Instead, you’re greeted with an assortment of awkwardly placed skyscrapers that float in mid-air and roads that suddenly end without warning. It’s like they threw a handful of blocks together and hoped for the best, neglecting the charm that could’ve been inherent in a city builder.

Another ‘charming’ feature of City Skylines 2 is its performance issues. On high settings, you might think you’re looking at a magnificent skyline—until the frame rates plummet and the game becomes unplayable. It’s a stark reminder that eye candy is useless if the gameplay can’t deliver. You find yourself squinting at the screen, praying for a miracle as you try to manage a city that’s falling apart at the seams.

The icing on the cake has to be the charming lack of customer support. You send out cries for help into the void, only to be met with silence. It leaves you stranded in the mess they’ve created, feeling more alone than ever. Gamers often share a sense of community, but in the case of this game, you can't help but feel abandoned. It’s troubling when the very people who should be supporting you seem utterly disconnected from the experience.

And then there are the updates—or lack thereof. One would expect that developers would actively work to fix glaring issues. Instead, it feels more like they’re focusing on adding shiny new features rather than addressing the fundamental problems plaguing the game. You find yourself wishing they would take a step back, refocus on the core elements that make a city-builder enjoyable, and spend a little less time chasing after flashy ideas.

In this chaotic landscape, you can’t shake the feeling that the developers have lost sight of what makes city-building games enjoyable. City Skylines 2 should be a canvas for creativity, allowing players to cultivate and shape their virtual worlds. Instead, it’s more like a minefield of frustration, where each step leads to another unwelcome surprise.

So, what’s the verdict? City Skylines 2: Who needs functioning gameplay when you can have a virtual nightmare instead? It’s a harsh realization, one that leaves you wondering if it’s still possible to create the city of your dreams within a game that feels like it has forgotten its purpose. For every thrill of creating a new urban experience, there’s an equal measure of despair waiting just around the corner, ready to derail your efforts at a moment's notice.

In the end, one can only hope for the day when City Skylines 2 will rise from this quagmire of frustration to become the game it was meant to be. Until then, it remains a bittersweet reminder of unrealized potential, a frustrating journey filled with far too many pitfalls and far too few victories. Here’s to hoping for better days ahead—not just for the game, but for all who dare to dream of building their perfect city.

Make it assertive
**Oh, City Skylines 2... Where do I even begin?**

This game stands out as an absolute masterpiece of disaster. It exemplifies the very essence of frustrating gaming experiences, combining breathtaking glitches with a shocking absence of fundamental features that players expect. This isn't just a game gone wrong; it's a glaring oversight by its developers.

Imagine this: you’re painstakingly constructing your dream city, placing every building and road with precision, envisioning a vibrant metropolis. Suddenly, without warning, your progress vanishes into thin air, as if a cruel magic trick has played out right before your eyes. One moment, you’re building a sprawling urban landscape; the next, you’re left staring at a screen that openly mocks your efforts. It’s infuriating, and it should not be the norm.

The attention to detail—or rather, the utter lack of it—in the game’s mechanics is astonishing. It feels as if the developers set their sights on the stars yet somehow landed in a black hole of disappointment. When it comes to managing traffic, good luck! Watching cars become ensnared in nonsensical grids is like witnessing a train wreck; it’s both baffling and infuriating. And let’s be clear: the pathfinding issues are unacceptable. It’s as though the citizens of this virtual world have collectively forgotten how to navigate their own city.

Similarly, the design of the buildings is laughable. One would expect a game centered on city-building to feature engaging, functional structures. Instead, we’re met with poorly positioned skyscrapers that float inexplicably and roads that dead-end without so much as a hint. It’s as if the developers tossed a handful of blocks together and hoped for the best, completely neglecting the charm that should be at the heart of any city builder.

Performance issues also plague City Skylines 2. On higher settings, you might initially be impressed by the skyline—until the frame rates drop and render the game unplayable. Eye candy means nothing if the core gameplay is broken. You find yourself squinting at the screen, desperately hoping for a miracle as you try to manage a city that’s unraveling before your very eyes.

Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of all is the total absence of customer support. Reaching out for help feels pointless when you’re met with silence. It’s unacceptable to feel abandoned in a game rife with problems. Gamers expect a level of community support, and it’s troubling when the very people who should be addressing these concerns seem completely disconnected from the player experience.

You need a supercomputer to run this game. Even if you have one, it still isn't as good as the original.

All they had to do was make the original with better graphics. Colossal screw up.

It's a shame this game was released in such a broken state. Things have gotten better, but it's still a performance nightmare with a not enough content. I put over a hundred hours in it, and I regret that. The bones of the base game are better than CS1, but it just needs more time in the oven and more features in the base game.

I also really resent that Paradox saw fit to release it when they did. It's emblematic of a company that doesn't respect its customers and willfully ignores what its devs are likely telling management.

As a huge fan of the first Cities: Skylines, which—despite becoming a classic Paradox DLC cash grab—still worked and worked well across the board, I had high hopes for the much-anticipated sequel. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Cities: Skylines 2.

The game is plagued by endless bugs that seem to multiply with every patch. Every "fix" only introduces more issues, leaving the game barely functional. The so-called "Economy 2.0" update? A joke. All it does is give you slightly less starting money, nothing more. The game has been out for almost a year, and we're still missing basic features like hotels. And when you ask about it on the forums, the developers respond with cheery emoticons, telling you to turn on developer mode and manually install them yourself.

Are you kidding me? You can't fix something this simple? Do you even realize that the only reason people didn’t refund your game in the first 20 minutes is because they trusted you? And what did you do? You slapped us in the face. Honestly, I feel like a clown for sticking with this mess for 184 hours, hoping you'd finally get your act together.

Screw you, Paradox. You've earned it.