Cities: Skylines 2 is now out in the wild and available to play on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. It was released on October 24, 2023, Cities: Skylines 2, and introduced several upgrades and new features building on its predecessor that are bound to impress players, new and old. Like the first simulation game, this sequel enables players to build a city and manage its economy and civilians in incredible detail.
If you're looking for a full breakdown of the game, then check out our Cities Skylines 2 review, but otherwise read on for a whole host of key information about the game, and a bunch of details and trailers we had to work with before it released.
Cities: Skylines 2: cut to the chase
- What is it: The second in the city building simulator series by Colossal Order
- When did it come out? October 24, 2023
- What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
- Who makes it? Colossal Order
Cities: Skylines 2 release date and platforms
Cities: Skylines 2 was released on October 24, 2023, on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. The release date was confirmed in a pre-order trailer that aired during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2023.
Cities: Skylines 2 trailers
Before the game's release, the below trailer was the best insight into in-game action we had, with it detailing the game's climates and seasons.
"Temperature and the amount of rain or sun affect citizens’ behavior when they are deciding if they want to use a park or indoor leisure activities", Colossal Order said in this trailer. "Temperature also realistically affects the city’s energy consumption with hot weather increasing the energy consumption as the city needs air conditioning to keep cool."
The new climate feature paved the way for natural disasters, which were previously only available in a DLC. Check out the trailer in full below.
However, Cities: Skylines 2 had lots of trailers and dev diaries prior to this which gave great insight into the game. You’ll find all of these on the official Cities: Skylines YouTube channel.
Cities: Skylines 2 gameplay
Cities: Skylines 2 offers a “deep simulation and a living economy”, according to the game's Steam page. “[That’ll] challenge your decision-making skills and allow you to build the cities of your dreams”, much like the first city-building game.
The game allows you to complete fully realized transport and economy systems and have more modding and customization options, including creating trade routes at your city limits. There's a complex AI pathfinding system that will give more realism to how citizens navigate your city and randomly generated natural disasters courtesy of the simulation title's realistic climate and season features.
There are also reforms to road systems, as vehicles will now use all lanes, preventing needless traffic, while there will also be varying levels of danger when navigating the roads. Delivery trucks and citizens will play it safe, while emergency vehicles are more likely to speed or do dangerous U-turns in traffic.
Cities: Skylines 2 news
Here's a look at the key bits of information we received about Cities Skylines 2 in the news before the game released.
Cities: Skylines 2 announcement
Colossal Order has announced the next installment of the much-loved city-building simulator game, Cities: Skylines 2. The first look at this anticipated sequel was shown off at the 2023 Paradox Announcement show as part of birthday celebrations for the original game.
Cities: Skylines 2 has robbed its younger generation for realism
One of the most interesting elements that stood out from Cities: Skylines 2 new dev diary was it's use of an AI pathfinding system. This new feature is infinitely more complex than Cities: Skylines one that operated solely on proximity. One of the biggest features of this new AI is that the younger citizens now have less money which will force them to make complex choices when navigating your city.
You can now build on a map 5 times bigger than before
The new map for Cities Skylines 2 now clocks in at 159km2 which is bigger than some countries and is actually the same size as Liechtenstein in central Europe. You can also build higher than ever before and create trade routes and your city limits for even more realism.
Realistic climates and seasons now bring natural disasters
Colossal Order has announced in a dev diary that Climate and Seasons will be getting a realistic overhaul in the sequel with some new brilliant features. Players can now enjoy new day and night cycles as well as seasons that are specific to their chosen region of the world. This also means natural disasters will play a significant role in the sequel.
Cities Skylines 2 successfully built on its predecessor with a ton of brilliant new features and updates, and it's one of the best simulation games in recent years.
