Cities: Skylines 2
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Cities: Skylines 2
Even with some of its shortcomings, Cities: Skylines 2 delivers an extremely deep and content-rich city simulator that genre fans will definitely want to check out. It should once again remind fans why Colossal Order is the perfect studio to lead the urban city-building genre after the failings of the SimCity franchise. However, it is also hard to look past the fact that this game is launching with less content than the original game currently has. Couple that with the limitations the districts have and the lack of the custom-building tools that players loved in the original, and the game feels like it is being held back a bit at launch. Much of this may be fixed with post-launch updates, but right now, it feels like a pretty glaring omission.
Cities: Skylines 2 is an ambitious sequel that might have bitten off more than it can chew – be prepared to do a lot of terraforming if you don't want your metropolis to look like a nightmare.
The city builder sequel is packed with big improvements but a fair share of disappointments.
The game isn’t unfinished, it’s just unpolished, unhoned, unrefined. It’s still a gem, though.
It's going to take a lot of improvement to get this sim into an acceptable form
Quantifying the nuance of Cities: Skylines II isn’t easy. As I dig deeper into its complicated systems, more and more exciting features are still coming into focus. The sequel is ambitious and wants players to juggle hundreds of considerations as they build towards Elysium, and it delivers in that aspect. Yet, unfortunately, the game’s consistent technical problems tend to mire that calculated success.
This is an excellent sequel, and an exciting foundation for what I’m sure will be a bright, addition-packed future.
If you have the patience to work through the kinks and revel in the satisfaction of constructing and managing a thriving metropolis, Cities: Skylines II is worth your time. The game shines in areas like dynamic weather changes, the demand and supply system, financial management, and the revamped traffic system, all of which contribute to an immersive and challenging city-building experience.
Industry Coverage
Cities: Skylines 2 Provides Update on Console Versions and Content
Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order shares a disappointing update on the game's console release, patches, and new content packs.
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Cities: Skylines 2 Console Port Delayed Indefinitely Over "Unresolved Issues"
Cities: Skylines 2's console port is missing its October 2024 launch window. There's no new release date in sight.
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