Cities: Skylines II promised to be the ultimate city-building experience—deeper simulation, living economies, and unprecedented scale. Two years after its rocky 2023 launch, is it finally worth your money? The answer is complicated.

The Vision vs. The Reality

On paper, Cities: Skylines II is everything fans wanted. The simulation is more detailed than ever, with individual citizens living complete lives from birth to death. The expanded map size lets you build sprawling metropolises that dwarf the original game. The graphics are genuinely stunning, and the road-building tools represent a significant upgrade. When everything clicks, it’s incredibly addictive—the kind of game that makes sunlight feel like a distant memory.

The Technical Nightmare

Here’s the problem: stability remains wildly inconsistent. Some players report butter-smooth performance with zero bugs. Others face constant crashes, service vehicles that refuse to leave stations, and mysterious performance drops even on high-end hardware. The game’s transition to Iceflake Studios in January 2026 offers hope, but fundamental issues persist more than two years post-launch.

The DLC Controversy

Following Paradox’s typical playbook, Cities: Skylines II has introduced multiple DLC packs while core bugs remain unfixed. Features that feel essential are locked behind paywalls, frustrating players who paid full price for what still feels like an incomplete experience.

System Requirements Are Serious

Don’t expect miracles from older hardware. The recommended specs include an RTX 3080 and 16GB RAM, yet even powerful rigs can struggle with large cities. The 60GB storage requirement is also substantial.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re a die-hard city builder fan with patience and modern hardware, Cities: Skylines II offers moments of brilliance. However, many veterans recommend waiting for more patches or sticking with the feature-complete original. The game is improving, but it needed another year in development before release.

Links:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/949230/Cities_Skylines_II/#app_reviews_hash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdD66WGBVHM