Cities Skylines

15 August 2017 (PlayStation 4)

13 September 2018 (Nintendo Switch)

***Cities: Skylines*** is a city building simulation developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive. *Cities: Skylines* was released for digital distribution on Steam for Windows, OS X and Linux. The Xbox One and Windows 10 version was released on 21 April 2016. The PlayStation 4 version was released on 15 August 2017, and the Nintendo Switch version was released on 13 September 2018.

## Features

As the main game of the franchise, *Cities: Skylines* offers the basic features to construct a typical, thriving city.

* **Multi-tiered and challenging simulation**: As the mayor of the city, cities will be faced with the basic necessities to become a thriving city, such as education, safety, fire, water and sewage, and healthcare.
* **Extensive local traffic simulation**: Traffic is well-crafted and simulated to portray a bustling city.
* **Districts and policies**: Areas can be assigned districts and apply policies to alter the behaviour.
* **Extensive modding support**: Through the Steam workshop, modders can create and share their creations to expand the creativity.

## Expansion packs

### *After Dark*

*Main article: After Dark*
*After Dark* is the first expansion pack announced for *Cities: Skylines*. *After Dark* revolves around nightly activities, such as leisure and luxury, increased criminal activity, and the day and night cycle.

### *Snowfall*

*Main article: Snowfall*
*Snowfall* is the second expansion pack announced for *Cities: Skylines*. The central focus of *Snowfall* introduces the weather system, including rain, fog, and snowfall. New transportation methods are introduced, such as tram lines. Snowplow services can maintain the shape of the roads to keep traffic flowing. Water-based heating systems can meet demands for warmth.

## Additional content

### Digital Deluxe Edition

The Digital Deluxe Edition can be purchased separately or together with *Cities: Skylines*. The Digital Deluxe Edition requires the main game. The content pack contains five real-life historical monuments:

* Arc de Triomphe
* Brandenburg
* Eiffel Tower
* Grand Central
* Statue of Liberty

The deluxe edition also includes fourteen unique soundtracks and a digital art book containing 32 hand-drawn concepts behind the buildings.

### Match Day

On June 9, 2016, a new free downloadable content became available. *Match Day* included a football stadium, football match mechanics, new policies, new chirps, and a new hat for Chirper.

### Pre-order content

The pre-order content was only available to those who have purchased *Cities: Skylines* prior to the release of the game. As of June 2016, all five parks became available in the base game content.

The pre-order content included:

* Five parks
	+ Basketball court
	+ Botanical garden
	+ Bouncy castle
	+ Dog park
	+ Merry-go-round
* Digital postcards
* Concept art book

## System requirements

Please do also note that Cities: Skylines is also available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.

* Windows
* Mac OS X
* SteamOS + Linux

**OS**: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.0GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+, 3.2GHz
**Memory**: 4 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 5670, 512 MB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**DirectX**: Version 9.0c
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space
**OS**: Microsoft Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core i5-3470, 3.20GHz or AMD FX-6300, 3.5Ghz
**Memory**: 6 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**DirectX**: Version 11
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space

**OS**: OS X 10.9 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.0GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+, 3.2GHz
**Memory**: 4 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 5670, 512 MB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space
**OS**: OS X 10.10 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core i5-3470, 3.20GHz or AMD FX-6300, 3.5Ghz
**Memory**: 6 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space

**OS**: Ubuntu 12.04 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core 2 Duo, 3.0GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+, 3.2GHz
**Memory**: 4 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 5670, 512 MB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space
**OS**: Ubuntu 14.10 (64-bit)
**Processor**: Intel Core i5-3470, 3.20GHz or AMD FX-6300, 3.5Ghz
**Memory**: 6 GB RAM
**Graphics**: nVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB (Does not support Intel Integrated Graphics Cards)
**Network**: Broadband Internet connection
**Hard Drive**: 4 GB available space

## Reception

Upon release, *Cities: Skylines* received "generally positive" reception from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. IGN awarded the game a score of 8.5 and said "Don’t expect exciting scenarios or random events, but do expect to be impressed by the scale and many moving parts of this city-builder." Destructoid gave the game a 9 out of 10 with the reviewer stating, "*Cities: Skylines* not only returns to the ideals which made the city-building genre so popular, it expands them. I enjoyed every minute I played this title, and the planning, building, and nurturing of my city brought forth imagination and creativity from me like few titles ever have." *The Escapist* gave *Cities: Skylines* a perfect score, noting its low price point and stated that despite a few minor flaws, it is "the finest city builder in over a decade."

*Cities: Skylines* is banned in China. A ban was ordered in early 2020 by the Chinese government in response to the playerbase recreating cities of independent Hong Kong, Macau, Lhasa and Urumqi in protest against the Chinese Communist Party's in the 2019 Hong Kong protests and the mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims.

## References

1. ↑ Cities: Skylines. *Paradox Interactive*.
2. ↑ Cities: Skylines After Dark. *Paradox Interactive*. 8 August 2015.
3. ↑ "Cities: Skylines Snowfall". *Paradox Interactive*. 19 January 2016.
4. ↑ *Cities: Skylines* Deluxe Edition. *Paradox Interactive*.
5. ↑ Pre-order on the main website. *Paradox Interactive*.
6. ↑ "CO word of the week #12 - 23/2016 + Patch notes 1.5.0". *Paradox Interactive*. 8 June 2016.
7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `metacritic`
8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ign_review`
9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Destructoid`
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Escapist`