Cities: Skylines

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2115 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,829 out of 2115
  2. Mixed: 202 out of 2115
  3. Negative: 84 out of 2115
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  1. TrilobiteG
    May 17, 2015
    8
    For a city building game, this is the best out there. Cities XL and Simcity don't even come close to this 'not too simple and not too complicated' building experience. You can mod practically any aspect of this game. The maps are wonderfully detailed and the nature of how to build water systems and train lines is so easy to learn you'll have a replica of the London underground in a day. IfFor a city building game, this is the best out there. Cities XL and Simcity don't even come close to this 'not too simple and not too complicated' building experience. You can mod practically any aspect of this game. The maps are wonderfully detailed and the nature of how to build water systems and train lines is so easy to learn you'll have a replica of the London underground in a day. If you're a fan of sandbox games and city building games (coming from someone with not a huge like on city builders) you will love this!… Expand
  2. TonyKontana
    May 17, 2015
    10
    Отличный симулятор которому не хватает совсем немного до идеала. Маст хэв для фанатов.
  3. CakeFox
    May 16, 2015
    9
    Very nice game, lovely made, nice features and an amazing modding community.
    SOmetimes the polygon count is to low, but generally its a fine peace of work.
    Have fun playing it.
  4. tsakiym
    May 14, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  5. biert
    May 13, 2015
    8
    If you look at city builder games you have Simcity as the inventor of the genre but since the last game in that series they left a gap to be taken by another game series. Paradox Interactive might arguably still not have created a game which does everything right, but the things it does it does well. The core mechanics work fine and good. The only thing that makes it really difficult afterIf you look at city builder games you have Simcity as the inventor of the genre but since the last game in that series they left a gap to be taken by another game series. Paradox Interactive might arguably still not have created a game which does everything right, but the things it does it does well. The core mechanics work fine and good. The only thing that makes it really difficult after you basic city is getting the traffic under control. For all the city builder games I played this has enough depth to be interesting but is not over complicating things either.

    Besides the basics what makes this game truly stand out over the product EA created is the ability to create and use mods with the game. This makes the experience better and creates a lot of good will in the player community.

    Overall I really appreciate the product that has been created and truly enjoy playing city builder games again. Almost thought this was a lost art but then Paradox came and showed us how it is done.    … Expand
  6. Estroyer
    May 10, 2015
    9
    As a long time sim fan I was skeptic after I bought this game. Because surely, no one could possibly bypass the original Simcity? My skeptic mood faded within minutes after launching the game!
    Game play feels very intuitive and so do the mechanics. The details are stunning so zooming in and hopping along with your citizens to drive through town is a great experience.
    I haven't been able    As a long time sim fan I was skeptic after I bought this game. Because surely, no one could possibly bypass the original Simcity? My skeptic mood faded within minutes after launching the game!
    Game play feels very intuitive and so do the mechanics. The details are stunning so zooming in and hopping along with your citizens to drive through town is a great experience.
    I haven't been able to feel this level of game addictiveness in years!
    There are still things that leave room for improvement, but to me those are small issues as the base game is really great!

    - I feel there could be a bit more variety in buildings
    - The pastel colors of the vehicles tend to give it a sugary childish look
    - Not all road and rail tracks bends have textures
    - Chirper is annoying and doesn't seem to add anything to the game
    - No tunnels -yet- (they are working on it though)
    - Addictive

    + Option to activate mods and assets in-game
    + Very intuitive
    + Highly detailed
    + Roads are easy to place and don't have many restrictions
    + Back to basic: this is what playing a sim game should be all about!
    + The district option is a very helpful feature
    + Huge maps
    + Addictive    … Expand
  7. Irresisti
    May 9, 2015
    10
    Truly the greatest City simulation game I ever played. Hats of to the developers. I really enjoy playing this game. The future looks bright with updates to come
  8. ireviewthings1
    May 8, 2015
    10
    The game itself is a 8.5
    It's a wonderfully fun city builder that doesn't do anything wrong.
    I give it a 10 because: - it is only 30 bucks - it is actively supporting community created content. ( you can fly helicopters first person now through your city for christ's sake!) - it is a big huge F you to anything that is wrong with triple A publishers and their ever growing    The game itself is a 8.5
    It's a wonderfully fun city builder that doesn't do anything wrong.

    I give it a 10 because:
    - it is only 30 bucks
    - it is actively supporting community created content. ( you can fly helicopters first person now through your city for christ's sake!)
    - it is a big huge F you to anything that is wrong with triple A publishers and their ever growing anti-customer behaviour

    Cities: Skylines is a love letter to the genre, to gaming, to gamers and it's customers. And it is a PC exclusive!    … Expand
  9. abraham_b
    May 4, 2015
    9
    This is what SimCity aspired to be and this is what we expected it to be. Absolutely brilliant; probably the best city-building game since SimCity 4. You can build huge cities and can play offline. These two points alone already make it a better game than the latest SimCity.
  10. Toffenuff
    May 3, 2015
    9
    This is what SimCity 5 should have been. Cities: Skylines is better in pretty much every aspect, with the biggest points for me coming from: full modding support, editors, offline-play, working systems, and massively bigger city sizes. I love this game and have already sunk several dozen hours into it.
  11. Batman529
    May 2, 2015
    10
    This game is AMAZING buy it now I've put many hours inside this game

    PROS:The map is able to be really big and cities are really inventive and good looking the graphics are really awesome and good mods for this game are really like modification and add a lot to the game it really feels like your building a real city with real problems CON: traffic is a really big deal in    This game is AMAZING buy it now I've put many hours inside this game

    PROS:The map is able to be really big and cities are really inventive and good looking

    the graphics are really awesome and good

    mods for this game are really like modification and add a lot to the game

    it really feels like your building a real city with real problems

    CON: traffic is a really big deal in this game so most of your time is building roads

    when your building any spacial building(schools parks etc) all your see is Slope to steep height high etc

    Summary if you have been a fan of sim city but was disappointed by the new one this is the game for you    … Expand
  12. ZacharyE
    Apr 21, 2015
    0
    This game is fun. But there are huge issues with the save feature. Steam sync does not work. Saving to your computer does not work either. No point in playing a city building game when your cities all disappear over night.
  13. Junambo
    Apr 21, 2015
    6
    I will start by saying this is much better than the latest Sim City, as the map size is thankfully large enough to build your city the way you want to, and there are no immediately recognizable bugs like the traffic bugs in Sim City. Cities: Skylines is great for a relaxing time while watching your city slowly expand while building a few roads here and there.

    Much of the fun kind of    I will start by saying this is much better than the latest Sim City, as the map size is thankfully large enough to build your city the way you want to, and there are no immediately recognizable bugs like the traffic bugs in Sim City. Cities: Skylines is great for a relaxing time while watching your city slowly expand while building a few roads here and there.

    Much of the fun kind of stops there, though, as there are not any real obstacles to overcome. Crime, fires, health issues, and even economic problems, which would normally be fairly decent threats and the main source of difficulty in city-builders, simply don't pose as an issue.

    Another huge issue is that the sound quality is terrible. When zoomed out enough to actually see the majority of your city, an extremely annoying wind sound plays endlessly. The music is also sub-par, which is not what you want in a game in which you spend most of your time watching things build up. Essentially this game is best played on mute while Pandora plays in the background.

    Overall, the game is nice for a glorified ant farm, but in the end its true value lies almost entirely in the fact that is a much-improved version of Sim City. Those who are really interested in city builders will be pleased, but most other gamers might want to set this one aside at least until it goes on sale.    … Expand
  14. NawScoper
    Apr 19, 2015
    10
    This game is the best city builder ever made. Way better than SimCity 2013, and for half the price. No multiplayer problems. No DRM. Just awesome city-building fun.
  15. krekozavr
    Apr 18, 2015
    9
    R.I.P. SimCity 4:D New king is here, this game is just better in almost everything. Map size is amazing, different mods and a lot of stuff here. New simcity must be really good to beat that.
  16. jherek52
    Apr 14, 2015
    10
    The King is Dead ............. Long Live The King!

    EA step aside, an epic game made very clearly for gamers by gamers. Everything Sim City 5 could never have been.
  17. replica17
    Apr 13, 2015
    10
    All that Sim City was should have been. Everything works smooth, there is already loads of custom assets, maps etc on steam to be downloaded with just one click. No crashes and i haven't seen a single bug yet.

    Must buy!
  18. Sgfrid
    Apr 12, 2015
    9
    This is the city builder we have all been waiting for since the first PC was born. Seriously great building tools and the graphics are just perfect for this kind of game. I can't praise this game enough!
    And this is just the original game. The modding capabilities are so vast and fun. Even if you don't mod yourself there are so many great intersections and buildings you can download from    This is the city builder we have all been waiting for since the first PC was born. Seriously great building tools and the graphics are just perfect for this kind of game. I can't praise this game enough!
    And this is just the original game. The modding capabilities are so vast and fun. Even if you don't mod yourself there are so many great intersections and buildings you can download from other players. For this price it should be an instabuy to everyone who ones a capable PC or Mac!    … Expand
  19. daddyaddy95
    Apr 11, 2015
    7
    As a big fan of Sim City 4 Deluxe, this game proved to be a much more in depth take on the city building genre. The complex blend of ways to utilize nearly every facet of the games core, from trash and waste removal to roadway efficiency really took the game to a whole new level of detail never achieved by any of the genre's predecessors. I'll try my best to sum up the highs and lows asAs a big fan of Sim City 4 Deluxe, this game proved to be a much more in depth take on the city building genre. The complex blend of ways to utilize nearly every facet of the games core, from trash and waste removal to roadway efficiency really took the game to a whole new level of detail never achieved by any of the genre's predecessors. I'll try my best to sum up the highs and lows as quickly as possible.

    Highs: The greatest part about the game came from the overall challenge presented to the player. To build a successful city, strategic planning of roadway infrastructure and municipal utilities must be planned out way in advance to optimize their efficiency and improve the city's bottom line. A lot of development went in to the dynamics of the entire system, and there are always ways to make the city better. Furthermore, problems that arose frequently needed a well thought out solution that pushed the player's wit instead of using temporary solutions to fix them to simply keep a positive budget. These features made the game fun and continued to make the game more interesting.

    Lows: With all the complexity that the game presents, the balance of all these components is terribly skewed. One example is the facilitation of deceased citizens needing a final resting place (i.e. cemetery), which albeit a true complication in real life, was way too exaggerated in the gameplay. Often times the city required more cemeteries and crematoriums than landfills and incinerators, and the problem never ceased to pester the overall success of the city. On the other hand, power grids and total power output never seemed to be a problem, and the solutions, like whether to use renewable energy or fossil fuels, fell more towards the former whose benefits were greatly exaggerated and whose limits severely undermined. The overall balance of the game forced the player to focus too greatly on too many points that were moot at best when compared to the real world, and focused too little on real world scenarios that would add a meaningful transparency between the real world and simulation.

    Conclusion: Despite its balancing and lack of practicality, this is still a really good game. Many of these issues can be fixed in updates and certainly will with time. But the overall character of the game was much less than what I was expecting, and perhaps even scores par or slightly worse than Sim City 4 even with SC4's lack of complexity. For players looking for a very challenging and diverse mayor simulation, this is the game for you. For players looking to be the god of their city, you may want to keep your wallet closed.

    Interesting, but selectively unique: (7.4/10)    … Expand
  20. dissidify
    Apr 11, 2015
    10
    I didn't buy this game at launch due to Uni work load so i never experienced the initial Stat up bugs that have brought its score down. I have now heavily modded Skylines and I still have never experienced a crash or white screen. The game is so well optimised that with a population of 270K I rarely experience FPS drops (game only designed for use of 9 tiles, my 270K save uses about 18I didn't buy this game at launch due to Uni work load so i never experienced the initial Stat up bugs that have brought its score down. I have now heavily modded Skylines and I still have never experienced a crash or white screen. The game is so well optimised that with a population of 270K I rarely experience FPS drops (game only designed for use of 9 tiles, my 270K save uses about 18 tiles)

    What makes this game good for me is the game play style can be designed by you (the player)
    Do you like Tycoon games?
    You can maximize your city services and be in the green for money once you get to a high level of population at 12% taxes
    Do you like management games?
    Cities: skylines can be micro management intensive (if you want it to be) to have your city achieve maximum performance.
    Do you like Sandbox?
    Unlimited resources can be enabled and with the help of the Terraform Tool and tsunami mods you can build cities destined to die
    Do you like small details?
    The normal game play mode generates significant income when everything is optimised rather than maxed that allows for expensive detailing using the Tree Brush, the Terraform Tool and the vanilla road guides that allow for precise road layouts or free form unlocked from the grid. The amount of detail present in the game is insane. Take the time to observe the animations that cant even be seen clearly when zoomed out.

    The best part about this game is that it isn't finished, Paradox and Colossal were never expecting the game to sell as well as it has and they are pushing updates (not just patches) to improve on a near perfect game. Already seen a popular mod (Extended Road Upgrade) on the workshop made 'redundant' because it was implemented into the game! This is what I like to see.

    And for the hardcore SimCity Fans, This game captures everything that SimCity should have been and far more than could ever have been imagined (Props to the Flight Simulator mod)
    89 hours played and I haven't found a single minor problem with Cities: Skylines that isn't already fixed or highly likely to be fixed, it has been designed in a way to remove all problems by adding mod support. The modding community is continually improving a great game, Furthermore the mod creation tools used, are being improved and expanded with mods. Highly recommend an Auto save mod in case you cause a disaster in you city.    … Expand
  21. Einola
    Apr 9, 2015
    10
    I have not played this game, but I decided to give this game 10 points. Why? It felt right. Suomi mainittu, torilla tavataan. Sauna, karjala takaisin, vodka, melankolia, Juha Mieto, -95 PERKELE! Colossal Order.
  22. Protagonist72
    Apr 8, 2015
    9
    Love it. Biggest advantage of CS over Sim City is that you can build huge cities. I never had a problem with always on but these tiny mini cities made me nuts. Some stuff is not that good than in Sim City but most of it is better.

    8/10 but with the price point a 9/10
  23. Bribarian
    Apr 7, 2015
    9
    This is what SimCity 2013 should have been. The game is extremely addicting for the fact that you have the options to get bigger and expand, expand, and expand.

    All the better elements are there from the Simcity sims, managing traffic, zoning, etc.... My only complaint is the cartoony look of the game, which I assume is to help it run as smooth as possible, and the cities can look    This is what SimCity 2013 should have been. The game is extremely addicting for the fact that you have the options to get bigger and expand, expand, and expand.

    All the better elements are there from the Simcity sims, managing traffic, zoning, etc....

    My only complaint is the cartoony look of the game, which I assume is to help it run as smooth as possible, and the cities can look kind of generic and plain, whereas older sims had more way to spice it up. Hopefully with the mod community, it will make it much much better though.

    It's a solid addition to the genre overall.    … Expand
  24. Angelo0001c
    Apr 7, 2015
    10
    This is the best city-builder what i tryied. The map is great and expandible to 36km2 with a simple mod, The mod support is full and I can create Maps/Assets, share them and download other from steam workshop.
    The only things what i don't like is the lack of italian language.
  25. Dalekhunter
    Apr 6, 2015
    8
    This game is what Simcity should have been, it is a wonderful and charming game that stands on it's own merits.

    Although lacking some of the innovation of the 2013 simcity with it's multiplayer component, in addition, to lacking some level of destruction mechanic that is common in simcity, Cities; Skylines is a joy to play that nearly perfected most to all of the problems that haunted    This game is what Simcity should have been, it is a wonderful and charming game that stands on it's own merits.

    Although lacking some of the innovation of the 2013 simcity with it's multiplayer component, in addition, to lacking some level of destruction mechanic that is common in simcity, Cities; Skylines is a joy to play that nearly perfected most to all of the problems that haunted Simcity 2013. This game has full mod, Map and Asset Editor though in game editors and Steam workshop. Unfortunately there are negative aspects to the game, a tutorial would have been a pleasant addition as the game can become very complex and a UI that is not always obvious to a new player, also, the in game twitter can not be annoying and can not be disabled without mods.    … Expand
  26. tommakrwro
    Apr 4, 2015
    10
    The game is great, bur it's not the game itself that I love most. It's the creators way of handle things, the price is not ridiculously high, playing this game finally I don't have a feeling thai I'm being ripped off with micro transactions, DLC etc. ubisoft, ea and others watch and learn!!!
  27. arajand
    Apr 4, 2015
    10
    This game is worth a review and a score. Recognition where it is due. If you have never played city-building games before, or have never played a computer game before, this is for you.
  28. Underpants158
    Mar 30, 2015
    9
    What is this game?!: A city building game. You have four demands that keep you ever expanding your city and those are: residential zone demand, industrial zone demand, business zone demand, and services demand (being schools, hospitals, police, electricity, water, etc.)

    Pros: -The game does a good job at encouraging expansion. You never stagnant because there is always something to    What is this game?!: A city building game. You have four demands that keep you ever expanding your city and those are: residential zone demand, industrial zone demand, business zone demand, and services demand (being schools, hospitals, police, electricity, water, etc.)

    Pros:
    -The game does a good job at encouraging expansion. You never stagnant because there is always something to build. You can take out loans so if you don't have money saved but demands for zones or services you don't have to wait.
    -Roads Roads Roads Roads Roads. Everything revolves around round. Everything must border a road to be built. You also have traffic. Creating a blueprint for your city is 90% deciding what roads to build and how to connect everything so traffic doesn't get congested. If you are like me when you are driving in a city and curse at the city planner for nonsensical/impractical design you will be humbled by this game when you realize these little simulated folks are cursing your name just as vehemently.
    -You have population milestones that expand your technologies and give you a sizable monetary bonus.

    Cons:
    -When you zoom in the graphics look blurry. Like an out of focus photo but it's not really a big deal.
    -Some buildings require a certain population level in order to unlock/build. Like a forestry industrial zone. Why do I need a certain population to cut down trees? Thankfully you can turn this feature off and be able to build everything right from the beginning so even that is hardly a negative.

    Conclusion: The best at doing what is does plus you just know we are going to get expansion packs. it's a game worth playing.    … Expand
  29. VNVNation
    Mar 29, 2015
    10
    Apart from some very minor issues this is an almost perfect take on the city building genre. The graphics are reasonable, the sounds and music are non intrusive and the gameplay is spot on. UI is a little clunky but not a huge issue. But really the gameplay is what set's this apart, epic city building done right, and the extensive mods only add to the long term appeal. This is a 10/10 forApart from some very minor issues this is an almost perfect take on the city building genre. The graphics are reasonable, the sounds and music are non intrusive and the gameplay is spot on. UI is a little clunky but not a huge issue. But really the gameplay is what set's this apart, epic city building done right, and the extensive mods only add to the long term appeal. This is a 10/10 for me, no question.… Expand
  30. exotikras
    Mar 28, 2015
    7
    Amazing game and no EA :)
    But there is one annoying thing with road system. .. for some idiotic reason, you can't disable right turn where you want... that's frustrating and really bad for traffic.
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PC Game of 2015
13
#13 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
37
#37 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 60
  3. Negative: 0 out of 60
  1. PCWorld
    Jan 21, 2016
    80
    Cities: Skylines somehow lives up to the unfair expectations heaped upon it, presenting one of the best city builders in years.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Aug 12, 2015
    80
    Cities: Skyline is the game SimCity should have been: a great game and a greater base for modders.
    Read full review
  3. DarkStation
    May 27, 2015
    100
    This game managed to be everything I had hoped it would be and then some, with all the wonderful attention to little details and customization options. Fans of the genre wont want to miss this one.
    Read full review
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