Cities XXL

 PC
User Score
1.8

Overwhelming dislike- based on 234 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 234
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 234
  3. Negative: 193 out of 234

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  1. oldbrokenlink
    Apr 10, 2015
    10
    sure its a bit dated and in need of some polishing, but in spite of all the negative reviews this is one of the best city builder out there, just check out xlnation.net and see what you can do with it that you cannot do with any other game of this type. gave it 10/10 to offset all the 0/10 reviews. its easily 7/10
  2. red_biplane
    Mar 31, 2015
    10
    Hands down the best city building game ever on the market. Makes all the rest look like children's games. Yes, it's familiar and I wish there was more new content. That doesn't change the fact that it towers over it's competition.
  3. RIchieh007
    Jul 19, 2016
    10
    Very good gameplay, with lost of things to keep me interested and with generaly ok graphics. This game however does lag when my cities become to large but apart from that there is no other negative points to be made.
  4. DeyvsonCaliman
    Sep 21, 2021
    10
    It's one of the city build games that I played the most in my life, I loved how we could produce something in one city to sell to another one. How we could produce water in one city and transfer it to another one that would produce oil, while another one would provide vacation spots and needed the preservation of nature. No other city builder of this type have so much resource management,It's one of the city build games that I played the most in my life, I loved how we could produce something in one city to sell to another one. How we could produce water in one city and transfer it to another one that would produce oil, while another one would provide vacation spots and needed the preservation of nature. No other city builder of this type have so much resource management, I tried to find others, but only this one will let you build an array of cities with each one filling the economic shortcomings of the others. It's a great game, I am even thinking about playing it again, since no other similar game ever came out, with this much interaction between cities.… Expand
  5. Octomort
    Dec 8, 2016
    9
    IF you do not own any of the previous versions of Cities this game is good! But, as the others say should have been sold as just an add-on, when it first came out. It is stand alone and i think the current version includes content from all the other cities releases.
  6. wutname1
    Feb 5, 2015
    7
    Focus Home has finally gotten around to fixing the engine! Only took 4 years but the game now has multi-core support. If you have been staying away from the series since the first ones horrible performance this is the first one that is worth another look.
  7. konjiki7
    Feb 6, 2015
    7
    I'm not one to buy into hype or tends so I decided to give the game a fair one.

    1. Placing roads and buildings is much easier and far less glitchy 2. The game performs much better then xl 2012 3. A few new buildings were added here and there 4. Time pasess slower in game 5. Steam workshop works well in this title Conclusion - It has a few new features and some bugs have been fixed.    I'm not one to buy into hype or tends so I decided to give the game a fair one.

    1. Placing roads and buildings is much easier and far less glitchy
    2. The game performs much better then xl 2012
    3. A few new buildings were added here and there
    4. Time pasess slower in game
    5. Steam workshop works well in this title
    Conclusion - It has a few new features and some bugs have been fixed. It's more of an expansion pack then new game.    … Expand
  8. Mcbogsters
    Feb 17, 2015
    7
    Is the game 100% new content - no. Much of the game is the same with a few new buildings mixed in and some changes to the GUI. However, with this iteration of Cities they have finally added multi-core support and Steam workshop integration. For me, spending $20 on a game I already liked to get workshop integration and multi-core support is well worth it. FHI has also announced currentIs the game 100% new content - no. Much of the game is the same with a few new buildings mixed in and some changes to the GUI. However, with this iteration of Cities they have finally added multi-core support and Steam workshop integration. For me, spending $20 on a game I already liked to get workshop integration and multi-core support is well worth it. FHI has also announced current owners of Cities XXL will get a free DLC to say sorry for any of the hurt feelings gamers may have. While many games seem to be hung up on the fact that this isn't a new game per say - let's not forget the Cities franchise is still one of the best city building franchises out there.… Expand
  9. Sinnuhe
    Dec 4, 2016
    6
    Sorry but I liked it, I gmae this game more and less 50/80 hours and I have 4 cities with 4 millions persons and I have a good experience. Is true that when you have 2 or 3 hours gaming the game is unplayed.... but is a good game :)
  10. notydino
    Feb 16, 2015
    5
    This is a great game. All city building enthusiast should try this game. Despite various frustrations, I still find myself sinking glorious hours into the game. So if you've never played this game before, you should get it. I highly recommend it.

    Below is a wall of text. But long story short As a an engineer I find that the developers are VERY lazy and very sloppy. Playing the game    This is a great game. All city building enthusiast should try this game. Despite various frustrations, I still find myself sinking glorious hours into the game. So if you've never played this game before, you should get it. I highly recommend it.

    Below is a wall of text. But long story short
    As a an engineer I find that the developers are VERY lazy and very sloppy. Playing the game gives you the impression they hadn't actually bothered with game testing. Every year they will slap a new label to it re-release it.

    The Pros
    1. FPS and responsiveness does not deteriorate much with big cities.The performance is bad on both empty and crowded maps. I consider consistency a pro.

    2. You can build stylish cities.

    3. Bridge and tunnel building is actually quite easy.

    4. Civis seem to drive to the park and ride to catch my metro stations. I hope this isn't a bug.

    5. Realistic pollution. There is no escape.

    6. Cheat options is available. No hacks required.

    Now a few gripes.
    1. The game has not changed much, in fact I liked the 2012 UI better. However, I am willing to pay the discounted price if only to get steam workshop support.

    2. Menu text are not centred.

    3. New UI looks like Microsoft paint boxes.

    4. Information overlays like contours/pollution etc disappears when you try to lay roads or build things. Making the overlay persistent should have been obvious.

    5. You have two bulldoze options, the singular option is often locked for no reason whatsoever and you have to wait a few seconds for it to unlock.

    6. High tier buildings require unlocking, the criteria to unlock this tends to disappear. It just says "require *blank space* more of this type of resource". So it's a guessing game.

    7. In blueprints, you have the option to search tokens, so you do. But when you return to blueprints, your newly sourced tokens are not updated. And when you refresh it by opening and closing the dialogue box, you have to manually drag each token to assignment. And it's not like you have a choice on how much of each resources you need to assign. So the whole process is rather tedious and pointless.

    8. The linear building option doesn't support curved roads. The free zone option only supports closed roads. The free zone also has a very limiting max size. There is no excuse for this restriction.

    9. Zoning farms and oil fields are tedious. I can think of 6 different ways this can be improved using existing features from other build options.

    10. Civis would rather take a 2-3 hour drive rather then take a 45min journey on the metro, AND THEY LIVE NEXT TO THE STATION. This calls their algorithm into question.

    11. Why can't I lay dead straight roads when laying house plots and intercity connections? Why can't I lay straight highways? Why can't I rotate clovers the way I want it?

    12. Pre-planning is impossible. You can't just put a bigger hospital down on top of houses. You have to demolish the house then plot it down. This require 6 clicks. Now consider this when introducing subways to an old city.

    13. You can't extend a subway line. You have to remove it and rebuild the line from the beginning. It's not hard, but I don't see why we can't have the option to extend existing lines.

    14: Park and ride cost too much. My subway line with the same length and coverage cost 50% less.

    15. Round abouts are tedious to install AND prevents bus and metro coverage. Roundabouts should be dynamic in size and offers a range of connection. You should be able to plop a round about into an intersection and it'll figure it out by magic...or math... or both.

    16. Where's the train? It says I have zero train connections. So where is the option to build it?
    17. Limited public transport and public buildings etc options. Shouldn't there be a small ferry option where I can connect island communities? Steam workshops should have solutions for this. 18. The beach pack is just a mess. And why are some of my items hidden? I have a population of two million!! (they aren't locked, they are hidden unless you enable expert mode) 19. Something is wrong when you have 16 power stations big and small plus one nuclear power plant and you still have electricity problems. 20. You can only select omnicorp in the right drop down menu. This makes trading multiple cities (which is the essence of the game) very tedious. Also, there HAS to be a better trading system. I don't see why I can't display a dozen cities and adjust them all in one single pop up page. Also, the trading system in the main menu (planet earth main menu) is glitchy. The game miscalculates trading all the time. It constantly shows that I owe omnicorp money and I need to refresh it by adjusting any resource tab.    … Expand
  11. Skitz
    Mar 11, 2015
    5
    Now lets be honest.

    The game is idd a reworked Cities XL. So the complaints are justified. This shouldnt be priced or presented as a new game. It should just be a DLC. Now that this has been stated lets look at the actual game. It is alot of fun, sure there are some bugs, sure its far from perfect, or even good. Its just very average. If you dont own Cities XL, this is actually    Now lets be honest.

    The game is idd a reworked Cities XL. So the complaints are justified. This shouldnt be priced or presented as a new game. It should just be a DLC.
    Now that this has been stated lets look at the actual game.

    It is alot of fun, sure there are some bugs, sure its far from perfect, or even good.
    Its just very average. If you dont own Cities XL, this is actually quite a nice game. Giving it a 0 like some people do is just anger and absolutely not honest. Matter of fact its as dishonest as what Focus Home Interactive did.

    Realistically, the game itself is quite alright. It lets you build a city, some features are good, some features are poor but overall its average. So that how it should be rated; as average.    … Expand
  12. Gamers_Rant
    Mar 6, 2019
    4
    I am a New Comer in the Cities Xl series and from what i've seen in my 5 hrs of gameplay the game has so much potential to be so much more but fails. It features an incredible host of options and game play mechanics when it comes to the whole City Building/Sim genre. However, no matter the number of updates, it still remains a mess plagued by technical issues. It has not been optimizedI am a New Comer in the Cities Xl series and from what i've seen in my 5 hrs of gameplay the game has so much potential to be so much more but fails. It features an incredible host of options and game play mechanics when it comes to the whole City Building/Sim genre. However, no matter the number of updates, it still remains a mess plagued by technical issues. It has not been optimized well and Lags upon reaching a big enough city size. The Traffic system cars use is insane and there aren't enough terrain editing options. There were fun moments of course , but eventually it found itself in my recycling bin.… Expand
  13. AnGoodCritic
    Mar 18, 2015
    3
    Bad Bad Bad. 3 for keeping 1minute of interest. Seriously worst then Bloons TD 5 i cant believe people like games like this also i think this game is copied
  14. Sawt00th
    Feb 6, 2015
    2
    Terrible game. The graphics are horrific. Still blocked traffic at certain draw distances, until you zoom in and can see actual models. Upgrading road networks still a horror show. There is very little progression as you can just splat down a lot of housing and even more industry and just keep topping up until they are happy. No real benefit to decorating or beautifying the surroundings.Terrible game. The graphics are horrific. Still blocked traffic at certain draw distances, until you zoom in and can see actual models. Upgrading road networks still a horror show. There is very little progression as you can just splat down a lot of housing and even more industry and just keep topping up until they are happy. No real benefit to decorating or beautifying the surroundings. Bus lines are still bugged. It's an abomination to be honest. Why they are charging people full price I will never know. It is worth a play through if you have never played the previous titles in the series, but do not be expecting to have fun. It's a chore.… Expand
  15. atikmahbub
    Feb 6, 2015
    2
    I played Cities Xl (last game) previously and i was sort of satisfied. Yesterday i got my anticipated Cities XXL and played for around 10hours before writing this. Believe it or not, i am planning to uninstall it cs it a total wastage of my disk space. It nothing but a small add-on or DLC which should not cost more than 4USD(my personal opinion), but they are charging a whole 39.99USD atI played Cities Xl (last game) previously and i was sort of satisfied. Yesterday i got my anticipated Cities XXL and played for around 10hours before writing this. Believe it or not, i am planning to uninstall it cs it a total wastage of my disk space. It nothing but a small add-on or DLC which should not cost more than 4USD(my personal opinion), but they are charging a whole 39.99USD at steam(dated 6th February,2015) for newcomers and a 50% off for Cities XL owners, which is in my view a complete BANK JOB.… Expand
  16. JessicaPatt27
    Feb 15, 2015
    2
    I wanted to try a game that seemed to have a lot of effort put into it, but that many people considered "terrible" and, well, yeah, there was a reason everyone thought this game just wasn't worth the time. My biggest issue is that the presentation of the game is misleading. I approached the game with an open mind but then, immediately, I felt cheated. So, do what I didn't initially do:I wanted to try a game that seemed to have a lot of effort put into it, but that many people considered "terrible" and, well, yeah, there was a reason everyone thought this game just wasn't worth the time. My biggest issue is that the presentation of the game is misleading. I approached the game with an open mind but then, immediately, I felt cheated. So, do what I didn't initially do: learn from others.… Expand
  17. milsy138
    Jun 7, 2015
    2
    I agree with all of the negative reviews for this game, is is ridiculous how much it costs for so little, there is almost no difference between Xl XXL at most is should maybe $5-10 for this, and it should be a expansion pack instead of a standalone.

    As much as I hate the price and the lack of new features, I must say some good things with this. The new engine does fix some lagging    I agree with all of the negative reviews for this game, is is ridiculous how much it costs for so little, there is almost no difference between Xl XXL at most is should maybe $5-10 for this, and it should be a expansion pack instead of a standalone.

    As much as I hate the price and the lack of new features, I must say some good things with this.
    The new engine does fix some lagging issues that are existent in XL and the interface is easier to use. An example bridges have there own section now and is easier and not as time consuming. The view options they have added a nice feature which allows you to change the look of the sky (Sunny, Cloudy) etc.

    But overall not worth buying your better off just keeping with XL    … Expand
  18. Izoeros
    May 10, 2022
    2
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  19. Borreh1973
    Feb 9, 2015
    1
    In short, this is not a new game. It's a patched thing. Cities XXL 'Frankenstein' is grotesque and has no soul. It's a creation of parts of their ancestors. If you are kind, will say this is a patch or DLC to heal the crap that came before.

    Focus Home Interactive should be banned after presenting this unfortunate contribution to the world of games.
  20. RamirezNL
    Feb 5, 2015
    1
    This game should not be sold since nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is the UI. They advertised that it would contain over 1000+ buildings, the game does not contain half of that. The company behind this game should be ashamed of what they release. It just another trick to earn simple and fast money.
  21. TheFamousLM
    Feb 10, 2015
    1
    I was really looking forward to this game. It's such a big disappointment. Even Simcity 2013 is better.
    This game may have bigger maps but I find it impossible to enjoy. The game turns out to be very boring. I couldn't play it more than an hour. Besides it is the same game I bought more than two years ago.
    Simcity is way better than this in every other aspect.
  22. 350gamesSince94
    Apr 1, 2015
    1
    They, as in the company who never made the game didn't fix the memory leak issues, and no effort went into it providing a more interesting city full of car accidents and natural disasters. Essentially I still believe this is better than that turd called the False Sim City reboot due to the BS we had toe deal with.

    If you like breaking your computers memory and playing the exact same    They, as in the company who never made the game didn't fix the memory leak issues, and no effort went into it providing a more interesting city full of car accidents and natural disasters. Essentially I still believe this is better than that turd called the False Sim City reboot due to the BS we had toe deal with.

    If you like breaking your computers memory and playing the exact same pile of manure that was sold 4 times like some god damned EA Sports game, than you will love this series. After all, that 200 extra buildings is worth full price right?    … Expand
  23. wightvader1
    Feb 5, 2015
    1
    The only difference in this game compared to the last one is the X in its name. It has the same horrible graphics, the same crappy character design, same cheesy music, same maps. Literally nothing has changed. I expected the developers to actually have dignity and change something in the 3 years they had to develop it, don't waste money on this, just buy one of the older cheaper games, itsThe only difference in this game compared to the last one is the X in its name. It has the same horrible graphics, the same crappy character design, same cheesy music, same maps. Literally nothing has changed. I expected the developers to actually have dignity and change something in the 3 years they had to develop it, don't waste money on this, just buy one of the older cheaper games, its exactly the same thing anyway.… Expand
  24. defiler007
    Feb 5, 2015
    1
    As I suspected, the only thing new about this game is the X in the title.
    They think it is very clever to fix the original game's bugs and then release the update as a new game and charge everyone good money for it.
    I currently am at a city of 150,000 and some gliches and delays have already started to occur.. just like in the orevious games but only a little better. I wonder what will    As I suspected, the only thing new about this game is the X in the title.
    They think it is very clever to fix the original game's bugs and then release the update as a new game and charge everyone good money for it.

    I currently am at a city of 150,000 and some gliches and delays have already started to occur.. just like in the orevious games but only a little better. I wonder what will happen if I reach 1 million people?
    Em.. no I don't wonder, I know, the game will become unplayable.    … Expand
  25. VitorCoala
    Feb 6, 2015
    1
    what the hell they have in their minds... it exactly the same **** as Cities xl it look like more a mod than a new game, can belive that they do it again and agai anda again since cities xl 2011
  26. hayhay7789
    Mar 16, 2015
    1
    Practically DLC and adds little functionality besides Steam Workshop support and multi-core support. Yet the game still lags like bloody hell on my i7. Focus, ya done goofed. Wave bye bye to your fans.
  27. Viljanen
    May 24, 2015
    0
    Just the same game republished once again. No matter the price tag, don't reward them with your money. Buy Cities Skylines instead if you feel like city building.
  28. maver
    Feb 5, 2015
    0
    Absolute zero. This should be a free update or 2$ DLC at least. There is only one difference to Cities XL - performance, rest is the same, and they added one "X" to the title.
  29. rolandsaul
    Mar 3, 2015
    0
    Yet ANOTHER blatant ripoff from Focus. These clowns have been repackaging the same broken game for 5 years now, claiming to have fixed it when in reality each repackaging does extremely little to improve the seriously broken engine. People keep getting suckered by the same old Focus sucker play, i guess as gamers we deserve to be treated with such contempt because we allow crooks like thisYet ANOTHER blatant ripoff from Focus. These clowns have been repackaging the same broken game for 5 years now, claiming to have fixed it when in reality each repackaging does extremely little to improve the seriously broken engine. People keep getting suckered by the same old Focus sucker play, i guess as gamers we deserve to be treated with such contempt because we allow crooks like this to be in business.
    How do we allow it? By not spreading the word about companies like this who spit on unsuspecting customers.    … Expand
  30. mlahor
    Feb 5, 2015
    0
    This is crap, this is NOT a NEW game and should NOT be sold as a stand-alone separate game from the others, this is stupid! At least before the games would be named Cities XL - something so you couldn't really expect a completely new game but now the name is completely different, and the game has nothing to do with the trailers published it is perhaps minimally enhanced variant of theThis is crap, this is NOT a NEW game and should NOT be sold as a stand-alone separate game from the others, this is stupid! At least before the games would be named Cities XL - something so you couldn't really expect a completely new game but now the name is completely different, and the game has nothing to do with the trailers published it is perhaps minimally enhanced variant of the previous game. Such enhancements should be done via a FREE PATCH or perhaps DLC and NOT by releasing THE SAME GAME under a DIFFERENT NAME! OBNOXIOUS!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
69
#69 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 20
  3. Negative: 9 out of 20
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 10, 2015
    20
    Cities XXL is almost identical to its predecessors, but despite the slight technical improvement, other parts remain the same or even worse. Hands off. [Issue#251]
  2. CD-Action
    Apr 1, 2015
    40
    Do you remember Cities XL from 2009? Or Cities XL 2011? Or Cities XL 2012? Or Cities XL Platinum? Cities XXL is the same game, just with a new price tag. [04/2015, p.65]
  3. Games.cz
    Mar 19, 2015
    50
    Cities XXL is itself a solid strategy. The city, that you can build, is really XXL. Bugs are annoying, but you can live with it. Worse is, that the game is the same as its predecessor. Without exaggeration. Almost exactly the same.
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