Cities Skylines 2 has finally been announced. The sequel to one of the best city builder games – if not the best – has been asked for by the community for some time now, immediately making this one of the most anticipated upcoming PC games of the year. Cities: Skylines is cresting its eighth birthday after all, and has a phenomenal following that's generated thousands of mods and other creations in that time. Not too many details are known yet about Cities Skylines 2, but you can find everything we know about the game so far below.
Cities Skylines 2 release date
The Cities Skylines 2 release date is set for sometime in 2023, although a more specific window for one of the biggest new games of 2023 has yet to be announced. It's the 8th anniversary for Cities Skylines, so the community is more than ready for a sequel.
Cities Skylines 2 platforms
Cities Skylines 2 will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S when it launches later this year.
Cities Skylines 2 Game Pass
Cities Skylines 2 will be a part of the full Xbox Game Pass list, meaning that any Game Pass subscribers will be able to play the new city builder from day one through the service. Paradox is yet to confirm whether Cities Skylines 2 will be available for both Xbox and PC Game Pass players, although this does appear to be the case.
Cities Skylines 2 trailer
You can watch the first Cities Skylines 2 trailer above, which isn't actual gameplay from the upcoming city builder but does give us a little insight into what Paradox and developer Colossal Order wants to achieve with the title.
Cities Skylines 2 gameplay – What's new?
While Paradox and developer Colossal Order have yet to release actual gameplay footage for the title, we do have some hints as to how Cities Skylines 2 gameplay will be an evolution over the original title. It's dubbed the "most realistic city builder - ever" on its Steam page, where it also mentions "new epic scale". That's backed up by the Cities Skylines 2 achievements that have leaked, which state that you'll be able to utilize 150 map tiles in a single city, rather than the nine from the original game. There's also mentions of hailstorms, tornados, and forest fires – some of which were only available via DLC packs for the original game. You'll also be able to "Follow a citizen's lifepath from childhood to old age", which certainly suggests a depth of simulation much greater than the OG Cities Skylines.
"With unprecedented amounts of customization and player control, Cities: Skylines 2 will continue to push boundaries for the city-building franchise," said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive.
The official press release states that you'll be able to experience the managing of everything from individual households to the transport and economy systems of the city, including plenty of construction and customization options, and "advanced modding capabilities". It goes on to say this will be the "most open-ended city-building sandbox on the planet", so pretty lofty goals here.
Will Cities Skylines 2 multiplayer exist?
There is currently no confirmation that there will be multiplayer for Cities Skylines 2. However, we are still in the very early stages of the game's reveal, so we expect more information to come soon. While clever players of the original game have modded in multiplayer support, we will note that it's never been an official feature of the Cities Skylines series.
Want to learn more about Cities Skylines ahead of the sequel? The original is one of the best Xbox Game Pass games that you can play right now, so be sure to jump in and give it a play.
