Cities: Skylines

This is the first review I’ve ever written for a game. Obviously, that’s because this is the best game I have ever played. Where do I even start? I originally built my gaming PC with flight sims in mind, stuff like MSFS, DCS, and similar. I figured those were the only kinds of games I’d ever touch. Honestly, I don’t even really consider myself a “gamer.” That said, I’ve always been in awe of huge cities. I live in a medium-to-small city myself, but I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some major ones, and from the very beginning, I’ve loved everything about them. The hustle and bustle, the giant highways, it all fascinates me. I’d heard of Cities: Skylines a while back but never paid it much attention. I didn’t realize a game could actually simulate that specific love I have for cities. Then one day I saw it on sale on Steam, read some reviews, and thought, “Why not? I’ll give it a shot.” And for the first time since childhood, I was glued to a game. Time flew. I played for six hours straight after installing it, but it felt like half an hour. It was like discovering my first Minecraft cave when I was 12, all over again. I had never gotten addicted to a game so quickly. It was wonderful. This game makes you feel smart. Proud. Like a problem-solver, a designer. A city builder. It’s not for everyone. Not everyone’s going to enjoy spending hours figuring out how to optimize traffic flow from the industrial zone to the commercial zone, all while managing raw materials, worker supply, and outside connections. But the crazy part? I didn’t think I would, either. News flash: I do. And it feels great. Seriously, solving those little logistical puzzles makes you feel amazing. Sure, the game has its quirks, some small bugs here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary for a game of this size and complexity. The only one you’ll probably notice early on is how vehicles change lanes, which can cause some traffic issues. But honestly, I wouldn’t even call that a bug. It’s just the game mechanics. So yes. I highly recommend this game. To everyone. If you’re reading this and even slightly think you might enjoy it, buy it. Sale or not, this thing is worth a million bucks. Even now, with Cities: Skylines II out for over a year, I can only hope that, with time and updates, it’ll capture the same magic this first one did. Thanks for reading—and good luck with your city!

it could be good, but they lock trams behind a dlc making traffic a massive issue. i already payed 30$ for the game and it wants me to pay more to enjoy the game? you can f##k right off.

~ DIFFICULTY ~ 🔲 My 90 year old grandma could play it 🔲 Easy ✅ Normal 🔲 Hard 🔲 Dark Souls ~ GRAPHICS ~ 🔲 MS Paint 🔲 Bad 🔲 Meh 🔲 Graphics dont matter in this game ✅ Good 🔲 Beautiful ~ MUSIC ~ 🔲 Bad 🔲 Not special ✅ Good 🔲 Eargasm ~ STORY ~ ✅ This game has no story 🔲 Like playing Temple Runners for the story 🔲 It's there for the people who want it 🔲 Well written 🔲 Epic story ~ PRICE ~ 🔲 Free 🔲 Underpriced 🔲 Perfect Price ✅ Could be cheaper 🔲 Overpriced 🔲 Complete waste of money ~ REQUIREMENTS ~ 🔲 You can run it on a microwave ✅ Average 🔲 High end 🔲 NASA computer ~ LENGTH ~ 🔲 Very Short (0 - 3 hours) 🔲 Short (3 - 15 hours) 🔲 Average (15-50 hours) 🔲 Long (50-90 hours) 🔲 Extremely long (90-110 hours) ✅ No ending ~ FUN ~ 🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry 🔲 Hard to enjoy 🔲 Repetitive ✅ Actually pretty amusing 🔲 Ride of your life ~ REPLAYABILITY~ 🔲 It's a one-time experience 🔲 Only for achievements 🔲 If you wait a few months/years 🔲 Definitely ✅ Infinitely replayable ~ WORTH BUYING ~ 🔲 No 🔲 Wait for sale ✅ Yes ---------------- Cities: Skylines is a highly engaging city-building simulation that delivers a deep and satisfying urban planning experience. From its detailed mechanics to its flexible design options, it offers players the chance to build sprawling metropolises from the ground up. With intuitive tools and a vast array of options, the game caters to both casual players and hardcore simulation fans. Its emphasis on creativity and problem-solving makes it an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Gameplay in Cities: Skylines is meticulously crafted, offering a wide variety of systems to manage including traffic flow, pollution, budgeting, and public services. The learning curve is well-balanced, with helpful tutorials and community mods that enhance the experience further. Players can specialize cities around different industries or cater to specific population needs, which keeps gameplay fresh and dynamic. Strategic planning is essential, and success feels genuinely earned. Visually, the game presents an impressive and detailed world with a clean, modern aesthetic. The user interface is well-organized, making it easy to navigate complex systems. Cities come to life with bustling traffic, flowing rivers, and dynamic day-night cycles that add immersion. The graphical fidelity is strong, and zooming in reveals the thoughtful design of individual structures and city elements. Overall, Cities: Skylines stands out as a polished and rewarding city-builder that encourages strategic thinking and creativity. Its deep mechanics, combined with strong visuals and an open-ended structure, provide endless hours of engaging gameplay. The experience is made even better by a passionate modding community, offering virtually limitless customization. It’s a benchmark title for the genre and remains highly recommended for simulation enthusiasts. Cities: Skylines gets a 7/10. For more reviews check my Steam profile Hope you enjoyed my review, god bless you

Great game if you can grab this on a deal with all the DLCs. Still waiting for the sequel to reach the heights of the original. If you liked Sim City or enjoy city builders, then this is definitely for you.

Cities: Skylines is a deeply satisfying city builder with unmatched flexibility and depth, especially once you explore its full range of mechanics. Managing traffic, services, and zoning becomes an addictive puzzle that rewards smart planning. Highly recommended for players who enjoy complex systems and creative freedom.

[h3]Cities: Skylines – Your City, Your Rules, Your Chaos[/h3] Ever dreamed of building a city from scratch and watching it come to life—or completely fall apart? Cities: Skylines gives you total control, from zoning and traffic flow to public services and natural disasters. What makes it shine is the freedom. You can create a perfect utopia... or accidentally cause a poop-water crisis that sends your population fleeing (been there, done that). And if you're into achievements, there’s a ton to unlock—like reaching population milestones, handling disasters, or running a city without going bankrupt (harder than it sounds!). It’s chill, it’s deep, and weirdly addictive. Whether you’re a control freak or just like watching little cars go brrr, this one’s a sandbox worth diving into. Let your imagination (and power grid) run wild. [h3]Score: 8.5/10[/h3] Why: + Super satisfying city-building and management + Tons of mods and expansions for endless playstyles + Great achievement design that nudges creativity – Steep learning curve at first – Can get performance-heavy on big cities

Both me and my partner gave it a go only to be left very disappointed in how much content are in DLCs and not in the base game, for example trains. The game has a strong element of traffic management going on so to put the likes of trains in a DLC, I think its quite cheeky! I like city building/job simulator games but really struggled to get into this, especially after getting so far and realising a DLC is needed.

There's no sandbox option. The pop up explanations on what features are used for don't really explain how to do it and you'll run out of money trying to figure it out before you can make it functional. You'll spend hours restarting and rebuilding the same city over and over just for it to fail at the same point every time.

Great City builder and Management game. Has some limitations and certain achievements require DLC otherwise decent time waster and a good pick up on sale

it’s fun, creative, and perfect for people who love building and planning. Not too stressful, but can get deep if you want it to.

Zaragoza: El videojuego. No me dejéis llevar una cuidad, voy a hacer 500 rotondas para todo

Steep learning curve, thanks to a friend I got the hang of it quick. Good game! I pick it up and somehow it is 6 hours later in the day...

very good game to get lost in time with plus the dlcs great and its very fun for does who like building games

The game is characterized by good mechanics and is rather simple and so there are no technical problems or butterflies as in the cities skylines 2 they twist it in the idea and the world of creativity But weak in artificial intelligence, especially cars, where all cars use the same path, and do not use any other path, and many paths remain empty and make flowers without any road problems

Cities: Skylines is the most realistic, enjoyable and content packed City Building Sim out there. City/Colony Building sims are my favorite genre and I could confidently say that Cities: Skylines is my favorite out of all I've played. If you are into city building and also like some challenge this is certainly the best game for you. I will have to say that it is quite tough to get used to and create realistic cities but once you get to learn the game the possibilities are endless and you will be in for a mental feast!

every few months i boot up skylines and play it nonstop for like a week in sandbox mode and its an itch no other city builders can scratch. love the little details youre able to place, and different overall themes your neighborhoods can be styled after. the cities feel lively and i love watching each little named citizen go on their journey from work to home to play each day. great mod support and resources through the workshop. the game has been out for a while though, so keep an eye out on what youre downloading and how updated it is, recently had to purge my years of workshop collections after a carefree download spree </3. DLC is pretty necessary for long-term gaming, it would get stale fast even with workshop options.

While original game was quite good when released, what they have managed to achieve with DLC policy is cancer. That is so wrong, just look at prices, quality and amount of tiny things you have to consider buying this. And subscription mmodel was the last drop. Even Anno 1800 managed to do better with DLCs. Or take Transport Fever 2 - 0 DLCs, perfectly finished game for the price of game, not new phone. I don't support such practices and wish you not either.

Try to play the game you bought? F you. This bloated spyware can't even install with admin privileges - because apparently my own security settings offend it. What exactly does this dumpster fire need to install that's so important? I could literally double-click the executable myself, but no - we need this special needs launcher for mentally challenged.

[h3][b][u]pros:[/u][/b][/h3] [list] [*]even though you can pause at any time, the game does a really good job of creating Continual Cascading Catastrophe™. your city's interlocking systems are always in flux, in chaos [*]lets you be as perfectionistic as you want. name the districts, name the streets, name the citizens (!) [/list] [h3][b][u]cons:[/u][/b][/h3] [list] [*]can definitely turn into a traffic management simulator/a game of aimless expansion [*]the late-game of unlocking buildings/monuments is a bit tedious (if that's what you're going for) [/list] [h3][b][u]bottom line:[/u][/b][/h3] there is something cool about being able to zoom out and see human existence on a wider scale. srry that was pretentious but you kno what i mean. helps me appreciate the asphalt we drive on and the electrical bills that power our homes. thanks cities skylines

Yes I would recommend it to others but out of the 4 times I've downloaded this game on mac, and windows twice my windows laptop has always had a problem with Mods etc but currently I have a problem with my game refusing to load after it was fine just yesterday. Crazy right? Other than that and performance issues on mid end devices it's always been one of my favorite games and I love the thought that went into a game, even if it is pretty old.

you built a thriving city, lots of happy citizens, until one storm hits and a lightning strike destroys my entire power grid and all waste managements stops working and everyone dies from poop.

As a novice at this genre but a Long Time Gamer, that without watching guides or play through's you will be lost.The tutorial sucks so bad for newbies the experience is ruined before even playing any meaningful game play. It does however seem to offer superb play for those willing to overcome the learning curve. I'm not a fan of DLC spamming either. Overall I would recommend it on sale and if your willing to learn and fork over DLC for specialty content. 70 out of 100

Game constantly crashes, and is un-playable

Buildings rise and fall People dying Income deficit Living standards worser than DPRK still my citizens are happy 10/10

Cities skylines is what I've been waiting for ever since I played the first Sim City. This is truly a great game with real emergent gameplay that's as close to running a real city I've seen in a game yet. I know because I used to work for a city and I'm an urban planner. If you're a nerd like me, get this game, stat!

This has to be one of the best games on steam, for this type i am still starting out but i will say if you are reading this, buy it!

This game is a great way to start a realistic city. I have no complaints and recommend it for people who are obsessed with city builder games. Must play.

While there were a couple of controls I don't like. Overall if you are a SimCity fan from back in the day then you will really like this game. There is a lot of attention to detail that I really like.

Great game with great community support

Its the best city builder out there as it is bug free and runs on a pretty low end pc.

A mostly relaxing city building game, Cities Skylines digs into your creativity to keep your city going. I have this on PlayStation and on PC and the PC version is definitely a lot easier to use, but both are fun!

A great city builder. I like it. 8/10. It would be a 10/10 if it were optimized better as the game devours a ton of RAM. Regardless, I do recommend it. (along with recommending a search for guides on how to get the best performance out of this game)

all the components are there but it's not balanced, refined, possibly even tested. You can have fun with it, especially playing with mods. But there's a distinct lack of attention of detail.

haven't played the first city skylines in probably six years and coming back to it from City skylines 2 I honestly see why over half the community stayed on the first one you get the steam mod shot and the game plays 10 times Smither quite literally I can't even launch City skylines 2 anymore

Personally I got bored of Cities Skylines very quick, but that doesn't mean the game is bad at all. The game has endless features and things to do when you develop your small town into a functioning city and the game is very realistic with crime rate, education, and traffic. If you're into city building games or you just want to destroy a whole town with a meteor, this game would be perfect for you.

I'm already bordering on 1,000 hours on this game and I haven't even had it for seven months by now. Truth be told though, this is the most engaging game I've found in years. I think it's helped me get into civil engineering (or at least try to). Even though I find the base game really bare and dependent on mods and DLCs, there is a LOT to like about this game. Much like SimCity, it's a game with a lot of possibilities and an open-ended feel that could leave you hooked for a very long time. You'll find yourself constantly trying to improve a city, and, once you're tired of it, making a new one from scratch. Scenarios will take forever to complete especially if you're playing a harder one. Without a doubt, if there's a game you want that can guarantee you wasting hours of your life on, this is the absolute perfect game to do it if you're a perfectionist. You can argue that the game is very mod dependent. That's 100% true, as I pretty much have played the game with mods since day 1 and can't imagine myself not playing with them. But I think that's a good thing and that's allowed the community to make loads of interesting assets and mods that became lifesavers for me. Ever wondered why CS2 feels so boring and glitchy? There's no comprehensive modding community as big as the first game to improve your gameplay. I will say that the DLC pricing and dependency is absolutely ludicrous. The DLC as a whole cost over [b]eleven times[/b] the base game, which is insane! While most of them seem worth it and very worth it in my opinion, some are just a complete scam based on their price. As I mentioned earlier, the dependency of mods and overpriced DLCs make the base game incredibly underwhelming. Worse yet, over half of the achievements are locked behind pricey DLCs which means that unless you have the entire game, you will not be able to "100%" this game. That said, despite its price hiking issues, it's a great game overall and I would highly recommend it to anyone, provided you're willing to spend on a DLC or two. Starter Deluxe Edition is enough, I would say. But just like the game, it's really a choose your adventure type of thing, so it's up to you to decide how you want to play this game. It's extremely open-ended and worth your time.

This Game made me want to pursue Civil engineering. Great game, lots of depth. My hours on this account lie, I have sunk well over 600+ hours into this game and it seriously changed my life by altering my career decision. Thanks devs.

It's a good game, however, the traffic AI is the only downside. As long as you learn how to design roads, you're pretty much set to enjoy the game

Cool game, only my third city and i`m already feeling like the best Mayor in the world. The only thing driving me crazy is water polution, like, what am i supposed to do? Good water from upstream and bad lower doesn`t seem to work Started another city, much better

This game with mods is actually insane, 10/10 game without mods and even better with mods

I still think this game is more fun, and better put together than Cities Skylines 2. While the graphics fall slightly shorter, the optimization is perfect and the game can handle very thick amounts of rendered utilities, where its new game falls short. I recommend both Cities Skylines and Cities Skylines 2 as they deliver unique experiences in creation, optimization, and problem solving.

It's a very good game, very creative and good for anyone who enjoys mapping, city planning or geography.

One of the best city-building games out there, offering tons of freedom and depth. Managing traffic, zoning, and public services is both challenging and rewarding. The game looks great and has an active modding community that adds endless content. Perfect for anyone who loves building, planning, and watching a city come to life.

very good and fun city building game. also way better than CS2

Been a part of this game since it launched forever ago, it's my fall back. When other games have failed to keep me, when other simulations come out. It's my Elder Scrolls Oblivion in RPGs. My SOASE for my 4x. You can't go wrong with this game (you can, but they're a hail dent on a gorgeous Lamborghini). If you're reading this review, it's worth the buy. Modded, it's chef's kiss.

great fun for those interested in logistics, city planning, decorating or just city sims as a genre. Even greater fun if you are a psychopath with a penchant for meteors

This game is addictive. Once you open it, you will keep playing it, forgetting to eat and sleep.

My concerning playtime says it all -- I love this absolute masterpiece of a game. This game allows you to either make an absolute utopia, awful prison, or spend hours finding the right mods to make a hyper-realistic masterpiece that'd make others jealous. Absolutely would recommend.

Fun for 2 months. Gets boring then. This game is literally nothing without mods.

If you want to play with mods, please be ready to have high-end pc/laptop, or else you will end up like me keeps having trouble to load the game itself. It takes very long time to load the whole map, so yea...