Cities: Skylines 2 - Release date, gameplay, trailers, platforms & more

City-building fans unite in excitement, as the announcement of Cities: Skylines 2 gives you the chance to reignite that creative urban-planning spark once more. Cities: Skylines is considered one of the best city-building games ever made, so a sequel to the game is only going to bring improvements to the already successful formula.

You'll be able to build your ideal city with stunning new graphics, which unfortunately won't make that six-mile traffic jam any easier to deal with. With the release now quickly approaching, you won't want to miss all of the new details that have been revealed in this guide.

So, carry on reading below to find out everything that we know about Cities: Skylines 2 so far, including the release date, gameplay, trailers, and plenty more.

• Find out how to elevate roads in Cities: Skylines with this guide.

Is there a Cities: Skylines 2 release date?

Click to enlarge

The Cities: Skylines 2 release date has been officially announced as October 24, 2023. This is perhaps a little earlier than some fans expected, which is excellent news as it gives us not long until we can jump into the game and start building our own utopia.

According to the official website, we will start to get new content for the game in Q4 2023 with the Beach Properties asset pack, but the first expansion won't release until at least Q2 2024. While this does seem a while away now, we will at least have the abundance of mods available from amazing creators from launch to tide us over.

• Want a quick start or to focus on your creativity? Check out these Cities: Skylines cheats.

Are there any Cities: Skylines 2 trailers?

There have been two trailers released for Cities: Skylines 2 so far, with the second offering a far more detailed look at the game to stoke the flames of excitement even more.

The first trailer was the announcement of the game at the Paradox showcase back in March 2023. This is just a conceptual CGI trailer to give the sense of growth from the first game, but it was more than enough to send the city-building community into a frenzy.

The second trailer revealed at the Xbox Summer Game Fest showcase in June 2023 was far more detailed, however, giving a look at some of the new systems and the game's stunning new graphics too. We got a glimpse at the new road tools which fans have been wanting for years, what looks like new easy placement systems, and generally a much larger scale to the game too.

Hopefully, we will be treated to at least one more trailer before the game's release, and we will make sure to update this guide if that does eventually happen, so make sure to check back here again.

• See your city from a whole new perspective with this Cities: Skylines first person mod.

Are there any Cities: Skylines 2 gameplay details?

Click to enlarge

Cities: Skylines offered one of the most comprehensive and detailed city-building experiences yet, and its sequel Cities: Skylines 2 aims to expand upon that even further. It boasts unprecedented amounts of customisation and player control, letting you take the reigns in every aspect of the city-building process.

There is apparently going to be an even more in-depth transportation system, letting you further tinker with all of those pesky traffic jams and train lines. Furthermore, enhanced economic systems will let you make money in ways you didn't think possible before, letting you flex your creative muscles with new construction options too. Who knows, we might even see the return of Poo Island.

In what is perhaps the best news though, Cities: Skylines 2 comes packed with advanced modding capabilities, meaning that you'll be able to create even better mods or take advantage of the wealth of other community creations.

Games like Cities: Skylines live off of community mods and engagement, as they breathe new life into already deep games. It really is fantastic to see Colossal Order and Paradox lean further into this aspect of the game.

Colossal Order will also be spotlighting a new feature within Cities: Skylines 2 every single week until release, with topics like the new road tools, climate & seasons, and game progression included within the lineup.

We will update this guide with any new significant gameplay details that are revealed as part of this extensive rollout, so make sure that you check back again soon to avoid missing any crucial information.

• Running into the Cities: Skylines not enough goods to sell problem? Check out this guide for all of the ways to deal with it.

Do we know the Cities: Skylines 2 platforms?

Click to enlarge

As opposed to the initial release of the first game, Cities: Skylines 2 will offer players a simultaneous console and PC launch. This is great for players who don't have access to a PC (or one powerful enough to run the game) but have still fallen in love with city building just the same.

Here are all of the Cities: Skylines 2 platforms available at launch:

• PC
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X|S

The omission of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases is perhaps indicative of the scale of Cities: Skylines 2, both on a graphical and processing level. It is natural that improved graphics would demand a higher-performing machine, and the sequel is likely going to be more taxing than the first game when it comes to building bigger cities.

• Make sure to check out this guide for the best maps in Cities: Skylines if you want to jump back into the first game while you wait.

So, that's everything we currently know about Cities: Skylines 2, giving you all of the latest details regarding the release date, gameplay, trailers, and more.

If you're dying for more Cities: Skylines content in the meantime, make sure to check out our dedicated game page for more news and guides.