Paradox unveils new city-builder Cities: Skylines 2 - Release date, platforms, and more

Developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive unveiled three new games last night, the biggest of them being Cities: Skylines 2. The title is a sequel to the original city building simulator from 2015.

It is worth noting that Cities is not a new series, with urban development sandbox games being a remnant of the Cities in Motion franchise. The game took the simulation community by storm when it launched eight years ago. With the sequel, Colossal Order is looking to revolutionize the formula that worked for them.

Paradox Interactive dropped a minute-long teaser for the game, hinting at what could be possible thanks to the next generation of console and PC hardware.

Cities: Skylines 2 is slated for a late 2023 release, with details surrounding gameplay features and progression being scarce.

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Cities: Skylines 2 might be the most intricate urban development sim ever made

Cities: Skylines is known for its attention to detail and realistic simulation of a city that lives and breathes. Although its visuals have gotten outdated, the modding community has kept the title alive with multiple resource packs that remaster the game.

During the Paradox Announcement Show 2023 last night, the developers did not drop much info on how the upcoming game will build over what the first title offered. It now has a new polygonal glass-themed logo.

According to the official website that went online after the showcase, Cities: Skylines 2 "lets players create and maintain cities that come to life like never before, complete with fully-realized transport and economy systems, a wealth of construction and customization options, and advanced modding capabilities. "

Commenting on the scale of the upcoming city-building sandbox, the developers added:

"... Cities: Skylines II evolves the city-building genre further, letting players build the cities of their dreams with the most open-ended city-building sandbox on the planet."

There are no other details on what to expect from the upcoming title. However, it must include improvements to the visuals and a more detailed story outlining the growth of a city — as mentioned in the short teaser.

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When will Cities: Skylines 2 launch?

Paradox has confirmed that Cities: Skylines 2 will be launched in late 2023. This is a wide release window and could hint at anything from a fall or winter launch date. Thus, we are not expecting the city-building sim before Q4.

The original Cities: Skylines game was launched seven months after it was announced in the 2014 Gamescom. Thus, October 2023 seems like a healthy guess for the launch date of its sequel.

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Which platforms will Cities: Skylines 2 be available on?

The upcoming city-building sandbox will be available on all major platforms, including the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. The developers are making it exclusive to the ninth-gen consoles, which will allow the title to fully utilize the full computing power of the latest consoles and PC hardware.

On PC, the game will be available on Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Although Paradox is yet to confirm when the title will be added to the Game Pass library, a Day 1 release won't hurt.

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Cities: Skylines 2 is slated to be one of the biggest simulation releases of 2023. It will be exciting to see how the developers push boundaries to build the most technically astounding city-building sandbox ever.