Cities Skylines 2 Releasing Later This Year, Day One On Xbox Game Pass

Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order announced Cities Skylines 2, the follow-up to its popular city building simulator, will release later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The original Cities Skylines revived the city building simulator when it originally launched and the sequel aims to build upon that success. Cities Skylines 2 will also be launching into Xbox Game Pass on the same day, making it available to subscribers at no extra cost.

The sequel comes eight years after the original and allows far more freedom for players, including the ability to create cities of any size, from sprawling metropolises to small towns. Cities Skylines 2 also features fully realized and customizable public transportation systems and economic systems. It will launch with advanced modding capabilities on PC, making it easier for players to add content or make changes to the game.

Cities Skyline 2 promises to be a massive graphical jump from the previous game, sporting more detail and fidelity on current consoles and PC. In a press release, CEO of Paradox Interactive Fredrik Wester said that “with unprecedented amounts of customization and player control, Cities: Skylines II will continue to push boundaries for the city-building franchise.” Wester also said that this release will continue the great momentum of the first game, which found 5.5 million new players in just the past year.

Related: Cities: Skylines Review

As for the exact timing of the release, Paradox Interactive has not announced a more specific release window other than 2023. The company has also not revealed the pricing for Cities Skylines 2, except that it will be included as part of Xbox Game Pass on launch day. Paradox Interactive stated that fans can expect more reveals and announcements for Cities Skylines 2 throughout the year, leading up to its eventual launch.